Posted By:
PaulI agree with Texas Ted 100%. I purchased a slightly trimmed but otherwise ExMt Cracker Jack Honus Wagner for about $200. It has always been one of my favorite cards, but well beyond my price range. Now I have the card, it looks great, and I'm very happy with it.
I've also purchased a slightly trimmed E97 Kelly and E96 Clarke for about $40 each. Again, both look fantastic and fit nicely in my collection.
In a slightly different category, I have an E107 Jimmy Collins with a butchered right edge. This card doesn't necessarily look great, and the trimming is obvious, but the card is so rare that I am happy to own it in any condition. It was also a bargain at about $200.
I used to reject trimmed cards out of hand. For reasons I can't fully explain, I always considered trimmed cards to be significantly inferior to cards that are creased/torn, etc. But the high price of some relatively common cards (like a Cracker Jack Wagner) and the unavailability of rare cards (like E107s) in nice condition has caused me to change my mind. I'll take a trimmed card over a badly scuffed face any day.