NonSports Forum

Net54baseball.com
Welcome to Net54baseball.com. These forums are devoted to both Pre- and Post- war baseball cards and vintage memorabilia, as well as other sports. There is a separate section for Buying, Selling and Trading - the B/S/T area!! If you write anything concerning a person or company your full name needs to be in your post or obtainable from it. . Contact the moderator at leon@net54baseball.com should you have any questions or concerns. When you click on links to eBay on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. Enjoy!
Net54baseball.com
Net54baseball.com
T206s on eBay
Babe Ruth Cards on eBay
t206 Ty Cobb on eBay
Ty Cobb Cards on eBay
Lou Gehrig Cards on eBay
Baseball T201-T217 on eBay
Baseball E90-E107 on eBay
T205 Cards on eBay
Baseball Postcards on eBay
Goudey Cards on eBay
Baseball Memorabilia on eBay
Baseball Exhibit Cards on eBay
Baseball Strip Cards on eBay
Baseball Baking Cards on eBay
Sporting News Cards on eBay
Play Ball Cards on eBay
Joe DiMaggio Cards on eBay
Mickey Mantle Cards on eBay
Bowman 1951-1955 on eBay
Football Cards on eBay

Go Back   Net54baseball.com Forums > Net54baseball Postwar Sportscard Forums > Postwar Baseball Cards Forum (Pre-1980)

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 11-18-2018, 12:09 PM
wdwfan wdwfan is offline
Emlily Ell.is
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,041
Default How much does writing on cards hurt their value?

I picked up a lot of 1962s yesterday that all had writing on them. It was either initials (AA) or year (62, 52, etc.). Other than the writing, most of them are in pretty good, middle of the road shape for the 1960s.

I've included scans of a few of the bigger names from the lot I picked up. The Musial with the tape has a crease, and both Spahns are really rough with a crease and/or tape marks. Other than that, most just have the writing on them. Otherwise, they'd grade probably VG to VG-Ex.

My question is how far does the writing knock down grades? For example, what should I list the Maris at? Fair, Poor, Good, VG? What?

I'm going to be looking to sell these as I can't use them in my set due to the writing. But I was curious what to list them at when I do the listings/thread. Thanks in advance.

Here's scans of the best cards...
__________________
Anyone on Twitter? Here's my new handle
@1millionrangers

I have done deals with: snowman, exhibitman, roquan, vintagetoppscards, bobsbbcards, sayitaintso, tsp06, gorditadogg, 4reals, bnorth, clydepepper, jcfowler6, jimmer77, tsp06, Bartholomew_Bump_Bailey, swk473 plus others.

Last edited by wdwfan; 11-18-2018 at 07:41 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 11-18-2018, 01:00 PM
swarmee's Avatar
swarmee swarmee is offline
J0hn Raff3rty
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Niceville FL
Posts: 6,902
Default

I would grade those as Poor. The fact that it's so large and in the center of the front hurts it. PSA rule of thumb for MK is a 2-point drop, but that's presuming it doesn't further damage the card, which ballpoint writing does.
__________________
--
PWCC: The Fish Stinks From the Head
PSA: Regularly Get Cheated
BGS: Can't detect trimming on modern
SGC: Closed auto authentication business
JSA: Approved same T206 Autos before SGC
Oh, what a difference a year makes.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 11-18-2018, 01:52 PM
Chris Counts's Avatar
Chris Counts Chris Counts is offline
Chris Counts
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Bay Area, California
Posts: 1,668
Default

For me, writing on the back of a card is not nearly as bad as writing on the front. In fact, writing on the back matters so little to me that I regularly search for cards with "writing on the back" because I can find bargains.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 11-18-2018, 02:56 PM
JollyElm's Avatar
JollyElm JollyElm is offline
D@rrΣn Hu.ghΣs
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 7,331
Default

Ink is the cardboard equivalent of the guillotine. Like John, I would assess them as poor.
__________________
All the cool kids love my YouTube Channel:
Elm's Adventures in Cardboard Land

https://www.youtube.com/@TheJollyElm

Looking to trade? Here's my bucket:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/152396...57685904801706

“I was such a dangerous hitter I even got intentional walks during batting practice.”
Casey Stengel

Spelling "Yastrzemski" correctly without needing to look it up since the 1980s.

Overpaying yesterday is simply underpaying tomorrow.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 11-18-2018, 03:00 PM
Jim65's Avatar
Jim65 Jim65 is offline
Jam.es Braci.liano
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 2,277
Default

To me, intentional damage like writing or trimming is a big dealbreaker unless the card is super rare.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 11-18-2018, 03:44 PM
Bored5000's Avatar
Bored5000 Bored5000 is offline
Eddie S.
Eddie Smi.th
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Fleetwood, Pa.
Posts: 1,265
Default

I am not being at all snotty when I say this, but the OP doesn't want them in his collection because of the writing; most other collectors are going to feel the same way about flawed cards that are so common. It is one thing if the card is extremely rare or an iconic card that is only available to most collectors if there are major flaws, but those cards are not at all rare or iconic.
__________________
Flawless BST transactions with Wondo, Marslife, arcadekrazy, Moonlight Graham, Arazi4442, wrestlingcardking and Justus.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 11-18-2018, 04:05 PM
wdwfan wdwfan is offline
Emlily Ell.is
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,041
Default

Correct. I have no intention of keeping them. I was just curious what to list them at when I sell them as I don't deal with these types of cards.

I usually toss out anything that has creases, writing or paper loss. But I got these at a really good deal, and I feel I can make money off them even selling them as Poor.

Maybe there's someone out there doing a low grade set and can use a $5 Maris (or whatever I decide to sell him at).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bored5000 View Post
I am not being at all snotty when I say this, but the OP doesn't want them in his collection because of the writing; most other collectors are going to feel the same way about flawed cards that are so common. It is one thing if the card is extremely rare or an iconic card that is only available to most collectors if there are major flaws, but those cards are not at all rare or iconic.
__________________
Anyone on Twitter? Here's my new handle
@1millionrangers

I have done deals with: snowman, exhibitman, roquan, vintagetoppscards, bobsbbcards, sayitaintso, tsp06, gorditadogg, 4reals, bnorth, clydepepper, jcfowler6, jimmer77, tsp06, Bartholomew_Bump_Bailey, swk473 plus others.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 11-18-2018, 04:09 PM
wdwfan wdwfan is offline
Emlily Ell.is
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,041
Default

I see a lot of cards from the 60s on back that have writing on them. For these, it seems the owner's initials were AA because that's what was on almost every card. Some of them have the team name crossed out and another team name written in its place. Why someone would write something on cards that were worth so much (or crease them up or put tape on them or put them in bicycle spokes or whatever). Heck, I was looking closer at the Frank Robinsons (and a couple of others) and there are tack marks. Like someone hung them up on the wall or something. I can't understand why people didn't take better care of their cards back then.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim65 View Post
To me, intentional damage like writing or trimming is a big dealbreaker unless the card is super rare.
__________________
Anyone on Twitter? Here's my new handle
@1millionrangers

I have done deals with: snowman, exhibitman, roquan, vintagetoppscards, bobsbbcards, sayitaintso, tsp06, gorditadogg, 4reals, bnorth, clydepepper, jcfowler6, jimmer77, tsp06, Bartholomew_Bump_Bailey, swk473 plus others.

Last edited by wdwfan; 11-18-2018 at 04:16 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 11-18-2018, 04:41 PM
bnorth's Avatar
bnorth bnorth is offline
Ben North
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 9,788
Default

Please quit throwing your beaters away. Several of us collect them.

As far as the cards you just purchased I would say you paid full retail or really close. You might be able to make a few $ if you consider your time to be completely worthless.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 11-18-2018, 07:34 PM
ls7plus ls7plus is offline
Larry
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Southfield, Michigan
Posts: 1,765
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Counts View Post
For me, writing on the back of a card is not nearly as bad as writing on the front. In fact, writing on the back matters so little to me that I regularly search for cards with "writing on the back" because I can find bargains.
I concur completely here. Just purchased a 1925 Exhibits KiKi Cuyler rookie I had been looking for for awhile (just 15 total PSA and SGC graded) in VG(mk) 3. The mark was due to the fact that "1925" had been written in very small letters on the back at the bottom of the card, along with "A" in slightly larger font stamped on the back above it. Since the backs are blank anyway, it bothers me not at all.

Generally, the rarer and more significant a card is, the more condition defects are tolerated and the lesser effect they have on the card's value, percentage-wise, in my experience. Large writing on the front on cards not particularly rare is, however, a big-time negative, IMHO.

Best wishes,

Larry
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 11-18-2018, 07:47 PM
wdwfan wdwfan is offline
Emlily Ell.is
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,041
Default

Yea, I know I won't get much out of them. I bought them knowing I wouldn't get much out of them. I actually just listed them in a thread for 15 cents apiece. So we'll see how that goes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by bnorth View Post
Please quit throwing your beaters away. Several of us collect them.

As far as the cards you just purchased I would say you paid full retail or really close. You might be able to make a few $ if you consider your time to be completely worthless.
__________________
Anyone on Twitter? Here's my new handle
@1millionrangers

I have done deals with: snowman, exhibitman, roquan, vintagetoppscards, bobsbbcards, sayitaintso, tsp06, gorditadogg, 4reals, bnorth, clydepepper, jcfowler6, jimmer77, tsp06, Bartholomew_Bump_Bailey, swk473 plus others.
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 11-19-2018, 08:24 PM
mrmopar mrmopar is offline
Curt
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 1,576
Default

My comments were 15-20 years later than this example. By the time I started buying cards, the hobby was more developed and people knew better, but as a kid with no direct connection to the hobby yet other than buying packs at the local grocery store, I had no clue. I tacked some cards on my wall, taped others, trimmed some and even laminated several (the school had a real laminator and then we discovered the retail stuff you could cut from rolls! I can say I never wrote on my cards though. It was 1978 and cards were not worth anything more than the price of a pack to us anyways, so we were not hurting anything by taping them to our walls. I don't recall when I made my first visit to a card store, but do remember even then, some people would write prices on the backs of the cards themselves. Usually pencil, but sometimes pen!

Quote:
Originally Posted by wdwfan View Post
I can't understand why people didn't take better care of their cards back then.
__________________
Looking for: Unique Steve Garvey items, select Dodgers Postcards & Team Issue photos
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 11-21-2018, 01:17 PM
Jewish-collector's Avatar
Jewish-collector Jewish-collector is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,665
Default

For the guys still living, what you could do for example the Torre, is get it signed, so the "B" becomes "Best Wishes, Joe Torre" and that card all of a sudden becomes really desirable.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 11-21-2018, 04:33 PM
ls7plus ls7plus is offline
Larry
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Southfield, Michigan
Posts: 1,765
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jewish-collector View Post
For the guys still living, what you could do for example the Torre, is get it signed, so the "B" becomes "Best Wishes, Joe Torre" and that card all of a sudden becomes really desirable.
Pretty good idea there. Back when I started collecting in the late '80's, even an autograph on the card was considered defacing it. The current trend, is of course just the opposite (although personally, I still don't like it--cards are cards, and autographs are autographs--to each his own).

Good luck with them,

Larry
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 11-21-2018, 06:26 PM
Rich Klein Rich Klein is offline
Rich Klein
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Plano Tx
Posts: 4,475
Default

For those card you showed the typical "retail" is 10 percent or less of book. But what you ask is up to you

Rich
__________________
Look for our show listings in the Net 54 Calendar section
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 11-21-2018, 06:36 PM
wdwfan wdwfan is offline
Emlily Ell.is
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,041
Default

Thanks everyone. I wound up selling the entire lot of 75 for $40 shipped. I sold the commons and semistars for 15 cents apiece and got $3 for the ones pictured (the stars).

I've got 1 last lot of 5 more (#1 Maris, #50 Musial (x2), #300 Mays, #320 Aaron) that I'm looking to move right now. I'm actually asking 6% of BV on that lot. So hopefully those will be able to move as well.

Thanks again.
__________________
Anyone on Twitter? Here's my new handle
@1millionrangers

I have done deals with: snowman, exhibitman, roquan, vintagetoppscards, bobsbbcards, sayitaintso, tsp06, gorditadogg, 4reals, bnorth, clydepepper, jcfowler6, jimmer77, tsp06, Bartholomew_Bump_Bailey, swk473 plus others.

Last edited by wdwfan; 11-21-2018 at 06:37 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 11-22-2018, 09:37 PM
Bigdaddy's Avatar
Bigdaddy Bigdaddy is offline
+0m J()rd@N
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: VA
Posts: 1,823
Default

I recently ran across a nice lot of '57s - centering very good and registration good across the board. However, they all had an ink stamp and a pen mark on the backs.

I ended up buying the lot and using them as the base of a new '57 set project. Probably the only way I'd actually start that project.

So for me, the ink marks on the back were actually an attracting factor because the decrease in value was greater than the impact on the 'eye appeal' of the cards for me. Different story though if the marks had been on the front.
__________________
Working Sets:
Baseball-
T206 SLers - Virginia League (-2)
1952 Topps - low numbers (-1)
1954 Bowman (-5)
1964 Topps Giants auto'd (-2)
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 11-28-2018, 09:05 PM
ls7plus ls7plus is offline
Larry
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Southfield, Michigan
Posts: 1,765
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigdaddy View Post
I recently ran across a nice lot of '57s - centering very good and registration good across the board. However, they all had an ink stamp and a pen mark on the backs.

I ended up buying the lot and using them as the base of a new '57 set project. Probably the only way I'd actually start that project.

So for me, the ink marks on the back were actually an attracting factor because the decrease in value was greater than the impact on the 'eye appeal' of the cards for me. Different story though if the marks had been on the front.
Tom, I think that's really great if it works for you! Obviously, you can eventually upgrade when and if the urge strikes. Way to turn a minus into a plus!

Sincerely,

Larry
Reply With Quote
Reply



Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Any Eraser for 1960's pen writing on cards? K-Nole Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions 8 08-22-2016 10:22 AM
Errant Writing on Vintage Baseball Cards..... Leon Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions 29 10-01-2015 09:46 PM
Writing on Cards mintacular Postwar Baseball Cards Forum (Pre-1980) 15 02-25-2011 11:45 AM
Writing on cards? Archive Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions 25 07-23-2007 04:26 PM
How does writing on cards affect value? Archive Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions 7 03-04-2006 12:58 PM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:54 AM.


ebay GSB