T202 Grading

[Archive]

Posted By: Vognar Julie

I've never seen a center fold line, factory made, on a T202. But I suppose a man, or a machine, could have made a sheet or two before being stopped. What do they call the machines? Guillotines?

I disagree with whoever said the two normal folds create little creases around them. There's plenty of room, on a mint card, for the card to be completely folded without even breaking the paper on the back folds, let alone creating little creases. So all that leaves to go wrong are printers' lines (several kinds), creases, off-register lithography, "card ik" (that funny transparent mold that grows mainly on T202's, and can only be seen if the light glances off the front--unless it's REALLY thick), uneven borders (centering), miscut borders, ski-slope borders, man-made trim to get sharper corners or more even borders, corner wear, little marks made by people to compensate for lack of numbering, or for other reasons, dirt, especially in the folds, excessive wear around the top and bottom of the folds causing indentation, paper loss from photo or lithograph, under or over-exposed photo prints (very rare, as far as I have seen), missing or obscured print on back... I've probably forgotten a dozen...

Don't need lower grade cards, but thanks anyway.

Julie