Found this centered Frank on the cheap. The Maris is now in-hand and the grade definitely is a head-scratcher-- but anytime such a nice card can be had for so little that is a good thing, so not complaining!

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...nk-robinson-rc

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ps-roger-maris

A few more rookies
 

The Hunter is crooked in the case, looks much nicer in person....and the Dewey is outside of my hall of fame collection purview, but I think he deserves admission, so he's in Carl's Hall of Fame rookies... ;)

Awesome pickups-- both super strong for the grade. That Dwight Evans is a slept-on RC for sure.

Thanks, Matt! ...and by the way, your posts have been influencing and increasing my eye for centering in a truly desirable card... I'm still gaga over that Bench rookie you got in a 4 that looks every bit as nice as my 8..

Thanks! Glad you are digging the latest additions. Just copped these bad boys on my now-nightly ebay treasure hunt for low-mid grade centered cards...

The 63 Mick will tap down in holder and look great; don't know why more seller scans aren't made sure to be flush with the bottom of the holder. But it's good for those of us who scrutinize such scans and realize it's not tilt but the scan. At first I was going to pass on it because I mistakenly thought I could find better centering, but then I looked at all the 4s and 5s on VCP and completed ebay sales and quickly realized this is about as good as it gets; these Micks are pretty hard to find centered, that's for sure.

The Ford is just such an awesome photo!

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...-mickey-mantle

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ps-whitey-ford

I may be addicted...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...s-sandy-koufax

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...frank-robinson

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...pps-nolan-ryan

MattyC,

You never cease to amaze me at finding such great low to mid-grade cards that look much higher than the grade. Needless to say since joining this forum your postings certainly have changed the way I go about evaluating a card. Thanks for the all the posts.

Thx, brother. I remember when I first got back into the hobby after college, and fell gradually into the PSA Registry Set thing. I was having ton of fun-- at first-- but then this uncomfortable feeling began to dawn as I found myself buying cards that said GRADE "X" on them...but in my mind and heart I knew they were not as appealing to my eye as some cards in GRADE "X-Y." And the irony was that some of these special lower-grade cards were actually much, much less expensive than the higher graded ones that I felt were visually inferior, at least to my eye.

I also began to have a problem with paying exponential increases in price (i.e., the jump from 9 to 10) for what seemed to me an infinitesimal increase (and sometimes no perceptible increase, or even in some cases a decrease) in card quality. This seemed like a crazy inverse proportion in the economics of higher grades that led me to look at the the broad pool of lower and mid grade examples. I like rare things and I like a challenge, and I began to sense a fun and immensely rewarding challenge in finding the special, rare low or mid grade example that looks as nice as or nicer than a card that would have cost me much more.

All these musings led to the seemingly obvious epiphany that while there is no doubt utility in the TPG slabbing of cards, to embrace both a company's subjective grading standards and their rendered grades as law and gospel is a mistake. I felt that each collector, were he the one to set the standard, might place a much greater emphasis on certain aspects of a card over others, based on his own sense of aesthetics. Sometimes the collector will agree with a TPG's assessment of a given card, or which card is "better" than another, and sometimes the collector will disagree with the TPG. In the end, I believe the collector is always right when it comes to his collection.

If the TPGs always got it right when determining which card is "best," then logically we would never see a 3 sell for more than a 5, etc. And yet time and again we do.

For example, take a 9 that someone subsequently bumps to a 10. When the card was in the 9 holder, let's say a collector sees it and likes it, but is conflicted: on one hand he wants "the best" card, yet his eyes are telling him one thing while the stickers say another. Now if the collector lets the latter guide him, he winds up paying say $10,000 for the 10. Meanwhile, let's posit that another collector follows his eye, buys the 9 for $250, and subsequently reviews it and it becomes a 10. Now, with the two cards in the same numerical yet subjectively assigned grade (the TPGs are very upfront in stating what they render is merely an opinion), anyone can see the newer-minted 10 in this hypothetical is the superior specimen. And yet it was the same card whether it said 8, 9, or 10 on the sticker.

So once I unshackled myself from thinking the best card was necessarily the highest graded, I freed myself to seek the most beautiful card to my own eye, and also can save an enormous amount of money in the process-- which I would of course spend on more cards, LOL.

For example, for the price of a single card I owned in PSA 8, which I sold, I was able to purchase all of the cards I've posted on this month's thread, and even added a replacement of the card I sold that is three grades lower yet looks better to me (bolder color and better centering than the 8). I find myself constantly "upgrading" to special specimens of lower graded cards and thereby expanding my collection to include images I always loved but never had. But end of the day this is just how I approach cards and it's all about whatever works for each person.

MattyC,
Well stated. I have recently downgraded an Alcindor rookie PSA 7 to PSA 6. The 6 was just over half the cost of the 7 and looks much better because of the centering. I have also passed on upgrading some PSA 9's to 10's based on exactly what you mentioned. I will upgrade to the 10's if I see one that is better than the 9 but until then I am happy with the 9.

Thought this was a great commentary
 

MattyC,

Thanks so much for sharing how you now collect cards. Sometimes we get obsessed or caught up with a grade when we should just collect what we like. I agree with you when it comes to collecting and basically do the same when collecting cards. Of course with me it's a little easier since I mainly collect Brooks Robinson items; kinda narrows down what to look for in regard to regular issue cards. When it comes to his odd-ball cards it's never ending!

Regards,

Mark

Was after this for a hot minute, as we say back home. One of the funkiest cards to get centered properly. Love the lighting of his portrait. And the cub is flavor.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ernie-banks-rc

And I know this isn't Post War but this completes the month...for now.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...isty-mathewson

Eye candy every day, Matt. Nice month outta you, bro.

Matt - the '54 Topps Ernie Banks RC is one of my top 10 all-time favorite cards. You are absolutely correct about the funky centering on it. I have seen tons of them with wonky top-to-bottom centering where his name is basically sitting flush against the top border. That is in addition to the left-right centering issues endemic to that set.

Short version = very nice card. Good work.

Arrrrrrrrgh! I was lokking at a Banks RC the other day, it is difficult to find one especially with a bit of border at the top, not being cut-off. Plus its hard for me to see the beige background to look at centering, I think i found one yesterday, but held off on it.
MattyC- i'm so jealous!!

Seems strange to be excited about picking up what many would consider just a common, but....

I have been working on the 61 Post set, and embedded in a lot I recently won was one of the tougher cards from this set, the Chuck Estrada card. This card was a "company only" issued card, in other words it did not appear on a product box as most all of the other cards in the set. The card is in great shape (nice edges, crease/stain free), so I consider myself lucky to find a copy of this tough card in this nice of shape at a fraction of the typical price.

That is amazing about the Estrada-- at least with the Goudey Nap they allowed you to send in for it! So how do most set builders obtain the Estrada? Did a few manage to escape the factory? Fascinating card. As a former set builder I love cards with mystique like that. Must feel great to finally have it.

Chris & Yossarian, thx re: the Banks. Very few places one can go to find those who can appreciate the challenge of finding a properly cut Ernie Banks RC!

This card below is one of my favorite baseball cards of all time. Sacrificed a bit on top-bottom centering for picture clarity and color...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ackie-robinson

Thank you Matt....and yes, a relief to cross this card off of the need list. While the copies of the Estrada are available(there are several offered on ebay as singles), they command a steep price. In this shape, a $100 price point would be considered good(for a common?). While the 61 Post set has over 200 different players in the set, when the variations are figured in there are over 350 different cards. There are 160 "company issued" cards, and if I am not mistaken, 2 cards (Estrada and Shaw) were only issued as company cards. Here is a link to a REA auction for a set of the company issued cards from this set ....it also discusses how the company cards were issued:

http://www.robertedwardauctions.com/.../2011/918.html

Howdy Savedfrommyspokes,

A hearty congratulations upon getting that beautiful '61 Post Estrada for your set.

I think you are mistaken about the number of cards that were ONLY available by sending away for a particular team sheet. I am no expert, but I do recall a couple other examples of this---the Yankees' sheet having Bob Turley, and the Senators' sheet had Chuck Stobbs.

The other scenario I well remember from hobby literature was a couple players that were very hard to find, and only on the cereal boxes. You probably know of them: Bob Shaw of the White Sox; and Mel Roach of the Braves. What you might not know is that even in 1969, renown mail order dealer Bruce Yeko singled those two cards out in his catalog entry for the set, and put a hefty premium on their purchase price. The price is of course comical today, but at 1-2 dollars for each, that made them approximately 10-20 times the cost of a common single. In fact, he priced all the cards the same, save for Shaw and Roach.

As you can imagine, 1969 was a time when very few adults, teens, and youngsters sent away for cards. Had Bruce been buried with orders for certain stars, he would have adjusted his prices. When he didn't have the card, which was half the time for the admittedly star cards I wanted from him, he'd simply issue me a credit slip on the paperwork with the cards he had sent me. In a few short years, the price of all star cards was being adjusted on a monthly to a weekly basis by the now burgeoning adult card hobby!

Sounds as if you're having a ton of fun with the '61 Post. I'll always love those--the first baseball cards I saw in 1961, the year I began collecting. Have a great one. --Brian Powell

Hi Brian, thank you...
When I posted that previous message, I was indeed going by memory and not my checklist, thus my disclaimer. You are correct that the Turley and Stobbs were also only company issued....I received a copy of the Turley in the same lot as the Estrada. As far as the Shaw and Roach, the Roach arrived embedded in a previous lot. So, if you have not guessed this yet, I will be patiently waiting for both the Stobbs and Shaw cards to arrive via a future lot.

Interesting story about Bruce....he was probably one of the few people who handled enough quantity of and requests for these cards that he must have quickly recognized that Shaw and Roach were low pop type cards, based on his supply and demand.

Any idea why the Roach card was not numbered in sequence with the other Braves cards from this set?

One of the most under graded looking pieces I have come across! Was about to pull trigger on a 5 but spent way less on a better looking piece. Curious to get it in hand and see what the issue is; back looks great, too.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...stan-musial-rc

Been wanting this Bench card for a long time. I was the under bidder on PSA 9 a couple of months ago. Looking back I should have ponied up the big money because that 9 that I lost out on was perfectly centered. This one sold me on the sharpness of the corners and overall color even if it has a slight tilt.

Hiya Savedfrom...(What's your first name, bub?)

I must confess that I never really collected the set, and never noticed that card 163 Mel Roach was placed smack dab in the middle of the Los Angeles Dodgers numerical sequence---7 Dodgers before and after. That discovery is most fascinating.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, on May 9, 1961 the Milwaukee Braves traded Mel Roach to the Chicago Cubs for Frank Thomas, which I'm sure bears much weight in the explanation of why Roach is tough, though I'm still puzzled by his assigned number in the middle of the Dodgers.

As for number 193 Frank Thomas, he's with his fellow Cubs. However, it seems Post just kept Frank on the Cubs' send-away team sheet. As for his box card, it must have been deleted from the set, because the Standard Catalog has the cereal box Frank Thomas valued at $37, whereas the send-away card is only $7. (The values are from the long out-of-date 2001 Standard Catalog, but are relevant for the point regarding the disparity in value, which deduces that the Thomas box card is much much more scarce)

Then again, kids simply collected cards or teams; few would be brave enough to go for the entire set, so Roach having an oddball number may have been no big deal to Post. Maybe there originally was to have been another Dodger, such as Sandy Koufax! Wish Dan Mabey would come to our rescue on this one. Perhaps he knows.:D

--Brian Powell

matt - that is one helluva nice looking card.

Beautiful card, enjoy!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thx!

Love the 69 Bench; it is a card on my list, too. To think I went and sold a 9 years ago when I was collecting a set-- to buy some commons! Face palm time!

Just found this bad boy on ebay-- had been one of the toughest in the run for me to hunt down well-centered.

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...-mickey-mantle

Congrats! Now that is a nice Mantle for PSA 6. Well done.

Nice find! Not too many jut floating around


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Brian,
You are right, Dan will likely have the answer in regards to the numbering of the Roach card....hopefully he will see this thread.



Here is a year old article on Dan by SCD:
http://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com...-cereal-cards/


According to this article, there are 543 total cards in the 62 set....I thought I was almost done with the 62 set needing just the blue lined Koufax and Clemente to complete the set based on the checklist in my VBC. Guess I have more work to do there. There seem to be an almost endless number of background and cropping variations on the player's images in this set.

Larry

Matt, good call on the great centering on that sharp looking 60 Mantle.

I just picked up this beautiful Johnny Bench for my 1975 Topps set. This is the scan from the web. I'll replace it with a better one once it comes in. But I'm having a hard time seeing why it's only an 8. I'll have to look it over in person.

http://imageshack.com/a/img661/6298/Q4r2pC.png

Awesome buy. When you have an 8 that looks like that, you've won.

Howdy Larry,

Thanks for your kind response, and methinks you are many yards taller than I in knowledge of the nuances and kazillion intricacies of those amazing Post Cereal cards. Please forgive me where I might have insulted your intelligence. Honestly, I just love it that some other collectors are talking about these swell cards, and collecting 'em too.

At the risk of expressing common knowledge to you again, have you happened upon any of the original spot black 'n white TV commercials that General Foods ran about their Post Cereal baseball and football card promotions, as shown on YOUTUBE? A nostalgia buff / dealer uploaded some of them a few years ago and every once in a while I mozy over there and watch a few. If you are well familiar with these, you know what they mean to a devoted collector/enthusiast of Post.;)

Well, gotta eat and head off to work. I usually have a bowl of breakfast cereal, etc. Just wish.... Let's just say those cereal cards bring back a lot of fond childhood memories. ---Brian Powell

Brian,

Thank you for letting me know about the youtube uploads of the old Post commercials...I will certainly take a look at them.

In regards to the Post sets of cards, I am still very much a novice and in a learning mode about these sets and their nuances. Please continue to share your knowledge of these sets, as most all of the information you share is not only new to me, but helpful also.

Great looking Bench ,Bill.Good luck with the set.Looks like your off to a good start!

Bill that is a very nice PSA 8 Bench. How far along are you with the 75 set? I am considering doing the Reds team graded and the rest of the set raw.

Sorry for the glare. Got this as a psa2, very happy to see no creases when I broke Stan out. The corners don't look as bad in person.

Nice Nolan Jerry..........

Picked up (9) 1952 Topps High numbers with a Campy. Wish he didn't have (4) staple marks in him but it was the right price filler till I can find a nicely priced EXish one. Up to 21 High numbers now and need only (5) low number's [10RB,29RB,33RB,36RB,67BB] to have all the 1-80 in both RED and BLACK. Thanks to Lou Brown...........

http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=16078

http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=16079

http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=16083

http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=16082

http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=16081

http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=16080

So you're the one who snagged my Yuhas :) Nice pickup.

Nice Chris.Good luck with the set!

Thank you. I'm really in the early stages. So far, I just have the ones I've shown in this pickup thread-Yount, Bench, Dave Winfield, Tony Olivia, George Scott, Carl Yastrzemski, Don Sutton, and whatever I end up ordering today. I'm looking for some ungraded cards ones right now.

There are certain cards from this set that I'll be trying to get in high PSA grades. The Yount and Brett, of course. Rice, Carter, Hernandez, Ryan, Munson, Rose and Hank Aaron. Then I'll be buying them again in EXMT+ just to put in with the set to complete it.

I'm looking for Steve Carlton, Lou Brock and some other stars from the set today. I'm in no rush to put the set together. I'll probably spend the next several months working on it. Besides the Bench, I bought a nice mid grade '56 Topps Minnie Minoso, as I'm going to start a new discussion focused on him and a few other players, and 8 T206 cards. They'll be here today or tomorrow, then I'll scan them, and add them to the August pickup thread on the pre-war side.

I'm going to be pretty particular with this '75 set. I'm all about visual appeal.

Thanks, Matt. I'm paranoid, now. When I see a card like that, I think to myself "hmm, buy it now, or get something else, and come back to this? Aw, hell, better get it now, or a certain somebody else will notice this has been undergraded, and snag it up!" :p

Thank you, Steve. It's very fun. I love the T206 set, but it's quite a costly set. The 1975 set isn't nearly as tough on the pocket book, but there are more cards, and condition issues to avoid. So I'm buying the cards individually to make sure the entire set meets my expectations.

A summer's-worth of Old 1990's-graded Beckett pick-ups
 

http://imagehost.vendio.com/a/204295...YSDALE_NEW.JPG

...I'm lucky to find this many in only three months..



...I had to severely over-tweak the scanner settings to get the Drysdale image to appear ;... otherwise that yellow background color used for some of the 1959 Topps blends into the white border color (see also any '59 Clemente ) and then you can't truly appreciate what a centering weenie I am....

I just got the 1961 Union Oil back from SGC today. I was hoping for a smaller non-exhibit case but I guess this will work. Maybe I can mount a autographed cut beneath it or maybe an autographed baseball or bat. I have seen this card in a smaller SGC case, so I'm not sure why they went this route. I picked up Perry's 1962 Topps RC on eBay for next to nothing. Also thanks to Derek for the Union Oil.
http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=16090http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=16091

Not high grade cards by any means but just got the Clemente in the mailbox today. My first non-modern card of him.

http://i1269.photobucket.com/albums/...psiyv2hutp.jpg

Nice! Right in line w/ where I thought it might end up - EX to EX/MT! Glad to see it didn't get some ridiculous grade for some unknown paper loss or surface wrinkle! It certainly presents much nicer than The technical grade, which was dragged down by the staining on back.

Thanks for an easy transaction!

Not the best shape but happy to add this to the collection:

http://www.baggersauctions.com/Graph...ntle_SGC10.jpg

I was able to add one more beauty to my collection. I'll get a better scan up when it comes in. But I'm giddy. Mark Belanger, one of the greatest defensive players the game has ever seen, and a man I feel should be in the Hall of Fame.

http://imageshack.com/a/img674/9080/rQDeZn.png

It's not a coincidence that the Orioles were American League Champions 5 times, and World Champions twice, while Belanger was playing short for the Orioles.

In my opinion, there has never been a better left side of the infield from a defensive standpoint. Belanger and Brooks Robinson were both full time starters at the same time between 1968 and 1975. That's 8 seasons, a total of 16 Gold Gloves available. They took 13 of them. Brooks Robinson, of course, won 16 Gold Gloves in total. Belanger won 8 Gold Gloves as a shortstop. And since 1950, only Ozzie Smith has had a higher defensive WAR than Robinson's 38.8 and Belanger's incredible 39.4. Ozzie Smith beat out Belanger with a 43.4 WAR. But he also played 557 more games than Belanger.

Dammit Bestdj777, I am glad i turned you onto to it last week @Baggers, I know how much you tried to get it last time, I am glad you still got it in the long run, when it came back up in auction, still cheaper than i thought than previous owner paid. I am so excited for ya to check that one off the list.

Now its my turn!!!!
 

After a droughtfull many months..I worked in a trade for this BAD BOY!!!!!
Thanks to a dealer from the National...Brad Lang (ebay seller floyd6294)
and special thanks to Leon, MattyC and Bestdj777 for advice/opinions.
A bit O/C, but i liked no wet transfer on this one.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMD...T4Rfr/$_57.JPG

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMD...T4Rft/$_57.JPG

[QUOTE=pawpawdiv9;1313033]After a droughtfull many months..I worked in a trade for this BAD BOY!!!!!
Thanks to a dealer from the National...Brad Lang (ebay seller floyd6294)
and special thanks to Leon, MattyC and Bestdj777 for advice/opinions.
A bit O/C, but i liked no wet transfer on this one.

[QUOTE]


Thanks Chris. I appreciate you letting me know about it! And, gorgeous card. Glad you nabbed it.

That Robby Leaf is quite nice, centering be damned!

Nice Jackie, Chris :) Good pickups. You're obviously happy, and that's the most important thing.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm back to scouring the web for more 75s. :D

Way 'ta go, Chris!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations on finally getting the 55 Stahl-Meyer Franks Mickey Mantle. Just having one is definitely an accomplishment very few Mantle collectors reach. For having a major crease, at least it misses Mick's eyes and most of his cap. That spares some of the essential eye appeal. --Brian Powell

That is a sexy Jackie Robinson Card


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Thanks Brian! Now I just need the 54.... I am so glad the wrinkle didn't go through his face. I don't mind creases as long as they don't ruin the eye appeal. I appreciate the kind words. This is one I've wanted for a while. I bid on this exact card in an auction several months ago but backed out one bid too soon.

Here's a 1977 J.D. McCarthy of Tom "Touch 'em all Joe" Cheek, hall of fame broadcaster of the Blue Jays. I guess this would be his rookie card.

A Couple of New Ones
 

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...pscf3af384.jpg http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...ps1656009b.jpg

Jeff,

That's a sweet Minoso!!

Picked up a few signed ones this month, these two were the highlights...
Attachment 157883Attachment 157884


And a super clean Clemente off BST.. it's a dupe but I couldn't resist.
Attachment 157886

ADDING-- (almost forgot) signed Catfish rookie from LOTG
Attachment 157892

This is the only one I have ever seen for sale and I am ecstatic to add this to my collection. What makes it even better is that it has relatively decent centering and none of the typical scrapbook damage. Plus, it is fresh from Venezuela, which only adds to the charm to me.

http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1409017087

Congrats of the 59 Mantle Venezuelan. I know you have got to be excited about that pick up. Very hard card to find at all let alone afford. Very nice!
Drew

WOW! A great find!!! Congratulations!!!!

I see you're also looking for a 1960 Venezuelan Mantle/Boyer... There's a PSA4 on eBay right now for a mere $5,000 .... ;-)

thank you both. I could not be happier about the purchase. I rarely find a card this nice, at a price I can afford, when I can afford it. Now just two Topps Venezuelan Mantles to go...

It must be Minnie Minoso month. This 1956 Topps just came in. Nothing special, collectors grade. It's going to be incorporated in discussion very shortly.

http://imageshack.com/a/img745/3662/lKkWi9.jpg

Also found a pretty nice Steve Garvey for the '75 Topps set. Slightly off center, but I like it.

http://imageshack.com/a/img537/3171/VG462y.jpg

That card is diesel.

Chris, congratulations on picking up the Venezuelan Mantle. Wow. Your master set is really getting close to completion.

Congrats Chris on obtaining the Mantle. How long have you been looking for that particular Mantle?

Thank you all. I have been casually searching for it for years, but I've taken it on and off my list as I thought I would never get it. I cannot wait to have this one in hand as the condition looks halfway decent on it. This puts me within 6 cards of completing my set (330 cards), although I might add some more postcards and a couple of pseudo test issued cards to the list next. Now I just need the 1960 and 1968 Venezuelans...

Ok, Mr. Belanger came in today. Another beautiful card.

I'm going to put this up next to the Johnny Bench I got a few days ago. You tell me where either of these cards came up short for a 9 grade.

http://imageshack.com/a/img674/396/MbK8tz.jpghttp://imageshack.com/a/img673/6479/HeRATw.jpg

Well centered, sharp corners and edges, no printing flaws, no surface issues. Clean backs.

Sweet pickup! The Vennies are uber-tough.

I have to double check but I don't think the albums started until 1964.

My '56 Banks arrived today for my set. Very happy with finding this one for a really good price :D:D.

Taking a page from the MattyC playbook
 

For my HOF post-war rookies....I picked up a couple of others but this one is the apple of my eye, warts and all....dinged down to a 3 mostly I'm sure because of a barely visible crease, and the corner wear...but wow, I am loving this 3... :)

Very nice Ford rookie...would look good in any collection!

Wow Bill! You have the ability to pick some incredible 8's. PSA needs to hire you for Quality Control!. The Belanger looks to be an easy 9 if not a possible 10. The Bench for sure looks to be a 9. The big difference I see between the two cards is the Belanger has better centering on the inner white border (looks perfect) compared to JB who is not perfect but still outstanding. I am not even sure if the inner white border is even a factor when it comes to grading. The richness in color is incredible on Belanger and Bench looks to be not too far behind on color richness as well. I would seriously consider resubmitting both them. Belanger that has to be a 9+++ with the Bench being a 9 as well. My 2 cents for what it is worth.

August Pickups
 

'67 Topps Clemente in today...

Attachment 158748

Not usually a fan of early PSA graded cards but these 3 were well worth it. And a beautiful buy the card not the holder 58 Mantle as well.

Wow-- that is a SLEW of hotness across the board! The Ford is a card high on my own 'to get' list. That Banks is exactly my kind of card; sick centering. That group shot at the end is also awesome-- what a Mick '58 and Batting Foes. And why the heck is the Munson OC? Looks fine from here. Misgrade? And like others have said those 75's in 8 look like 9s and I spent six years collecting only 1975s.

Thanks, Derek!