1983 Donruss factory sets
 

I have 2 Tony Gwynn 1983 Donruss PSA 10 cards.

One clearly has less white border around on the edges.

Were the 1983 Donruss factory set cards smaller than the the ones from the packs?

More than likely just another trimmed card in a PSA holder. I had a 83 Donruss Boggs that was the same way. Looked like the nicest card I had ever seen till I realized it was trimmed to look that way.:(

1981 Donruss was all over the place size-wise as issued but I don't recall that problem in 82 or 83.

It might have been from a factory set. Was it from an older PSA holder? I know trimming has been around forever but I do not believe it was as common in the 1980s and 1990s.

I contacted the seller of my card. He said mine was almost certainly from a factory set. He submitted the card himself.

The cards from 1984 Donruss are notorious for being smaller than the ones from packs. It makes sense that the 1983 cards might have been as well.

Can I see a picture?

Is there any doubt?
 

Open up any 1983 Donruss Factory Set and you won't be happy with the cuts. Many miscuts . Terrible quality control at that time. So cards that look trimmed could have been made that way at the factory.

Weird. I would think since they are factory sets they might be cut better.

I sold the card with full disclosure many years ago, so don't have a picture anymore.

Are you saying they look trimmed because of the size or are you saying the cut itself actually looks different? By miscut I am guessing OC cards and not the cut itself actually looking different.

You must be younger because my memory says the opposite. It was far more common practice to alter in my mind. The mindset is just different now because people believe a plastic slab is (or was) infallible.

As to factory sets being better, I think they are more prone to quality issues also. I have a 1983 topps factory set that has an undersized Gwynn rookie and I bought it new in 83. I know for a fact it came that way.

Quality was just bad all round. Plenty of never trimmed cards come back minsize and plenty of trimmed get grades, that’s just the breaks. Just assume that with the extra scrutiny that cards get now that it is likely your card is worth less looking small.

I was referring to off-center cards. Many factory sets from the 1980's had terrible issues with centering. Topps in 1978 also, and I remember 1985 being terrible trying to put nice sets together as a dealer to sell to my customers. I think the 1981-83 Donruss sets were cut poorly.