[G1911]

Originally Posted by GeoPoto

Thanks for the responses. I wanted to weigh in regarding the issue: "Trimmed is a yes or no condition." and "if there is any suspicion of trimming, I don't want it."

This confuses me because it would seem to "define away" the key point I am trying to get at. My point wants to be that (almost) every purchase of a graded vintage card entails uncertainty regarding whether the card has been trimmed. Some look trimmed but might not be. Others sport robust borders, but who can rule out trimming? It seems to me that every card (I realize there are other factors involved in eye quality, but to focus on centering versus trimming) entails some tradeoff between how well it is centered and whether that centering (let alone edges) was achieved/enhanced via trimming.

If what you mean is some version of: "I don't buy high grade cards because I assume they are all trimmed, and I buy low grade cards that cost little enough that I don't sweat the possibility of trimming as much," I guess I could get that. But a "yes or no condition" seems to me to be an unrealistic standard in the marketplace.

For me, the examples I provided illustrate the tradeoff that exists in the marketplace: the centered examples (1 and 4) have just enough (any less and I would prefer a card that appeared less likely to have been trimmed) top and bottom border for me to accept the still significant risk that they may have been trimmed; while the "bottom heavy" examples (2 and 3) have just enough top border (any less and I would prefer a card with better top to bottom centering) for me to accept diminished centering in exchange for a very low probability of trimming (at least top to bottom).

It is a fact though. A card is either 1) trimmed or 2) not trimmed. There is no real possible status besides these two. It is a yes or no attribute, whatever ones opinion is.

Furthermore, trimming is usually (almost always, in hand) detectable with vintage cards. The natural size variance of T206 is not evidence that everything but the largest of cards are trimmed.