The simple fact is that vintage sports cards (pre-1980) were produced at a time when quality standards were much lower than they are for the cards produced today. The same is true for many other things in life like buildings, automobiles, etc. The paper, ink, printing, and cutting methods used for vintage sports cards is inferior to that used in modern cards. Hence, a card right out of the pack, which is supposed to be "mint" because it came straight from the factory, usually had poor centering, ink spots or print lines, and was easily damaged due to inferior paper quality. In many cases, it has nothing to do with the passage of time and poor handling / protection of the cards.
For these reasons, vintage sports cards should not be subjected to the same standards that modern cards have. Processes change and improve, and grading should consider that.
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