There's no rhyme or reason when the grading companies hand out A as a grade -- they are simply not consistent even when grading within a specific issue. For example, the 1910 Orange Borders set (along with many other hand-cut issues) are sometimes numerically graded and sometimes simply assigned an "A" grade. And if you have a jagged looking hand-cut card which received a grade of a 10, can't you just trim it yourself to get it to 80? After all, it was initially trimmed when it was hand-cut in the first place. The "A" grade should be used solely for altered cards and another designated grade given solely to hand-cut cards. If a card is too short but not deemed to be altered, then give it a grade with a qualifier, or, in SGC's case, at least some notation on the flip.
