[xdrx]

I'm in no way suggesting any sort of excuse for the buyer of the Ruth, but one thing to be aware of is that the description for the card said: It's a very attractive card, but a chance to get a '33 Goudey Ruth at a reasonable price

I'm guessing the OP meant to say "It's not a very attractive...", as the "but" makes no sense otherwise. I have seen people get emotional over descriptive terms. I had a guy give me low rep points because I described a card as "nice looking" and he didn't agree. Now I avoid that sort of language completely. I provide link to monster size scans on Photobucket, and describe any issues. The scans of the Ruth, especially given the issues, were marginal at best.