Quote:
Originally Posted by oldjudge
Greg--Old Judges have two different issues. One is certainly fading. The other relates to the fact that in 1889 Goodwin experimented with adding pink and purple tints to the images. The last card you show isn't faded, it is a pink image. These images tend to be unattractive but occasionally you can find a sharp one. Grading companies don't take either into account which is one reason why I don't grade Old Judges. There are two Harry Wrights that I have seen, one and 8 and one a 7, both with horrible images. I would always rather have a card with a sharp image with rounded corners and back issues than a card with a bad image and sharp corners and a clean back. An Old Judge is a fragile albumen photograph glued to a blank piece of cardboard for protection. I'd suggest that people worry more about the photo than the cardboard.
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Absolutely right Jay. I'd said basically the same thing in a different thread about OJs being the poster children for the concept of buying the card, and not the holder. I actually love to find OJs with things like back damage, or that were skinned and maybe reglued onto newer cardboard. The lower technical grade makes them much, much more affordable, while the photo image can still be clear and fantastic.
Also, the pink/purple tinted ones are definitely not very common. I rarely see them for sale anywhere. Surprised they don't seem to carry a premium. Of course, maybe they do to some extent, but then it's being offset by them typically having a more unattractive image, as you noted.