Cards with a curve/bend

[Jenx34]

As we know older cards often develop a bend to them, especially when stored in boxes. My questions are....

1. Does the bend matter? From a general condition standpoint, is the bend considered a flaw or a negative, or is it ignored?
2. Do the grading companies factor that into their grading?
3. Is it possible to flatten a card by laying it flat and pressing it with something heavy? Would it hurt the card?

I'm attaching a pic of a card I saw (not mine) that got me thinking about this. It seems like the curve is pretty significant, but its hard to tell in pictures.

General thoughts to these questions and anything else pertinent?

note: "Before anyone says all that matters is how it appears to you", I get that. I'm asking how it is perceived more generally within the hobby.

[mintacular]

I think most collectors/dealers accept that many cards have this curl, some times described as a vending curl particularly when you get in the 50s. I don't think it is considered a "flaw" or detracts from the value although I can't say for sure how the grading companies handle this issue and if perhaps they would not allow such a card to garner a 9 or 10 for example...I bought a large box of 70 and 71 BB a few years back and hundreds of these cards had that "banana" effect to them they were all pack-fresh.

[glynparson]

Absolutely not a flaw, some of the super flat cards are actually pressed. Like already mentioned vending cards have this bow and are highly desired. Now if the curve is not natural and due to water or other reasons it would then be a flaw.

[Jenx34]

That poses a different and unrelated question... What is a vending box? It appears a vending box has 500 cards, correct? Obviously sets have more than 500 cards so it is not a complete set. Is it just 500 cards from that set randomly, meaning there could be lots of duplicates? It wouldn't make sense to put 500 different cards in a box when you could just do the complete set with 100-300 more.

Is there anything else to know about them? I don't recall ever seeing vending boxes when I was a kid and collecting heavily.

[moeson]

A vending case had 24 boxes with 500 random cards. Dealers purchased them wholesale from Topps to sort into complete series/sets w/o having to deal with gum and packaging.

[swarmee]

Do you remember buying cards from machines at the front of the K-mart next to the Super Bounce balls and wrestling figures in eggs? That's where they got those cards from: vending boxes.

[mintacular]

you get in the 50s. meant to say 70s.

[mintacular]

BTW, members on PSA would give you more than you want on this topic, not that people here won't, just saying those people might have advice on how PSA would grade these cards with that effect

[Jenx34]

I thought about buying that Yankees team card last night and didn't pull the trigger. The centering I think bothered me more than anything. I could live with the bottom left corner and the curl I'm used to, it just looked more pronounced in that picture.

On vending boxes, if someone bought an unopened vending box now, it would simply be one box from a case with 500 random cards, duplicates be damned, right? How would you guarantee it hadn't been opened and picked through? Were there seals on each box?

Reminds me of the Kelloggs Cereal baseball cards from the 70's and early 80's with the curve

[swarmee]

Boxes weren't sealed, but had a characteristic ripple pattern due to the stacking/boxing of the cards that you can tell if it's untouched.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vftq-tphndI

See the alternating dark/light card groups? That is the sign of an untouched vending box. Or if you want to pony up the dough, buy BBCE certified unopened or "From A Sealed Case" (FASC).