Trimmed cards in Auctions

[brett 75]

Recently while watching an auction that was selling a card that was listed as trimmed was slightly shocked at the finally bid price (probably shouldn't be) wanted to know what members thought of the percentage amount should be for a trimmed card with book value between $500-$800? Card was listed as being in VG+ condition . I also realize some people don't like trimmed at all but seems that they are popping up in a lot of auctions lately , thanks for the input. Brett

[almostdone]

Depending on the condition of the rest of the card, the player and year I would say maybe 5% to 10%. Last year I bought a 1958 Topps Ted Williams that appeard in NrMt condition but was advertised as trimmed. Until I held it next to another card I couln't tell it was trimmed at all. Less than 1/64th of an inch on the top. I paid $15 for it.
Drew

[Gr8Beldini]

Originally Posted by almostdone

Depending on the condition of the rest of the card, the player and year I would say maybe 5% to 10%. Last year I bought a 1958 Topps Ted Williams that appeard in NrMt condition but was advertised as trimmed. Until I held it next to another card I couln't tell it was trimmed at all. Less than 1/64th of an inch on the top. I paid $15 for it.
Drew

I would have been more than happy to pay $15 for that card. It is authentic and has great eye appeal. I couldn't buy a scuffed, creased (bad eye appeal) version of that card for anything close to $15. An untrimmed '58 Williams with a mustache drawn on it would probably fetch much more than the $15 you paid for your card.

[brett 75]

I thought the card at 10% -15 % sounded about right . It actually had decent eye appeal but sold at 40%. Just seemed way to high for a trimmed card. I also have purchased a couple trimmed but nothing quite as nice a deal as the Williams ! Brett

[Chris-Counts]

There are lots of trimmed cards out there and they're becoming more accepted. A couple years ago, it was easy to get great deals on trimmed cards. But it's getting tougher now ...

[almostdone]

Originally Posted by almostdone

Depending on the condition of the rest of the card, the player and year I would say maybe 5% to 10%. Last year I bought a 1958 Topps Ted Williams that appeard in NrMt condition but was advertised as trimmed. Until I held it next to another card I couln't tell it was trimmed at all. Less than 1/64th of an inch on the top. I paid $15 for it.
Drew

Just realized I mis typed. It is a 58 Topps Ted Williams All-Star not the regular issue. Sorry.
Drew

[betafolio2]

Originally Posted by almostdone

Last year I bought a 1958 Topps Ted Williams that appeard in NrMt condition but was advertised as trimmed. Until I held it next to another card I couldn't tell it was trimmed at all. Less than 1/64th of an inch on the top. I paid $15 for it.
Drew

Drew, if your Williams card was that close to original size, how could you be sure it was trimmed at all? I mean, less than 1/64th of an inch is VERY close to full size! And I see some minor variations in Topps cards all the time (and I'm pretty sure my cards aren't trimmed). When I've seen a trimmed card, there's been no doubt in my mind about it. Was the top of the Williams card uneven, or was there other obvious proof of a cut?

[almostdone]

Originally Posted by betafolio2

Drew, if your Williams card was that close to original size, how could you be sure it was trimmed at all? I mean, less than 1/64th of an inch is VERY close to full size! And I see some minor variations in Topps cards all the time (and I'm pretty sure my cards aren't trimmed). When I've seen a trimmed card, there's been no doubt in my mind about it. Was the top of the Williams card uneven, or was there other obvious proof of a cut?

The person I bought it from submitted a group of these cards to PSA and they all came back as evidence of trimmed.
What I could see on the card itself besides the shorter length compared to a different card was that the top edge looked like it was cut with something besides the factory cutting machine. In other words it wasn't cut uneven but when I compared the top edge with the other three from the side you could see an obvious difference in the color of cardboard as well as just the way the edge looked.
Either way I love the card and used it in one of my displays that I built and I thinkj it looks great.
Drew

[betafolio2]

Originally Posted by almostdone

What I could see on the card itself besides the shorter length compared to a different card was that the top edge looked like it was cut with something besides the factory cutting machine. In other words it wasn't cut uneven but when I compared the top edge with the other three from the side you could see an obvious difference in the color of cardboard as well as just the way the edge looked.

Yes, that's exactly the evidence I look for as well. Especially when using a loupe, you can see a slight cross-hatch pattern on the edge of an untrimmed card. And if you have any doubts, you can always compare the card in question to another one that you know to be original. There's definitely a different look to a razor- or Xacto-cut card edge. I also find that a close inspection of a card's corners will help indicate a trim. If I see slight fraying or rounding on the corners of a card that's dimensionally short, that says, to me, that the card is authentic. I mean, I can't imagine that anyone would go through the trouble of "manufacturing" a mint card by trimming it and then handling it for a while to give it a lower grade. And I'm not talking about obvious corner damage or rounding that's been deliberately accomplished. I'm saying it should be easy to tell when the MICROSCOPIC fraying of a card's corners is real or fake.

[betafolio2]

Originally Posted by almostdone

Either way I love the card and used it in one of my displays that I built and I thinkj it looks great.
Drew

VERY awesome display, by the way!!!

[GasHouseGang]

Still a great card for $15 and it looks great in that display. Was the Musial supposed to be trimmed too?

[almostdone]

Originally Posted by betafolio2

VERY awesome display, by the way!!!

Thanks! My wife gave the Sports Illustrated for Christmas and I wanted to do something different with it. I had the two All-Star cards already so I made the frame with the matting and there you go. Not bad for a lazy Saturday afternoon project.
Drew