It is difficult for me to refrain from buying cards which have great eye appeal, but a

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

problem or two, which I do not particularly care about. For example, I own a blank backed Ruth which has a front which is Ex+, but the back has some adhesive remnants.

This, I recognize, is not ideal to some. These individuals require their cards to be of consistent condition front and back. They do not require high grade cards, simply consistent conditioned cards. This typically means that the cards have no problems (such as stains, writing, paper loss, etc.).

I have some with good fronts only, and some with consistent condition. Those with consistent condition which are of the same grade as the good front only cards, do not look as nice. There is surface wear, corner rounding, and other aspects which one would associate with a circulated, undamaged item.

Which do you prefer?

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Posted By: Josh K.

I will take a great looking card with back damage any day of the week over a similarly graded "consistent" card. Its not even a close call for me. Ive shown these before, but they are some of my favorite cards:

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

Here are two of mine that have GREAT FRONTS and then some damage on back that messes up the "technical" grade but still makes the BEAUTIFUL from the front(where it counts)!!

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Posted By: DJ

One of my favorite T206 cards is the Rube Waddell Portrait. I was hoping to upgrade and I saw this beauty on eBay.

It's a PSA5 that looks like an "8" or a "9" on the front, but has a hairline crease on the back.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120019576949

With most PSA 5's selling for around $400-500, this one brought a fetching $1,082.

DJ

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Posted By: Josh K.

Hal - nice wagners
DJ - Im assuming you were not the winner - my guess is that it was bid up that high because it was going to be cracked out and resubmitted (and given all the talk about soaking and pressing around here lately - my guess it would receive a higher grade).

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Posted By: DJ

Those Wagner's are sweet! Nice Hal!

One of my first n172's had a perfect front, nice back...but a very small pin hole that can barely be seen.

I didn't go after the Waddell. My snipe didn't go through as it was past the price I was willing to pay. I won't soak, but will be interested to see if it show up again sans the crease on the back and a higher grade next time around.

DJ

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Posted By: T206Collector

...it's not a 5.

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Posted By: Turner Engle

I just like having cards that are in great condition, no matter what might be wrong with them (except trimming or altering). It shows how they have made it through all of these years with little or no damage.

Here are two examples.

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Posted By: Scot Reader

I have a huge problem with paper loss, writing and stains. I don't mind 70/30 centering or moderate corner wear--but I do prefer even corner wear. I'm not generally interested in a card with a skinned or a stamped back, no matter how nice the front. Perhaps some people care about the quality of the IMAGE more than the quality of the CARD, while others take the opposite view. I am definitely in the latter camp.

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Posted By: Judge Dred (Fred)

Scott,

What if the back is BLANK? I can completely understand paper loss (or writing) on a back that has an advertisement or stats. But, to me, a blank back card with back damage or writing doesn't bother me too much.

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Posted By: Scot Reader

Judge,
I have to say writing and stains bother me even on blank-backed cards, although minor paper loss on a blank back doesn't bother me too much if it's hardly noticeable. I suppose this is all just a matter of aesthetic preference--I like modern homes and impressionist paintings, too, while recognizing that many people have a strong preference for more traditional houses and renaissance art.
Scot

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Posted By: Bob

I'm kind of in the middle camp (if there is one) I prefer vgex cards with no back damage to exmt to nrmt ones with b.d. but on the other hand I have a load of beautiful Obaks with tiny purple numbers stamped on the back (from the factory perhaps) and SGC killed each and every one of them when grading. I now understand SGC is no longer dropping the grades from a 50 to a 30 or even 20 because of this.
If you try to collect the Zeenuts, especially the earlier ones without any writing on the back, you'll never make it. That's what I initially tried to do but it is impossible. Many o/w beautiful ones have tiny writing or numbers on the back. (Backs of Zeenuts are blank backed). SGC does the same thing with the 'Nuts that they used to do with Obaks, drop them 20 or 30 points if they have writing. If they didn't look so nice in those holders I'd ship them off to PSA where they would be PSA 5 MKs and PSA 6s MK instead of SGC 30s. The only problem is PSA has still not discovered the importance of a good fit for the cards and they will bounce all around inside the holders.

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Posted By: joe brennan

This resides in a PSA 1 slab

People said it was a million dollar wound. But the government must keep that money, cause I ain't never seen a penny of it.

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

So it looks like there are three of us who value the overall card quality higher than its appearance from the front. And six in the other camp. Who feel that a card's front eye appeal is valued very highly.

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Posted By: James Gallo

Well I think it depends on the card. For a card that is available and not expensive I don't want any back damage or writing on it. I would look at a blank back card on a case by case basis.

If a card is rare or expensive I would make exceptions until I either find a nicer one or get lots of free cash to buy a nicer one.

Here is an example




Killer front with paper loss to the back. I still think it should be a 20 but I think there is just too much text missing so it's a 10. But can't argue about how nice that front is.

So I guess I am split on the issue as I like my lower value cards to have more average wear, but the pricey or super rare stuff I would prefer a nice front with back damage.


Mind you I don't think I would totally pass on a card if priced right with either writing or back damage. I have passed on many cards I needed that had writing, mostly because I felt they were over priced and would need to be upgraded anyway so I didn't want to double buy.


James Gallo

Looking for 1915 Cracker Jacks and 1909-11 American Caramel E90-1.

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Posted By: Keith O'Leary

This beauty is in an SGC 10 plastic coffin.