53 Bowman Color Condition Debate With a Friend

[Tere1071]

A fellow collector/friend dropped these off at my home a few days ago and being that we are cautious I didn't open the envelope until just a bit ago. He has a group of 53 Bowmans that he'd like to sell to me and these are a representative example. I expressed interest, but we came to a disagreement on the conditioning; I told him that I would grade the Houtteman and Jethroe as being in vg/ex+ condition while the Shantz and Erskine I would grade at vg/ex. Yes, there are centering issues and we collected off-centered cards. I'm fanatical about the corners and since there is some amount of wear I couldn't consider them to be in excellent condition. He disagrees with my assessment, therefore I would like your input. Thank you.53 bowman 3 and 4.jpg

53 bowman 11 and 12.jpg

[Steve D]

Based on what I can see in the photos, I believe your assessment is fair.

Steve

[bobsbbcards]

Ditto.

[hcv123]

Qualifier - what you are asking is super hard with scans and without the cards in hand. That said:

I would call the Houtteman and Jethroe Ex- and the only thing I can see indicating the "-" is the top right corner on the Jethroe and the bottom left corner on the Houtteman. The other 3 corners appear for sure nicer than the ones on the graded copy Bob posted.

Erskine - VG/EX
Shantz - EX

[Tere1071]

Originally Posted by hcv123

Qualifier - what you are asking is super hard with scans and without the cards in hand. That said:

I would call the Houtteman and Jethroe Ex- and the only thing I can see indicating the "-" is the top right corner on the Jethroe and the bottom left corner on the Houtteman. The other 3 corners appear for sure nicer than the ones on the graded copy Bob posted.

Erskine - VG/EX
Shantz - EX

Thank you, Howard. I know it is better to have the cards in plain sight but under the circumstances, this is the best I could muster. The reverse sides of the four cards are free of any wax, gum, or markings.

My friend is somewhat difficult to deal with, I would describe doing business with him as jousting. This is why I sought some third-party input.

[Gorditadogg]

I would also say the cards are EX except for Erskine. The PSA 4 card is of course over-graded. Probably trimmed too and maybe a reprint.