Which is the Better Card?

[trdcrdkid]

I started a thread about this very topic last month, and it led to some good discussion:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=203387

As several people said there, the grading companies have questionable records when it comes to grading Old Judges; they will sometimes give an AUTH grade to a card that is probably unaltered (due to the often erratic way Old Judges were cut), and they sometimes give a number grade to a card that is definitely altered (one of which was posted in that thread). Like just about all Old Judge collectors, I prefer a sharp photo over a faded one any day of the week, and I don't pay much attention to technical grades (though almost all of my Old Judges are raw anyway).

[trdcrdkid]

On closer inspection, the AUTH card looks like it's rebacked, which I'm guessing accounts for the grade, in addition to appearing to be trimmed at the bottom.

[Cozumeleno]

I'm in the minority here, but I'd always opt for the unaltered card, too. I've got many 'beaters' in my T-206 collection, but that is always better to me than a clean trimmed card. Not sure why, but trimming is the thing that bothers me the most ... even though the cards certainly have more eye appeal.

[clydepepper]

Thanks for everyone sharing their expertise. However, I decided not to purchase either when I discovered that it was the 'wrong' Jim Donnelly. Guess that was a fairly common name in the 1880's.