Scan "The Man", Musial

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by steve_a

I always hesitate as a buyer when I see an SGC holder scan and the gasket space around the corners is not visible. I suspect that the contrast is high and the card will disappoint when I get it in hand. Is that is a valid concern?

It's not an issue of the contrast being high, per se, as much as it is an issue of how the card was scanned.

Here's the original scan of Mr. Abstein, and a second scan in the identical environment, same settings, only with the lid down, utilizing a white background instead of a black one.



Do you feel you get more information by having the area between the card and the gasket lighter? That's a question only you can really answer.

You always have the right, as a buyer, to ask for additional pictures. In fact, if I'm going to spend a chunk of change buying from somebody for the first time (especially if the purchase isn't being made on our forum), you'd better believe I'm asking for additional information. I'm doing so for two reasons: one, I want to see the card better (after all, I should get what I expect for the money, right?), and two, I'm vetting the seller. A big seller might be busy scanning, handling business, etc. But asking for a little more information shouldn't create a burden on them.

If you're really wanting to see the card in much finer detail, you're going to need a bigger than normal scan. The picture I just linked was done at 600 dpi with the lid down. When the image opens up in another tab, click it, and it will give you a full page image to consider. The only adjustment I did in Photoshop was a 20% unshape mask. This helps to show the grain of the card stock a bit more clearly, allowing for a better "feel" of any surface issues that may be present. It also shows the edges and corners a bit more clearly. Keep in mind that I have a 12 year old scanner. A newer scanner is going to get even better clarity. But, you should get a pretty good idea of the flaws present in the card. A 600 dpi scan will clearly show any registration issues that occurred during printing. And, if there's been any kind of alteration done, you have a better chance of seeing it. Just keep in mind that the bigger the scan, the bigger the file size. The first picture of Mr. Bill is 196 kb. The 600 dpi scan is 9.34 MB. So, it's not practical to do every scan at that size, obviously, but if this were a Ty Cobb SGC 55, I'd be putting up a big scan. When I sold my first Walter Johnson T206 portrait, I put up a huge scan so my buyer was comfortable.

I hope this helps ya, Steve. Please let me know if there's anything else I can do for you.

Bill

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

This post is like a gift from above. I've been meaning to figure this out for awhile as this is the best I have done with my scanner. I might actually look for the very model you're using.

Thank you, Sam. I've been very happy with this ol' girl. As you can see, it would give you a big improvement in picture quality. However, if you're going to be doing a lot of scanning, you might consider a new model. It will be faster, and have a better picture quality, overall. The 9000 F Mark II takes some really impressive scans. My scanner has a max 3,200 x 6,400 dpi resolution, while the Mk II has a 9,600 x 9,600 dpi max.

It really depends on your budget, how often you'll use it, and just how picky you are about image quality.

Happy scanning!