Who do I blame for this?

[carlsonjok]

I went to a card show yesterday (only my second this year) and did fairly well. The only one of my usual sources that was there was Roger Neufeldt. He tends to sell at slightly higher quality and, thus higher prices than I prefer for my set building, so I have to do some bargain shopping but can usually find enough to spend my budget and still have to put some back.

I thought I found a screaming deal on a 1965 Joe Morgan RC. I thought it was so cheap because of the slight stain on the front. However, when I got it home.... well, see for yourself.



That top border is a big yikes. I am assuming this isn't a manufacturing defect, but rather someone trimming the card poorly?

Don't get me wrong, at $15, I am quite happy with this card and it will look just fine in my set. I am more curious about how this happened. Thanks.

[mckinneyj]

Lay it on top of another '65 Topps - how does it measure? If smaller than your comparison card I'd expect it to be poorly trimmed by some kid. Larger? Most likely left the factory that way.

[ALR-bishop]

The wave variant ?

[carlsonjok]

Originally Posted by mckinneyj

Lay it on top of another '65 Topps - how does it measure? If smaller than your comparison card I'd expect it to be poorly trimmed by some kid. Larger? Most likely left the factory that way.

Doh! I should have thought of that, but sometimes the obvious escapes me.

I did as you suggested and it is actually slightly larger than the card I compared it to. So, I guess it is a factory defect.

[pclpads]

I've got a Morgan RC like that. Looks like it was a noobie trim project by a first grader using plastic scissors.

[ALR-bishop]

Maybe sheet cut ?

[mintacular]

Not sure but there are a lot of mid-60s baseball cards with really bad/ weird cuts (not necessarily trimmed). That said it obviously impacts price and voids possibility of sending in for grading, For example there is a dealer I buy from with a strange '67 Brooks high number with an edge that is sort diagonal but makes no sense someone trimmed it like that

[Cliff Bowman]

I don't know about 65's but it is very common for 63's that were on an edge of the sheet to have sides like that.

[Cliff Bowman]

I couldn't find a first series 1965 Topps uncut sheet, but when I went looking for similar 65 Morgan cards I found this one immediately. No doubt it is an edge card and some were distributed that way.

[oaks1912]

I have encountered many of the mid 60's cards with this problem, primarily '62-'68. I call them 'oversized / miscut'. They usually will turn up in 'outside the hobby'' collections, where the original collectors bought them in wax packs. In fact going back over 40 years, I cannot recall an original collection / accumulation from that era that doesn't have a dozen or so per thousand cards.

The grading companies take the easy way out and call them trimmed, but in most cases these types of cards will technically be larger than standard size.

These types of cards do not turn up in sets which were assembled using vending case cards

[lowpopper]

Not trimmed. Joe Morgan RC very frequently has a miscut top edge.

[Kevvyg1026]

I believe Morgan was at left edge of the 1st series printing sheet so it is not uncommon to see that type of miscut on his card

[ALBB]

Wasn't their a 60s singer or group called - Wavy Gravy ?

[Cliff Bowman]

Originally Posted by ALBB

Wasn't their a 60s singer or group called - Wavy Gravy ?

If I’m not mistaken he was the emcee at Woodstock.

[Volod]

Extensive Wikipedia entry.