What Is The Best Way To Cut Strip Cards?

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Posted By: Brian

i have a sheet of 25 W512 cards, and i am wondering the best way to cut them to get them graded for the highest possible grade.

And do they need to show some of the black line to het a high grade?

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Posted By: sean

you are kidding I hope

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Posted By: barrysloate

Very carefully.

Seriously, don't do it because instead of getting a high grade you will likely get an "Authentic".

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Posted By: Anthony S.

I don't collect strip cards, but I gotta believe that if there was any significant chance of making serious money in cutting up uncut strip card sheets and receiving high grades for the individual cards, then the vast majority of uncut sheets would have been gobbled up a while ago and those that remained would sell at a huge premium.

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Brian, an uncut strip, or uncut partial strip, of 'W' cards are worth MUCH more than the individual cards. Collectors would value them MUCH, MUCH more if they remain in a strip.

If you have them like that, PLEASE don't cut them apart.

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Posted By: Brian

i asked the question because i have seen graded W cards for sale, and high grades get a lot. this sheet has 5 baseball players including Ruth

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Posted By: boxingcardman

I've had very good luck with a sharp pair of scissors and a steady hand. All have graded by SGC. My most recent one was a W565 sheet that was partially damaged. It yielded an 80 Benny Leonard and a 50 Heilmann (crease). It is imperative that they see the borders if there are any, or you will get an "A" on the card. Prioritize the cards you want to get graded and sacrifice their neighbors to ensure a complete cut on the ones you want. It was easy with a W565 since there are only a few sports cards on the sheet.

That said, I have not cut down a complete strip or sheet that was in nice shape as I agree that they are rare enough to command their own values independently. I just acquired a W515 strip of five that I will probbly leave alone and have encapsulated in a large holder. If the sheet is damaged, however, I don't see anything wrong with cutting it down.

Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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Posted By: David Smith

I say even if the sheet IS damaged to just leave them as they are.

At this point in history, how many uncut sheets of cards can be left? Even if damaged, the historical value has to be great and each passing year, I suspect, the monetary value of uncut sheets will also increase.

Collectors today pretty much know all there is to know about Topps and Bowman cards from the 1940's and 1950's because of company records and uncut sheets of cards. That can NOT be said about MOST pre-war cards.

I mean, just think how NICE it would be if the American Tobacco Company would have left specific information about the T206 cards and their printing process? Just think if they would have left specific info in their comapny records about the size of each sheet and hwo many cards were on each sheet. Even better, just think if they would have left uncut sheets for each print run?

Though there might not be as many people who collect strip cards as T206 cards, I am pretty sure those that do would LOVE to have as much info as possible about them including what uncut sheets looked like, the size of the sheets, how many cards were on each sheet and what subjects were on the sheet.

So, my opinion is, leave the sheet as is, even if damaged. If you want high grade strip cards, then SELL your uncut sheet (hopefully to a collector who will keep them uncut) and then go out and BUY high grade strip cards from this set. That way, you keep the historical value of the sheet AND you get the high grade strip cards that you want.

David

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Posted By: Rick McQuillan

Brian, my guess is that if you listed them on the BST with a high quality scan you might be suprised at the offers.

Rick

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Posted By: Jason L

but I'm biased

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Posted By: boxingcardman

as the scanner bed. I scan all the uncut strips and sheets I get, to preserve the information that might be gleaned from them. However, once a strip is scanned, there's no research-related reason to keep it together.

Strips are not analogous to uncut strips or sheets of T or R cards. Strip cards are the final products that were meant to be cut apart into cards. If someone buys a strip and wants to cut it into cards, he's just doing what the kiddies were supposed to do 80 years ago. Uncut factory sheets are a different matter. They are rare intermediate pieces of card manufacturing, not the end products, which is why none of the third party graders knowingly slab cards cut from factory sheets.

Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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Posted By: dan mckee

If I am reading this correctly, that boxingcard guy whoever he is, hand cut some cards and received numerical grades??? No strip cards should have numerical grades as all are hand cut. My money is on Adam for the steady hand but not right after a court case. He would have cut his wrist with the scissors then!

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Posted By: leon

This is one of my oldest, long running, pet peeves I have concerning the hobby vis a vis third party grading. IMHO ALL cards that are cut after leaving the mfg should at minimum get a "Handcut" qualifier. I know PSA does it on some cards and don't know if SGC or BVG does it.....I applaud any grading company that does do it. To me the "handcut" qualifier is mandatory on hand cut cards, ie strips or other cards with coupons that are cut off.....Just my 1/2 cent......(I would prefer all cards like this just get an AUT, in lieu of a number, but I guess nothing is perfect).....

ps....my preference is not to cut strip cards at all unless to make for a better presentation if some of the end ones are ratty looking.....

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Posted By: dan mckee

Leon, this is the 2nd time in the last few months we agreed!! I am starting to like this. I think I will go play the lottery today, I am feeling luckey!

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Posted By: Jim VB

<<...that boxingcard guy whoever he is...>>


Dan... meet Adam

Adam... meet Dan


(Gee. I thought you guys had history.)

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Posted By: Kyle

I see nothing wrong with buying a strip sheet, cutting it, grading it, making money on people who are collecting that certain player, or striving to one up someone else on the set registry (those people are crazy!), use the profits to fund other purchases, and repeat the whole process again and again and again.

If it helps me purchase something else I really want, or I can put the profits against the mortgage of an apartment I no longer live at, then why not? I've done very well doing this.

Happy Candy Day,
-Kyle

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Posted By: boxingcardman

do you really need it to say "hand cut" on the slab? That's like labeling every Topps card slab "machine cut."

As far as I'm concerned, and evidently as far as SGC is concerned, a card that was meant to be cut from a strip is to be graded just like any other card when used as intended, just like a Zeenut or Red Man with the coupon removed. I don't see why having the card in the intended end format of the product is a problem. It seems to me that all we are talking about is timing: it's OK if the card was cut out in 1929 by a kid but not OK if it was cut today? That makes no sense. And when the sheet or strip looks bad as-is, all the more reason to cut it down and get a few nice cards from the wreckage. My W565 sheet had a big chunk off the bottom and looked bad because of it but most of the cards on the sheet looked nice. I far prefer the sheet cut apart with the damaged cards gone than left in a sheet where my eye gravitates right to the gash and missing chunk.

Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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Posted By: dan mckee

I completely agree Adam that there is no difference between you cutting it or someone 80 years ago cutting it. Not factory cut should not receive a numerical grade, just Authentic. Just mine and Leon's opinion.

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Posted By: Matt

I agree with Dan and Leon. I have no issue with you cutting them, just an issue with the grading system that would give them a numeric grade regardless of when they were cut .

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Posted By: leon

what Dan said....

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Posted By: boxingcardman

that strip cards cannot be graded, only authenticated. I differ in my view, but chacun son goût (to each his own). That's French...

Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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Posted By: leon

Not necessarily. What I am saying is I don't really mind a numerical grade but it has to say "handcut" to differentiate between cards with numerical grades that have factory cuts. They aren't the same and shouldn't be graded the same exact way.....is what I mean. Every time I see a W514 or Wxxx with a real high grade I always wonder if it was cut yesterday or 100 years ago?...take care