SGC T206s....It needs to be brought up, it's scary, very scary if you are a collector

[ricktmd]

The standard biscuit fiasco was surprising. I bought one of the mistakenly graded W575 strip cards from a reputable dealer on ebay who took the card back. It was not a perfect scan . As soon as I received the card and looked at it , it was obvious that two out of the 4 sides were hand cut with small hanging pieces and jagged edges . You could see them with a magnifying glass or a loop. It was as clear as can be and any competent grader should have caught that one , not to mention the several SGC graded. I posted about the cards when I was a bidder and thought no way that if they were altered it would get through SGC or the dealer who sold them. I am sure people have had bad experiences with PSA that could be similar. That experience along with the fact the SGC cards don't normally cross and sell for less money is the reason I posted and agree with Kevin. I do understand why people like SGC . I just think Kevin is right about the values and I am just hesitant due to a bad experience
Rick Clemens

[Peter_Spaeth]

It may be hindsight, but the stamps weren't 100 percent convincing either.

[nolemmings]

It is hindsight, Peter. The 1921 SBs are a fairly obscure issue with a woefully incomplete checklist. The backs of these cards, which may not even be fakes or at least may be original blank-backs with added stamps, are not 100% convincing when held up next to one with a real back. Still, that is perhaps the best stamp I have seen--most just have text and not design, and while I agree it should have been caught, the breakdown here is far more understandable than letting a reprint m101 Ruth rookie get through.

Rick, I'm sorry for your bad experience and understand your PSA preference, although I don't share it. I just wanted to point out one last thing on those Standard Biscuits, and that's my opinion that your finding some jagged edges is nothing conclusive. I do not believe that shows them to be hand-cut, and W575s are often found machine cut. Machine cut cards can have jagged edges--here are two of several PSA cards I own that show this--note the view from the backs:


I believe that certain B&W issues can have high-grade cards that retain these little fragments, which are then worn down or off as the card is handled. Now Standard Biscuits are very rarely seen in high grade, which maybe should have alerted SGC right there. But having a little "hair" on the edges doesn't mean they were trimmed or hand-cut, and wouldn't by itself tell a grader that these were strip cards (if they were).