Deserving of a PSA 10?

[Lorewalker]

I cannot afford it. I do not know T206s well either so with those disclosures my worthless opinion is that it is not a 10. I see what appears to be a tobacco stain too. My hunch is that if taken out of the holder it would not come back as a 10 the next time. If it were my card however I would not see any of the flaws we have pointed out.

In a perfect world I think I would prefer to buy a card that I feel would grade the same way if submitted again. I know not all collectors, especially those at the top of the food chain, care about that.

[irv]

Originally Posted by bxb

I'm not a T206 expert, but I might have expected better top to bottom centering for a 10.

If the centering begins below the letters at the bottom of the card (which I believe it does?) then I believe it is in tolerance of receiving a 10?
https://www.psacard.com/resources/gr...andards#detail

Originally Posted by insidethewrapper

How can any card that is 115+ years old look like that ? Remember it was packaged in a tobacco pack . This card has never been dropped etc. ?? Just putting it in and out of a CardSaver without corner nicks is hard to do . Wow !

I have always wondered that too. How could a card that old or older stay so sharp and clean after all these years?

I am not suggesting it isn't possible, I would just like to know how cards like these were saved/preserved when I highly doubt any type of card savers/sheets were available way back then.

Can I assume most were placed between pages of thick books? I'd honestly like to know what collectors did way back then.

[x2drich2000]

IMO, there is no way this should be a 10, especially with the back being so far off-center and stained.



DJ

[orly57]

Originally Posted by x2drich2000

IMO, there is no way this should be a 10, especially with the back being so far off-center and stained.



DJ

Do they not consider the centering on the back when making their assessment? I can’t believe that they would not. We can all agree that the card doesn’t deserve a 10, but some guy won’t care and will drop absurd money on the flip anyway. It’s madness.

[CMIZ5290]

Originally Posted by orly57

Do they not consider the centering on the back when making their assessment? I can’t believe that they would not. We can all agree that the card doesn’t deserve a 10, but some guy won’t care and will drop absurd money on the flip anyway. It’s madness.

Even if this card was spot on, perfect centering on the back, 8 at best should be the grade.,...

[barrysloate]

Originally Posted by irv

If the centering begins below the letters at the bottom of the card (which I believe it does?) then I believe it is in tolerance of receiving a 10?
https://www.psacard.com/resources/gr...andards#detail



I have always wondered that too. How could a card that old or older stay so sharp and clean after all these years?

I am not suggesting it isn't possible, I would just like to know how cards like these were saved/preserved when I highly doubt any type of card savers/sheets were available way back then.

Can I assume most were placed between pages of thick books? I'd honestly like to know what collectors did way back then.

Most of the old time collections were stored in cigar boxes. By stacking them horizontally they were protected from further wear, assuming nobody took them out to look at them. The card would have to have been placed in the cigar box in Mint condition of course, which is difficult enough, then preserved that way for a century.

Is it reasonable to question then how so many T206's remain to this day in pristine or near pristine condition? Yes, that's a fair question. There have been some finds over the years of pristine cards, so some of the 8's, 9's and 10's are perfectly original. But not all.