Certified, Qualified and Glorified!!!

[Gorditadogg]

Here's one I didn't expect. I sent a bunch of Mantle cards in to be graded in March and they just came back yesterday. Grades were all over the place, got a couple 8's I didn't expect but also two 1's that I thought were better.

The most surprising one to me is this 1962 Mantle All Star. Do think the MC qualifier is because of the bottom border on the front, or the top of the circle on the back?

[JollyElm]

It's gotta be the back circle. I have a 1969 WL Mantle that's a 6 MC for the same reason, the circle on back is just a hair cropped off. Back MC's are great (for buyers, not graders), because you can usually get them at a severe discount and the front isn't affected at all.

[JollyElm]

I was extremely happy to grab this pair of all-time greats. Both are just a slight hair of a tad off-center top to bottom to get straight grades, but they look pretty sweet to me, with sharp corners and beautiful clarity (and the Ryan is one of the best cards ever!!!)...

1974ryan1961robinsonpsa9oc.jpg

[JollyElm]

Three Under Par??

The 1964 Topps #331 A.L. Bombers/Mantle is a beautiful card that is slightly pushed to the right, but there's plenty of breathing room over there. In a vacuum, the 1964 Topps Stand-Up Orlando Cepeda looks absolutely, perfectly fine. Nothing wrong whatsoever. The name plate is virtually dead centered, so it's only by examining other cards graded PSA 8 do you realize that it is just a touch too close to the bottom to warrant a straight grade. You would never think anything's amiss if you looked at the card by its lonesome. Oh well. I don't really collect football cards, but 1970 Topps #87 Bob Lilly makes the fifth HOF'er from the set that I've picked up in PSA 9 OC shape. They are generally gotten pretty cheaply, which is nice. With the thin white borders, it only takes a hair's width to deem those cards O/C (Although Bob really doesn't look all that bad, it is BY FAR the most OC of my quintet. How funny is that?)...

[JollyElm]

4-on-the-Floor.

A couple of Hall of Famers caught in very insignificant 'snow' flurries, a very decent looking Gil Hodges, and the 1961 Topps high number, #559 Jim Gentile, is just a bear to come by in high grade, so I grabbed this slightly hinky O/C one just to get it...

[JollyElm]

Top of the POPs...

Here is an awesome foursome of extremely sharp-cornered cards with beautiful (3 out of the 4) centering that have ridiculously low pops, so I'm happy to have them in any way, shape or form. The 1958 Topps Harry Anderson #171 has six straight 9's and three with qualifiers, 1958 Topps Murray Wall #410 has four 9's and two with Q's, the 1962 Topps Herb Score #116 Green Tint has only a pair of straight 9's and the card pictured is the only one found with a (in my mind, ill-gotten) qualifier, and the 1971 Topps Jerry Robertson #651 high number has a total of six nines and four with qualifiers. Although a bit off-center, his perfect borders and corners couldn't possibly get any more blacker...