Card(s) in a condition you would not collect

[bobbyw8469]

I have no qualms. I just want them to be real. I love them all.

[Bill77]

I have an Obak that fits half of the list. I ended up sending it to SGC for my protection as the mold/mildew smell almost sent me to the hospital. It is also trimmed and missing more than half of the back. Everything else on the list I have multiple cards to cover those issues as well.

[jchcollins]

I'm mostly a postwar guy, and I'd say the majority of my PC HOF singles are "midgrade" which is kind of broad for me - most being from the 3 range to the 6 range. Centered cards are great, but I'm not a centering freak. 70/30 one way is usually not going to bother me. This is how the cards were made - and no disrespect to the centering folks, but TPG's have basically sold us a bill of goods on what card centering was or was not "supposed to be" back in the day. There is a ton of cognitive bias present in professional grading 30 years into it. I digress...

I don't mind writing / issues on card backs if it can save me a ton of money. For example I have a '58 Mantle / Aaron that looks EX or better on the front, but was graded a PSA 2 due to some light album residue on the back. It looks a ton better than the example of this card I had as a kid that was riddled with print snow on the front, and might have graded a 3 or 4.

[Mark]

If it's a 1960's card, I like it in EX or better, with no defects, but with older cards, it is different. Even since I started collecting E220's I have no major concern for the way that an older card has been cut.

[SteveS]

When it comes to older cards, I actually prefer the beat-up ones. I want my old cards to look their age. Even if they're graded, there's something just not right about a perfectly pristine T206 or '52 Topps (or whatever). That said, the turn-off for me is if it's been altered or damaged in some way where too much is missing. Beat up or not, I still want the whole card.

[jcmtiger]

I like clear sharp images on my Old Judge cards, backs don’t care except don’t like skinned backs. Thanks

[bnorth]

I am a condition snob. No matter the year or player my cards need to have 4 razor sharp corners. Also if it is not perfectly centered top to bottom and side to side I pass. But the real big thing is registration. If even the slightest bit off just looking at the card will give me a head ache.

This Pristine Gem Mint Hank Aaron is a perfect example of the cards I collect.

[nineunder71]

Same Here, kinda like these

Originally Posted by bnorth

I am a condition snob. No matter the year or player my cards need to have 4 razor sharp corners. Also if it is not perfectly centered top to bottom and side to side I pass. But the real big thing is registration. If even the slightest bit off just looking at the card will give me a head ache.

This Pristine Gem Mint Hank Aaron is a perfect example of the cards I collect.

[SteveS]

Originally Posted by bnorth

This Pristine Gem Mint Hank Aaron is a perfect example of the cards I collect.

This is entitled "Hank Aaron from Dock Ellis' Point of View."

[egri]

Originally Posted by SteveS

This is entitled "Hank Aaron from Dock Ellis' Point of View."

I was going to say, I thought acid was later in the 1960s/early 1970s.

[G1911]

I don’t collect cards with sharp corners, perfect centering, or without creases.

All damage is acceptable, if the price is commensurate, or the card is one where they are too rare to care about damage. To be a condition snob means one can only cards from a relatively small number of sets that have large surviving populations allowing a collector to be picky. I simply would not be able to own many of my cards at all if I wanted only high grade copies, no matter how much money I spend.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I am a condition snob. No matter the year or player my cards need to have 4 razor sharp corners. Also if it is not perfectly centered top to bottom and side to side I pass. But the real big thing is registration. If even the slightest bit off just looking at the card will give me a head ache.



This Pristine Gem Mint Hank Aaron is a perfect example of the cards I collect.

I hope you put together a coffee table book someday. Your collection brings me so much joy.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[molenick]

I have to be honest, I think of myself as a "true collector" but I have been obsessed by condition before there were even grading services. So, unless we are talking about extreme rarities, I would not want any cards with these features, with the exception of "writing on back" which I don't care about for cabinets, cdvs, postcards and other photographic items I collect because I like the image on the front.

I am sure I do own some altered cards in graded holders and I hate the idea of that. I do my best to avoid them (I check certification numbers on sites that "out" altered cards) but I realize collecting graded cards has that possibility. I am not saying all my cards are super-high grades, I have plenty of mid-grade type cards that I bought because I thought they presented nicely and were a good deal. But I try to avoid all the issues you mentioned for cards in my collection (with the above mentioned exception).

[Vegas Cards]

Always been one of my favorite cards, even with the big crease down the middle.

[Yoda]

I can accept almost all of the defects listed for the right card except alterations of any kind.

[DHogan]

I'm not sure why I keep this one.

[ZenPop]

Beauty!!

Originally Posted by Vegas Cards

Always been one of my favorite cards, even with the big crease down the middle.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by molenick

I have to be honest, I think of myself as a "true collector" but I have been obsessed by condition before there were even grading services.

Me too, but my obsession has more to do with the technical nuances of grading, over and above having to have cards in any certain condition. I might buy vintage 5's or 3's from different graders to compare and contrast from different slab generations / eras. I think the history of grading itself is fascinating, and consider grading almost a sub-hobby of mine.