would you rather have a trimmed "A" or a beater PSA 1?

[GeoPoto]

I am happy to go with an A or a 1, if it allows me to (affordably) obtain a card with decent eye appeal.

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1700570843
https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1700570847

[parkplace33]

Never an A, too hard to sell down the road.

[brunswickreeves]

A’s are great for your PC as they can look like a 3-5 and can present much better than a poor graded card. However for resale, numerical grades may sell for a higher price. 52 Topps Mick is an exception, given As tend to go for more than 1s, as is all about the striking eye appeal. So, it really depends on the card and your collecting goals.

[Scocs]

Not always easy to do, but try to find the “1” that looks like a “4” (most of the time). Hard-to-see spider wrinkles account for the poor grade:

[fkm_bky]

I like the beaters, as long as there isn't paperloss on the front, over an A.

Shows character

Bill

[Cmvorce]

I would take the beater 1 every day of the week no matter the card. My collection criteria is to try to stay away from cards that show intentional manmade alterations. I’m good with corner wear, wrinkles, creasing - things that could happen over time. But I avoid writing, hole punching, and especially trimming.

[KCRfan1]

For me, it depends on what the " A " is. If the designation is trimming, I'm not interested. However, if the card maintains the correct size and the designation is for recoloring, I'm likely interested.

As we all know, the Authentic label is not just trim. It can cover many other alterations.

[brianp-beme]

I generally take anything I can get that is reasonably priced. My general preference is for a beater that doesn't have issues in the player's face area. And if trimmed, I prefer something that was done without the aim to deceive others, but instead from some collector long ago. Something that is really obviously trimmed.

But I also prefer my '1' and 'A' cards to not have subjected to slabification.

Brian

[Vintagedeputy]

I generally don’t like cards that were altered so I’ll take an SGC 1 over an A most days. It’s all relative though to the card. See how many of these Wagner cards are out there, and you’ll agree that an A is just fine.

[nineunder71]

Beater all day

I’m trying to rid my collection of all A grades, no matter the reason


Here’s one of my favorite PSA1 Beaters