1957 Topps….size variance?

[jchcollins]

Factory minsizes on vintage are incredibly common. This whole ruse of standard size being exact, especially with 1950's cards is a way for the graders to perpetually frustrate us, IMO. There were no exacting standards 70 years ago. Some cards came out slightly short. Especially if we are talking 1/16 of an inch or less, both short and "large" are very common. I've had many 1958 Topps cards that will not fit into my UltraPro One Touch cases because they are too tall. Would PSA deduct for this? Not sure. As evidenced by the fact that sometimes they have to use the "larger" insert slabs meant for pre-1957 Topps cards even on newer ones - I don't think that they do.

My advice if you are planning to leave raw and there is no obvious signs of trimming or alteration - just enjoy the card. The size discrepancies are more common that many people think. That's a nice Reese!