are "A" authentic SGC & PSA cards gaining momentum with collectors/dealers

[Abravefan11]

I don't think the trend is that collectors are becoming more accepting of trimmed cards as much as all ready slabbed trimmed cards with great eye appeal are becoming acceptable alternatives to Poor and Fair graded cards for the same price.

Collectors on a budget may not be able to afford an EX example, but can afford an Authentic graded card with and EX appearance for the price they would pay for a 1 or 2.

[Mark]

Speaking only for myself, I find that I am more receptive to the A cards than before. But that may be a reflection on the sets that I collect.

[Anthony S.]

Sometimes people buy "A" cards because they know the grading game can be a bit of a crapshoot. This card (not mine) sold as an "A" for $152 on July 19, 2008. On July 16, 2009 it sold as an SGC 60 for $541. Obviously, no alterations were made. It was simply resubmitted.

[Rickyy]

Perfectly acceptable to me too... I have several..hand cuts or slight trims...I've come to like them!

[ethicsprof]

a number of my Nagy cards are Authentic---i remember a couple others of you noting the same with your E90 Nagy's---
and i love them and display them with pride in my office.
best,
barry

[Idiottax]

Being a new collector to pre-war cards, I'm not opposed to trimmed cards, though I would say that I have a preference towards obviously trimmed cards, such as those missing one or three borders, over those which were shaved down to make the card look like it has crisper borders.

I think it also affects me that the first tobacco card I bought was an Orval Overall which was well-trimmed as a one-off, before realizing that I could live the dream of collecting tobacco cards.

[Chris-Counts]

When I got back in the hobby 10 years ago after a 20-year break, I quickly discovered eBay. The first card I bought was a 1953 Bowman common. When I showed it to my brother, who never stopped collecting, he quickly pointed out that it was trimmed. This was my introduction to the graded card era. At least it wasn't a Mantle ...

Over the past decade, I have slowly come around to the idea that trimmed cards are okay. As a result, I am able to obtain sharp-looking examples of cards I'd never own under normal circumstances since my budget for old cards is much smaller than my ambition for collecting them. Perhaps equally important to me, though, is the fact that I worry a lot less about what is trimmed in my collection and what isn't. Let's face it, the are countless trimmed cards encased in slabs.

I generally search for cards in the 4-5 range that have exceptional eye appeal. Tape stains, pinholes and just about any type of damage to the back are okay to me. Trimmed is just another flaw in a card that I can live with.

Last weekend, I came across this stunning but trimmed 1915 Cracker Jack of Chick Gandil. I quickly checked the prices of other examples on eBay. I found three examples: an 8 for $3,000, a 5.5 for $935 and a particularly unattractive 2 at $400. I figured the price on the 5.5 was fair because the seller was one of my favorite dealers, Shoebox Cards. So I paid less than half the price of the 2 for a card that has the appearance of a 7 or an 8. Needless to say, I'm thrilled with the purchase.

Perhaps one day baseball cards will be looked upon like art or antiques and enhancements or alterations will be considered just another part of an item's history and will be factored into its value accordingly ...

[cmcclelland]

I think that the whole issue of trimmed cards in the hobby has been overblown and gotten a bad rap. People have been trimming baseball cards since baseball cards were first invented. After third party card grading came into the picture, there started to be this growing attitude in the hobby that a trimmed card was basically almost worthless.

To me, it's all about the eye appeal of the card - not the number on the slab. I would much rather have a trimmed card like the Cracker Jack in the post above than a total beater in a 1,2,3 holder.

Just to give a personal example - I own several 1952 Topps Mantle cards. I've got a PSA 2.5, a PSA 4, and SGC 70, an SGC 80 and a SGC A. My least favorite is the SGC 80 - it's off center and the blue background is not as bold as it could be. The SGC A is a beautiful card. Clearly, it's been slightly trimmed. It's also got a small crease (I still don't understand why anyone would trim a creased card!). But, the image and the color are better than any of the other Mantles I own. The blue background just pops and the white borders are pack fresh. I also like the PSA 2.5 better than the PSA 4, but I won't ramble on about that. The main point to me is this - for me it all comes down to the buying a card that I like at a price that I feel is a good value.

At the end of the day, who cares what PSA or SGC or anyone else says about a card - as long as it's not a fake it really just comes down to how you like the look of the card. It's kind of like wine (another one of my bad habits). I could care less what Robert Parker or Wine Spectator or anyone else rates a wine on a numeric scale. I just want to drink a wine that I think tastes good.

P.S. - I was the one that bought the SGC A T205 Cobb on ebay that was referenced in the original post. It's a beautiful card.