Why are so many T206 trimmed??

[daviddbreadman]

I am newer to the T206 set but I have to say its disheartening that so many raw cards are trimmed. Its to the point where I don't even want raw T206.

Why do there seem to be disproportionate numbers of T206 trimmed relative to other prewar and tobacco cards?

I had read somewhere (unfortunately I cannot find again where I read it) that one particular dealer years ago is responsible for a lot of the trimmed T206. Is this true?

[T206Collector]

There are a lot more T206 cards than other pre-war cards, so the volume of trimming will be higher. This is especially true when you consider that T206 cards were so often irregularly cut in the factory, which almost invites trimming. For this reason, a good trim is less detectable in T206. Combine this with the third party grading craze and you've got a pandemic. Card with fuzzy corners -- $50; same card with 4 sharp corners -- $1,000 or even much, much higher.

I should mention that a number of over-sized T206 cards were trimmed simply to get them to fit in collector sheets by old school collectors that did not put any value on trimmed vs. untrimmed.

[ethicsprof]

Paul makes some very helpful, valid points.
I would simply add that i have had very good luck securing untrimmed
raw cards from T206 folks on this board over the past 5+ years, so be encouraged by the community of vintage scholars here and not so encouraged by ebay at times.

all the best,

barry

[FrankWakefield]

Paul mentions old collectors trimming a card so it would fit in something. That happened with E90-1s, because they were so big.

Some trimming was old, like that. Some within the last 25 years or so, because some collectors became fanatical about condition. And that led to some folks trimming on cards so they'd look better. Personally, I didn't mind some rounded corners in the first place. But those that did fueled the frenzy of trimming and card doctoring. So I think the card trimmers and the folks that strongly desired sharp edges and corners, those folks are somewhat jointly to blame.

There are many ungraded T206s out there that haven't been trimmed. Lots of good sellers. Anyone who buys a few, and then looks at them attentively, they can soon develop a knack for discerning trimmed cards from untrimmed. There's no need to rush to grading companies because of trim-phobia. There are some good sellers on this board who'll get a few good ones into your hand!!

[Al C.risafulli]

There's also a very simple answer to this question.

In the 80s and I believe even back to the 70s, the earliest plastic sheets that were designed to fit T-cards were ever so slightly small. Many collectors who embraced the idea of putting their cards in plastic sheets decided to cut their cards down, ever-so-slightly, to make for a better fit into these sheets.

I've heard this explanation from several different old-school collectors.

-Al

[tedzan]

Many of the ENOR (or Baldwin) 15-pocket plastic sheets that were available in the 1970's & 1980's that were designed
for T & C-type cards did not allow for the card size variations. Al is absolutely correct in what he is saying.

I stopped using these plastic sheets back then for this reason; but, more importantly because of the PVC damage that
these sheets would cause on my cards.


TED Z

[E93]

Placing blame for trimming on collectors who like cards in good condition is like blaming counterfitting on shop owners where the counterfitters spend their money. If they didn't sell their goods for money, I wouldn't have to counterfit. It doesn't mean they want fake money. It doesn't mean they want altered cards. Altering cards to improve their condition and deceive buyers for profit is caused by the greed of the card doctor/seller.
JimB

[FrankWakefield]

Not the shop owners, but the patrons... otherwise a disingenuous analogy.

[E93]

Frank,
As soon as you find a single high-grade collector who wants or looks for trimmed cards for their collection and wants to pay a premium for those trimmed cards, I will agree that they are partially responsible.

My analogy is apt. If there were not a desire for cash in the world, counterfitters would not bother. But that does not make everybody who uses or values cash responsible for the few greedy people who print fake money. Those who want and value high grade untampered with cards are not responsible for the greedy few who alter cards for profit.
JimB

[cfc1909]

There was once a big named collector in the 80s paying $100 for near mint examples of T206s. This caused a craze in looking for oversized cards to be trimmed to appear nm. Many 206s are still larger than the quoted size.

[E93]

I know that a lot of the card doctors started rearing their ugly heads when Copeland was paying a premium, but I think the responsibility lies with the doctors. Anyway, this is a pointless dispute.
Take care Jim.
JimB

[Peter_Spaeth]

IMHO, the phenomenon is by no means limited to raw T206s, and I have seen innumerable E cards in holders that at least to my unexpert eye looked trimmed.

[cfc1909]

I agree responsibility lies with the doctors not the collectors who desire the high grades. trimming is pure greed.

When I was a kid I trimmed my 56 Clemente to fit in the plastic sheet and I still have that card... I just didn't know-I was about 10