Should I grade this Polar Bear Matty

[Northviewcats]

I picked this card up the other day and I will probably want to trade or sell it because I already own a nice, dark-cap Matty. The question is should I have it graded first? There is a light stain in the right border; probably its a tobacco stain, but the back seems very clean for a Polar Bear, so it may have had something spilled on it in the past. I'm guessing it might get a VG-EX, but the stain concerns me. As far as evidence of trimming, the card measures fine and I don't see any evidence of tampering. I would appreciate any advice on what you think it might grade.

Note: Most of my T-206 collection was purchased already graded. I've never sent in a card for grading, but I do have about 80 ungraded T-206 cards, that are in similar examples to this one (nice crease-free cards, most without any staining), so I'm thinking about opening up an account with SGC and start sending them in 10 at a time. Eventually, I would like my collection to all be in the same holders.

Thanks for your help,

Joe

[FrankWakefield]

Yes.

[Jewish-collector]

Sure, why not.

[tonyk1975]

I would do it.

[usernamealreadytaken]

Either way. Some collectors pay a premium for nice, ungraded examples, other do the same for graded examples.

[quinnsryche]

Absolutely.

[smtjoy]

Since your looking to sell or trade it, I would get it graded for sure.

On SGC, right now they have one of the best monthly specials they ever run for vintage- $6/card for $250 or less valued cards. Great timing for you.

[pete zouras]

The bottom edge looks trimmed, aut. If not, 30.

[asoriano]

Originally Posted by pete zouras

The bottom edge looks trimmed, aut. If not, 30.

I'm going to have to agree. The card appears to be trimmed on the bottom edge.

It would still look great in an SGC holder.

[tbob]

If that is a tiny enamel chip in the right border, I'd send it to PSA instead of SGC. SGC tends to grade harshly on flaking.

[ethicsprof]

go for it.

best,
barry

[Northviewcats]

Thanks everyone for your comments and advise. I truly do appreciate it. I know that it is very tough to assess a card's value from a scan. This is the main reason why I have shifted to buying mostly graded cards the last couple of years. This card looked pretty good and I thought I would take a shot on it.

TBob you are very observant. At first when I examined the card the right edge just looked stained. In fact, the surface felt smooth and unbroken to the touch, but when I put the edge under magnification you can see some slight chipping in the stain just adjacent to Matty's shoulder. If that is the spot that you are referring to I applaud your eyesight.

As to the bottom edge being trimmed I'm still not sure. I've read the article in the Detecting Card Alterations and compared the examples to the pictures in the article. Both bottom corners have small nicks or creases on the front of the card, but no evidence that the surface of the corner is wearing away like you would see in a card that has been trimmed. There is also some light chipping on the the bottom edge visible under magnification on the front of the card. This leads me to think that the edge hasn't been tampered with. On the other hand, the back of the card shows a pretty smooth bottom edge, as does all of the edges on the card. I also respect the experience of the members who have said that the bottom edge is trimmed.

The article says detecting a trimmed card "is a piece of cake," but I guess I need to eat more cake. In the mean time I will take the card with to a card show in Cooperstown next weekend. There are some experts like Ted there who might give me their opinion.

Best wishes,

Joe

[E93]

IMHO, that card is not an obvious trim. It may very well be fine. I think it is impossible to tell from the scan. One would have to look closely at the edges, compare it with the other edges, examine the roll (or lack thereof), etc., etc. I would get it graded.
JimB

[Bosox Blair]

Originally Posted by asoriano

I'm going to have to agree. The card appears to be trimmed on the bottom edge.

It would still look great in an SGC holder.

I agree with these guys that trimming is a concern (though I could not be sure based on the scan).

As for SGC, someone already pointed out the special for July. But they also do volume deals. I'm not sure how many items it takes to qualify for that, but you should call and ask for a price on grading the whole group of 80 (assuming you can afford to pay to grade the works at once). My assumption is that they would quote you a better price per card on the group.

Cheers,
Blair