grading characteristic choices

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Posted By: steve

Please rank these 4 choices from worst flaw to not so worst flaw.

Please consider this question with T206's primarily in mind, and in the PSA 4 to PSA 6 (or SGC equiv.) range of cards.

My Choices: Worst = slight tilt
next = centering worse than 60/40
next = low-end picture quality for the grade
not so bad = soft corners for the grade

Thanks, steve

[Archive]

Posted By: James Gallo

I am not a huge t206 guy, but I HATE centering issues and on such a small card it is even worse.


My Choices: Worst = centering worse than 60/40 next =
next = slight tilt
low-end picture quality for the grade
not so bad = soft corners for the grade

I would rathe have a nice clean centered image with some corner wear then a razor shape card that is tilted or OC.

James G

Looking for 1915 Cracker Jacks and 1909-11 American Caramel E90-1.

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Posted By: leon

I am not really a T206 guy but off centered cards bug me......There are some series that are almost always off center so we take what we can. As for borders, they were meant to protect the picture inside them so if they are more worn I am ok with that.

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Posted By: James Feagin

Worst= Paper Loss
Next Worse= Creasing
Kind of Worse= Very rounded corners
Not so bad= Centering

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Posted By: Eric Brehm

I avoid off-center or tilted border cards, and those with poorly focused images, but am not bothered by minor corner wear, especially on the older cards. In fact for issues like T206 I actually prefer to see a little wear on the corners, oddly enough, because it gives me visual confirmation that the cards are more likely authentic and have not been trimmed.

I have never understood how all the baseball card manufacturers over the years have gone to so much trouble to produce their issues, including all the artwork, photography, player bios and statistics, etc., but then seem to have so much difficulty cutting the cards straight.

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Posted By: David M

I always look at the picture first, so off focus is the worst. Then tilted. Bad corners, followed by off center. I just can't understand a card getting an 8 grade that is out of focus.

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Posted By: Fred C

Eric,

I worked in a printing facility many years ago when I was going to school. I can understand how things get miscut and a little off center, especially when a "human" is involved in the centering of the paper stock before pulling the handle down to cut or pushing the button to have the hydraulic cutter make it's cut.

I don't like cards that are out of "register"/fuzzy. Those very slight double images bother me especially when it makes me want to put on reading glasses because I think my eyes are screwed up (after looking at the card).

Centering up to 70/30 doesn't bother me too much but I can't stand it when I see a No Qualifiers card cut at 90/10 and provided a high grade because someone can't figure out (or measure) the centering. Let me see, isn't that really just basic math?

Soft corners aren't too bad so long as they aren't MUSHY SOFT where they tend to mimic one of those Tom Barker game cards.

Tilts aren't so bad as long as it's very slight.

Diamond cuts bug me. I've seen a lot of those American Caramels like this, not just E90-1 but others also.

[Archive]

Posted By: B O'Brien

For my T206's, I hate the diamond cut. For some odd reason, I do have a few high grade (for me) diamond cut cards. I'm not sure if the grading companies even take it into account.
Take care,
Bob

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Posted By: Doug

#1 (worst) bad picture quality
#2 soft corners
#3 slight tilt
#4 (least bad) centering

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Posted By: Steve Dawson

Specifically regarding T206's:

Worst - Picture Quality -- For me, an out-of-register image is an immediate turn-off. I also pass on those T206's that exhibit a "speckled" or "mottled" background, most often seen with the green backgrounds.
Next - Centering worse than 60/40 -- Off-center cards just bug me.
Then - slight tilt -- The key word here for me is "slight". If it looks more like a Parallelogram than a rectangle (see the PSA 5mc Honus Wagner), I'll take an immediate pass on it.
Last - soft corners for the grade -- Soft corners just don't bother me that much.


Steve

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Posted By: steve yawitz

From most intolerable to most tolerable:

- weak registration
- slight tilts (though I can sometimes live with it on American Beauties)
- poor centering
- corner wear

Weak registration is probably the only one that's a deal-breaker for me. I'm fanatical about it. I'd probably add "color issues" as a complement to registration. There's not a lot of washed-out looking T206's but cards like Speaker or the Young or Cobb portraits just gotta have a bold, consistent background.

http://imageevent.com/yawie99

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Posted By: Peter_Spaeth

Most offensive:
E cards in T holders, or slabbed T cards (except for issues known to be cut short) that appear to be cut way short.
Slabbed cards with 2 or more bat eared corners.
Cards with poor image quality.

Least offensive:
Centering, within reason.
Natural corner wear.
Slight tilts.