Cutting hand cut cards....is it an art?

PROMETHIUS88

In the last few months, while hunting down my beloved 1962 Jell-O cards, I pick up some nice, full boarded 61 and 62 Post when I see them and if they are oversized, jagged, etc, I try to cut them down by hand to make them look/grade better. After my latest sub, I find myself being stuck in the 4-6 category....a majority of 5's. Is there are art to cutting these or is it done mechanically. I just don't see how people get 8's and 9's??

bobmoat

Betteridge's law of headlines applies here

prgsdw

@PROMETHIUS88 said:
Is there are art to cutting these or is it done mechanically. I just don't see how people get 8's and 9's??

Or 10's in some cases... I can't figure it out either. I have a few hand cut items in my Bob Lilly sets I provided pictures of below. I can't tell by looking at them in the case how they were cut...

Seems like an art to me. I couldn't cut them so nicely...

Steve

LarkinCollector

Part art, part using the right equipment.

ETA: finally found the link to the cutter I was thinking of: https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/comment/11651850/#Comment_11651850

Tomi

You use an exacto knife and ruler. High grades are not as hard as you think with these.

LOTSOS

I found that scissors and gilotine cutters are useless. I never bought a fancy roller cutter. I use a metal straight edge and a very sharp (read brand new) razor).

The trick is similar to wood working. If you don’t have any backer material you can get what’s called tear out in wood working. With cardboard you get an ever so slight pinch on the corners. What that means is if you are cutting to an edge don’t let the last thing you cut be the card. Put a sacrificial card next to the edge where you intend to finish. It helps hold the finished corner in place.

Two other things. Be sure you’re surface is perfect. I think any hand cut item seems to get extra surface scrutiny since they are usually part of a box or some other item by nature. I’ve scored 8s and 9s but never a 10. Anything 6 or less usually ends up being a surface issue. Second be sure your blade is as close to perpendicular to the surface as possible.

Kevin

hyperchipper09

Not an art I could master. They look purdy when done right though. Some type of machine for this one I would think, though if it was a straight hand cut, well, the man who did it is a God , from a sheet with the Black Back.

1951WheatiesPremium

Exact-o knife
Steady hand
Straight edge

That's all you need. I have bought a few Hand cut cards and cut them myself. While I can't fix existing scratches and other flaws, I can make immaculate corners...

PROMETHIUS88

@1951WheatiesPremium said:
Exact-o knife
Steady hand
Straight edge

That's all you need. I have bought a few Hand cut cards and cut them myself. While I can't fix existing scratches and other flaws, I can make immaculate corners...

Was just reading thru these and there are some good suggestions. I can say I tried an both exacto knife and a razor blade against a straight metal edge with the metal edge extending beyond the borders. Maybe I had a crap exacto knife cause I couldn't get it to cut well. The blade cut great but was a tiny bit flexible so it didn't always make a straight border, even against the edge. I just need to send my cards to someone who is good at it, lol.

PROMETHIUS88

I do have 2 more subs at PSA with cards I tried to cut so I'm hoping the results are better

1951WheatiesPremium

If you've ever cut Sheetrock, it's pretty much the same. Score it (shallow cut) once first, then the deep cut all the way thru the the card. Be sure to cut the side that presents, not the 'back' - this will also force the 'rough edge' to the back as well.

Want to here something funny? I cut all my Wheaties Dimaggio's yet couldn't take a blade to any of my Wheaties Gehrigs. Funny, right?

Just couldn't.

1951WheatiesPremium

Here's some of my 'work' though I enjoy doing it to much to call t that...

https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/996781/1937-wheaties-dimaggio-run-and-1935-36-gehrig-wheaties-panels-new-scans#latest

The scans are high res and I wasn't working with full boxes but existing cut cards that I wanted to look rectangular and square cornered. The grades have to do with creases and blemishes, though, not the corners.

PROMETHIUS88

@1951WheatiesPremium said:
Here's some of my 'work' though I enjoy doing it to much to call t that...

https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/996781/1937-wheaties-dimaggio-run-and-1935-36-gehrig-wheaties-panels-new-scans#latest

The scans are high res and I wasn't working with full boxes but existing cut cards that I wanted to look rectangular and square cornered. The grades have to do with creases and blemishes, though, not the corners.

Those look amazing! I need to send all mine to you and pay you to do them, lol!

ReggieCleveland

Also, for perforated cards, you want to loosen the edges as though you were going to separate them by pulling them apart where they're perforated. Once the perforations are loose, then you go about cutting them so the card retains the perforations but also has a nice clean cut to them.

Arthur

erikthredd

One thing i learned by cutting up some 91 Fleer Wheaties cards from the box is don't put to much pressure on your flat edge when making your cut because depending on how wide whatever flat edge you use is,it might leave in impression in your card. I was happy with how my Jordan Pro-Visions cut came out but i practiced on 3-4 of the cheaper cards beforehand just so i could get the process down without damaging the most important card.

1951WheatiesPremium

@erikthredd said:
One thing i learned by cutting up some 91 Fleer Wheaties cards from the box is don't put to much pressure on your flat edge when making your cut because depending on how wide whatever flat edge you use is,it might leave in impression in your card. I was happy with how my Jordan Pro-Visions cut came out but i practiced on 3-4 of the cheaper cards beforehand just so i could get the process down without damaging the most important card.

Very smart to practice. I usually practice on a cereal box first.

miwlvrn

I have a sliding blade rather than a chopping blade, but it is not a roller style one. No matter what stock, I can get straight even edges and sharp corners, but I will do my best to describe the problem I'm having with it. With newsprint thickness, I can get 9's or 10's. With anything much thicker, even magazine cover pages that are not as thick as standard card stock, the cutting process using the tool I have leaves the edges with a subtle curl top to bottom, on the underside of the card, such that it feels like a minutely raised ridge, not quite visible but detectable to the touch. Any card I cut that is otherwise a 10 for corners, centering and straightness of edges, will get no better than a PSA 5 due to this "ridging" effect. Yes, it has happened from day 1 with the blade; the blade is sharp and I do not see the problem as being related to relative sharpness/dullness of the blade. Any advice about beating this problem is appreciated! I'm betting the answer is to buy an expensive roller cutter like the one pictured in the thread Kyle referenced.

JoeBanzai

@ReggieCleveland said:
Also, for perforated cards, you want to loosen the edges as though you were going to separate them by pulling them apart where they're perforated. Once the perforations are loose, then you go about cutting them so the card retains the perforations but also has a nice clean cut to them.

Arthur

Be careful here; I sent in a perforated card cut in this manner and it came back "evid of trim".

ReggieCleveland

@JoeBanzai said:

@ReggieCleveland said:
Also, for perforated cards, you want to loosen the edges as though you were going to separate them by pulling them apart where they're perforated. Once the perforations are loose, then you go about cutting them so the card retains the perforations but also has a nice clean cut to them.

Arthur

Be careful here; I sent in a perforated card cut in this manner and it came back "evid of trim".

You serious, Clark?

Arthur

JoeBanzai

@ReggieCleveland said:

@JoeBanzai said:

@ReggieCleveland said:
Also, for perforated cards, you want to loosen the edges as though you were going to separate them by pulling them apart where they're perforated. Once the perforations are loose, then you go about cutting them so the card retains the perforations but also has a nice clean cut to them.

Arthur

Be careful here; I sent in a perforated card cut in this manner and it came back "evid of trim".

You serious, Clark?

Arthur

Absolutely! A smart person might then have used a tweezers to "rough up" the tabs and resubmit it, getting a high grade.

Stone193

@JoeBanzai said:

@ReggieCleveland said:
Also, for perforated cards, you want to loosen the edges as though you were going to separate them by pulling them apart where they're perforated. Once the perforations are loose, then you go about cutting them so the card retains the perforations but also has a nice clean cut to them.

Arthur

Be careful here; I sent in a perforated card cut in this manner and it came back "evid of trim".

I was wondering about that kind of thing.

I was at a Tristar in Houston and a guy had some really nice Red Backs that were separated - but not carefully pulled apart but cut - my thought?

PSA may not like that.

wrestlingcardking

I've seen some pretty good hack jobs in the past and made a few errors along the way myself, but overall I've got many Gem Mint cards from my own hand........

JoeBanzai

@Stone193 said:

@JoeBanzai said:

@ReggieCleveland said:
Also, for perforated cards, you want to loosen the edges as though you were going to separate them by pulling them apart where they're perforated. Once the perforations are loose, then you go about cutting them so the card retains the perforations but also has a nice clean cut to them.

Arthur

Be careful here; I sent in a perforated card cut in this manner and it came back "evid of trim".

I was wondering about that kind of thing.

I was at a Tristar in Houston and a guy had some really nice Red Backs that were separated - but not carefully pulled apart but cut - my thought?

PSA may not like that.

Technically they should be pulled apart, not cut, but everyone makes mistakes.

"hand cut"?

ReggieCleveland

@JoeBanzai said:

@ReggieCleveland said:

@JoeBanzai said:

@ReggieCleveland said:
Also, for perforated cards, you want to loosen the edges as though you were going to separate them by pulling them apart where they're perforated. Once the perforations are loose, then you go about cutting them so the card retains the perforations but also has a nice clean cut to them.

Arthur

Be careful here; I sent in a perforated card cut in this manner and it came back "evid of trim".

You serious, Clark?

Arthur

Absolutely! A smart person might then have used a tweezers to "rough up" the tabs and resubmit it, getting a high grade.

How can they call a perforated card trimmed if the perforations are still there?

Arthur

JoeBanzai

How can they call a card hand cut if it's perforated?

To answer seriously; perforated cards are supposed to be torn, not cut. I am sure there are many perforated cards that were cut with "tabs" still showing, and were graded just fine. I did get one back that was cut and still showed the perforation/tab and it was marked "evit of trim".

ReggieCleveland

That boggles my mind. I know people that have done the loosen/cut method for years and have only high-grade cards to show for it. How would they even be able to tell that you cut it? PSA is weird.

Arthur

maddux69

How about stamps? Should those be pulled apart as well or is cutting them ok?

JoeBanzai

@maddux69 said:
How about stamps? Should those be pulled apart as well or is cutting them ok?

You are going to have to be specific. In general, items made to be cut should be cut and ones that are perforated should be pulled apart.

Obviously, as with the Killebrew example above, mistakes happen.

I am assuming that a grader who sees a cut/trimmed item that was originally perforated would technically be correct in rejecting it. PSA usually covers itself. For example a hand cut card usually will get a grade of "authentic" if it originally had black lines/dots for borders and they don't show, but I think I read that the card could still get a high grade if the borders appear equal (not sure on exact terminology).

I have seen some of the Bazooka cards with missing borders get pretty high grades.

maddux69

@JoeBanzai said:

@maddux69 said:
How about stamps? Should those be pulled apart as well or is cutting them ok?

You are going to have to be specific. In general, items made to be cut should be cut and ones that are perforated should be pulled apart.

I am thinking of stamps such as this one. I like Greg Maddux oddball items and he has a stamp that is similar. The one example here looks very clean cut and possibly not pulled apart.

https://ebay.com/itm/1989-St-Vincent-Ken-Griffey-Jr-Rookie-Stamp-Erthqk-Rel-PSA-10-Gem-Mint-/123076368450?hash=item1ca7ec5842%3Ag%3ATIEAAOSwy4ta0T0D&nma=true&si=eD2Db6tkvWXjQb9Nu3OJs4Uouag%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

JoeBanzai

Hard to say, as scan could be better. whoever separated it either cut it, or was very good at bending it back and forth before pulling it apart.

Bottom corners do not look cut.

miwlvrn

@miwlvrn said:
I have a sliding blade rather than a chopping blade, but it is not a roller style one. No matter what stock, I can get straight even edges and sharp corners, but I will do my best to describe the problem I'm having with it. With newsprint thickness, I can get 9's or 10's. With anything much thicker, even magazine cover pages that are not as thick as standard card stock, the cutting process using the tool I have leaves the edges with a subtle curl top to bottom, on the underside of the card, such that it feels like a minutely raised ridge, not quite visible but detectable to the touch. Any card I cut that is otherwise a 10 for corners, centering and straightness of edges, will get no better than a PSA 5 due to this "ridging" effect. Yes, it has happened from day 1 with the blade; the blade is sharp and I do not see the problem as being related to relative sharpness/dullness of the blade. Any advice about beating this problem is appreciated! I'm betting the answer is to buy an expensive roller cutter like the one pictured in the thread Kyle referenced.

Anyone have any input on this ridging concept?