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Anyone have grading experience with Topps stickers?
gtbeaker
Posts: 199 ✭
Folks- Just wondering if any of you guys have had any experience getting early 1980's Topps stickers graded? I recently bought a few team sets for the Reds and am looking to get the Bench cards graded. From all the cards I've seen so far, most look off center. Any experience or advice? Thanks- Scott
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Joe
1.) Corners - PSA seems to be extremely tough on the slightest touch to cornerrs on stickers and some reason to the naked eye a corner that looks like a sure 8 or 9 can be a 7. Make sure you look at the corners very caregfully under at least 10X magnification.
2.) Mini Creases ... Especially on the back if they are blank they are tough to catch and usually get over looked because the front has the picture and the back is boring.
Those have my two biggest stumbling blocks with the 69 Decal set....
James
I do have some experience, which I will gladly share with you. I will try to summarize what I remember/recall in a few main ideas:
A) What out for miscut cards. Topps did not take as much care in cutting their Sticker cards as with other 1980s regular issues. Thus, huge tilts and other miscuts are the rule, not the exception. You need a strong cut to make a high grade.
C) Good luck with the foil all-star cards. These cards are extrarodinarily tough compared to the regular sticker counterparts. As the stock is thicker -- there are often imperfections in the cut, as well as noticeable scrathes, etc.
D) Print smudges are often apparent on these cards. They will downgrade for these if they are apparent at all. As these cards are smaller than regular issue cards, I think PSA tends to be more critical of surface smudges, etc. These are very apparent around the black-lined border of the cards.
E) Finally -- look at the back of the sticker. Often, these are not printed very well. If there is toning, print spots, or other noticeable defects on the sticker back of the card, it will be reflected in the final grade. This seems to be something that is completely out of one's control -- as unopened boxes of stickers produce both pristine and toned sticker backs from the same pack of stickers.
The stickers can be very fun to collect -- and I am proud to say that I have never gotten anything below a PSA 8 on my raw submissions. But you must be very conscentious when reviewing the stickers before submitting them. Luckily, as they are so readily available (a box has 100 packs -- often giving you many multiples of the same sticker), it should be easy for you to compare examples with each other and only submit the best.
MS