1972 topps grading experts: take a look.....

BugOnTheRug

Just received these 2 submissions: The Clemente is what I expected and the Carew I thought was the nicer card, but given a 6. I checked both for surface wrinkles, etc. to no avail. Under 20X magnification, I checked the corners: no dog-ears, curls, etc. The carew corners are better than the Clemente's. Being the first card that I have been disappointed with, do I contact PSA for a review (do they even do this?) or crack out and resubmit??

I'm not complaining here but wondering if I overlooked something. Any thoughts/advice from the resident experts?????

Thanks, BOTR

dalew

The Clemente looks as though there is some minor wear on the top left (I believe) corner. As far as the Carew card, there appears to be a blemish or crease above the "T" on the front of the card. Perhaps that is why.

ABBAdad

Hard to tell from the scan, but what about the lower right edge of the Carew front? Is that a ding or just the scanner? Certainly has good centering and the corners look nice. By the way, did you ask for "no qualifiers" when you submitted? I'd be interested to hear from Mike Castaldi on this card. Based on what I can see, looks like a crack-out case.

David

mrc32

Look at the top right back corner of the the Carew card. Looks a little "Bumped"

FB

Now, what set is this again???

To be honest - from just the scan it looks like the Carew should be an 8 also. But, I know that I'm not always the best judge of scanned cards. If you check it over carefully and REALLY can't see anything - then have a buddy check it for you. If he doesn't find anything - crack it and resubmit with your next batch.

norty

I'd check the back of the Carew for a paper wrinkle. Even though the scan is high quality, it is nearly impossible to find paper wrinkles with them. The appearance of the front is such that an 8 seems likely but for something on the back. Since there is nothing significant visible, look for a wrinkle. Any wrinkle, even if it is tiny, will knock it down 2 grades.

Boopotts

The Carew looks fine, which makes me think it's one of two things: either a small surface wrinkle somewhere, or what I call a 'wease'-- something in between a 'warp' and a 'crease'-- that typically runs horizontally through the card, and is virtually impossible to see unless you hold up the card sideways and look down the left or right edge of the card (like you're looking down the barrel of a rifle). I've had this problem-- this 'wease', as I call it-- with some 1969 OPC hockey cards, and I can tell you that it can be hard to detect.

mcastaldi

Whenever I get 6s back, it almost always tells me "surface wrinkle". Think about it. From the scan on the Carew, those may or may not be "9 corners" - but they're definitely not 7 corners either. And it's not the centering. So I'd be looking real hard for the dreaded surface wrinkle. You will want to hold the card under very good light and move the card so you can view it at several different angles. You're more likely to find it this way than with 20x. Don't know what to say on the Clemente, but at the same time would want to see the card in-hand before saying you should resubmit it.

Mike

BugOnTheRug

Hey guys, thanks for the input. I cracked-out the carew to hunt for the potential problem. And I think I found it..........

There is some kind on indentation; a straight line depression (?) which goes from bottom edge to the RH side edge, 3/8" inboard from the lower RH corner (picture the hypotenuse of a triangle). It is very hard to see and visable at just a few angles, and is very, very straight (which I think rules out a surface wrinkle), yet both edges and back show no signs of compression or alteration.

It's like something heavy pinched or rested in this area, yet no other edge or surface other than the front is affected. I don't think it is a 'wease' as mentioned earlier (but again maybe it is) and no, I didn't request NQ's on these cards.

Chalk one up to a learning experience, but wow, this carew is a beauty and it's hard to swallow the 6. Oh well...........

Anyway, I will return it to it's binder pocket in my 1972 raw set from which it came and may it rest peacefully there for the long term.

Thanks again for the help.
BOTR

PS) as far as cracking out: this is my first psa crack and I just crushed the upper edge (lip) of the slab in my 4" vise and carefully pryed the rest of the way with a screwdriver..........a piece of cake in my book and not much mess either.