Some help with card please

Judgement

I was searching through some of my old cards today and found a very old<<at least for me>Magic Johnson I believe its a 81-82 Topps #21, which is in the picture, I was wondering what is wrong with the white spack on the card, why the left side has barely none and the right side has a lot, can you guys help me out? Oh and by the way all the black around the card is just a background.

Rainman

the uneven borders are quite common on older cards, especially in baseball and basketball- that's why there's a ton of white on the right side and barely any on the left side. it's b/c back then, the tools used to cut cards weren't very refined- i.e., they were wire cut or cut w/the equivalent of a guillotine. that's why it's very difficult to find high graded older cards.

Judgement

Thanks Rainman, does it affect the book value though?

Rainman

generally yes- issues like centering/chipping/wear impact a card's value. however, on "hot" cards- mainly RCs- say '85 topps McGwire- they still command a premium b/c they're a RC. That's not Johnson's RC if I recall correctly, and most cards from the 80s are mass produced, so I don't think that card would command a huge premium- at least not right now. Once supply dries up more, it may command a premium- i.e., like the '69-71 basketball cards do. It's just a matter of whether you want to hold onto the card for another 10 years or so. Also, some collectors- like myself- will hunt high and low for "mint" raw cards- i.e., near perfect (or perfect) centering top/bottom, left/right, etc.

Judgement

I see, thanks a lot for the help...