1972 Topps Ken Henderson

jason045 · July 28, 2004 9:28AM

I recently acquired a 1972 Topps Ken Henderson that is centered better than any I have ever seen. The card is just about perfect. So I'm thinking I may just have the first PSA 9 of this card until I take it out of the penny sleeve. There is a tiny indention about 1/4" long in Mr. Henderson's shadow at the bottom right of the picture. It looks like someone pinched the card with their fingernail. It's only visible when you hold the card at an angle under bright light. I know that a 9 is probably out of the question now, but my question is could it still get an 8 with this type of flaw?

highend · July 28, 2004 9:53AM

nice find, one of the tougher cards in the set. i've sent cards in that appeared mint 9 until i noticed a minor flaw. it depends on the grader, sometimes an 8 or sometimes a 7. good luck!

btw, the blue ia graded an 8.

DirtyHarry · July 28, 2004 9:55AM

6, 7 if you're lucky.

mcastaldi · July 28, 2004 11:27AM

Jason> Actually, there already is a PSA9 of Ken Henderson. It's a POP 1 and is owned by one of the Registry participants.

On the 72T population beat. . .there's been another Barton IA added in PSA8 NQ - now there's 10. There are now 12 Schaal IA PSA8s. . .

Some 72s that fly under the radar in terms of toughness -
#377 Terry Harmon - 14 PSA8s with only 2 PSA9s
#401 - Jim Nash - 17 PSA8s and only one PSA9
#482 - Joe Hoerner - 14 PSA8s and three 9s
#496 - Harrelson Boyhood - 15 8s and 2 9s
#519 - Ted Abernathy - 15 PSA8s and no 9s
#520 - Larry Bowa - 18 PSA8s and 2 PSA9s
#627 - Moe Drabowsky - 16 & 3
#658 - Steve Dunning - 11 & 4
#673 - Dave Marshall - 16 & 4
#687 - Del Unser - 15 & 4

Many of these aren't too far off of cards that were once considered super hard. But over time, these have proven to be tougher than most.

Mike

FB · July 28, 2004 7:28PM

Yup,

The Henderson PSA 9 was graded before the 72 PSA 9 collectors really knew how hard it was. The Bay hammer price wasn't all that bad at the time. And looking back - it was 1/3 of what it would go for now!
One of my favorite cards in the set.

ANd I've also had the good fortune to have 3 other 72 Hendersons come back from PSA as 8's. And all of them were centered slightly to the left of center. Very tough to find dead-centered.

So - submit yours and if the card is as nice as you say - then hopefully, the eye-appeal counteracts the little fingernail divot and you get the PSA 8. (it would be nice to keep the PSA 9 as a 1 of 1)

highend · July 28, 2004 9:30PM

it's funny that mike mentioned the 72 abernathy, most of the notoriously tough cards from the 72 set have gained that status due tothe usual terrible centering. i've seen plenty of abernathy's well centered but can't recall seeing too many that have super sharp registration and focus they all seem to have that "fuzzy" look to them.
i recall the rogelio moret card having the same issue.

Machodoc · July 28, 2004 9:59PM

Mike, thanks for the info. The Dunning is the only 7 in my set, and unless I grab one from a registry person (I'll be generous!), I have little hope of getting one anytime soon because all the raw ones I have seen are enough O/C to keep them from being contenders.

Steve

mcastaldi · July 29, 2004 1:25AM

Jim> The registration on the Abernathy is often really terrible. Abernathy and Gil Hodges are tough to fine nicely registered. Usually both of these guys look more like Skeletor.

Mike

highend · July 29, 2004 1:50AM

mike- LOL, good observation.

steve- i still have my eyes open for a dunning, most are O/C top to bottom.

jim

mcastaldi · July 29, 2004 2:48AM

Jim> By the power of GreySkull!

Some other cards though were once really tough in PSA8 and now aren't such a big deal

#4 - Checklist
#176 - Haller IA
#493 - Bob Bailey Boyhood Photo
#517 - Ken Brett
#670 - Holtzman
#757 - Cardenal Traded
#782 - Larry Stahl

I think it's really interesting to look at the dynamics of the set as time progresses.

Mike

milbroco · July 29, 2004 4:09AM

This makes me want to go through my box of 1972's at home tonight. I have about 500 commons most of which would grade a 7 or 8 with the possibility of some 9's (also, some 5's and 6's). Its been a long time since I went through them.

mcastaldi · July 29, 2004 5:03AM

milbroco> Good luck with your search. I will say that after going through tens of thousands of 72s in the last 3 years, the cards in this list have proved to be the toughest.

Mike

highend · July 29, 2004 10:14AM

mike- around same time last year, psa 8 -670 holtzman sold on ebay for well over 100 bucks . in november 03, i thought i stole one for 47.00, now the same 47 bucks could probably get me 2!

mcastaldi · July 29, 2004 12:08PM

Jim> I think a major factor in such things is timing. I've owned two of the PSA8 Ken Hendersons, both obtained via eBay. The first was from rushoeless and I think I paid $37.50 or something. It was an 8, but not a spectacular one. The registration was not great (as is common with this card) and the corners weren't great. Worthy of the 8 it received, but not a card I was particularly happy with. Shortly after that, FB put his PSA8 to eBay since he'd picked up the PSA9. I placed a low-ball bid figuring if it was going to go cheap, it may as well go to me. Lo and behold I picked that one up for under $40 as well. This time however, I got an example that I believe is about as good as this card gets. Here's a scan.

The thing to keep in mind with low pop cards - they're ALWAYS cheaper when you can submit them yourself. You know this from your Schaal IA.

Mike

highend · July 29, 2004 1:22PM

mike- VERY nice card! the centering is remarkable. my 8 sounds alot like the first one you described.
aside from being more cost effective, for me, submitting low pops and getting the grade i hoped for is one of the bigger thrills of building a registry set.
for about 200 bucks including grading, i've submitted a schaal ia, blue ia, garrett, aaron ia and expos rookies (another card that has become much easier) in psa 8. it makes it easier for me to forget about all the cards i thought were "locks" for 9's .

mcastaldi · July 29, 2004 9:29PM

Jim> I know the feeling. So far I've submitted and received 8s on two or three Garrets, two Expos Teams, Mays IA, Aaron IA, Drabowsky, McRae IA. . .
Some of these I even already had, but my submissions allowed me to choose the best one and move the others.

Mike

FB · July 30, 2004 5:36AM

There is also something VERY satisfying about seeing those grades pop up and running your finger down them and seeing "8" or "9" next to some of the tough cards.

So far from the 72 set I've received back from PSA - 8's on the following:

3 - Grotes
1 - Garrett
3 - Gallaghers
3 - Hendersons
1 - Blue IA
1 - McRae IA
2 - Holtzmans
1 - Jones IA
2 - Expos Teams
2 - Joe Hoerners
2 - Terry Harmons

And I also got PSA 9's on

1 - Dunning
1 - Unser

Always like Christmas when you get the grades!!!

sjeanblanc · July 30, 2004 9:51AM

Mike, Jim, and Frank,

These are a couple from my last submission, I think the Abernathy has pretty good focus, and this was the best Barton IA that I could find in a five state road trip. Thought it had a shot at a PSA 9, but the lower left corner has just a touch of fuzz.

Scott Jeanblanc
jeanblanc@iconnect.net
Ebay UserId: sjeanblanc
--------------------------------------------
Collecting Nolan Ryan cards (68-94)

highend · July 30, 2004 9:52AM

frank- if had gotten some of those grades it would be like christmas, 4th of july, cinco de mayo, and tet . however, for me it often feels like festivus.....

mcastaldi · July 30, 2004 1:21PM

Scott> On the Barton IA, it almost looks like a lot of print snow in the large mass of green on the bottom 1/3 of the picture. Is that from the scanner? If it's on the card, I don't see how that escaped a PD qualifier. If it's from the scan, then the L/R centering would likely have kept it from a 9.

Mike

FB · July 30, 2004 9:38PM

Jim - those are from over 5000 - 1972 Topps submitted. And I've received 2 PSA 9's on real toughies and maybe 20 PSA 8's. Keep looking and submitting (even after your set is complete) and you'll get there!

highend · July 30, 2004 10:03PM

frank- of all the sets i'm working on or plan to work on the 72 set is the only set i can say i will never stop working on. i 'm always on the hunt for raw submission material.
from the start i took that advice from mike and yourself, i was wondering how many more like minded 72 set collectors are out there? for me it has been one of the more rewarding aspects of building the set.

scott- nice results, the barton ia is well centered in comparison with most, the centering is the bug-a-boo on that card. it does appear that the card is plagued by snow, is it?

sjeanblanc · July 31, 2004 5:43AM

Mike and Jim,

There's a little snow down there but the scan looks 2-3 times worse than it does in person. I think because its in the dark area of the card the scan is lightening it even more than it really is.

Scott Jeanblanc
jeanblanc@iconnect.net
Ebay UserId: sjeanblanc
------------------------------------------
Collecting Nolan Ryan cards (68-94)

1972 Topps Ken Henderson

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