What is wrong with this Molitor rookie? help please~~

RipublicaninMass · January 1, 2006 11:49AM

And to Da Big Skirt No it is not the holder!

WinPitcher · January 1, 2006 11:51AM

Ted the red ink smudge? That is on alot of them. Dan (softparade) knows more about that then me.

Steve

RipublicaninMass · January 1, 2006 11:53AM

<< <i>Ted the red ink smudge? That is on alot of them. Dan (softparade) knows more about that then me.

Steve >>

Yeah , I thought the smudging was more in the players section than at the bottom of the card. This is only the second one I have really looked at. Of course the selller's description, and picture said or provided nothing about this. It almost looks liek the card was wet to remove something. Just cause I'm paranoid!

WinPitcher · January 1, 2006 11:56AM

I have seen that smudge before on other examples Ted.

SD

ndleo · January 1, 2006 11:58AM

I have seen the same smudge on PSA 8's. I don't agree with PSA's standard for the smudge, but someone at Topps must have been drunk when this card went thru the press, it is very common.

brianwintersfan · January 1, 2006 1:02PM

It was at the bottom of the sheet so that's why many were smudged. Not to worry as it's annoying but not uncommon.

zef204 · January 1, 2006 1:12PM

That is the smudge and it is very common on the Molitor. That is a close up scan of it, bu that is what people refer to as the smudge on that card. Corners, centering and register look real strong, edges look a little rough but nothing too bad. What's the grade on that card, 92?

edited to add: I see that its a GAI holder and not an SGC. Anywhoo, is it in 8 or a 9?

softparade · January 1, 2006 1:19PM

Yep, the notorious Molitor smudge. I have pulled 8 Molitors from packs and all of them have the smudge in varying degrees of ugliness. I had to buy my smudge free PSA 9 already slabbed. I have to say that this card is well centered!

RipublicaninMass · January 1, 2006 3:38PM

It was graded 8.5, I don't see it going higher than an 8 IMHO

Here is my old one I sold tonight for a whopping 5.51$!

Loook Ma No smudge!

jaxxr · January 1, 2006 10:49PM

The famous "Smudge", quite common on the Molitor RC. Actually from the scan it is not very bold and might "get by" graders who are flexible ( inconsistent ? ) in assignig a final grade. The concept of overall eye appeal is subjective, of course, and how minor it is may be interpreted diferently by whomever is grading that day. A minor smudge is OK for some 9s out there.

The quality control of Topps back in the no-competition, no series issues era of 74 to 80 was not the best, High quality cards from this time span might be a bit under appreciated. Paper stock problems, centering miscuts, and some very casual handling of the product all contibute to some tough cards, despite the massive quantity available. The smudge itself was most likely caused by not cleaning the ink rollers frequently enough, allowing left over print residue to cling to certain cards based on their placement on the sheets. The 1979 #11 Marc Hill is also a constant smudge card, however not nearly as collected or popular as the Molitor RC. Check your raw copies and see if there is a smudge on it.