Help with Hand Cut Cards

thekid8

Hello
I was wondering is there a standard when hand cutting cards -- I am most interested in Hostess and All-Star Game program inserts - how close to the border is accepted or a better question is should I cut them and leave agood amount of room from the border
Thanks
Mike

calaban7

I recently submitted some odd ball cards that were hand cut. They were already cut when I got them. Someone had done a great job. I thought that they would be a 9 or a 10. Instead they came back as authentic. I raised a stink and spoke with Shane at the grading department. The problem with my cards was there wasn't enough trimmed off. I had them retrimmed again, They came back 9's.

Just make sure that the corners are tight and leave ALL dotted lines or perorations. I have a whole panel Hostess that I'm getting ready to submit. This one looks like a 10 to me , but......

lawnmowerman

<< <i>I recently submitted some odd ball cards that were hand cut. They were already cut when I got them. Someone had done a great job. I thought that they would be a 9 or a 10. Instead they came back as authentic. I raised a stink and spoke with Shane at the grading department. The problem with my cards was there wasn't enough trimmed off. I had them retrimmed again, They came back 9's.

Just make sure that the corners are tight and leave ALL dotted lines or perorations. I have a whole panel Hostess that I'm getting ready to submit. This one looks like a 10 to me , but...... >>



Sonny

So on these cards, cut on the outsides of the dotted lines as close as possible? I thought I heard that before but was'nt to sure.

calaban7

Yes, the dotted lines or perforations must show . The corners must be sharp.

originalisbest

I know it's crazy (since it would be better to leave the whole box) but I keep having a recurring dream of finding NOS '60's Bazooka complete sets, all set for me to dissect with a new pair of Fiskars.

SoFLPhillyFan

Leave the borders or dotted lines. I have a few Dell Stamps and Milk Duds with nice cuts slightly outside the borders. Less than 1/16" I would say although the guidance below does not specify. It would be nice if they did.

The Grading of Hand Cut Cards
PSA will grade virtually any card that has been hand-cut off of a panel, box, etc. (Post Cereal, Hostess, Bazooka, Strip cards, etc.) keeping the following information in mind. This service does not include traditional sheet-cut cards. PSA will not grade cards cut from sheets that can be obtained in a normal fashion. For example, PSA will not grade a 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky card cut from a sheet because that card was issued in non-sheet form. On the other hand,

PSA will grade a 1959 Bazooka or 1961 Post Cereal Mickey Mantle because those cards could only be obtained in one fashion - removed by hand from a box or panel.

In order for PSA to actually assign a grade to any of the cards that possess visible/defined borders on all four sides, evidence of that border must be present. If the cut exceeds the visible border for the card in question, PSA will encapsulate the card as "Authentic" only. If the card is severely undersized and suffers in overall eye-appeal, the graders may deem the card not suitable for authentication or reject the card as minimum sized altogether.

Keep in mind that, for cards that do not possess visible/defined borders, the cards must still fall within a certain size requirement for that particular issue in order to qualify for an actual grade. In other words, the borders must be virtually full in order for a grade to be rendered. Otherwise, as stated above, a label of "Authentic" will be assigned or, in some cases, the cards may fall short of the size requirement altogether. This is not an exact science, however, PSA will do its best to provide consistent guidelines for these types of cards.

In addition, PSA will allow cards that have had a coupon or tab removed from the original card to be submitted under this service. For example, if a 1952 Red Man Tobacco card is cut at or outside of the established tab line, the card would be eligible to receive a numerical grade. On the other hand, if the 1952 Red Man Tobacco card is cut inside of the line (the line where the tab meets the interior of the card), then the PSA graders will be precluded from entering a numerical grade. Cards that are cut within the limits established for a particular issue will be encapsulated and designated as “authentic” by PSA. All of the cards eligible for this service will be designated as “Hand-Cut” on the PSA label to distinguish them from the intact, “with tab” or “with coupon” examples.

PSA suggests that, in order to achieve the highest grades, the cuts of the cards should be relatively close to the visible borders without exceeding the limit. Cards that exhibit a clean, accurate and properly shaped cut have the best chance at achieving the highest grades. Eye-appeal is very important. When it comes to excess paper or cardboard around the edges of the visible borders, the graders will place significant importance on overall eye-appeal. Keep in mind that all cards of this type will be designated as "Hand-Cut" on the PSA label for accuracy. In addition, if the customer chooses, PSA will grade and encapsulate entire panels if those panels will fit in any of our current PSA holders. With the exception of the aforementioned items, normal grading criteria will apply.

fandango

This is a recent submission of mine, i hand cut the Mattingly myself....you must keep the black border on, or the card may only get an authentic...make sure you had zero caffeine when you cut these or the jittery hands will "bite" you....this is the only graded version of the 1988 Drakes.....

the other 2 Mattingly cards are the only samples graded....i used to travel the northeast in the late 1980's looking for rare mattingly cards....

cravetopps

excellent info and post, SoFLPhillyFan.

thekid8

Thanks for the help