Rubber Band Impressions

PaulMaul

What is the maximum grade a card should receive with obvious rubber band marks? I'm basing my observations on wacky packages (which I do believe are graded more leniently than sports cards for some reason), but I have now purchased 3 PSA 8s and 2 PSA 8.5s with obvious rubber band marks. It's very annoying because they are invisible in scans and I hate them. IMHO such a card should not get more than a 5 or a 6 max. Opinions?

itzagoner

i've also seen theoretically "overgraded" cards with the dreaded notebook ring impression on the surface, but otherwise appearing as high grade, as well as lightly rubber banded cards.

logically, yes to a 5 or 6 max if you're not comfortable classifying any of them as nice as Near Mint.

but the graders do miss stuff. maybe take it up with someone at PSA who'll listen.

Nathaniel1960

What about cards that have sat in a photo album book (in the four corner slots). As a result, there is some fading differential, or there are indentations, but no wrinkles, where at the four corners (about a 1/2 inch in from corners).

lightningboy

]What about cards that have sat in a photo album book (in the four corner slots).


I too am very interested in this. I just purchased a nice old golf set where all but 2 of the cards have a strong indentation on the upper left corner. Included are 2 otherwise near mint Bobby Jones, 2 nice Walter Hagen and so on. I'm a little hesitant about sending them in for fear of a 5 (like a wrinkle). What about cards that have sat in a photo album book (in the four corner slots). What about cards that have sat in a photo album book (in the four corner slots).

Nathaniel1960

TTT because I value your opinions.

hookem

<< <i>What about cards that have sat in a photo album book (in the four corner slots). As a result, there is some fading differential, or there are indentations, but no wrinkles, where at the four corners (about a 1/2 inch in from corners). >>



I had some otherwise PSA 9 quality vintage Jessie Owens cards come back PSA 5's due to this. Seemed right to me. Look amazing in the old scans.

Nathaniel1960

Anyone have any experiences with this recently. For example if you have a NM-MT pack fresh card with light lines/indents from being in an album long term, I have heard it’s an automatic 3 at best.

WalkinDude

I have a card with picture album corner marks on all 4 corners that got a PSA grade 5.

GilR

I never knew that cards were kept in albums this way back in the day, but it makes perfect sense, since I do remember family photo albums in the 70's using those four little corner thingies to keep them properly positioned. This touches on something I've wondered about: if people back in the vintage era wanted to keep their baseball cards (or Wacky Packages, etc.) pristine, what would they do? Were plastic sleeves and top-loaders already available, at least for hobbyists who knew where to look for them, and if so when did they first come along? Or were those also part of the mid-80's boom?

PaulMaul

9-pocket plastic sheets existed in the 70s, but they were not very good and tended to damage the cards getting them in and out. I don’t remember ever seeing top loaders in the 70s. I think most pristine cards that survived (other than ones from unopened or vending) were just filed away carefully in a box, not put in sheets.