Low Grade Gems (Low Grade, High Eye Appeal)

mattyc_collection

Did a thread like this elsewhere, and thought it would be fun to do here as well...

One of the great thrills I get in this hobby is finding low grade cards that really look great, and in the best cases put an eye-appeal whipping on higher graded examples.

I think it would be great to see a veritable gallery of gems in this regard. Cards that just go to show it never has to be about numerical grade; cards that show you can often spend relatively less and wind up with a dynamite card. IMO these cards are really special. They somehow have been worn in their journey through time, but in a way that serendipitously did not harm the eye appeal much.

It's not too difficult to find a great looking card in an 8 or 9 or 10 holder. But it is a serious challenge to do so as the grade plummets.

So if you have any cards that are say, grade 6 and under for post-war and grade 3 or lower for pre-war-- and are freakishly pleasing to the eye, please post away-- the lower the grade, the more impressive it is!

Here's one of my favorites-- a card I hardly ever see centered well, so this one really hits my eye nice. Cost next to nothing compared to what I intended to spend for one-- which is part of what makes a great low-grade card so awesome...

Low grade gems are rare, they save you tons of money you can spend on other cards, and they have a scrappy charm as compared to their posh, hoity-toity, high-grade cousins!

grote15

Centering doesn't get any better than that~very nice card!

80sOPC

A few HOF Wings:

mattyc_collection

Holy Cow on those hockey cards. That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Those hit the eye as 8+ at first blush! Those cards are like finding treasure, IMO. They are so rare in that they must be the single best in their grade, and at once cost less and look better than so many in higher grades. Great eye.


Here's another card I initially thought I "had" to have in an 8 or 9-- and that would have cost a bundle. And then along comes a humble little 6...

shagrotn77

That's the best centered '57 Ullman I've ever seen. Come to think of it, it may be the only centered one I've seen. Very nice. Here's one of my mid-grade cards that has a higher eye appeal grade:

80sOPC

Great cards guys! This card is had to find centered:

cardcountry

Great idea Matt. Beautiful cards. I'll add this one that I like:

80sOPC

That Mays is a beauty

ReggieCleveland

mattyc_collection

That Chapman is insane. Card looks way, waaaay better. Might be the champ of lowest-grade-to-highest-eye-appeal ratio right there.

By the way: how slept on is a 52B Mays? That's an image I hardly ever see anywhere. Great background. Great angle of the subject, too, IMO.

ThoseBackPages

Largentcollector

Here are mine.


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mrmopar

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cincyredlegs

Great cards everyone. Here are a few of mine:






Mark

fiveniner

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PSA 2???????LOVE IT

CW

Great cards in a great thread!

The Green Cobby is an SGC 40 due to a couple wrinkles to the right of Ty's face. T3 Speaker also has a couple mild wrinkles on front.

ToneD

Another card that seems difficult to find centered without a lot of distracting print spots in the background.

orioles93

SidePocket

I love PSA 4's

swish54