A few tips...
Matt0224
Posts: 102 ✭✭
I'm trying to improve my self grading. Always difficult to not over grade your own. Anyway here is a 1968 Ernie Banks that I think is an 8. Do you agree? If not, what am I not seeing? I know there is more to it than just looking at scans just looking for some tips really. I appreciate the help guys!
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My concern would be the top right corner on the back of the card - from the scan it looks a little soft and raised from the surface - I'm guessing that would put this card at a 7 or 7.5 due to centering. Still, a very nice card!
Nice looking card. I agree the top right on the back is a concern. I don't think it'll get an 8.
I would love to own this card. Superb eye appeal. Having said that, is that stray ink, wax residue, or just a dirty scanner causing all off the black spotting on Ernie's shoulder and behind him? I'm thinking 7(PD) or (ST) unless it's just a scanner problem.
PSA has a section on their website to show you the differences - some are easier to spot than others. The pattern on the 1968 front makes it tougher to see flaws, too, but if you are sincere, I'll tell you flaws I see in the scan that could cause you to fall short of 8. And before that, I'll say this - I can't really tell about the surface and gloss from scans AND I am not an expert in any way. Just an educated amateur collector and that's all this is - one collectors opinion.
Back scan (described while looking at it)
The centering is off. The 'information block' is slightly left of centered. The top right corner seems to have some softness and there are two noticeable chips in the orange up there, too. The left edge seems very roughly cut.
Front scan (same thing)
The top left corner seems to be rounded. Also, there seem to be print spots of some kind prominently across the right side of image portion of the card and they are visible in the white border that surrounds the image from the speckled outer border (zoom and look at that border and count each 'dot' you see).
Perhaps the most frustrating part is the card looks incredible and could theoretically come out of a legitimate unopened pack, from the middle, and look this way in 1968 or today. Meaning it could be considered 'pack fresh' and that all of these flaws are not from collector handling but factory and shipping problems. Now in theory, 10s have no flaws. Nines maybe have one flaw - a scratch in gloss, one print spot. Eights maybe 2 flaws. Etc. I spotted several 'flaws' in the scan that I think are enough to bump it way down. The one soft corner alone drops it to a six at best in my eyes and the additional flaws even more so.
I would think it would grade out at 4, maybe 5.
Hope it helps
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Yes this is all tremendously helpful. I'm going to give my scanner a cleaning as I think some spots maybe be on the glass but I definitely see what you mean. Even with a loupe I couldn't see the soft corner it was not till it was pointed out on the scan. So I'll be scanning from now on to check cards as it seems to make errors stand out a lot more. '68 is another frustrating year by topps. Luckily I have many more cards to keep looking through.
A little back story about a year ago now I was helping my father clean out a back room in his house and I opened a drawer of a cabinet and boom his childhood card collection. He thought it was long long gone but it had been sitting in a cool dry cabinet in a room with no windows so almost perfect conditions for 40-50 years untouched. Going though them we noticed doubles, triples, and in some case 4-8 copies of the same cards. So I've spent the last year researching endlessly about these cards sending a few cards off to different grading services. Mainly checking myself on self grading and seeing how each process goes (PSA has become my top choice.) In the process I have completely rediscovered my love of cards and this has consumed my life. Self grading some of these is still giving me difficulties though so I really appreciate the help. Sometimes I am spot on but usually I miss something and it comes back a 5-6. I can post more if you guys want to help out with some more.
Always nice to discover a "lost" cache. I say post away especially the higher dollar cards.
I believe the eye of my scanner is off a bit which is why all the scans come out skewed to the left. Time for a new one.
I'll post a couple more of high value ones in a few min.
Some of the others I said I'd post..
To get more eyeballs and maybe some help change the title to "What grade do you think these will get" or something similar.
Nice cards. I'm no help with '68's but my 2 cents the Kaline might get an OC qualifier.
The Maris is 4-5-6 land contingent upon micro spider crease or not. The Kaline may even get MC(miscut) Stil both real nice and would be happy to own. Please keep them coming as this group loves vintage cardboard and lots of opinions abound. Yes you might get more “opinions” with a what will this get thread.
Off center to me points to 7.5 but I am by no means expert. Nic card.
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The Kaline would certainly get an OC qualifier unless you specify otherwise. Count on a grade of -2 if you ask for no qualifiers. If it was deemed 9 OC and you requested no qualifiers it would most likely come back a straight 7 (8 OC = PSA 6).