How come with every size variation, the smaller card always has sharper corners?

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Posted By: Plastic Dog 

Ever wonder about size variations in E, T, and N-cards? How come in every size variation that people describe "within tolerance," it is always, without fail, the smaller card that has straighter edges and sharper corners.

For example, here are two T206 Jacksons currently on EBay (please don't bid against me lest I have to snipe you unmercilessly over the next year):


http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1063093489

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1064455305

The 7 is clearly shorter top to bottom than the 6. (By the way, I'm not saying anything about the sellers - they probably picked up the cards already slabbed. I am bidding on both, after all.)

But this whole thing about "tolerance" in size is problematic. I bet the overwhelming percentage of smaller cards are in better condition than the larger cards. Which makes absolutely no sense, unless we recognize the obvious: dealers/sellers/others have trimmed down vintage cards to improve condition. We all know it happens, but I have several PSA-graded cards which are obviously trimmed. But graded by PSA nonetheless. There is a certain PSA Wagner which was clearly trimmed from some type of sheet. The card, in my opinion, is still worth the money (given its history and importance for the hobby), but I don't think that any of the previous owners of the card can in honesty deny this. I don't even think that anyone did anything wrong (unless they tried to pass it off as actually being issued in a pack, which certainly it wasn't). But all of this begs the question: How can you be sure that your high-grade cards aren't trimmed, even if they fall within the size tolerance (but on the smaller end)? Blue light or no blue light, I'm sure someone has worked through that minor inconvenience.

Pretty soon the size tolerance on cards will vary by a whole inch. And 100 years from now people will question the published sizes in those "ancient" Standard Catalogs, as they clearly must have overstated the sizes of early tobacco and candy cards. After all, no cards will exist in such oversized dimensions. And what is this VG condition anyway? All of the cards still in existence will be a beautiful NM or better - especially the smaller ones.