Good Honest Wear

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

I remember the first prewar card I got in a trade. It was a Goudey which I obtained from Bob Donaldson which I passed on to Dan Austin, in a short time frame. What was special about this card was that it had no problems.

There was no writing on it,
no paper loss,
no glue, no tape nor other residue,
no dents, dings, abrasions, tears nor other problems.

There were no problems at all. Yes, it was worn. It had a loss in surface gloss, the corners exhibited rounding consistent with its grade, but that is it.

I recognized it for what it was. It was the ideal card for its grade, because there was nothing wrong with it.

No explanations, excuses, caveats, possible ways to fix the whatevers, nothing.

Thank you, Bob Donaldson! It was real hard to part with, especially so soon.

My question is: would you prefer a card which had top gloss and surfaces and corners, etc. and a problem.

Or

One with good honest wear (only) for the grade?