1961 Golden Press grading

[rdwyer]

What is the grading criteria for punched out cards? How would you grade these cards? Are there any 8's, 9's or 10's? Which one should I get graded? TIA

[swarmee]

Cards are too far away to tell, but the basics of grading apply:
1) Perforations have to be torn without leaving creases.
2) No surface imperfections (scratches, print defects)
3) Centered properly
4) Should present cleanly (aka only minor toning) if you're looking for NM-MT or better.
5) Look at PSA's website for their Auction Prices Realized and search for the recent sale values of each of the cards. Or check their Registry to see if collectors are actually fighting over cards to improve their sets.

Also, this should be in the post-war forum.

[rdwyer]

swarmee: Thanks for the help. It helped a lot! Leon: Please move to Post war, as I screwed up.

[Yastrzemski Sports]

Agreed on all points mentioned above.

The cards cannot be cut out with scissors or a razor. They have to be torn out by hand. If they are cut and don’t have the perforations they won’t be graded.

The keys to the set are the first 3 and last 6. Those were on the outside of the book and usually have surface wear.

A lot of these are not worth much in an 8 or 9 so be picky. I agree that the photos are way too small to see details. Good luck.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Yastrzemski Sports

The keys to the set are the first 3 and last 6. Those were on the outside of the book and usually have surface wear.

A lot of these are not worth much in an 8 or 9 so be picky.

IMO don't bother with any cards inside except for really crisp clean first tier HOFers: Cobb, Gehrig, DiMaggio, etc. 6-7-8 cards of the others won't sell for the price of grading. Check the outside cards closely because they frequently have surface scuffs that will just kill your value.

[rdwyer]

Lots of great advice. Thanks!

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by Yastrzemski Sports

Agreed on all points mentioned above.

The cards cannot be cut out with scissors or a razor. They have to be torn out by hand. If they are cut and don’t have the perforations they won’t be graded.

The keys to the set are the first 3 and last 6. Those were on the outside of the book and usually have surface wear.

A lot of these are not worth much in an 8 or 9 so be picky. I agree that the photos are way too small to see details. Good luck.

Interesting. Can't cut out with scissors. Such random stuff in the world of grading. Who really cares how precisely it was removed from the book. What if the book publisher said "remove carefully with scissors". Weirdness if you ask me.

[tedzan]

The prices and the grading is all over the place on these cards.

A Gehrig on ebay for $325 vs. another for $20.....with no discernable difference in their grading. I could provide many more such examples.

My advice is purchase the album (relatively inexpensive), and enjoy these cards as they were meant to be enjoyed.





TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Who really cares how precisely it was removed from the book. What if the book publisher said "remove carefully with scissors". Weirdness if you ask me.

How is it random? The cards are perforated, as in intentionally intended to be torn out. Same rules for any perforated cards. If they were not perforated and had borders, they should be cut on the outside of those borders, or they'd be considered Altered-Trimmed. If you take a perforated card and trim off the edges so they're straight, you've altered the cards by trimming.

[JoeDfan]

Just so I understand, is it ok to cut them out with scissors as long as you leave the tiny perforations attached?
Or no? Will that not get a grade?
Or is that not even possible?

[steve B]

They've been removed from the book, so they should all be "A" Just like any other cutout/punchout card.

[jhs5120]

Originally Posted by steve B

They've been removed from the book, so they should all be "A" Just like any other cutout/punchout card.

As there are perforations, they are meant to be removed from the book.

Just like every other card.

[Yastrzemski Sports]

The issue of perforated cards was first addressed in the late 1990s with the Tiger Woods SI for kids card. It was a big dollar card and PSA had the rule that the card had to be torn by hand. If someone took a sharp instrument and precisely cut out the card from the sheet it would be given an A because it was trimmed. It can’t show any evidence that something was used to cut it.

I believe strip cards and Post/Jello etc cards can be graded because they were supposed to be cut. They did not have perforations that could be torn by hand. As long as you cut them well.

[rdwyer]

Bigger scans. Babe Ruth & Tris Speaker have issues. The rest of the set are like Nap Lajoie or Honus Wagner in condition. What grades can I expect on these?

[Yastrzemski Sports]

Originally Posted by rdwyer

Bigger scans. Babe Ruth & Tris Speaker have issues. The rest of the set are like Nap Lajoie or Honus Wagner in condition. What grades can I expect on these?

Mostly 2-4. Don’t bother.

The Johnson has significant bottom border dings. Most look like they have rounded corners. The Wagner looks like it has a scratch or crease across the middle in addition to a soft lower left corner. These are mid to low grade cards. You need a minimum of an 8 (and preferably a 9) to make it worth while. The PSA 4 Ruth shown above blows any of these away. And that’s a 4.

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by Yastrzemski Sports

I believe strip cards and Post/Jello etc cards can be graded because they were supposed to be cut. They did not have perforations that could be torn by hand. As long as you cut them well.

Post also made duplicates some years in perforated sheet form that need to be pulled apart. So don't cut the perforated Posts just because they're Posts.

[commishbob]

Originally Posted by tedzan

The prices and the grading is all over the place on these cards.

A Gehrig on ebay for $325 vs. another for $20.....with no discernable difference in their grading. I could provide many more such examples.

My advice is purchase the album (relatively inexpensive), and enjoy these cards as they were meant to be enjoyed.


TED Z

T206 Reference
.

Solid advice that we can all stand to be reminded of from time to time.

[ALR-bishop]

I do not collect these but do have a full set of the Topps 67 Punch Outs. These were sold in 3 card perforated strips. I am mostly an ungraded collector and know nothing about PSA's grading standards for perforated cards. But since the 67 Punch Outs were a limited distribution test issue, in putting the set together I bought them anyway I could find them and ended up buying several graded examples and saw many others.

I have seen several highly graded examples with straight top and bottom borders. That is impossible without cutting or trimming. The middle card in a strip would always have two perforated/torn edges if separated by hand. The top and bottom cards in the strip would have one straight border and one serrated border.

[swarmee]

If that was the case for that test set, I'm not too surprised. PSA may not have known exactly how they were produced and graded them that way by accident. Or they've changed their standards since then. Would be interesting to know their flip styles and cert numbers.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by jhs5120

As there are perforations, they are meant to be removed from the book.

Just like every other card.

Yes, like any other perforated, outlined hand cut card, which should all be graded "A" if they're not in their original form.

[glchen]

Originally Posted by steve B

Yes, like any other perforated, outlined hand cut card, which should all be graded "A" if they're not in their original form.

So all stamps should be graded A unless the entire sheet is sent in for grading? That makes no sense.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by glchen

So all stamps should be graded A unless the entire sheet is sent in for grading? That makes no sense.

If you are that concerned about the cards’ original form, you should be tearing a page out and having the TPG put that in a holder.

[Paul S]

Part of the problem is that so many TPG guidelines were established way after the cards creation. What about Bazookas cut from boxes and the dotted line syndrome. Don't most people cut on the dotted line? Wouldn't the perfect cut show half the line? Nope, you get penalized for being logical.

[frankbmd]

I call PSA every morning before I touch my cards.

[Paul S]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

I call PSA every morning before I touch my cards.

Now that's what I call a Golden Press.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by glchen

So all stamps should be graded A unless the entire sheet is sent in for grading? That makes no sense.

Stuff like the Topps stamps? Yep, if it's not the issued panel, it's no better than altered.

The ones issued in books should be collected in the books.


To me saying one thing is trimmed if a bit is cut off, but another - say a milk duds card or a Hostess card, or a strip card- is fine if it's missing the box or the rest of the panel, is just strange.

[Leon]

There are some interesting guidelines for grading hand cut and perforated cards. Personally, as long as there is transparency (correct info too) on the flip, then I don't care what the TPG's do. So for the ones in the original question, as long as they have "single card" or something like that on the flip, I would have no problem grading it.
In other instances, if it is a panel, just state panel on the flip, grade it, and move on. Oh yeah, if cards weren't issued as strips, and aren't hand cut, they shouldn't be labeled as hand cut strip cards.

.

[Copa7]

I always liked this set. I might just find a book.