Edges too clean?
 

What are your initial thoughts when you see OPC with edges like this?

1979 OPC Wayne Gretzky PSA 7.5

Do you own any copies of this card with similar edges?

The first thought is that it is trimmed.Almost every OPC card has that very obvious rough cut .
But I had a PSA 9 OPC Gretzky rookie that had smooth edges as well.I had bought the card long
before the trimming thing became a world wide known occurrence. So I want to say it was not trimmed.
And the biggest reason in my case was that it was graded by PSA but it was noticeably off centered.
So why trim a card and leave it so off centre.But I believe that in today's world,most OPC Gretzky
collectors would sooner see that rough, fussy cut. Just my opinion of course.

Hard to say, would need to see in hand if it was 2.5" x 3.5".

Hi Steve

New member here but I love my hockey cards. Especially the 1979 OPC. I have many that I need graded and they have very clean edges (not my Gretzky, which has some corner issues) but I will include a sample of mine. I also saw the card you reference and it looks a little too clean to be true, but what a beauty if it's pure!

BTW, all of these outside of the Gretzky were opened from packs around 1985/86/87. And I put them right into sleeves or a card box. I probably have 200-250 like this.

Just throwing this out there.
Because OPC used a slitter machine that I believe used knives, (or something similar), as more and more cards went through this machine, the knives became duller and duller, which, of course, led to the rough edges/cuts.
But because, likely at the start of a shift, those knives were likely sharp, would that not account for some non rough cut OPC cards that were the first off this machine at the start of a new shift?

The only other thing I can think of as a possibility is that this card is a sheet cut card but I have read/heard PSA won't grade those?
How they can differentiate between the 2 is beyond me, but I have read they don't, or don't any longer.

Are these Topps or OPC?

Those look like Topps cards to me. They all have very deep colours and the Gretzky has no dot on his left shoulder.
Jeff

My initial thoughts are stay away. But there is a group of guys who perfected the OPC dull blade cut, so there are many sharp and dull cut cards in PSA holders that have been recently cut from a sheet. I would not buy that card, but there are plenty of people that would.

Yes, reading fail on my part. There should be a breathalyzer that stops me for posting online anywhere after margaritas. And from buying cards.

Hi Irv. I posted on Blowout but I would rather post here also in case some are not on there. OPC cards were cut in London Ontario using wires where as Topps cards were cut in New York using as cutter blade. Hope this helps in the OPC rough cut discussion. Blades don't leave rough cuts the way wires do.

Which makes one wonder where some of the OPC cards from the beginning were cut.

1968 opc has plenty of clean edges.

1969 opc 2nd series has plenty of cards with clean edges that came from vending.

1970 opc 2nd series has plenty of cards with clean edges (no wire cut) that came from 2nd series vending.

1973 opc light backs all have clean edges that came from vending. The dark backs have ragged cuts and came from wax packs.

The theory is that Topps was doing all the orders for Gellman (SP ?) who was the main distributed of opc hockey cards here in the states back then. Why fill this Americans order by doing all the printing in cutting in Canada when you could just get the plates and do the printing and cutting here in the states.

That's the theory anyway, but has never been proven. The question that can be asked though is if OPC, London Ontario did use a wire cutter that produced all the rough cuts, then why do so many cards from those years all have nice, sharp edges and corners like a regular Topps baseball, football, or hockey card.

Interesting guys!

As I mentioned to Tomi on Blowout, with Bobby Burrell being a hockey historian, I tended to believe what he had to say in that vid that Samosa posted but maybe we will never be a 100% certain what all was used over the years?

The 1979 Topps cards had a much cleaner cut. I have seen plenty of Gretzky Topps rookies with a smooth cut. They also have a deeper blue. Overall the Topps card can be a bit more attractive. As mentioned earlier, they were cut in different factories and the 2 companies used different methods of cutting their cards.

If you are looking at a Topps rookie, then the smooth cut isn't a reason to avoid the card.

I know this post started out about Hockey cards, but just wanted to say I have a '72 OPC Clemente that has a left border that is so rough it resembles a fringe blanket. I think it's beautiful, and it's one of my favorite cards in my collection! ;)