[the 'stache]

Thank you, guys.

Sean, I will trust your eye. Looking at it again, I can see what you're referring to. My question is how would a grader for PSA view it, and would it be worth knocking down more than a half grade or so? I've seen many cards before and after, before they've been sent off, and after they've come back from PSA, and I'm often baffled by the grades they get. So much of it just seems like a crap shoot (can we say that in this context? I hope so. I guess a mod will let me know). I've seen some 9s that I thought were 8s. I've seen some 8s that were 9s. I guess this is why cracking happens. A lot of the time, it's hoping to get a sticker with a higher number, so it can be sold for more. But I have to believe that sometimes a collector will crack just because they don't agree with the grade.

Chuck,

I agree that card's got just a magnificent action shot. It's one of my favorite Yount cards for just that reason. Since I'm building his master set as PSA 9 +, and the 1975 Topps is going to cost me a bloody fortune, I'm trying to find a 9 before it gets to PSA to save a little bit. I may go that route, too, with the '75, especially since I know if I only get an 8 back on the first sub, I can just put that into my 1975 Topps set.

You know what really does it for me on that 10? There are no print flaws at all. None of the bubbles that far too often ruin an otherwise beautiful card (beautiful submission-wise). But this one not only has no print flaws, there is no extraneous ink anywhere. No random colored pixels anywhere. The white borders of the card are perfectly white. The actual picture itself is clean. It's about as beautiful a '77 card as I've seen.

And you're right, 5 months isn't too long. It's nothing compared to how long I ended up looking for this card:



I think I spent about three years in total trying to acquire this card. It's the most gorgeous modern football card set I've ever seen. There's a great checklist for the set, too, including Joe Montana. That's a set I will eventually build...slowly. But the point is here, I never give up. Patience will be required when I start pursuing some of the tougher pre-war sets, so I should be ok for the prolonged fight.

You two guys have great eyes. I love getting feedback from you guys, as a couple extra sets of trained eyes helps me. I'd love to get Matt's input here, too.