Question about creases and how they affect value

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Posted By: Joann

I agree with comments about different degrees of creasing being significant. Sometimes I look at cards tilted to the light so you just look across the surface, and I don't see a single thing. You can see that the gloss across the whole card is uniform and perfect without a single discontinuity. Put it under a loupe and POW! there it is. But not noticeable without careful exam.

At the other end of the continuum is a crease that is so heavy that it shows front and back, breaks the paper on the front (so you can see white breaking up the color scheme), and significantly interferes with the image - across the face, etc.

In addition to that, I also have a factor that I call a "loose tooth" crease. Some creases can look extremely bad, but the card feels sound and doesn't seem like it bends at the crease. Others may look less horrible, but the parts on either side flop around fairly loosely - like the card is broken. They flap back and forth like the loose tooth you had as a kid that just wouldn't come out. Those I really don't like, even if they look halfway decent in a toploader.

So for the latter types - break paper, intrusive, across the face, loose tooth, etc, the value/rarity/desireability come into play. As an example, usually for me a crease across the face that is noticeable, and especially one that breaks the paper, is a show-stopper. Yet when the E103 card below became available I grabbed it for about $100 and could not be more happy to have it. I love the card, and couldn't care less about the crease. Why? Because E103's just don't turn up that often. I don't know if I had ever seen one of a Detroit player for sale before this one, and haven't seen a DTW player E103 since. And no way never for $100. I'll live with that crease all day long. But on a T206 O'Leary portrait that I can pick up easily? No sale.



Bottom line: crease effect is dependent on the total circumstances for most collectors - severity, location, type combined with the rarity and cost of the card.

Best of luck to you.

Joann