Should Registration Factor Into the Grade?

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Posted By: Kenneth A. Cohen

I too think that graders focus too much on the condition of the cardboard. Old Judges are a good example. I've recently purchased a couple of low grade OJs with beautiful image quality - but with back damage or pin holes. To me, and to most OJ collectors I think, such a card is more desireable than an EX-MT with a cloudy picture. The problem is that numerical grades are supposed to be attributed on a technical basis. We already bristle at the level of subjectivity inherent in grading. Injecting aesthetic, "non technical" factors such as registration will make it even moreso, which leads to the old cliche - Buy the card, not the holder.