Ask Your TPG Questions Here, A Repository...

[Harliduck]

This is a cool thread...thanks Jolly!! BTW, 100% agree with the support from SGC. I'm not really a grading guy, but have really enjoyed subbing some of my 50's for the fun of it. I'll be 100% SGC no matter what...love the look, and the service. Don't give a flying f*** about resale although I got to imagine with as tough as SGC now is I'm thinking long term that stigma goes away anyhow...


My question...I've been really getting into our local baseball history lately here in Seattle and we have a rich bounty of PCL and minor league ball stuff. I just picked this up and was wondering if anyone would know if SGC would grade this? Will they look at oddball regional items like this or just return? I tried to find out with my limited knowledge of knowing where to look, and googled didn't help. Anyway, it's a cool item, but would love to have slabbed for display purposes...

[Harliduck]

One more question. Just got this back from SGC and am a little surprised by the grade. Seems centered, great corners, front is flawless (to my eye anyhow)...BUT...the back does have some yellow age spotting as you can see. I was hoping for a 6...got the 4...would the back showing age like that knock down the grade? I didn't even consider, but now wondering how the heck this is a 4? I'm sure a lot of pre-war cards show this type of aging, is this a normal downgrade??

[GasHouseGang]

Does any TPG grade unopened packs of Sportscaster cards? I have some I would like to have graded.

[JollyElm]

Harlz,
Here's the 'collector support' e-mail address at SGC that I've been using the last couple of days:
brent@gosgc.com

Shoot him your question (with pics) and I'm sure he'll let you know the deal.

[GasHouseGang]

Originally Posted by GasHouseGang

Does any TPG grade unopened packs of Sportscaster cards? I have some I would like to have graded.

I wrote to Brent at SGC, and sent him photos of the Sportscaster pack. He said they could grade individual cards, but didn't offer to grade a sealed pack. The packs contain 24 cards each, and the cards measure 4.75 x 6.25 inches.

[JollyElm]

I'm getting ready to send my wrong back 1974 Topps Dave Winfield RC into SGC. My collection is pretty straight forward 1950s to '70s stuff. Insufferably long waits aside, are there types of cards that are 'better' (whatever that means to you personally) to send into SGC than to PSA? I guess my focus would really be on eventual resale value, and not aesthetics or anything along those lines.

The wrong back is a must, but is there anything else that stands out in the timeframe I mentioned?

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

My collection is pretty straight forward 1950s to '70s stuff. Insufferably long waits aside, are there types of cards that are 'better' (whatever that means to you personally) to send into SGC than to PSA?

SGC since 2020 has gone overboard with being tough on centering. From what I have seen, they are now tougher on centering, and PSA is still tougher on corners. PSA will give a card a 5 for corners that I've seen get 6's with SGC - just my opinion. But I've also seen SGC lose the script on centering and horribly downgrade cards just because of that. I had a certain Mickey Mantle card that was a harshly graded SGC 5; I busted it and sent it back to them and they gave it a 6.5.

So bottom line, I would not send any "close" cards in terms of centering standards that you want to get a certain grade to SGC. Part of the problem may also be new graders or those that can't figure out percentage math beyond 60/40. SGC is great basically with giving well-centered cards fair grades in respect to their other problems. But with OC, they misjudge stated centering standards far too often for my tastes.

[JollyElm]

What constitutes a wrinkle of a crease?

Someone asked me for more information on a 1967 Topps #200 Willie Mays card I have available for trade, so I grabbed pics and am trying to describe it accurately. Here's the question...

What actually constitutes a crease or wrinkle to the TPGs??

In the first shot, I captured the sun's reflection off the overall gloss of the card front. It looks pretty consistent throughout, but on further ‘scangling’ (tilting it in the light) to really focus in on that area, there is a definite straight line cleft in the gloss up there. It very well may be naturally occurring, as there isn't even a hint of damage in the area, and it doesn't in any way, shape or form appear on back. I would never call it a wrinkle or crease, but it is some sort of impression that is only gloss deep (no cardboard was harmed in filming this movie).

• Wishful thinking aside, would this impression in the gloss be considered a member of the crease/wrinkle family and immediately drop it down to a maximum grade of a PSA 4 (or whatever), before it's even looked at?

• Or is this type of thing considered a 'normal'(?) surface anomaly that would NOT immediately drop the number grade (unless, of course, it's one of multiple factors that combine to lower the grade)?

• Does anyone have any specific insight into this? We all see all sorts of natural (sometimes unnatural) pock marks and whatnot on the surfaces of cards, but when do they turn into number-dropping detractions?


1967mayswrinkle?.jpg


The obvious answer is yes, it has to be considered a wrinkle, but does anyone have any specific information from a TPG's perspective?


ETA:
For context, let me add a normal pic to illustrate what I mean by there being no damage or anything a normal person would call a crease. Tilting it like that into the heart of the sun really overblows it...

1967mayswrinkle?02.jpg