Let's see how far THIS one has fallen! 1958 Topps Jim Brown! Ends tonight!

[G1911]

Originally Posted by chalupacollects

Is it me but is that really an 8.5 with all those surface flaws?

That was my thought, but 58 footballs are littered with those defects, especially the black oval cards. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a truly clean 1958 black oval in hand. If it was a different card I doubt it would be given an honest 8.5 honest.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by G1911

That was my thought, but 58 footballs are littered with those defects, especially the black oval cards. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a truly clean 1958 black oval in hand. If it was a different card I doubt it would be given an honest 8.5 honest.

Slippery slope, if TPG's started grading specific to sets you would see a lot more Pre-war 3's and 4's qualify for 5's and 6's. they treat marquee cards differently depending on the submitter. A conundrum for sure.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

Slippery slope, if TPG's started grading specific to sets you would see a lot more Pre-war 3's and 4's qualify for 5's and 6's. they treat marquee cards differently depending on the submitter. A conundrum for sure.

I am not in support of a standard that shifts by set; an EX card is an EX card. Some sets and cards just won’t have true high grade.

However, it seems apparent to me that, while never stated by them, all of the graders are doing this in actual practice. Most 1958 Brown’s in high grade slabs would suffer a 1-3 point knock if they were 1971 Topps baseball where the black, while prone to edge wear, is not so prone to surface wear, scuffing and print issues. I don’t think this particular Brown is an outlier.