Grading Has Clouded Our Minds...

[JollyElm]

Let's call today's contest a challenging episode of Carew's the Boss?...

(These cards were randomly placed in two rows, so there is no underlying rhyme or reason to the layout. As always...no cheating!!)

I've selected an octet of tough 1972 high numbered #695 Rod Carew cards (random screenshots that are very similar to each other) that are all graded either PSA 8 or PSA 9...but only one of them has an OC qualifier, just one. Which of these 8 nearly identical Carews is the only one with an OC black cloud hanging over it??
(The top row contains cards #1, 2, 3, 4 and the bottom row has cards #5, 6, 7, 8.)

Take a swing. The winner will be the envy of the entire collecting community...

[Prof_Plum]

#7 ???

[Rascal1010]

# 2

[Mark70Z]

I’d go with more than one, but since it’s only one I’d go with #7.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Take a swing. The winner will be the envy of the entire collecting community...

Ooh, this is a good one. That card is very tough, not just because of regular centering - but also because it’s so notorious for tilt problems. I had a straight PSA 8 once that looked like it had 6 edges, the tilt was so bad. I eventually “downgraded” to a PSA 7 that is much easier on the eyes.

For this contest, I will guess #2 based on the T/B centering.




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[JollyElm]

Surprisingly (well, to me at least), it's card #2. Funny thing is, the last 3 cards on the bottom row all seem to be closer to the top than the winner...




But the good news is I bought it for significantly less than a tenth of what straight 9's regularly go for, so I am very happy to have picked it up. Here it is without the tilted scan...

1972carew695PSA9oc.jpg

[JollyElm]

Today's episode is called What About Bob?...

(These cards were randomly placed in two rows, so there is no underlying rhyme or reason to the layout. As always...no cheating!!)

Here are eight 1961 #388 'Bob' Clemente cards (random screenshots) that all have at least one side pretty close (marginally close?) to the border. All are graded PSA 8...but only one of them has an OC qualifier, just one. Which of these 8 very similar (all within a hair of each other as far as nearness to a border is concerned) Clementes is the only one with an OC designation cursing it??
(The top row contains cards #1, 2, 3, 4 and the bottom row has cards #5, 6, 7, 8.)

[Hxcmilkshake]

6. If not 6 I give up

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[Jstottlemire1]

Card 5 is my guess.

[Baseballcrazy62]

I would say #6 as well.

[Thecafewha]

My guess is #4


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[GasHouseGang]

I'll guess #1.

[Mark70Z]

It’s #1...

[Prof_Plum]

guess #5

at least we seem to have narrowed it down to 1, 4, 5, or 6

[JollyElm]

Happy Halloween. It's 10/31, which obviously points to today's winner (loser). Of course, I mean 10 minus (3+1) equals six. Okay, that's an awful streeeeetch. Oh well.




It's spooky (get it?) that although the distance from the border seems pretty universal across most of these cards, the one that's closer to the bottom gets tricked, while the ones closer to the top get treated to a whole bagful of candy. Here's a comparison of five of them...

[Vintagevault13]

I never get these right, but here goes nothing. I vote #6.


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[Hxcmilkshake]

Going for 2 in a row. 7.

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[GasHouseGang]

I would have to guess the third one in row one. It even looks like a bit of a diamond cut.

[bnorth]

First card in row 2.

[deweyinthehall]

#4?

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

2nd card from left on top. It's O/C in two directions.

[Hxcmilkshake]

5. Has some discoloring in the borders.

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[Prof_Plum]

#5, bottom row, middle - only because the dark shadow stripe to the left of his face and neck, (running top to bottom) seems a bit more pronounced

[bnorth]

#5 also. The print spot to the left of the W on his hat.

[JollyElm]

And the winner/loser is #4. Truly mind blowing...

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

And the winner/loser is #4. Truly mind blowing...

Herein lies the fallacy of professional grading. Anyone who argues for 2 seconds that grade is somehow objective is out of their mind...


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[Hxcmilkshake]

5

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[jchcollins]

With every new thing like this that involves ‘72 Topps, the more convinced I become that it just might be the worst centered set of all time. Also the tilt issues! Last year I gave up a better centered copy of the Bench card in question here for one that was slightly worse off centered, but had better color and image. I suppose this means at heart I’m not a total centering freak...


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[jchcollins]

The one I kept. For purposes of this contest, I will guess number 5 is the one with the OC designation; although in truth we all know it could be any of them.




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[deweyinthehall]

4

[JollyElm]

Words fail me, so simply get a frickin' load of the 'winner' of this one...

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Words fail me, so simply get a frickin' load of the 'winner' of this one...

Man, thought for sure I had that one. Maybe one of these times I’ll get ONE right.

[JollyElm]

This one isn't a guessing game, but just another example to show how grading has clouded some of our minds. I grabbed up a 1973 Schmidt RC in PSA 8 OC, and it was basically half the price (or less) of what a bunch of PSA 7s on ebay (I obscured the cert numbers) are listed for (obviously, it's not a perfect comparison, because these aren't sold prices). The centering on most of these is pretty damn similar (especially with regard to that left side) to one another. A lot of graded card people don't want to have qualifiers on their slabs, so they insist on having 'straight' grades...but at what cost? A 'lower' grade straight 7 that is centered the same way as the 8 OC, AND at twice the price???? Crazy town.

[jchcollins]

This becomes where grading is only an opinion, and treating it as more than that is them taking your money for fraud. That 8 (OC) is not centered demonstrably worse than several of those 7’s.


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[JollyElm]

Today's episode is called Whitey as the Driven Snow...

(These cards were randomly placed in two rows, so there is no underlying rhyme or reason to the layout. As always...no cheating!!)

This is all about eights. All 8 of these cards are graded PSA 8, but only one of them has a PD (print defect) qualifier, just one. But I don't want you to guess which one it is. Your job this time is to look at this octet of Fords and simply decide which one or two of the 8 cards you would take if you were allowed to walk away with one for free. That's it. In other words, which card or cards do you consider to be the best of the bunch??

(The top row contains cards #1, 2, 3, 4 and the bottom row has cards #5, 6, 7, 8.)

These cards come from 8 different sources and there's a bunch of snowfall in the backgrounds, but I didn't adjust anything too much. Just a little contrast here and there to make them a bit more consistent across the (Chairman of the) Board.

[Nick55]

5

[irv]

#1

[MarcosCards]

I like #6. No fish eyes or white specks — with decent centering corners.

[Hxcmilkshake]

3

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[Hxcmilkshake]

I mean 6

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[NYYFan63]

7


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[GeoPoto]

5


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[JollyElm]

The 'rules' have been updated a bit to provide a little more flexibility. Instead of choosing one card, you can select the two cards you feel are the best 8's from the group.

[hcv123]

1st choice #6
2nd choice #1

[mq711]

1 and 6

[irv]

Originally Posted by irv

#1

Originally Posted by JollyElm

The 'rules' have been updated a bit to provide a little more flexibility. Instead of choosing one card, you can select the two cards you feel are the best 8's from the group.

As per the rule update, I am now including card #6 as well.

[JollyElm]

The only contestant with a PD qualifier is (drum roll, please) lucky card number 6...




Pretty wild. The picture in the auction actually made it seem like there was a decent flurry of snow in the dark areas (tantamount to card #3 or #5, but my guess is the seller's scanner has a bunch of dust on it), but that isn't the case at all in hand. I have no idea what the print defect is. No way, no how. The only 'defect' is the white dot on the border above his hat (the back is clean), but it's nothing at all. Take a look at how many white dots interrupt the top border of card #8.

For a comparison, I took a pair of random PSA 8 PD cards I ran across online and put them next to the one (first card) I bought. A drastic difference...

[bb66]

1st choice #1
2nd choice #6

[Hxcmilkshake]

5 is the O/C, I dig the 3

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[Hxcmilkshake]

6!

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