The Collection: A Video Showcase by MrTigers
Photography Studio Setup by MrTigers
MrTigers Intro Sequence
Ty Cobb stealing third v. Jimmy Austin of the New York Highlanders
Hilltop Park in New York City, July 23, 1910
by Charles M. Conlon
Here is a brief summary of my history as a baseball card collector and Detroit Tigers fan, as well as a rough timeline for building my collection.
Many of the cards in my collection have been graded by me personally and contain the MRT grade designation. I've been grading my own cards for over 40 years and my grading standards are significantly more strict than PSA and SGC. Many of the cards I grade a 7 or 8 will come back one grade higher from PSA and SGC. I've only graded a few cards a 9 and have never given a 10. When in doubt, I always bump my grade down one level to be safe.
At the end of the day, I use the same grading scale and qualifiers as PSA and SGC. I occasionally give a half-point grade increase within the particular grade if the card exhibits high-end overall quality and eye appeal, similar to SGC.
My magnification and lighting equipment is comparable to that used by PSA and SGC, including the wattage and specific color of the lightbulbs. My grading environment is also similar.
A PSA Gem Mint 10 card is a virtually perfect card. Attributes include four perfectly sharp corners, sharp focus and full original gloss. A PSA Gem Mint 10 card must be free of staining of any kind, but an allowance may be made for a slight printing imperfection, if it doesn't impair the overall appeal of the card. The image must be centered on the card within a tolerance not to exceed approximately 55/45 to 60/40 percent on the front, and 75/25 percent on the reverse. Source
55/45 or better centering, sharp focus, four sharp corners, free of stains, no breaks in surface gloss, no print or refractor lines, and no visible wear. A slight print spot visible under close scrutiny is allowable if it does not detract from the aesthetics of the card. Source
| MC | Miscut Any and all cards that exhibit an atypical cut for the issue, which may result in portions of the subject card being cut off or more than one card being visible, will be designated "MC." |
| MK | Marks Any and all cards with writing, ink marks, pencil marks, etc. or evidence of the impression left from the act of writing will be designated "MK." |
| OF | Out of Focus Cards that are out of focus or out of register with either be designated "OF" or will have a numerical grade that reflects the minimum focus standards allowed for the grade. |
| OC | Off Center Cards that are off center will either by designated "OC" or will have a numerical grade that reflects the minimum centering allowed for the grade. PSA determines centering by comparing the measurements of the borders from left to right and top to bottom. The centering is designated as the percent of difference at the most off-center part of the card. A 5% leeway is given to the front centering minimum standards for cards which grade NM 7 or better. For example, a card that meets all of the other requirements for PSA MINT 9 and measures 60/40 off-center on the front automatically meets the PSA front centering standards for MINT 9. If a card meets all of the other requirements for PSA MINT 9 and measures 65/35 off-center on the front, it may be deemed to meet the PSA front centering standards for MINT 9 if the eye appeal of the card is good. |
| PD | Print Defect Cards with printing defects will either be designated "PD" or will have a numerical grade that reflects the minimum print defects allowed for the grade. |
| ST | Staining Cards with staining will either by designated "ST" or will have a numerical grade that reflects the minimum staining allowed for the grade. |
A private collection of vintage Detroit Tigers baseball cards in museum-grade condition from 1933-1978