BGS 20 Day Just Popped- My 1st BGS 10 (Finally)

[P_Manning 18]

Trimming is frowned upon because it alters the cards in a positive way.

Toothpaste/WD40/Windex is also used to alter the cards in a positive way.... yet seems like many people have no issues with it. :?

What am I missing? If you sent the untrimmed card in the grade would be lower... correct? The same way with the card without using the toothpaste/wd40/windex.

 

[KC37]

My grades (was a joint sub)-

2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Blue Refractors Jason Heyward 10.0

Wow. If only someone had a sig that would look nice in.

 

[bballcardkid]

Can someone post a youtube video as a "how to use toothpaste on your baseballcards" guide? I know it seems dorky and nobody will probably do it, but I've tried numerous times and failed miserably.

 

[rainmanesq]

Trimming is frowned upon because it alters the cards in a positive way.

Toothpaste/WD40/Windex is also used to alter the cards in a positive way.... yet seems like many people have no issues with it. :?

What am I missing? If you sent the untrimmed card in the grade would be lower... correct? The same way with the card without using the toothpaste/wd40/windex.

I think there’s a huge difference between trimming + toothpaste. Trimming involves physically hacking up a card- which imo, is a MAJOR alteration as whole chunks of the card go bye bye. Not to mention it's sleazy ethically imo. Simply wiping a card w/toothpaste etc. is hardly on the same level either ethically or what it does to the card's integrity imo. BTW, rubbing your thumb in small circles often accomplishes the same thing with regard to most scratches as toothpaste/etc.- is thumb use an ‘alteration’? Would you refuse to buy a BGS 9.5 from someone JUST b/c you think they may have used toothpaste or rubbed their thumb all over the chrome surface?

There's no way to know whether an untrimmed card would be lower unless you're a trimmer. I've NEVER trimmed a card nor have I ever knowingly submited a trimmed card nor have I ever had a card rejected as being trimmed. I have however submitted multiple copies of the same cards w/toothpaste (+/or simply using my thumb) + copies of cards w/o toothpaste. My success rate's NOT been significantly altered, so I can't really say that the toothpaste is some 'magic bullet.' However, I did notice a larger than usual # of surface grades on this sub were 10s, so maybe there IS something to that minty fresh crest. Then again, I also noticed that a decent # of centering subs on my elites were 9s...seriously, 9 centering on elites? LOL that's NOT a common issue w/elites. Perhaps grading is somewhat subjective. Perhaps the chromes gave off an aroma of toothpaste which put the grader in a happy mood, but since the elites didn't emit any minty freshness, the graders were frowning and chose to give the centering 9s.

On 95%+ of cards I sub, the only ‘alteration’ (if you want to call it that) is simply wiping the surface of the cards w/a lint/scratch free cloth. While I mention toothpaste/wd40/windex/ armor all etc. as an option to ‘alter’ (if you call it that- it is comparable to cleaning imo), the reality is I use it VERY sparingly. I’ve had subs where I’ve done NOTHING (not even wiping off the surface of cards w/a lint/scratch free cloth) + gotten the same amount of 9.5s. my % of 9.5s tends to be 95%+ on subs. Why? Probably b/c I’ve been subbing a lot of cards for many years + have a very good eye + am VERY picky about what I sub…which is probably why people buy raw cards from me + end up getting 9.5s.

W/THIS sub, I spent a whopping 15-20 minutes or so putting my portion of the sub together on the day it was due. I believe 'toothpaste alteration' occurred on a whopping 2 cards. All of the cards I submitted (w/the exception of 2) were pack pulled by me + immediately put into a pennysleeve. another 3-4 cards suffered 'cloth attack alteration' w/a lint/scratch free cloth. There was no 'alteration by thumb rubbing' on this submission.

If you want to put me/others who use the toothpaste/cloth method in the same shoes as KNOWN trimmers who physically hack up cards, feel free. however, i'm pretty sure 100% of the people who've dealt w/me on + offline would tell you there's a HUGE difference between myself and oh say (insert name of your favorite alleged trimmers who 9/10 times do trim).

Btw, if you think toothpaste/etc. is the same as trimming, what about people who play the subbump game or resub a card say 6-10x before it 9.5s? are they doing anything ‘wrong’? b/c under your logic, if a card is a 9.5, shouldn’t it 9.5 the FIRST time?

 

[P_Manning 18]

Btw, if you think toothpaste/etc. is the same as trimming, what about people who play the subbump game or resub a card say 6-10x before it 9.5s? are they doing anything ‘wrong’? b/c under your logic, if a card is a 9.5, shouldn’t it 9.5 the FIRST time?

Well........ Yea.

I dont grade.... I have sent a few cards in.

Grading is the same as Judging. Any sports that uses a judges call to determine the winning... isnt a sport. Sports determine the winning/loser on the field/court. Hockey, Baseball, Football, Basketball, Tennis and Soccer are all sports.... Figure Skating, Gymnastics, XGames and Diving are not. You and I could do the same routine... nail every aspect of it and 1 judge gives you a 9.5 but me a 9.0... and becuase of that... you win. Its the same with Grading. Both of us could send in a similar card ( Matt Dominguez Blue Ref ).... both graded by the same person.. both Gem Mint.... yet the grader gives mine 2 9.0s for edges and centering... not allowing it to grade 9.5 overall... just because some guy said so.... yet the guy 3 tables away would see it different.

 

[rainmanesq]

Can someone post a youtube video as a "how to use toothpaste on your baseballcards" guide? I know it seems dorky and nobody will probably do it, but I've tried numerous times and failed miserably.

Have no fear, I’ll be selling copies of my ‘how to use toothpaste to make your chromes into gems’ ebook/video guide on ebay soon…just 2 easy payments of 9.99 and it’s all yours :lol:

on another note, if you fail toothpasting, you can try thumbing. personally, i like using my right thumb b/c i'm right handed. here's how to thumb your way to 9.5s:

1. pick your favorite thumb + do 50-75 'warmups' aka thumb up, thumb down. a cold thumb ruins ALL chances @ a 9.5, so don't even bother unless you're willing to put in daily workouts.

2. take your thumb + tenderly massage the chrome surface by moving your thumb in tiny circles. personally i like to go clockwise (left to right for the thumbing impaired), but pick whatever position makes you comfortable.

3. repeat step 2 27.4 times + bam, those oh so tiny imperfections on your chromes will be history.

thumb on, thumb off...just like the clapper, it works every time.

 

[rainmanesq]

Btw, if you think toothpaste/etc. is the same as trimming, what about people who play the subbump game or resub a card say 6-10x before it 9.5s? are they doing anything ‘wrong’? b/c under your logic, if a card is a 9.5, shouldn’t it 9.5 the FIRST time?

Well........ Yea.

I dont grade.... I have sent a few cards in.

Grading is the same as Judging. Any sports that uses a judges call to determine the winning... isnt a sport. Sports determine the winning/loser on the field/court. Hockey, Baseball, Football, Basketball, Tennis and Soccer are all sports.... Figure Skating, Gymnastics, XGames and Diving are not. You and I could do the same routine... nail every aspect of it and 1 judge gives you a 9.5 but me a 9.0... and becuase of that... you win. Its the same with Grading. Both of us could send in a similar card ( Matt Dominguez Blue Ref ).... both graded by the same person.. both Gem Mint.... yet the grader gives mine 2 9.0s for edges and centering... not allowing it to grade 9.5 overall... just because some guy said so.... yet the guy 3 tables away would see it different.

So if you did grade, would you:

(a) subbump?
(b) Resub in hopes of a 9.5?
(c) Crossover say a psa 9 to a bgs 9.5?
(d) Crack out say a bgs 8.5 or 9 + sub it?
(e) Use a lint/scratch free cloth?
(f) Use your thumb to clean a card’s surface?

are all those 'alterations' in your mind?

 

[P_Manning 18]

Btw, if you think toothpaste/etc. is the same as trimming, what about people who play the subbump game or resub a card say 6-10x before it 9.5s? are they doing anything ‘wrong’? b/c under your logic, if a card is a 9.5, shouldn’t it 9.5 the FIRST time?

Well........ Yea.

I dont grade.... I have sent a few cards in.

Grading is the same as Judging. Any sports that uses a judges call to determine the winning... isnt a sport. Sports determine the winning/loser on the field/court. Hockey, Baseball, Football, Basketball, Tennis and Soccer are all sports.... Figure Skating, Gymnastics, XGames and Diving are not. You and I could do the same routine... nail every aspect of it and 1 judge gives you a 9.5 but me a 9.0... and becuase of that... you win. Its the same with Grading. Both of us could send in a similar card ( Matt Dominguez Blue Ref ).... both graded by the same person.. both Gem Mint.... yet the grader gives mine 2 9.0s for edges and centering... not allowing it to grade 9.5 overall... just because some guy said so.... yet the guy 3 tables away would see it different.

So if you did grade, would you:

(a) subbump?
(b) Resub in hopes of a 9.5?
(c) Crossover say a psa 9 to a bgs 9.5?
(d) Crack out say a bgs 8.5 or 9 + sub it?
(e) Use a lint/scratch free cloth?
(f) Use your thumb to clean a card’s surface?

are all those 'alterations' in your mind?

(a) No
(b) No - If its not a 9.5.... why would it be later?
(c) No - Again... it was judged/graded.... why would it be any different later.
(d) No
(e) No
(f) I have done this to cards.... but I didnt use a paste to fill in scratches to alter the cards surface... Ill wipe something off the surface.

 

[bigeric]

nice 10 and 9.5's

 

[lvdan]

wow Jen, what a sub-congrats!

 

[rainmanesq]

wow Jen, what a sub-congrats!

Thanks; it was 1 of my better subs in awhile. Even better b/c most of the cards were pulled from my recent 07 bcdp/08 ee cases, so my /card cost is pretty much nil other than grading fees.

 

[aw00d05]

My grades (was a joint sub)-

2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Orange Refractors Michael Taylor 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Future's Game Prospects Gold Refractors Deolis Guerra 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Future's Game Prospects Blue Refractors Michael Saunders 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Blue Refractors Michael Moustakas 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Blue Refractors Jason Heyward 10.0
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Blue Refractors Matt Dominguez 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks X-Fractors Michael Moustakas 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Refractors Jarrod Parker 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Refractors Michael Moustakas 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Refractors Matt LaPorta 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Refractors Matt LaPorta 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Refractors Andrew Lambo 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Future's Game Prospects Refractors Deolis Guerra 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Refractors Matt Dominguez 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Gold Refractors Kyle Lotzkar 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Isaac Galloway AU/1099 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Signature Turn of the Century Greg Halman/429 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Michel Inoa AU/1199 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Signature Turn of the Century Logan Morrison/50 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Logan Morrison AU/360 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Rick Porcello AU/1299 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Buster Posey AU/934 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Buster Posey AU/934 9.5

WOW, did you make it a min of 9.5 or something or are you just damn lucky?

 

[card-treasury]

All this time, I have been using Old Spice and Listerine.

Thanks for the tip Jen.
:lol:

Congrats on that Heyward. That's one :twisted: of a card.

 

[rico08]

Trimming is frowned upon because it alters the cards in a positive way.

Toothpaste/WD40/Windex is also used to alter the cards in a positive way.... yet seems like many people have no issues with it. :?

What am I missing? If you sent the untrimmed card in the grade would be lower... correct? The same way with the card without using the toothpaste/wd40/windex.

Until grading companies have a rejection category of "Evidence of Aquafresh" graders using the toothpaste technique are technically playing within the rules. I use a cloth to remove fingerprints; I'm just not ballsy enough to use anything with any kind of moisture on cards.

Great grades Jen!

 

[bear0555]

Jen, I've always thought you are too smart to deal in cards as much as you do. However, I wasn't too sure about your eye after you submitted that laporta that came back an 8. Looks like you are quite skillful. Congrats on the grades! I tried the wd40 after you suggested it to me and had no clue what you ment. I've also never been able to remove scratches with toothpaste on my cds so I gave up on it. I also heard of peanut butter but never got that to work either. Maybe I'll give it another try.

 

[BGSRCGUY]

Congrats Jen.

 

[rainmanesq]

All this time, I have been using Old Spice and Listerine.

Thanks for the tip Jen.
:lol:

Congrats on that Heyward. That's one :twisted: of a card.

it's all about the crest whitening mike :lol: fcb should have a thread testing a variety of substances on chromes. I started the toothpaste thing on a fluke (it worked on cds, so why not chromes I thought?) + oddly, it’s turned out to come in handy

 

[rainmanesq]

Trimming is frowned upon because it alters the cards in a positive way.

Toothpaste/WD40/Windex is also used to alter the cards in a positive way.... yet seems like many people have no issues with it. :?

What am I missing? If you sent the untrimmed card in the grade would be lower... correct? The same way with the card without using the toothpaste/wd40/windex.

Until grading companies have a rejection category of "Evidence of Aquafresh" graders using the toothpaste technique are technically playing within the rules. I use a cloth to remove fingerprints; I'm just not ballsy enough to use anything with any kind of moisture on cards.

Great grades Jen!

Thanks; it was 1 of my better subs. It’s not like I started out dropping a load of toothpaste on my reds, oranges, etc. It started as a fluke ages ago (’02-03) + slowly but surely I’ve grown more confident w/it. Now if only toothpaste could remove dreaded xfractor lines :lol:

 

[rainmanesq]

Jen, I've always thought you are too smart to deal in cards as much as you do. However, I wasn't too sure about your eye after you submitted that laporta that came back an 8. Looks like you are quite skillful. Congrats on the grades! I tried the wd40 after you suggested it to me and had no clue what you ment. I've also never been able to remove scratches with toothpaste on my cds so I gave up on it. I also heard of peanut butter but never got that to work either. Maybe I'll give it another try.

Thanks for the compliment on my smarts. I enjoy dealing w/cards immensely + it’s allowed me to have a ton of freedom financially + time wise (which lets me spend more time w/my mom), so I’m thankful for that. As for the laporta, lol that was an impulsive goof on my part (didn’t check the back- doh) + hope that bgs would be more lenient w/rcr. Oh well, can’t bat 100 every time. Toothpaste took awhile to work for me, but now it works like a charm + I feel comfortable using it on higher end cards (btw, the heyward 10 was NOT toothpasted LOL).

Peanut butter? Hmmm, I’ve never had that 1, but will have to try it :lol:

Coming soon to ebay near you- how to use household products to gem your chromes :lol:
:lol:

 

[rainmanesq]

My grades (was a joint sub)-

2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Orange Refractors Michael Taylor 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Future's Game Prospects Gold Refractors Deolis Guerra 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Future's Game Prospects Blue Refractors Michael Saunders 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Blue Refractors Michael Moustakas 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Blue Refractors Jason Heyward 10.0
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Blue Refractors Matt Dominguez 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks X-Fractors Michael Moustakas 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Refractors Jarrod Parker 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Refractors Michael Moustakas 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Refractors Matt LaPorta 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Refractors Matt LaPorta 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Refractors Andrew Lambo 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Future's Game Prospects Refractors Deolis Guerra 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Refractors Matt Dominguez 9.5
2007 Bowman Chrome Draft Draft Picks Gold Refractors Kyle Lotzkar 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Isaac Galloway AU/1099 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Signature Turn of the Century Greg Halman/429 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Michel Inoa AU/1199 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Signature Turn of the Century Logan Morrison/50 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Logan Morrison AU/360 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Rick Porcello AU/1299 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Buster Posey AU/934 9.5
2008 Donruss Elite Extra Edition Buster Posey AU/934 9.5

WOW, did you make it a min of 9.5 or something or are you just damn lucky?

Min grade 9.5. 1 card missed which I’m not surprised about as it’s very condition sensitive (08 ee diecut). I usually hit a high % of 9.5 b/c I am VERY picky about what cards I sub (outside of this sub, I usually spend A LOT of time looking @ the cards under a 30x loupe + light, clean them very well, analyze every minor imperfection, etc.). In some cases, I’m harsher than graders I think as I’ve had many buyers buy raw cards from me (I can’t/don’t sub everything) + get 9.5s. Also, sometimes (not always), I’ve noticed when I put a minimum grade of 9.5, I seem to get more 9.5s.

Look @ enough chromes (I bust 10-25+ cases of bc/bcdp + buy an ungodly amount of chromes) + sub enough + you can hone your ‘grading estimate’ skills pretty well.