A big addition

As I've been working on the 1971-72 Topps set, I've generally sought out cheaper, less-than-mint base cards because, obviously, they're quite a bit cheaper. I don't mind an off-center photo or a few rounded corners if the difference is, say, 50 cents vs. $2. But I've found myself reluctant to buy subpar copies of some of the big cards in the set. Part of it is that the cheapest versions of, for instance, the Ken Dryden rookie, seem to be in especially poor condition, with ugly creases and stains and that sort of thing. But part of it also that some of the nicer copies I find on eBay or COMC are so expensive that I don't want to take the plunge based on nothing more than a a couple of small photos -- in some cases just of the front -- and my own opinion of the grade. 

So that has led to me in the direction of graded cards, at least for the big names in the set. And I finally landed my first one a few weeks ago:

This, I think, is the second-most valuable card in the set, at least based on what they seem to sell for on eBay. I was initially planning to aim for a PSA 6 or 7, but I found this PSA 8 listed by a dealer with the option to make an offer. We haggled for a bit but eventually settled on a price that was exactly in line with what every other PSA 8 has sold for recently. 

The scan is a little blurry, I assume because of the slab. But in hand, it looks fantastic. The colors are vivid and it's very well-centered. I'm not entirely clear on how this would differ from a 9 or a 10, frankly. Really, it's hard to overstate how awesome this card is: One of the two greatest players of all time on one of the greatest designs of all time. I could stare at this card for hours. 

And here's a look at the back. Again, I can't for the life of me figure what the flaws are that knocked this thing down to an 8 grade. Now I have to decide how many cards from this set I want to chase down in graded slabs. I'm definitely going to go this route for the Dryden rookie. But I haven't yet decided about the Bobby Hull or Bobby Clarke cards, which are the other two big names I'm still missing. I already picked up an ungraded, excellent-ish copy of the Gordie Howe card at a local card show, so there's no need to agonize over that one at least.