| name | wax-stains-and-factory-marks |
| description | Use when grading vintage cards (pre-1990) that show wax bleed or factory ink marks. These are era-authentic and lenient.
|
Wax Stains and Factory Marks
Pre-1990 cards shipped with gum/wax. Wax bleed and factory roller marks are era-typical. Modern grader leniency on these defects is well-established.
Wax stain types
- Yellow/brown spot on back (gum stick wax bleed) — lenient
- Wax residue ridge on edge (pack adjacency) — mild penalty
- Heavy uniform staining (long pack-wax contact) — moderate penalty
- Wax stuck to front surface — severe penalty (mechanical removal usually fails)
Roller and print marks
Factory roller marks (wavy lines from press rollers) on backs of pre-1980 cards: era-typical, mild penalty.
Factory ink dots in print: era-typical, lenient.
Misregistration (color layers offset by 1-2mm): era-typical, lenient.
When stains cap a grade
Severe staining (40%+ of back or front) caps grade at 5-6. Wax on front (visible at angle) caps at 7-8. Wax on back only — full grade range possible.
Where this fits in the X3 empire
Used in vintage grading scoring.
