wax-stains-and-factory-marks

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.