Does greening or hulking affect grade

[Savard18]

I don't know if BGS holders are or not but cards have been pulled out of the pack from late 1990s releases and have been greening so light isn't 100% responsible for it. I know that.

Light isn't 100% responsible, however light will speed up the process... Like I believe I pointed out in my post - these Finest cards are for all intents still developing (like photographs) but they're developing slowly and consistently.. They're all eventually going to turn green and then eventually black or "ghost out" entirely.

[momsaidkeepit]

Light isn't 100% responsible, however light will speed up the process... Like I believe I pointed out in my post - these Finest cards are for all intents still developing (like photographs) but they're developing slowly and consistently.. They're all eventually going to turn green and then eventually black or "ghost out" entirely.

I was warned that this thread is 53 months old but I needed to give new evidence about the greening or hulking (lol) effect.

I bought Topps cards in '96 just to get the Mantle reprints. By '96 I already knew about the perils of storing cards improperly. The Mantles I pulled from packs I put in Collector Approved sleeves almost immediately. None of my cards have ever seen light unless I am inspecting them. That's because I knew it was damaging, even then. I don't normally inspect the '96 Mantle reprints because they are not the best in my collection and I always was suspicious of how well they would hold value.

Fast forward to today. In my most recent inspection, the cards showed the green. Someone here told me it's been a growing problem, and we may not see the end result in our lifetimes. All of this happened in the past weeks with me having those cards in storage for 29 years lol. Here's my take on it.

Ultraviolet light isn't the problem, obviously. some cards were stored in bulk card boxes and some in a drawer totally out of direct sunlight.

The plastic "do not remove" coating isn't the problem. I tested one card that had the hulking issue, and the coating came off like it was 1996.

There is no doubt in my mind the materials used in the chrome portion of the card was, or may still be today, not collector friendly.

Topps. That means you are at fault 100%.

Lasty, it's my belief the green effect will eventually give way to a white effect, because the center of the larger green sections is white. I believe in 100 years; all those cards will be white, or they will be clear and show the back of the cardboard back of the card.

[doniceage]

Sad to say it hurts the grading big time.

https://www.reddit.com/r/basketballc...inally_got_it/

That poor Kobe surface.

Don

[momsaidkeepit]

Don, thanks again for replying on this thread. I do appreciate that. But I will warn you that if I get comfortable here, I will post a lot.

My question is this. How do people feel about these problems? The fact that the hulking could affect every chrome card if you wait long enough makes me wonder why people would even want to trade those cards at all. The Kobe one I can't imagine that heartbreak. It's one of the reasons I stopped collecting. It can be an emotional experience for me. I am only happy that I pulled them from packs, so no love lost there. Plus, I knew then that those 96 Mantle reprints wouldn't amount to much. I don't know why but it seems to have become reality.

But again, how do you guys feel about this situation in general?

[momsaidkeepit]

Got my phone now so I can share pics. As you can see the cards plastic wrinkled a bit, but I think that was pulled like that. He got the green around his jaw ofc.

Here's my Willie. Lol

[pwaldo]

Don, thanks again for replying on this thread. I do appreciate that. But I will warn you that if I get comfortable here, I will post a lot.

My question is this. How do people feel about these problems? The fact that the hulking could affect every chrome card if you wait long enough makes me wonder why people would even want to trade those cards at all. The Kobe one I can't imagine that heartbreak. It's one of the reasons I stopped collecting. It can be an emotional experience for me. I am only happy that I pulled them from packs, so no love lost there. Plus, I knew then that those 96 Mantle reprints wouldn't amount to much. I don't know why but it seems to have become reality.

But again, how do you guys feel about this situation in general?

Posting a lot here would be great. It would be good for everyone here to gain your knowledge.

I think it has taken the wind out of a lot of "chrome" cards values from the 90s like the Kobe Bryant Topps Chrome rookie card where people search for alternatives but I think you still have a lot of people that don't care. That might change though if the greening turns to something else. Because the cards are kinda ugly now but if they start to just fade away to all white or something the values will fall even more. Nobody wants a blank front card.

[momsaidkeepit]

Posting a lot here would be great. It would be good for everyone here to gain your knowledge.

I think it has taken the wind out of a lot of "chrome" cards values from the 90s like the Kobe Bryant Topps Chrome rookie card where people search for alternatives but I think you still have a lot of people that don't care. That might change though if the greening turns to something else. Because the cards are kinda ugly now but if they start to just fade away to all white or something the values will fall even more. Nobody wants a blank front card.

Note to friends: This is an AI created picture. I put here as a joke.

[momsaidkeepit]

Sorry to the Kobe guys out there but I couldn't resist. This could be the future. Just take care when trading/buying.

[scarrman]

That Kobe card is incredible, and shameful. I cannot believe it faded away to nothing!

The greening/hulking is common, no question. It varies somehow by year/sport but it happens. Don't even think it is light related although light exposure would most likely accelerate the problem.

I bought a bunch of 1994 Topps Finest baseball, have them stored away. Full set in a binder, singles in a box. I unloaded all my refractors a couple years ago, as they were starting to turn. Figured dump them while I could and the market was still good to sell them.

No idea what it is from, maybe a photo sensitive thing, like old polaroid pictures. Maybe the top laminated layer is reacting with the ink.

[momsaidkeepit]

That Kobe card is incredible, and shameful. I cannot believe it faded away to nothing!

The greening/hulking is common, no question. It varies somehow by year/sport but it happens. Don't even think it is light related although light exposure would most likely accelerate the problem.

I bought a bunch of 1994 Topps Finest baseball, have them stored away. Full set in a binder, singles in a box. I unloaded all my refractors a couple years ago, as they were starting to turn. Figured dump them while I could and the market was still good to sell them.

No idea what it is from, maybe a photo sensitive thing, like old polaroid pictures. Maybe the top laminated layer is reacting with the ink.

I apologize. I created that blank Kobe card using AI. I posted it as a joke.

I would bet money it has nothing to do with the plastic coating. What I do believe was that some of the laminate and ink combinations were not up to standards. Now that I am aware of the situation, I think I need to talk about it. Because other cards kept in the same environment did not hulk....yet.

I know light kills cards. None of my cards ever saw light because that was known about since I was a kid in the '70s. Unfortunately, it's become a thing after years of dealers showcasing their cards. Very bad for the hobby.

I also don't believe humidity is the reason. And I don't believe the plastic coating is the reason. Because I hear too many stories in which the cards are in different settings yet behave the same.