1949 Bowman Satchel Paige #224

Can’t help but notice the tape residue but still strong image & well framed.

Some obvious stuff, but really nice color and pretty well centered. I'd be happy to look past a few flaws to get into a monumental card like this.

9 times out of 10 tape or residue on the front totals the eye appeal for me, resulting in D-level badges. This is that 1 of the 10 times where somehow it still holds it together. The color and registration I think are what do it. Centering is not bad, either.

At first glance this looked like an A or A- card. Centering is good but a little off. The color and image look great. Someone did a nice job removing the tape at the top, but the tape damage drops this to a B- for me.

nice looking card but the tape is to much and to noticeable for my liking

The registration shines through the tape stains to a surprising degree.

Colors and registration are really nice. The tape stains are distracting.

This is quite the unusual card and I am fascinated to see what the reviews will be. If I was told a card had tape or tape residue on the front, I would assume the eye appeal would be in the D tier or below. Yet somehow, from an overall, diffuse, or "step back" approach as I like to call it, this card hits my eye well despite what would usually be those very impactful flaws! Very nice lookng example.

Am I really giving a card with tape a B+? Yes, I am. The image focus and centering are just too good. Luckily the upper tape isn't yellowed and almost blends in to the card and just misses the face. I almost went lower on technicality but this is about eye appeal and my eyes love this card.