1977 Topps Star Wars #196 Lord Darth Vader — TAG (grade unconfirmed)

Centering: left yellow border appears roughly 3-4mm, right border roughly 5-6mm, top border roughly 3mm, bottom border roughly 4-5mm — estimated L/R ~60/40 and T/B ~40/60, within NM-MT range horizontally but slightly bottom-heavy; no hard cap from centering alone. Corners: at this resolution all four corners appear to have light to moderate rounding consistent with EX-MT to NM range — no sharp points visible but no severe blunting either. Surface: the yellow border shows no obvious chipping or heavy wear, gloss appears present though the photo angle makes a definitive assessment difficult; no visible creases or staining. Edges: appear reasonably clean with no major nicks visible, though the photo does not isolate them closely enough to rule out minor handling wear — back is unseen and could affect the final grade.

Centering estimate: left border appears slightly wider than right (~55/45 L/R), top border noticeably wider than bottom (~60/40 T/B) — not ideal but within EX-EX-MT territory. The yellow border is a known chipping/wear indicator for this series; surface glare from the screwdown obscures approximately 30% of the card face, making it impossible to fully assess gloss loss, print defects, or fine surface scratches. Corners appear to show some rounding or softness at the lower-left and upper-right, consistent with an EX (5) grade, but the slab glare prevents definitive corner assessment. No creases are visible, and the image print appears intact, but the holder obstruction makes this estimate uncertain — a range of 4–6 is honest given the available evidence.

Centering estimate: left border appears slightly wider than right (~55/45 L/R), top border appears noticeably wider than bottom (~65/35 T/B), which is acceptable for the grade range but adds mild pressure downward. Corners show visible rounding on at least the bottom-left and bottom-right corners visible in frame, suggesting moderate wear consistent with EX (5) to VG-EX (4) territory. Surface gloss appears present but slightly diminished, with no obvious creases visible from this angle though the top-loader glare obscures the upper third of the card. Yellow border shows no dramatic chipping or staining visible, though some minor edge wear is apparent along the right side. Cannot confirm back condition or rule out hidden surface creases under the glare zone; range widened accordingly.