1977 Topps Star Wars #196 Lord Darth Vader

Centering estimate: left border appears slightly wider than right (~55-60% left vs 40-45% right), top border slightly wider than bottom (~55/45), centering is workable but not tight — roughly 60/40 L/R and 55/45 T/B, consistent with a 7-8 range on centering alone. Corners are the primary concern: at photo resolution the lower-left and lower-right corners show visible softening/light rounding, and the upper corners appear slightly blunted as well — consistent with EX-MT to NM range rather than NM-MT. The yellow border shows no obvious chipping or major edge wear, but there is at least one small surface mark/scratch visible on the image area (upper-right quadrant of the photo), which introduces surface risk. Gloss appears moderate to good but slightly reduced, and without a corner macro or back inspection, the range is necessarily wide; seller calls it NM which may be slightly optimistic given the corner softening visible here.

Centering estimate: left border appears noticeably wider than right (approx 65-70% left / 30-35% right L/R), and top border appears slightly wider than bottom (approx 55/45 T/B), placing centering in the VG-EX to EX range at best. The yellow border shows visible chipping/wear particularly along the left and bottom edges consistent with typical Star Wars blue/yellow border chippage. Corner examination reveals rounding on at least two visible corners (lower-left most apparent), suggesting wear consistent with VG-EX (4) territory. Surface shows scattered print snow/speckling which is typical for the set and should not be heavily penalized, but there is also visible soiling or surface wear on the card face. Gloss appears partially diminished. Back is not visible, and a potential light crease cannot be ruled out given the surface texture visible in the image, which is why the floor is set at 3.

Centering: left border appears slightly wider than right (~55/45 L/R), top border appears slightly wider than bottom (~55/45 T/B) — centering is reasonably tight and not a major deduction. The yellow border shows some chipping/wear on the edges, particularly visible along the left and bottom edges which show slight yellowing and minor edge wear consistent with age. Corners: upper-left and lower-left corners show slight rounding/wear, upper-right appears relatively sharp, lower-right has minor blunting — overall corner condition suggests EX to EX-MT range. Surface gloss appears mostly intact with no obvious creases or staining visible from this front-only photo, though the scan shows some minor print artifacts typical of the 1977 Topps Star Wars issue. Back condition is unknown and could materially affect the final grade; recommend close inspection of all four corners and back surface before submitting.

Centering estimate: left border appears slightly wider than right (approximately 55/45 L/R), top border appears slightly wider than bottom (approximately 55/45 T/B) - centering is acceptable and unlikely to be a major grade detractor. The yellow border appears intact with no obvious chipping or major edge wear visible, though the sleeve slightly obscures edge detail at the top. Corners appear to show light wear - not sharp enough for NM-MT but not heavily rounded; the bottom-right corner looks slightly softer than the others, consistent with EX-MT range. Surface gloss appears moderate with no obvious creases visible from this angle, though the sleeve glare limits full surface assessment. The card presents solidly in the EX to NM range; back condition and corner sharpness under magnification would be the deciding factors between a 5 and 7.