Why PSA?

[Rooftop]

I bet your cards are more valuable being outside of those slabs

[duwal]

Originally Posted by marinolr

Is it really worth it to wait 4 months to get back 31 graded cards for over $600 from PSA? There are some of you that have been sending off cards to be graded for a long time. I sent off 5 Topps Traded Emmitt Smith RCs to be graded to PSA that came straight out of the boxes. All of them were well centered and I got back 1-8, 2-7, 1-6, and 1-5. How is that even possible? Is there something that y’all do to the cards prior to get a 10 or a 9. Come on, they came straight out of the boxes? Thanks ahead for sharing your info.

lets see those scans and we can probably tell you why

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

Originally Posted by Skipscards

Not when there are literally millions of cards already on the market with a completely different standard. Minor changes, sure. Tweaks, ok. Improvements to prevent fraud, you betcha. But major changes to grading standards, absolutely not. It undermines the integrity of the registry.

They could have created a new label, a new company, etc to differentiate, but I think they took an already suspect process and made it more suspect.

Originally Posted by hche

Unless people can somehow differentiate cards graded with the less strict standard than the current standard, the change is not good.

Basically, a PSA 10 in 2010 should be the same PSA 10 in 2025 but it could be a PSA 8 or 9 now if it is regraded. So if PSA didnt put out an announcement and use different labels, we are all in the dark.

Neither of you guys like grading anyways though, right?

CGC has tweaked their grading over the years for comics. We all got through it.

[boxbuster7]

I feel like psa is trying to boost the value of cards that are already slabbed by having tougher grading standards...but for modern there is just so many graded cards I haven't really noticed it yet

[Bosoxfan5990]

But they were "pack fresh!"

[towerymt]

Originally Posted by boxbuster7

I feel like psa is trying to boost the value of cards that are already slabbed by having tougher grading standards...but for modern there is just so many graded cards I haven't really noticed it yet

They don't own the already-slabbed cards, though.

Market domination. People who will crack and resubmit. Very little incentive to "fix" this problem by handing out 9s on these flawed 6s people swear are gem.

[Mister2Bits]

Originally Posted by duwal

lets see those scans and we can probably tell you why

Dont even need the scans - OP just send us the cert # on the slab. PSA has a pretty good scan already available.

[marinolr]

Originally Posted by Mister2Bits

Dont even need the scans - OP just send us the cert # on the slab. PSA has a pretty good scan already available.

I’m trying to learn how to scan my cards and put then on the forum to sell soon. Here are the cert #’s 102573829-33

[oddstuff]

Originally Posted by marinolr

Is it really worth it to wait 4 months to get back 31 graded cards for over $600 from PSA? There are some of you that have been sending off cards to be graded for a long time. I sent off 5 Topps Traded Emmitt Smith RCs to be graded to PSA that came straight out of the boxes. All of them were well centered and I got back 1-8, 2-7, 1-6, and 1-5. How is that even possible? Is there something that y’all do to the cards prior to get a 10 or a 9. Come on, they came straight out of the boxes? Thanks ahead for sharing your info.

One of the early grading lessons newbies have to learn the hard way...just because it's pack fresh (such as straight out of a factory traded set) is no guarantee the card will be mint or gem mint....especially paper (non-chrome) 1990s card like the Emmitt TT RC. Most likely some sort of paper damage on corners front/back or surface defect (ink spot, surface scratch/nick)....and don't waste your time/money cracking/resubmitting those 5 cards...just move on.

[marinolr]

I know it’s easier to get a 10 with these newer cards. But with these Emmitt cards coming out of the box I thought that I would at least have 9’s if you see all 5 cards they look just alike. Can centering cause the cards to come back 8’s?

[ThoseBackPages]

let others submit and then you buy their tears!

[marinolr]

Originally Posted by oddstuff

One of the early grading lessons newbies have to learn the hard way...just because it's pack fresh (such as straight out of a factory traded set) is no guarantee the card will be mint or gem mint....especially paper (non-chrome) 1990s card like the Emmitt TT RC. Most likely some sort of paper damage on corners front/back or surface defect (ink spot, surface scratch/nick)....and don't waste your time/money cracking/resubmitting those 5 cards...just move on.

That’s what I’m worried about. I was given a Topps set that contains Verlander and Molina RCs. Is it worth getting them graded?

[Mister2Bits]

Originally Posted by marinolr

I’m trying to learn how to scan my cards and put then on the forum to sell soon. Here are the cert #’s 102573829-33

[oddstuff]

Originally Posted by marinolr

I know it’s easier to get a 10 with these newer cards. But with these Emmitt cards coming out of the box I thought that I would at least have 9’s if you see all 5 cards they look just alike. Can centering cause the cards to come back 8’s?

Did you use a centering tool or ruler to measure left/right and top/bottom both front and back (to get a 10, front centering can't be worse than 55/45 and back 75/25)? For future grading, you should use a minimum 10x magnification to see the corners up close. To the naked eye, often can't see the some paper fibers of the card corners that may be pulling away. First time I used a 10x or greater tool, blown away at how imperfect a corner was.

That 5 most likely has a surface wrinkle on the backside that can't be detected unless you're looking at the card at an angle.

On those 8s, the Top and Bottom most likely exceeded the 60/40 required for a 9.

[Allen Ginter 99]

It’s exhausting for a teenager especially this generation to focus through grading the same card 5x

He probably got bored


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[marinolr]

Mister2Bits. Thanks, do you have the time to explain to me how you scan the cards to put on the forum. I guess I can just put down the cert # for those to see the card.

[oddstuff]

Found this on a recent sold listing on ebay. This shows how the top/bottom centering should be to get a 10. The white border on the bottom front of your cards were all significantly shorter than the top.




Sent from my SM-F741U using Tapatalk

[marinolr]

So if the centering is not perfect then the most I should expect is an 8 which might not be worth grading the card.

[mfw13]

Originally Posted by Allen Ginter 99

lol they pay 19-20 an hour to the graders a little better than min wage hahah but you have a valid point
A little more if you want to live in California haha



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My point was more that irrespective of what exactly any given grader is paid, we have no idea of what their qualifications are, what experience they have, and/or what training they receive.

And PSA has always been very secretive about this.....I got kicked off of PSA's message boards way back in 2007 (yes, 18 years ago) for raising those questions.

They want you to believe that your cards are being graded by experts....in reality, most people on these boards probably have more expertise than PSA's graders (or any other TPG company).

Put it this way....would you trust someone to appraise an antique or vintage car, or work of art when you had no information about their qualifications, experience, or training?

Didn't think so.....

[oddstuff]

Originally Posted by marinolr

So if the centering is not perfect then the most I should expect is an 8 which might not be worth grading the card.

Centering is one of 4 areas grading concentrates on and also depends how far off. A 9 needs at least 60/40 on the front all 4 sides...an 8 minimum is 65/35...so your 8s may not have been at least 60/40 top/bottom. This link shows you their grading requirements for each grade.

https://www.psacard.com/gradingstandards

check out the forum's Grading page too:

https://www.blowoutforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=122

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

Originally Posted by marinolr

So if the centering is not perfect then the most I should expect is an 8 which might not be worth grading the card.

Correct.

[bub838]

Originally Posted by marinolr

So if the centering is not perfect then the most I should expect is an 8 which might not be worth grading the card.

lessons learned

[brewtown107]

If you didn't know that centering is important to grading, you probably shouldn't be spending the time or money to submit cards for grading.

[towerymt]

Here's one of my lessons that I paid for. Bottom border on the 9 looks tiny. I was too focused on judging these based mainly on corners, and both passed my "should gem" checks. Except I never looked at centering or gave it any thought at all. With only 2 borders, it didnt jump out at me. Until I had these back...side by side

[towerymt]

Another time I ripped some '89 Donruss and this was the best Griffey of the five. I quickly rejected the others...but this one looked goood!

Print defects!

I got mostly 9s on the 100-card bulk order of mostly '80s junk wax era cards. This one got an 8.

I never looked closely for this stuff before...having sub'd much newer stuff.