Possible grade error posted on PSA site, or damaged card?

KyleOz30

Hey guys, any help is appreciated here.

I submitted a card for grading that in my eyes looked great. I've sent in plenty of items in the past and am pretty good at picking out the cards I own that will grade well. I've gotten back some surprises, but nothing like this. I didn't think there was any way it would get less than a 7, and honestly, it had a chance to get a 9 unless I was missing something using a magnifying glass and very strong light. The grade was revealed yesterday as a 2 and I'm absolutely floored. I spent a lot of time looking at graded PSA2 cards and they look like junk. Big creases, tons of scratches, the edges look like a toddler chewed on them, and they are overall just very un-appealing. I know my card didn't look anything like that when I packaged it up and sent it in.

I haven't received the card back yet but my question is: Has anyone ever gotten a grade posted on the site, and then found a different grade on the slab when it arrived? AKA a typo on the site. And if not, I'm thinking the card must have been damaged somehow (we'll see when I get it back) does PSA take responsibility for these situations typically? Or am I just going to butt-heads with them when they say they received it damaged but I know I sent it in great shape and packaged well enough to withstand a zombie apocalypse (honestly, I'd take a zombie apocalypse with the way 2020 is going)

I know that personally if I was working for PSA and damaged a card when handling it, I'd want a supervisor or someone to contact the customer and let them know. It's a mistake. It happens. They handle millions of cards, it's bound to happen at some point. I would understand if it happened and be reasonably bummed because the card I sent is worth several hundred dollars, but is it typical for PSA to damage something and just continue the grading process and send it back messed up?

Thank you for any feedback or help, in advance.

LarkinCollector

Unexpected PSA 2s are usually a sign of a tiny bit of paper loss.

KyleOz30

@LarkinCollector I'm not familiar with paper loss, would you mind explaining what that is?

LarkinCollector

Where a portion of the top layer of cardboard is missing, a fairly obvious example here in the cursive 'M' ..,

Even a much smaller speck caps the grade as a 2 at best.

ETA: This thread is probably worth a read - https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1027638/psa-badly-graded-my-card

erikthredd

This Jordan insert has some paper loss as well,there's some flaking of the foil on the lower part of the front. I know this set is prone to paper loss and usually I've seen it on the back not front. While searching for Jordan 90's inserts to grade I came across quite a few insert sets in that 97-99 range where it seemed like Topps/Stadium Club used some cheap paper stock that was very prone to chip or flake basically killing any shot at a high grade.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1997-98-Topps-Stadium-Club-Hardcourt-Heroics-Michael-Jordan-H1-HOF/233609489914?hash=item366435edfa:m:mbFbJNcoqxQCwv1ZwajjT7A

KyleOz30

That's unfortunate if that's the case. I'd have to wait to get it back and look again. I do remember there was one extremely tiny little scratch, maybe the same width of the horizontal line in the T in "Chocolat" but not nearly as long, maybe a couple of millimeters. It was barely visible to the naked eye and I needed a magnifying glass to really see it. That's a real shame if something that's potentially a 7-9 gets knocked all the way down to a 2 for something that small.

KyleOz30

That definitely makes me re-think the way I value things that I'm bidding on/buying if one little spot can knock something all the way down to a 2. I'll have to be a lot picker in the future. I'm hoping this is the case and I learned something instead of PSA potentially damaging the card when handling.

Moonman

I sent in a card last year that I thought had a shot at 10. It was a jersey card and high grades are hard to get. I would have been happy with a 9. Came back a 4 with a damaged corner that was definitely not there when I sent it

erikthredd

Is this a Pokemon card in question? If so,I just found this on google you may want to check it out.
https://www.psacollector.com/how-to-grade-pokemon-cards/

KyleOz30

@LarkinCollector I just spent some time reading that thread you posted and that was very good information. Thank you for that. I definitely still have a lot to learn when it comes to grading and I'll have to be more careful when buying cards in the future. I appreciate you.

KyleOz30

@erikthredd said:
Is this a Pokemon card in question? If so,I just found this on google you may want to check it out.
https://www.psacollector.com/how-to-grade-pokemon-cards/

Yes, it is. That's all I collect and I have several graded from PSA in my safe right now. I've actually read that same article in the past when I first got into grading but I do appreciate the effort, my friend. I think I just need to wait to get it back and give it another good look over. It sounds like paper loss is probably the culprit unless it comes back obviously damaged during handling.

PNWcollector

If the paper loss is minor, and the card is in decent shape otherwise, you could get a 3 (VG). Here's my 1951 Campanella that came back as a 3- note the slight paper loss in the upper right quadrant of the card on the front:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1951-Bowman-31-Roy-Campanella-PSA-3-VG-Freshly-Graded/274386358319?hash=item3fe2b3902f:g:SooAAOSwQbVe15xq

My scanner sucks at scanning slabs, so it'll be a little bit blurry.

DBesse27

KyleOz, I just want to commend you for coming on here with the right attitude. So many new members burst through the door as know-it-all’s, casting aspersions at PSA and spitting vitriol at any members who try to provide information or a different perspective. You came in with an honest question and were willing to take advice and learn. Thank you for that and welcome to CU. I’m sure there are members here who collect Pokemon too and would love to see your collection.

KyleOz30

@PNWcollector Thank you for that example. If the spot that I'm thinking of is what docked me all the way down to a 2 it's significantly smaller than what you shared. This might be something that I consider getting re-evaluated if so. Not really familiar with Beckett (are we allowed to talk about them here?) but maybe I can submit it to them instead. I'll do some research. Once I get the card back I'll scan the slab and post it here.

@DBesse27 Thank you for the kind words. I'm definitely very bummed, and I was mad at first but after some time to reflect and after reading the helpful messages posted above I'm just taking it as a learning experience. I'll try to identify the flaws when I get the card back and be on the lookout for those types of things in the future. It's a big bummer because an 8-9 (what I thought it'd get) goes for anywhere from $350-800 right now and a 2 basically turns it into a nice coaster for my beer. lol. Oh well. I have more to send in and I got several 9's and 10's in the same submission so it's not a total loss.

edit - for the record I'm not turning stuff around and selling it anyway, but I still pay attention to the value.

KyleOz30

Hey all, just a quick update. I did get the card back from PSA and they did not damage it. I don't see any paper loss but when I turn the card at the right angle it does look as if the holo on the front is almost bent, or warped, but the card itself isn't bent, damaged, or creased. It almost looks as if the card dips inward a little bit, but it's extremely hard to see. I'm going to go on a limb and say this is what docked the card so hard because otherwise, it looks perfect with the exception of being slightly OC and having a little bump on one corner. I'd send a picture but it's nearly impossible to capture. Thanks again for the help, everyone!