Gretzky Rookie Grading help
ogieogilthorpe
Posts: 9 ✭
Hello everyone!
First time posting. My Gretzky has for lack of a better word some sort of divot on the back of it. What type of grade do you think I will get on it? It appears that the card was possibly laid on top of something and caused the indent. 
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Nice one! No idea what it will grade though....
ON ITS WAY TO NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92658
That looks like a $20,000 divot. Could have been an 8! I would call it paper loss and not an indentation. An indentation wouldn't show a change in color. Looks like the blue got ripped off.
oy
Ouch
I think the photo tilt is all that would have held it back from realistically being a 9.
Depending how they treat the paper/color loss on the back, I would say you're looking at a PSA 2.5, but the nicest technically lower grade Gretzky RC on the planet.
With the registration and centering it would have been an 8 at best. Paper loss, maybe a 2?
Beauty card, would love to own it.
If it is going to get killed for paper loss by PSA, maybe the OP should consider sending it to BGS first with subgrades. What is the surface grade for paper loss? Figure with the other good grades it will end up 1 grade higher than the surface score.
Make sure it's not just added paper that can be carefully scraped off/removed. If so, you're in great shape.
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
Tough. Yeah cant tell what the white dot is on the "19" on the back. But if paper lose its a 5. If not I think the print line on his pants puts it in a 7 or 7.5
It won’t get a 5 with paper loss.
I agree that a 2.5 is possible. Maybe a 1.5.
Great looking card. I can see that being easily missed by a grader depending on the day. That grading of that card will be based entirely on the subjectivity of the grader as it could end up all over the place.
If it is paper loss, the grades on paper loss are all over the place. Usually a two but it could get a higher grade depending again on the day and grader.
Card wont grade a 2. I still think 5 even with that spec. Its most likely damage from the stock from the factory. Im grading that flaw not as tough and more like a hidden wrinkle. I say 5.
Please send it tomorrow and post the grade.
rest easy, it might not grade a 4 but it will certainly sell like one! congrats
Thanks for all the replies!!! You guys scared me with that huge paper loss grade so I took a closer look. On a closer inspection, I don't believe it is indented or a paper loss. Funny I always assumed it was one. I gently ran my finger over it and do not feel any type of bump. It may be an ink spot of some sort?
I've been in the hobby since the late 80's! But have been mostly out of the game for many years and this among other cards were in a safe.
I had never seen a mark quite like that in all those years as it appears to be the same or very close color to the base paper stock color for that year so I assumed it was a indent of some kind exposing the base stock. Maybe the ink press or whatever they used had a spec of dust that day.
Also it was in a screw down all those years and I guess the thickness of the holder made it look differently than out of it!
Side question, screwdowns are bad? I think I read in a post in this forum somewhere
A couple more pics, this time out of the holder and one at an angle of the back too. (It's sitting on the holder on top of a beat up box sorry)
Well congrats on it not being a divot.... Now the gamble game.. Did you measure it? Many OPC's come back min size. Then you also have the issue of it being in the screwdown and whether it has been smashed where it will be considered altered. If I knew it was the right size and wasn't worried about it being smashed, I'd probably send it in at $600 with $9999 declared value hoping in a week I get an email with an upcharge. But in your case you could pay $600 and get back an altered designation (if min size there is no charge except for shipping). At the least I'd do $300 but if something happens to it after PSA gets it, you will only have $5k of DV protection.
If that's just a print defect, that's great news. It's a beauty card.
o canada, are things are looking up!
and agree w rufuss. i'd go the $300 route. even if it does come back minsiz or even altered stock from being in the screwdown, don't give up. give it another try at the $150, then $100 levels if all else fails.
So get all that are in screwdowns out asap?
It appears to be bang on 3.5" x 2.5". Maybe a hair wider on the 2.5" but that could be the rough cut edge too.
Graders might miss that sort of thing on a 1982 Shooty Babbit, but on a Gretzky rookie they'll look very carefully.
Then value sub for $20 !!!
Wider/Fat = Good , Short/Skinny= Bad
And it's OPC, so you should be measuring in mm! j/k
If you plan to grade get them out of screw downs. But another week or months after 30 years isn't going to make a difference!
Their FAQ says if they deem it altered stock they charge the full grading charge. Would that be the entire $600?
That is correct, thus why Blurry and I suggest the $300 route and why I likened it to a bit of a gamble. At least if it is min size, that is free. But, as I also said, your declared value will only be up to $4999 at hte $300 rate, even if they upcharge you. (only matters if they damage the card, or it gets killed or abducted during shipping where you already know the grade)
Now you could put in the notes that if the card is deemed altered, that you would like it slabbed Authentic Altered, so at least you'd still get a slab out of it. The notes won't be seen till after it's graded (or not), so not like the grader is tipped off.
But I'd send it to BGS if it comes back altered... then to SGC.... Then to CSG, Then to HGA, Then back to PSA in a value sub for an authentic altered slab!
Hmm, that's a big gamble for me $ wise at this point of time. Lots of thinking to do. Especially with how graded cards are now, I probably should get a few 1000 of mine graded lol. And that's before a couple vending cases worth of 89/sakic rookie year complete sets that might have some 10's (close to 50 sets).
So if it or any of my screwdown cards are smashed, what should I be looking for? Stretched beyond the 3.5/2.5? Anything else that I could see with a magnifying glass or anything?
Generally when a card is "smashed", it will be in the corner areas as that is where the screws are (in fact a lot of times the case won't touch the mid part of the card as it curves slightly, look at one of your screwdowns from the side). Sometimes there is a sheen in the corner area where the lucite has kind of rubbed on it. Another way to tell is take a card from the same set that is not from a screwdown and place them side by side, rub your finger over the gap, if one card is higher than the other, then smashdom has occurred.
Now if money is an issue and you plan to sell it, I guess you could reach out to an auction house, where they will take it and get it graded. I think if it comes back not gradable they won't charge you. If it is graded you need to sell it with them. So maybe a win-win?
I don’t see that card getting min size, borders look good to me. Screwdowns can affect cards but we all had cards in scredowns in the 80s and the large majority made it into slabs. The screwdown kills cards is a little overblown IMO
agreed. just more of a warning & conveying everything possible. agree on the screwdown thing too, but w. the card doing what it's doing, you know they are going thru it w/ a fine tooth comb.
there's another recent one posted that it's corners do look a lil pressed that might be a candidate though, imo.
I just want to say congratulations. Sure, on the card, but mostly on your user name. I can’t believe that wasn’t already taken and furious with myself for not thinking of it.