Selling Old PSA Labeled Cards Vs New
indiana9495
Posts: 94 ✭✭
I graded my childhood1986 Fleer Basketball set almost 20 years ago via PSA. I am finally getting around to upgrading the cards that were not at least an 8 NQ to one that is an 8 NQ. Question I have for the group is this: I have listed on eBay a PSA 7 of Danny Ainge for what I think is a reasonable price of $35.99 with offers accepted. A buyer contacted me with an offer of $25 given the fact it has an old label. What difference does the label from 2004 or 2005 when I graded this card have to amount to $10? Thanks!
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Welp, newer PSA slabs/Flips are prettier. Is it a 30% discount, probably not, but to this person who offered you, it is. An old flip 7 did sell in August for $22.50 btw. One in a new flip sold for $22.50 in April. To me, on an aesthetic level, old flips should sell for less. Thus why on more expensive cards, peeps send them in for a re-holder.
Interesting topic. I have been buying some older graded cards (50s, 60s, 70s) and I find myself leaning more towards the newer label. I will agree with Rufuss and say it does look a little better but my biggest reason is it is almost guaranteed the newer labels aren’t counterfeit. Most of the older cards are in older slabs but more and more people are reholdering them. I have run across more than a few old labels that look a little suspicious. There is no way of knowing if it’s real or not. Some people would say “check the cert number”. If someone has gone through the trouble of making a fake label I’m sure they can find a real cert number to print on it. On the few occasions I did buy an old slab I made sure the seller had a very high feedback rating. That is my theory on why people may prefer a new label to an old one.
I'd say it's grading standards. You can look at some old slabs, scratch your head and say: How in the heck did that grade an 8 my newer 6 slab is just as good. Some of the fonts are funky and flip can become wavy or wrinkled over time. Buy the card not the flip.
It is perceived by me and many others grading standards are stricter now. A new case is more attractive and fool proof.
True many look for pre 1/2 grade cards for subbing. However, the current wait time and pricing may put the cabosh on that.
I say evaluate the card not the case. You need not sell to the lowest price out there.
1948-76 Topps FB Sets
FB & BB HOF Player sets
1948-1993 NY Yankee Team Sets
There is a price difference. When I am buying, I see the price difference and bid accordingly and willing to pay a little more.
So, just asking an honest question and not having a hidden opinion here, are grading standards today the toughest they ever have been, or is it possible to say that, say, standards were strictest between 2006 and 2008 so cards with the same grade from then should be worth more?
It’s hard to pin down the exact times when grading has been tougher, but one thing is for certain: Enforcement of centering requirements is much tougher than it was 10 years ago.
On the subject of stricter grading standards and old flips vs new…I recently bought a 1988 Topps traded Roberto Alomar PSA 10 in an old slab and I plan to have it reslabbed at some point. I hope it will come back still being a 10. I wouldn’t think they could take that card and say “well we didn’t grade this one as strictly 20 years ago so we need to change the grade”. Anyway what I’m getting at is hopefully the standards have remained the same even though a lot of us feel they are a little stricter these days. I am posting a picture of the card and you can see the edges are pretty jagged, which was very common for that time period. Hopefully that is taken into consideration by today’s graders.
When you get a card reholdered, it automatically gets the same grade unless there is damage to the slab that is near the card.
The grading technology has increased over the years. They have had several card trimming operations go undetected. Plus they had a bunch of low dollar counterfeit cards get by. And the old slabs are easier to open which lead to several high profile internet scams.
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Interesting thread. I internally look at the slabs and I have 3 tiers in my mind.
Regarding pricing them, I'd don't necessarily pay more for #1 slab but I would expect to pay less for #2 slab.
Regarding grading standards, it's amazing how much different a so-so 10 in an OLD SLAB would look in a NEW SLAB, all things being equal. Perception is reality, of course, but I don't think standards have shifted dramatically in the past 20 years.
But, people do like the NEW SLABS. I looked at pricing them today and they are very expensive! And such a hassle. Do you want to be without your card for months and risk it being damaged throughout the entire process?
I couldn’t care less which version slab a card is in. I think modern collectors seem to care more than vintage collectors.
I wouldn't have a clue to possibly when grading standards were strictest. IMO, they have always been strict. I started subbing in the mid 90's just to preserve and get a more defined value of the cards that meant something to me. I've subbed less than 100 times in 20+ years and always lived with PSA's evaluation as they are the premier third-party grading service. Always sold some so hobby paid for itself. Of course, wish I would have subbed more at those $5.50 specials back in the day.