PSA grading process question. Please help.
Yankees70
Posts: 444 ✭✭✭
There are 8 steps to the PSA grading process. When step 3 is completed - Research and ID, step 4 starts which is grading. So here's the question.
If only one card is submitted and let's say PSA verifies that the card has been trimmed or is a counterfeit does the process stop at that time? Or do they continue on and go to step 5-8? I'm asking because I made a submission 5 weeks ago and within a week the first three steps were completed. Its been stuck on step 4 for over a month. This was a $25 submission that was supposed to take about 60 days. At the same time I submitted another order for $19 which also had a 60 day estimate which I already received back. There were 11 cards submitted in this order.
Is it realistic that step 4 - the grading process - has not occurred and the delay is normal for a card produced in the early 70's. If the card was deemed trimmed would the process stop after step 3 and go right to step 8 shipping? Since I submitted this card to a PSA dealer I cannot call PSA for information.
Comments
No, the submission still goes through all 8 steps
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Thanks. So for my situation I still have hope for a non trimmed card, correct? I purchased a raw card on EBAY and it looked good but who knows. I never thought it was trimmed until I noticed I was stuck on step 4 - grading - for over a month when my two other submissions were completed within 28 days.
Is it a mainstream card or something unusual?
Mainstream. A 1975 topps baseball card.
That's odd.
PSA is really strange with turn around times. I have paid for higher service levels in the past and had bigger "bulk" orders get done faster.
Hopefully the card ends up getting a grade, and a good one!
I have been noticing that all of my orders with pre 1980 cards seem to be taking longer in grading. Cards from the 1980's to today seem to be moving through much faster. I'm fine with the slower processing of the older cards so that PSA can do an accurate job grading them. Much harder to grade them than all the shiny stuff.
I submitted this order on April 1 which was one topps card from 1975. At the same time I submitted 11 topps cards from 1980-1985 and I received all 11 cards back within a month. They have been on step 4 (grading) for almost 5 weeks. Hopefully the card has not been graded yet and I still have a chance of receiving a nice grade.
If that's what is causing the delay then I'm all for it. I'd rather wait a bit longer for my grades to return as a legit vintage review with the proper grade than to be lumped into the same standard as current cards.
From the ones just returned to me it seems to be the case.
If it is still in Grading then it is still sitting in a stack waiting to be graded or has been graded but is now sitting in a stack of trays waiting to start assembly. You probably just got unlucky with the lane that your order went into for grading and assembly. It is also possible that pre 1980 cards go into a lane that is slower because it may have less graders and/or spending more time on each card as there is generally more wrong or more attempts at alterations that need to be sniffed out.
You realize the 60 days estimate is 60 business days. So "almost 5 weeks" means almost 25 days.
My sub has been stuck at 'grading' for over 2 months. I'm sitting at 55 business days right now.
I submitted a card a couple of years ago and it came back as "evidence of trimming" since then I got in the habit of measuring my vintage cards before subbing them. And yes, when I measured the subbed "trimmed card" it was off from the 2.5 x 3.5 it should have been and it wasn't even close.
I measured the card and I used a Loupe plus the seller who I purchased the card from has a great reputation. I was initially concerned with a possible trim or altered card because of the delay. Its been on step 4 - grading for a month now and my other submission which I submitted at the same time came back on day 28.