My first submission since 2020 - very happy with the turnaround time and the results!
paleocards
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My 26 card Value Bulk order (1980-Present, $18.99/card, 45 business days) arrived at PSA on March 18th and was logged into their system eight days later on March 26th. I submitted 23 baseball certified autos (2004-2023) and three baseball RC's (2001-2008). Grading just the cards, not the autographs. All were purchased raw off eBay or pulled from boxes I opened.
My grades popped on Friday, April 19th, after only 19 business days! Thrilled with the turn-around time, especially after my last 15-card modern order that I sent in during the pandemic (September 2020) that wasn't completed until 8 months later (May 2021). For the first time ever, I didn't look at my grades online and it was a lot of fun revealing the grades with the cards in-hand this past Tuesday evening. Here's the grade summary:
7 PSA 10s (27% - the best Gem rate I've ever had on a submission)
13 PSA 9s (50%)
5 PSA 8s (19%)
1 PSA 7 (4%)
And here are the highlights (these are PSA SecureScans, sorry for their size...)
First, a couple of future HOF rookies:
Next, three new HOFer Topps Chrome Black autos (all bought on eBay):
Autos of the 2023 Rookies of the Year, pulled from my case of Topps Tribute (the "8" on the Corbin Carroll was the only head-scratcher in the entire submission, I had it pegged as a "10").
Finally, the three biggest cards I sub'd, very happy to get a couple of 9's and one 10 on these.
This Nolan Ryan was the big hit from my '21 Topps Heritage case-rip.
This Pujols auto is a jersey number match (#5/15) that I bought raw on eBay.
I just love the design of this Ichiro Ivory auto from '23 Topps Chrome Black that I bought raw on eBay and I was thrilled it came back a Gem Mint 10.
Comments
Great results…congrats and thanks for sharing the positive news!
Oh man. That Ted Simmons is so great. One of my all-time favorites. Just amazing.
Happy for you!
Great cards!
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
Nice submissions. Congrats.
Modern card grading has not really been an issue. It's the vintage.
In a recent interview regarding consistency, Ryan Hoge admitted that sometimes a grader who just graded a bunch shiny ultra-modern who then switches to vintage, can grade "a little more conservative."
And other times "one grader might view a certain flaw as more detrimental and might penalize the card an additional grade.."
Obviously I got that guy on my last vintage sub.
We're all getting that 'guy'!
Nice of him to admit that but how about they get their house in order before pissing off their entire customer base who collects vintage? If they know it's an issue then why in all that's holy are they still doing it?!????
I just listened to the whole interview. When asked the question he said when switching from shiny ultra-modern and then grading 1980's can grade "a little conservative".
He basically did not answer the question as vintage defined by PSA is pre 1980. I would like to know why 1950's to 1970's is sooooooooooooo much tougher to get high grades.
I thought that is card is looked at by 2 graders. (re-looked after 1st grade.)
Maybe an operational change is needed where graders are segmented into the grading service tiers ...i.e modern cards graded by modern trained graders and vintage tiers graded by those graders with LOTS of vintage experience...That way a grader doesn't see Modern then vintage...just a thought...
Right on. I think that is too simple.
Good idea but a better question might be how long anyone grading at any service level has been at PSA. With how many they say they go through in a month I'd bet they're throwing bodies at everything just to keep up with pace.
If so, it's probably tough maintaining any consistent standards which is what everyone seems to be seeing. (and what they're admitting)
This is the case as was told in an earlier interview with Nat Turner. 1980's and up are considered modern by PSA with their bulk submissions.
He mentioned that. He said all cards are looked at by at least 2 graders. The 2nd grader being the guy looking at the card, already slabbed, through the holder during the QA step. So not exactly a rigorous, thorough evaluation.
He said scaling is an issue, grading so many cards and so many different graders.
"It's hard."
(Im paraphrasing here) At the end if the day it's people, we offer an opinion based service and while grading definitions haven't changed, opinions change.
If a grader grades too loose or too tight they get coached. And if the gem rate is too high from a grader, they get coached. POP control admission?
A lot of his responses bothered me. Though, most others seemed to be the most bothered by his upcharge reasoning.
Seems he encourages graders to expand their knowledge and repertoire to grade more segments.
Yeah but some delineation is needed in a corporate structure as well as an incentive plan for graders in particular...as graders ARE the CRUX of the service...sorta the same as engineers for a technical company...can have promotional grader opportunities such as grader level 1 2 3 then specialists...at any rate hopefully the grading gets dialed in to acceptable levels
For sure. Boeing is dealing with this exact issue right now.
If no one trusts your grading at a grading company then things go in the wrong direction quickly.
Does anyone know what the rationale behind the value-directed pricing structure at PSA is? Do more valuable cards get more attention? Is this a question of liability for them with respect to standing behind their grades? I haven't ever received a good answer from anyone at PSA.
Great job ! Well done !
yeah most definitely a concern for management