Tilted cards in PSA holders
shagrotn77
Posts: 5,607 ✭✭✭✭
Is anyone else bothered by the fact that nearly every card that comes back from PSA with the new inserts inside is tilted? I collect a lot of oddball and oversized stuff, and I've yet to have an item returned straight in the holder. Some can be tilted into place, but many cannot. I even had one holder that I mistakenly snapped while trying to tap an item straight. PSA agreed to re-holder it for free, but it still came back tilted the second time around! Honestly, I find this to be sloppy work as aesthetics are a big reason why many items get submitted.
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I got a tilted psa card back recently. Will they fix it?
It is sloppy work and I paid for it
it's an oversize card.... there is no way to keep it straight during shipping. I'm sure it was straight when they sealed it.
Thats a normal sized card - 1969 O Pee Chee. Just like any other baseball card
Oy, yes, if cut properly, that set is a "normal size" card and fits in a "normal" holder with rails. Your card looks like a trapezoid and is probably wider on at least one edge than a "normal" card, and thus would not fit in a "normal" holder with rails, thus your card is "oversize", sometimes referred to as miscut (MC) in the old grading days. Your cards is essentially a PSA 7 (MC)
However, if your card is truly normal size, then reach out to PSA and ask for a re-holder.....
Thanks for the info I will measure it against other cards from that year. I had these cards since I was a kid - traded hockey cards with my cousin to get his baseball cards
To respond to your original inquiry, yes.
As an example, I've received Tallboy cards in holders in which the cards were literally floating in the holder. With the increased pricing model, I would have thought they would at least put them in holders that fit these cards. I've been submitting Tallboy cards for years and years. Now, my autographed Tallboy set has cards in blue holders, cards in red holders - some with the name on the card, and some labelled simply named Trading card even though they have all been thru the same service over the years.
Sadly, this is what I have come to expect. Not mad, just resigned to the fact that this is PSA. They are a monopoly, their goal is to make money and push cards through. Presently, I need them more than they need me. But that is changing.
Did you ask PSA not to use the insert sleeve? I put in the notes that I only want the recessed holders used for grading.
https://kennerstartinglineup.blogspot.com/
Can you do that for any size card/item?
Now how are they going to use a "recessed" (not a thing, holder with rails) holder for a card that is bigger than the space for the card???? They always use rail holders if they feel the card would fit. Even CSG does the same thing. Cards that seem normal size might be 1/16 too big which really can't be seen by the naked eye (and which end up MIN SIZE when 1/16 too short!)
The only way to keep the card straight would be if they put some of the glue around like BGS does (and PSA does on tickets and things), but of course then the slab would be bigger and not normal size.
Grades just popped today and here are a couple PSA pics of my tilted cards.
These are not tilted from shipping. These are PSA scanned straight after slabbing.
Pretty ridiculous.
Looks like a child slabbed those in a totally dark room
Yup. This is EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Extremely sloppy work on their part. I even requested that my last item not have the insert in the slab, and they put it in there anyway.
The only thing I can think of it looks like they put some mylar on top of the sticker and insta-rails. Maybe when they put the top part of the slab on, the pressure of everything squishing caused a slight "draft" of air which moved the sticker in place and the operator didn't want to reset everything and try again. still pretty lame. I guess when you get it try smacking the crap out of it on the side and see if it will shift!
I can tell you from experience that very thin items are cemented in place. With the thicker ones you have a chance to tap them straight, but some are a real challenge and you have to be careful not to overdo it or you run the risk or cracking the holder/damaging the card. .
There is an outside chance that if you tap the edge of the slab, you might be able to improve this. I have managed to fix coins in slabs, so this can be done. The problem you might encounter is the card could be in at angle which may either prevent or limit the card movement. Good luck. If you try this, let everyone know whether or not it worked.
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It's amazing to me that after 35 years of being the leader in the industry that this is the finished product we are getting in 2024? BGS and SGC no problems but PSA continues to make their product uglier and worse! When I questioned why my cards look like they had oil spills on them I got some scientific reason called Newtons Ring? I am a card collector not a science teacher! Now we are making excuses for them again! Can we just call it like we see it and say this is garbage and ugly? Why are the rails so fat? Why are the cards tilted? Why does it look like there is oil rings? Why when I send a card in to be fixed I get it back like this?Honestly I should have just minded my own business and left it like it was! It actually looked better mislabeled and honestly that top left corner looks a lot whiter now !! So much for that 235 bucks! They really should console their little brother SGC and have them fix their plastic sleeve problems!!!
ON ITS WAY TO NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92658
That card is probably 1/64-1/32 oversize, get over it.......
Not sure what you mean? Are you saying the card grew during transportation to CA?
ON ITS WAY TO NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92658
I can only assume he designed the slabs himself. I picture it as... he was hanging a clock, slipped, hit his head - that's when he had the idea for the mylar ocean for your card to sail around in. The rest is history.
I believe PSA has a smaller size well for this card...will be sending the card into PSA for a re-holder.
I don't think they do the mylar thing anymore. I think the card just sits on that cheap molded insert, and I agree with you, it likely shifted from air movement during assembly. I've straightened others I have in the past, but should I have to? And I didn't have to smack the crap out of it either. Some nearly float around in there. They promote "protect your investment," but the slab itself is causing damage as the corners can be easily dinged with poor fitting rail inserts and shifting.
Some of my cards are going to the vault, so that is how they'll always be presented. I have straightened out others in the past anywhere from hard taps on a table to just shaking it in my hand. What the consumer is paying for grading and what the company is profiting, cheaping out on proper fit is not acceptable.
I have sent cards to the vault that left my house straight, only to arrive tilted, then get scanned that way. Clearly the person doing the scanning doesn't make any effort to straighten the card out before scanning. So this is how the cards will be forever be presented to the public and to myself.
On top of what you mentioned, the scanning has gotten worse also. The glare from the lights washes out or conceals features and can exaggerate others. Not to mention the unnatural color, contrast, and saturation. The scan no longer represents what the card looks like in hand like it used to.
SGC - scans are great, Holder is great. I like the Beckett holder the best, but it takes them 12 months to get an order back to you. Not a fan of the large holders, they put 2 of my 1982 police mattingly's in those. Not sure why, I have about 6 that are in regular holders.
Wow 8 of those, That's great olb51! I recall years ago you asked the forum about this card and I replied there will never be a 10 of this card because in order to be centered lL/R borders, the photo credit verbiage running up the side border would get cut off. I checked the pop report today and still no 10s out of 288 submissions. Hope yours are all 9's!
Back to the OP, I hate when you have a 10 in the large slab and it bounces around and I have to tap the sides to get it centered in their holders. I also hate that no one makes a display case for the larger holder sizes.
I have about 5 psa 8's and 4 psa 9's of the Mattingly 1982. graded all by myself. As for the big holders, I have several 10's that they put the thick cards in. the holders are about twice as big as a regular holder. Not sure why they put them in there.
I can't remember all the 10's but a couple of low serieled auto's Philip Rivers Rookie, a Robinson Cano auto low serieled number. And a couple of Miggy /5 auto's from 2003 and 2004.