How often and under what circumstances does PSA update SMr?

ydsotter

I was wondering if any of you know how often and under what circumstances does PSA update smr? I am getting a little impatient as both as buyer and a seller of PSA graded cards~ I understand that cards will sell above and below smr all the time... but I am impatient about cards that have consisitiently and regularly sold way above smr for a long period of time... maybe one of you can offer some infor that will console me.

I am a big fan of PSA... but I think they should pay closer attention to SMR... ((( This post relates to star /semi star cards, not commons.... )))There are plenty of cards that I ALWAYS see selling as much as 1.5x to 3x smr... REGULARLY.

By what means to they arrive at designating a value?
If EVERY sale of a particular card has been at 1.5-3x smr for the past 3 years, then why haven't they updated it? You set builders and player run collectors surely know what I am talking about.

I also see many other cards... (star cards, not commons) consistienly below smr... In my mind... this does not average anything out... rather, it is just inaccurate info in any case, at least PSA does make a decent effort... Beckett is an even bigger offender of updating their price guides... as is scd... Lastly I should mention that I am primarily speaking about Vintage Basketball cards...

MickeyC

My feeling is that SMR is laughable. I collect vintage baseball, concentrating on the 71 set. The SMR should be thrown out of the window for that set. I did notice, though, in my new SMR, that most prices for the 72 Topps baseball set have jumped. Why is that? I know the 72 set is an active set amoung PSA set registry members, but was there THAT much activity to warrant the jump in SMR prices?

I agree with you YD, SMR does not reflect what is truly going on out there. Where do they get their prices?

Mark

brucemo

I have been watching SMR for 50's Bowman since 1999.

Prices have changed during that time, and the changes tend to roughly correspond to reality. They don't just blindly keep a Mantle card at $2500 for years, even though it has been going on eBay for $1750.

Of course, there are other times when you have to throw it out the window. If a bunch of people start doing a set, and they have some money to spend, you'll pay over SMR for everything if you want to compete with them.

I think that all in all, it is a very good guide, and I have no criticisms. There is some time-lag, and some reality-lag, but it's okay.

If I thought they got it really wrong for one year, I would simply call them on the phone, ask to speak with someone who tracks prices, and tell them what I thought. This is one of the best things about PSA/CU, you can call them on the phone and they'll talk to you. The phone call is toll-free, too.

bruce

goodriddance189

You know, the main reason i quit collecting new stuff was because of Beckett and the overimportance of "book value." I have been in to psa graded cards for over a year now, and I love it. Not once have i looked the smr, if i want to see what a card is worth i do an ebay search and see auction results. Its nice to finally find a segment of the hobby where folks base their purchases on what they need, and not what the card lists for in a price guide

Mantlefan

Agree with Bruce. Pretty accurate for Vintage....especially stars. As they state themselves, common prices are very volatile. Certain teams and players always fetch higher prices. And again, if some heavyweights are doing a set, throw the SMR out the window.

SayitaintsoJoe63

Price guides are really a thing of the past. eBay and auction houses are the best indicator of values of cards. I have only looked at the SMR a couple of times until I noticed that they have 1963 PSA 9 commons listed at $90 each.
After I got done laughing, I quietly logged out and never went back to look again.

63 Topps PSA 9 commons at $90 each.......I'll buy all ya got.

dalew

Yeah, I brought this up in an earllier post.

The best indicator for prices is indeed eBay.

I've gone back over the past 30 days and have been tracking the 72 Topps Baseball Cards. I've put them next to my database to show the price and a + or - to indicate how I'm doing as far as paying for the cards that I want.

Plus, some people on the Registry offer to sell me cards from time to time. If I don't buy them, I know that they are going to sell them on ebay, so I can come back with an intelligent offer. Seller A wants to sell me a Haller IA card and wants $25.00. I can show that the last Haller IA card actually sold for $15.00. So, it does help me.

The only time that eBay really doesn't work as an indicator is for that person on the Set Registry who will pay over SMR or eBay going rate to get that special card for their set or one with a low POP number.

Just my two cents worth.

Dale

Aaronman

Keep in mind that it is a guide. With that said, I think the folks at SMR do a pretty good job. They take pricing input from their own staff, dealers and collectors. I send prices in on a monthly basis for a range of cards. In many cases dealers sell cards for more than what you can get them at on Ebay (especially commons). The dealers provide input to SMR. Here's a good example. In the last month I have seen several 1964 Mantle cards (PSA 8) sell on Ebay between $619 and $991. Superior just sold one for $1,200. What should the price of a 64 Mantle be? SMR at $775 doesn't seem to far off. I think there's also a staffing issue. You need a small army to track the price of every card listed in the SMR. I think over time you will see Ebay and SMR come closer together. I encourage you to send prices into PSA. They will identify the trends and adjust accordingly.


Doug

SKINSFAN

I HATE TO DISAGREE THAT PSA EVEN TRIES TO KEEP UP WITH PRICES.look at the web sites on the psa dealers the guys that are the main input for the smr published by psa.SO PSA SAYS. not even close ask a psa dealer for a card at smr 90% of time they will laugh at you.if you take a couple years i play with 67 philly and 68 topps football the smr for a common is not even listed the semi stars are listed at 35 bucks,do a ebay search for the last 100 cards sold from each year in psa nine 87% of them sold for over $100 and 100 % of them sold for more then double the smr for a semi star.and i am not just talking about 60,s stuff that is less stable 55 All AMERICANS ARE A JOKE. i will be happy to buy most cards listed at 150 % of smr. MANY AT 250 % SMR. I love psa think they are great for the hobby, but i think if you are going to publish a price guide they should make a attempt to get it right or NOT DO IT AT ALL. a bad guide is worse then none. some collectors get discouraged when they try to use smr as what they should pay for cards then lose interest and we lose collectors so bottom line DO IT RIGHT OR DONT DO IT

carkim

Art,

Looks like someone lit a fire under you... Your actually using UPPERCASE LETTERS!!!

Carlos

ydsotter

Thanks for all of the responses...
SMr and price guides don't really influence my buying habits much...
It's just that I want psa to be a step ahead of me... you know? To see cards regularly or always sell at 1.5-3x smr for years is not a trend... Rather... it's the norm...

I believe that what is lacking most in the card collecting industry is education and leadership... More specifically, in a business with so many competing interests and collectors on varying levels, there is an awful lot of misinformtion and laziness...

PSA is already the leader... they are #1 as far as I am concerned...
and I know that constantly updating prices is defeatist and exhausting... however unfortunate, smr and pricing means a lot to many collectors. Most importantly, it demonstates that they are keeping pace with their collectors... A more tenacious effort with SMr could increase confidence and satisfaction...

anjcollection

I'd agree with some of the previous posts.

I don't (and haven't for some time) used SMR as a 'guide'. I just like reading the few articles that are in there each month (and there are usually only a few).

Some dealers actually go by the Beckett graded guide (in the back of the magazine) for cards from years 1975-1999. It's a little closer to eBay's going rates. Of course, eBay's current (and completed) auction lists usually will tell you (though not always) what a particular card is worth.

Virtualizard

I love SMR. If every bidder on ebay uses it as a guide for bidding on cards that I am also bidding on, I will win almost every time. I look at the SMR occasionally if I'm totally in the dark about a specific card's value - usually, I'll still place my snipe a little above that value if I think it's worth it. I think that's the key here - If I think a card is only worth 25% of SMR, then that's all that I'm willing to bid. It may take me 2 months to get it, but I eventually will. On the other hand, if a card is worth 300% of SMR to me, then I am more than happy to place a bid at that level.

I guess what I'm saying is: use it as a somewhat accurate guide of the relative price differences within one specific set of cards. But, be prepared to pay premiums above SMR for factors that SMR does not account for - i.e. low pop commons, the number of people needing a specific card for their set, player set/team set collectors, or even the uninformed, fanatic ebay bidder. I'm sure there are many other reasons that I haven't mentioned here.

JEB.

SKINSFAN

i would love to hear someone from psa address this link. please explain for example how some of the biggest psa dealers have cards listed on there site way above smr but cu still shows a much lower value,not to even mention ebay sales. please check the web sites of rick at mintstate inc or any madec/triple sss/kurtz kards/ greg at legacy/mile high/peter at champs and bums just to name a few see how many cards YOU CAN BUY at smr.i do not even use smr it is so outdated but per my other post i do know of several NEW collectors that have got so discourged by trying to use it as a reference that that have stoped collecting THAT DOES BOTHER ME!!!. i no you say only a guide but please just by refering to the above web sites of your AUTHORIZED DEALERS you can see how far off your prices are. PSA has always been a leader in our hobby please like i said before put the effort into it that it takes to do it right or do not do it at all. in closing maybe you can check out the ations and the web site of some company named SUPERIOR that should not be to tough.please a responce to this link would be appreciative