Does the PSA "plastic" have a value of its own??

KING KELLOGG · July 18, 2003 2:06PM

Hey everybody...

Has any of you board members ever sent in a card to PSA just to protect it or just to see if it's real or not???

Ever just say to yourself "I just don't want any further damage" OR "It's worth the submission fee just to see if it's authentic" ???

Regardless of any grade you might receive.

I would be curious to know...........

Thanks in advance!

Larry

qualitycards · July 18, 2003 2:12PM

When the slabbing game came on the scene, that was the #1 selling point, to see if the card is authentic and not altered. Plus it would be preserved in an unopened slab. But soon after, it became a #'s game for the modern cards that we knew were legit. Just take a look at how many Griffey Upper Deck rookies have been graded by ALL the grading companies, and that card has a tamper resistent hologram on it.
So yeah, if a Mantle '52 Topps, T206 Hall Of Famer, '33 Goudey Ruth comes my way, I will have it graded regardless of condition, but a Shaq or Ichiro rookie, not so sure...jay

Edited for typo not for content.

Griffins · July 18, 2003 2:37PM

I've done it a few times, usually when I want to make sure a card I just bought was unaltered. I've also done it a few times when the rest of the set is slabbed, and use the free grades to grade the filler until I upgrade.

mrc32 · July 18, 2003 8:15PM

Yes- With my T-205s that is the main reason I collect PSA graded cards. Simply for the protection of knowing they are unaltered. I collect mid-grade T-205s

murcerfan · July 18, 2003 10:42PM

Yes.
Just did it with some fragile T-222's and some D359's I always thought looked a bit shy.
I also did it with my Connie Mack and Current All-star sets, as they are very fragile die-cuts.

Although a good screw-down would have done the trick,
.............denial is part of being a slabaholic.

interchanges · July 19, 2003 3:49AM

No disrespect there MRC32, but how does your T205 set rank higher than Wendall Smith's?
I pick up alot of his leftovers.
Regardless of price, I think his is the mother of ALL sets!

Griffins · July 19, 2003 4:40AM

Scott-
I did a double take when I looked at MRC's set. Then realized he did a little url tweeking to get it to read #1.

MRC-
Nice one! I fell for it, and I had already read the thread showing howing it could be done.

Virtualizard · July 19, 2003 4:48AM

<< <i>No disrespect there MRC32, but how does your T205 set rank higher than Wendall Smith's?
I pick up alot of his leftovers.
Regardless of price, I think his is the mother of ALL sets! >>

It's a little trick we learned of last month.

You can make any set the current finest. It's all in fun.

JEB.

mrc32 · July 19, 2003 8:45AM

Yes- I did fiddle a little with the URL to get my set as #1!

I could never have the best set on the registry even if I took out a second mortgage. So I tweaked it.

I'm happy with my PSA 3-5s. I have nothing but respect for the people who hold the top slots in that set.

Just having a little fun...

mrc32 · July 19, 2003 8:45AM

Wabittwax · July 19, 2003 9:17AM

mrc, nice set, your George Bell and CL Herzog both look better than the grade they received. You might try resubmitting them sometime although I'm no expert with those cards.

mrc32 · July 19, 2003 10:07AM

You know I was looking at my only PSA 6, Ed Killian. It is the highest graded copy with a population of only 5. But it looks much better than some of the other 6s I have seen on ebay recently. It looks on par with a 7. I am pondering cracking it out and resubmitting, but seems like a big risk to me.

Anyway- thanks for the kind words. I have had a ball learning about these players, this era and collecting these cards. They are a lot of fun.

interchanges · July 19, 2003 11:38AM

You definately got me with that one, I was like....what? did I read that right?
Someone made some un-bee-leev-able progress on Wendall in a short amount of time!!
I tried to get him on this board, must not be his thing.
I said, "my man, you'se gets some instant respect wif dat set!"

aro13 · July 19, 2003 1:02PM

Every card I have ever bought from Alan Hager or that was ASA graded I have submitted to PSA merely to find out if it was real and/or untrimmed.

qualitycards · July 19, 2003 2:17PM

ARO - And what was your %? ...jay

NeilDowney · July 20, 2003 1:35AM

Hi Guys, I know that I don't comment very often on the boards because I like to sit back and enjoy the many angles that other collectors look at their cards. However, This subject interested me because my best friend (Ray Boehm) and I have discussed this subject a number of times. For two plus decades I have been a collector of all of the sports depending on my age and interest at the time. For the past 5 plus years I have been collecting mostly psa graded cards (95% or more). I find myself trapped in the idea that if it is not psa graded, then if has no real collecting value to me. I currently have a complete PSA graded 1972 Topps set, a near complete PSA graded Gary Carter player set and a PSA graded 1965 Topps set in progress. I would have never spent even half the money or effort on any of those cards if they were not PSA graded. I enjoy looking at them all bright and beautiful in their plastic vaults. Somewhat like a plastic time machine, with proper care these cards will never age another day. I don't need to touch them for them to seem real. I only have to remember the days I spent as a child enjoying the times that I collected them. Unlike what my wife things are cardboard money pits, they are pieces of American history and of my childhood history. The plastic preserves the history so the plastic itself has to have value because of what it does. None of us would even be on this forum enjoying ourselfs reading and writing each other's thoughts if it wasn't for the plastic. Neil

Vargha · July 20, 2003 5:00AM

Well put, Neil.

RayBShotz · July 20, 2003 6:16AM

I have to admit that in the beginning certification and authentication intrigued me. That service value and the encapsulation against further degradation pushed me further. I jumped in initially 5 years ago with the registry because I liked the idea of sharing this pursuit with others...others who have become long distance friends. These boards have turned us all into modern day penpals, so to speak.

Back to the question; I believe absolutely yes. It is a better kind of screw down, based on all I have stated before.

The really neat thing for me came about with the my newest set pursuit. Being old school; I have always felt that a NRMT card , especially a pre 70's card was a real darn, pretty nice old card.
I have begun to assemble a 1966 Topps baseball set in NRMT and find that in most cases I can buy (win at auction) the commons for less than the cost of the grading fees. (Stars are very reasonable also). So intrinsically I get everything else that is inherent thereof at the same time. Professional grading, certification, authentication and encapsulation....everything! That common for my set is free, in my estimation, when you consider the cost of the services. NRMT 1966 Topps cards! There was a day where we would probably have all killed to have a consistent set of that quality in a raw card.

Therefore, because I really love the art of set building and the comradery of what the value of PSA "plastic" has afforded me in the way of "free cards" there is a real sense of satisfaction collecting the entombed memories of my cardboard heroes from baseball's golden past.... and really nice quality renditions at that.
Go PSA and long live the set registry and its boards!
See you all at the Nationals.
RayB69Topps

Virtualizard · July 20, 2003 7:27AM

Ray,

Thanks for pointing out again that a near-mint card is just that ... near-mint. Although I am a hypocrite and currently only collect one set in below PSA 8 quality (T218 champions), 5 years ago I would have gladly owned a complete set of near-mint cards (as defined by PSA not ebay sellers). I can see a day when I decide to collect a pre 1960 set in PSA 7 or lower. I just haven't attempted anything from the 50s or earlier (other than T218) in graded form yet and 60s and 70s are abundant in PSA 8, with some exceptions. Those exceptions are what makes it fun for me.

I also considering winning an auction for a common for less than the cost of grading a personal victory, and basically a free card.

JEB.

handyman · July 20, 2003 9:56AM

Yes,I have a 1965 Pete Rose card that was I recieved when I was about 8 years old from my dad. Its in P-f shape easy and I still had it graded just for the case. I knew what shape it was in and a P Fair condition card would sell for the same price graded or not. I just wanted to use it for display, bc it labels it and shows exactly what it is.

aro13 · July 20, 2003 11:42PM

jay-That depends. On cards I bought from Hager and/or were already ASA graded about 75% were rejected for trimming/alteration and 25% came through the process with a lower grade. Of cards, that I submitted myself or purchased from a dealer who I knew submitted them himself I have yet to have a card come back ungraded. The grades were actually pretty close to the PSA grade.

Does the PSA &quot;plastic&quot; have a value of its own??

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Does the PSA "plastic" have a value of its own??