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Hey PSA - How about a Pre-Scan Appraisal

As many have stated on this board, there are many cards that we look at either after receiving it back from PSA or have seen on ebay and say, "how the heck did that get a 9 or 10, or why isn't it an oc or pd qualifier."

As all know, the difference in value from a 9 to a 10 can mean hundreds if not thousands of dollars in value.

Why not do this:

Offer pre-scan grading.

You scan in your card both front and back and email it to whoever at PSA. For a fee of lets say, $4.00 they will preview the card, send you an email with their appraisal value along with your scan, to ensure that when you send the card to them for grading that it is indeed the card that you sent a scan of.

It has to be frustrating to keep sending in card after card after card to go from an 8 to a 9 or a 9 to a 10.

They make their money off the scan fee and then again they make their money when you send it in with your documentation and grading fees.

Just a thought, since their servers already allow you to post a scan of your cards.

Dale
1st Finest Set - 1981 Baseball Fleer Basic - Retired
1st Finest Set - 1981 Baseball Fleer Master - Retired
1st Finest Set - 1955 Baseball Golden Stamps - Cleveland Indians - Retired
1st Finest Set - Mel Harder Baseball Master - Active
Mel Harder Showcase Set - Active
#15 on Current Set Registry - 1972 Topps Baseball - Retired
#23 on All Time Set Registry - 1972 Topps Baseball - Retired

Comments

  • KING KELLOGGKING KELLOGG Posts: 1,158 ✭✭✭
    dalew...

    Gee...I think that would be pretty tough to do....Tell me more...





    Larry
    I LOVE FANCY CURRENCY, pretty girls, Disney Dollars, pretty girls, MPC's, ..did I mention pretty girls???

    email....emards4457@msn.com


    CHEERS!!
  • gemintgemint Posts: 6,109 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I've never been a fan of grading scans. You can't get a high enough resolution to accurately determine the condition of the corners and edges. Also, print defects and surface defects are often impossiblt to see from a scan. I would rather have PSA offer a pre-grading service where you can spend $3 or $4 for a pregrade and then pay a few dollars more to have the card holdered. GAI offers this service now.
  • I've always wished PSA would have allow us to have the option of asking for a minimum grade for each card in a submission. Certainly would cut down on the slab cracking.

    David
    1972 Topps Baseball PSA 8+
    1974 Topps Baseball PSA 8+

    Knowledge speaks, wisdom listens
  • RobbyRobby Posts: 673 ✭✭✭
    I like GemMint's suggestion ! Anyone ever made such a request for doing that to Psa ? Robby
    Collect 1964 Topps Baseball
    1963 Fleer
    Lou Brock Master Set
  • BugOnTheRugBugOnTheRug Posts: 1,611 ✭✭✭
    ditto to gemint:

    viewing cards in 2D doesn't cut it. You have to have a rotating 3D or orthoginal view to be able to detect minute defects; and this under correct lighting. 2D viewing is fine for centering and possibly print defects only. Corner wear, surface features, etc. could not be accurately graded this way.

    GAI's pre-grade is a winner: to bad PSA can't/won't adopt a similar option.

    BOTR
  • gemintgemint Posts: 6,109 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I've always wished PSA would have allow us to have the option of asking for a minimum grade for each card in a submission. Certainly would cut down on the slab cracking.

    David >>



    You can specify this. However, you get charged the same fee whether they slab a card or not. If you are going to crack the holder anyway, then it would make sense to specify a minimum grade to save the effort and pain of cracking the holders.
  • I was going to enter a minimum grade on the submission form, but it says, "crossover only." Therefore, I never did.

    As far a two dimensional scanning, I think that it can be done, provided PSA provides a standard of what they will accept in scans.

    As an aside, they can always provide an appraisal that states, and I am not a lawyer, "this is subject to the card being appraised is the same as the one being sent in; final appraisal is based on the card being viewed as a whole, etc, etc.)

    Perhaps they give you the initial grade from the scan. Once received, if it matches what you said and showed on the scan comparison as correct they proceed. If it doesn't match, they email you with the results. You decide whether to go ahead or not.

    Here is a link to a very well scanned 10.

    Sample PSA 10 Scan
    1st Finest Set - 1981 Baseball Fleer Basic - Retired
    1st Finest Set - 1981 Baseball Fleer Master - Retired
    1st Finest Set - 1955 Baseball Golden Stamps - Cleveland Indians - Retired
    1st Finest Set - Mel Harder Baseball Master - Active
    Mel Harder Showcase Set - Active
    #15 on Current Set Registry - 1972 Topps Baseball - Retired
    #23 on All Time Set Registry - 1972 Topps Baseball - Retired
  • dalew,

    This Harold Baines card may look great in real life. However, this scan supports the weakness of trying to use a scanned image for "pre-appraisel" purposes. The upper left corner appears suspect on this scan. Furthermore, there is no assurance that the other 3 corners are as sharp as the scan suggests without 10x magnification.

    Ron
    Ron Sanders Jr.
  • PSA gave this card a grade of 10. You seem to think that the scan of the card indicates that some portions of the scan indicate that there are some imperfections, therefore, by the scan show, it may have been better given a grade of 9 or some other grade.

    Therefore, I submit, scans work.

    Dale
    1st Finest Set - 1981 Baseball Fleer Basic - Retired
    1st Finest Set - 1981 Baseball Fleer Master - Retired
    1st Finest Set - 1955 Baseball Golden Stamps - Cleveland Indians - Retired
    1st Finest Set - Mel Harder Baseball Master - Active
    Mel Harder Showcase Set - Active
    #15 on Current Set Registry - 1972 Topps Baseball - Retired
    #23 on All Time Set Registry - 1972 Topps Baseball - Retired
  • dalew,

    You just supported my viewpoint. If you sent the image without the encapsulation for "pre-appraisel". One could interpret the left upper corner as being too soft for a "gem mint" or "mint" grade. However, you have the luxury of seeing the card in person and can verify that the scan's imperfections fails to appreciate that the corner is actually sharp and wear free.

    On the other hand, attempting to "pre-appraise" encapsulated "gems" from another grading company (PGS and PRO for example) to cross-over to PSA 10 holders could be difficult because the corners can appear sharp and wear free either intentionally or accidently with a scanner.

    Ron
    Ron Sanders Jr.
  • Gemint,
    I wouldn't mind paying the same fee for a minimum grade option whether or not the card got slabbed. I just didn't know you could ask for it. All I've ever seen is a minimum grade request for "crossovers only". Does PSA state that you can request a minimum grade somewhere for regular, non-crossover submissions?

    David
    1972 Topps Baseball PSA 8+
    1974 Topps Baseball PSA 8+

    Knowledge speaks, wisdom listens
  • mcastaldimcastaldi Posts: 1,235 ✭✭✭
    Dale. . .there's absolutely no practical way to do this. In my mind, the variations in scanning equipment and capabilities of the user performing the scan are large enough variables to scuttle the whole idea. What if someone has a FLAWLESS card, but doesn't have a technology license so he sends in a terrible-looking scan? Is that card any less flawless because the submitter is technologically inept?
    Also, there are some people on the forum who are good enough in Photoshop to make most any card look mint-quality. This doesn't even take into account the file size problem. I can assure you, if I scan an image to pick up maximum detail and send it to someone at PSA, it's almost certainly going to get bounced because it would exceed the maximum file size allowed by their mail server. How would you like to wait for an e-mail with a 50MB+ attatchment to download to your inbox?

    In the end, PSA has to see the card. With almost every order, I get one or two PSA6s where I miss a surface wrinkle. Now, if I have the card in front of me and miss it prior to submission how in the world is PSA going to pick it up from a scan?

    Mike
    So full of action, my name should be a verb.
  • murcerfanmurcerfan Posts: 2,329 ✭✭
    how about you just pay the grading fee and submit your cards.

    sorry to so dizzappoint ya'll.... edited a typoz
  • LOOK EVERYBODY

    MURCERFAN"S POST ABOVE

    NOT ONLY DOES IT MAKE SENSE

    BUT

    IT'S HIS FIRST UNEDITED POST............EVER!!!!!!!!




    THE FLOGGINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES
  • I thought that was too good to last.

    Murcerfan cheated!
    THE FLOGGINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES
  • gemintgemint Posts: 6,109 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Gemint,
    I wouldn't mind paying the same fee for a minimum grade option whether or not the card got slabbed. I just didn't know you could ask for it. All I've ever seen is a minimum grade request for "crossovers only". Does PSA state that you can request a minimum grade somewhere for regular, non-crossover submissions?

    David >>



    Unless they discontinued this option, you should still be able to specify it. You may want to contact customer service to confirm this before your next submission.
  • I mentioned this subject on a thread a couple of weeks ago but I was being sarcastic about.I didnt think someone would read it and take it seriously.I put it on a thread that was questioning a grade using only a scan.As I said before it is very difficult to even guess a grade with your main source being only a scan.Your grade would only be as good as your scan.Crappy scan=crappy grade.Do you see how this would be open to criticism?
    Take care
    Bruce
  • Gemint (John),

    I will check on that with PSA. Also, your '69 Aurelio Rodriguez card you won from me on ebay will ship Wednesday, Sep 3.

    David
    1972 Topps Baseball PSA 8+
    1974 Topps Baseball PSA 8+

    Knowledge speaks, wisdom listens
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