Older Graded PSA Cards

minibeers

Hi there,

About six months ago, I came out of card collecting retirement (I quit in 1982 after the Topps monopoly was broken up - I was overwhelmed) and I’m new to the graded card scene.

Anyway, I just picked up a 1962 Manager's Dream in PSA 7 (which I love) and the label at the top of the holder has what looks like type from an older label printing system when you compare it to all my other PSA holders. My questions are, 1. When did they change the typeface on the labels and for how long did they use the old typeface? 2. Is it fair to say that cards with the old typeface represent "old school" grading processes/standards?

I've been lurking on the boards for a while and have learned a lot about PSA. Some of the scuttlebutt surrounding the heinous acts of a few disreputable dealers and the inconsistencies with trimmed cards being caught or not leaves me just a bit uneasy (I still think PSA is the best, though).

So, I’m wondering, if I see cards with the old typeface on the labels, does that mean I don’t have to worry about getting burned by tampered/trimmed cards as much since the old typeface predates this behavior?

Forgive me if I’m rehashing a tired topic.

Scott

p.s. This board ROCKS!

qualitycards

SCOTT - Welcome to the boards!
PSA has had a few label changes, both on the front and on the back. The older type has a different font style and some of the changes on the back of the label has been the hologram addition, the Collectors Univers inclusion and so on.
There is some talk that the older style cards don't measure up to todays grading standards, I'm not really sure thats accurate.
But the best way for you to gauge is look at your card and see if it meets your standards of a NM card, and if you are satisfied, then thats all that matters. Like the statement says..."Buy the card, not the holder" ...jay

minibeers

Thanks, Jay. I'm learning more everyday!
Scott

pc

it is possible a few wouldnt make their grades
today(primarily psa 10 and a few 9s) but ive
seen more modern labels and reverses logos,
holograms or their lack of them with questionable
results than the older bar codes.in other words
your psa 7 would probably remain a 7.pull out the
10x magnifier and take a look.good luck with your sets,
the 66s are bargains in 8 right now!.

interchanges

Quality & PC are right on the money.

It's all about perspective. Some people think cards in the older PSA holders don't measure up. This would have to be analyzed on a per-card basis. There's what 3-5 million PSA graded cards?
After a while they all just blend together.

It could be due to the fact that regardless of year, dealers will (did) say when describing a card, "recently graded under PSA's most stringent standards." making people think they used to be lax.

Look at each card for what it is. Like qualitycards says.

murcerfan

another perspective would be to take a random submission made by a dealer at any point in time (era doesn't matter, but back in the day of those old holders you had to be a dealer to submit and therefore a high percentage of cards went directly to market and into collections) and track the cards from said invoice 4 years after they hit the market. I'll bet that the higher end cards have found a happy home while the sliders tend to recirculate. So the old style holders you see, may actually have a much greater probability of misrepresenting the actual grading standard and is simply sampling "sliders".....

or maybe not.

Virtualizard

<< <i>another perspective would be to take a random submission made by a dealer at any point in time (era doesn't matter, but back in the day of those old holders you had to be a dealer to submit and therefore a high percentage of cards went directly to market and into collections) and track the cards from said invoice 4 years after they hit the market. I'll bet that the higher end cards have found a happy home while the sliders tend to recirculate. So the old style holders you see, may actually have a much greater probability of misrepresenting the actual grading standard and is simply sampling "sliders".....

or maybe not. >>




Great point, to some extent.

Remember that many cards are not permanently fixed in a private collection. Over the past several years we have seen quite a few sets, some that are very "collectible" and in high demand, sell in major auctions as well as others that have been broken up and sold individually on ebay or through other means. Some of these earlier graded cards are always going to slide back into the market

I do believe that a high % of these earlier graded cards are in collections that will never be sold and only the rare upgrades (even in the same grade) allow them to be released into the market. While some may be considered "sliders", others are not. This apparently creates the misconception that a card with a cert # starting with "0" is inferior in some way to the more recently graded examples.

I have quite a few of these "vintage" PSA slabs in my collection and will continue to buy them if I need them for any sets I'm working on. Here are a couple of examples from my collection that still measure up to the "current" standards:

JEB.

sellerman23

I personally do not think that the really old font is that good-looking. I know that one of the PSA 10 1952 Mantles is slabbed with that really old looking font and if I had that card, I would get a recent flip for it. I know that there is a picture of it in the registry somewhere.
One of my earlier submissions all came back with this really wierd scrunched font that I have not seen anywhere. It just does not seem to fit quite right with all the other "normal" fonted flips.
Just my opinion...

Dave
sellerman23

Basilone

Jeb-

I'm glad you like the Stargell.....I hated to part with it. I bought it from JH (who made it available when he broke up his #1 1964 Topps Set).

minibeers

Thanks to all who have posted to this thread. Very informative for me.
Scott