PSA Grading

footballfan

I recently joined the collectors club so I could get my cards graded. Before sending them I compared them to PSA cards that I have bought from dealers. When I saw the grades that they posted I was very surprised and I believed that they must of been switched. When I got the cards back I was glad to see that they were not switched but still surprised at the grades. My grades were 9,9,8,8 OC,7, and 6. The 7 card was from the same set of one of the 9's and was in the same condition. Both cards were centered and had 4 perfect corners with no flaws, they both look exactly like my PSA 10's and 9's. The two cards that received the 8 grade are in much better condition than the PSA 8's I have bought in the past. As far as the OC grade, I have seen much worse off-centered cards selling on ebay with grades of PSA 9 or 10 with out the OC score. The card that I received a 6 on is in better condition than the majority of 8's that I own. Has this happened to anyone else? Or maybe on that day the graders looked at so many cards that they became cross eyed and lost their eye sight. I feel I wasted my money and its not worth sending any more cards if they are not going to follow their own standards of grading. I have emailed PSA but they haven't responded.

A761506

There are likely flaws that you do not notice. Everybody gets lower grades than the expect the first time they submit. You need to look at the cards under bright light to really see all the flaws, and then 10x loupe on the corners to really see the damage. Centering can be measured precisely with a specially designed loupe that has a built in scale that goes to 1/10th millimeters. It's amazing how much surface damage a lot of cards have, but it's hardly noticable if you're not looking for it. I'd say you did fine, coming out with a couple 8's and 9's, unless you submitted modern.

justanoldtimer

Yeppers PSA is tough to figure at times But I just roll with it and if I don't get the grade I had hoped for I just put it away and look again LOL.. I just sent a 57 Clemente in and it looks better then most modern cards I've had graded at 8's and 9's.. But its well known that they are even tougher on Star cards then Commons.. They gave this card a 6 !! With 4 perfect corners, centering is 65-35 both ways no stains no printer dots and great clearity.. gloss was the only problem with this card with very little loss, But that was enough ..

I'm new to the forum First post lol I can put up a pic of the card in a few days after its safe return from PSA..

Tommy33

Now you know why there is a third party grading service! I too have been disappointed in some of the grades I have received, but surprised by others...One was a 72 Ryan which I thought was a sure 8..when I saw the grade posted online I called PSA and had the grader look at it again and explain what was wrong...sure enough there was a hairline crease, undetected by the naked eye, which caused the card to be a 5. It is even possible that I may have caused the card to bend slightly when inserting in a penny sleeve and then the card holder...it is cardboard after all! So I have become more careful in handling cards .

cardfan07

I used my freebies to submit cards that I knew weren't 9s and 10s. They were also for my collection, so I wasn't so concerned about being able to flip a modern PSA 10 for a few bucks or lose money on a 9. I did better on some of the cards than expected. Bought a raw 56 Mantle, turned into a PSA 6. Bought a raw 65 Mays, turned into a PSA 8. I saved my "learning" for the $5 specials. Some cards are still a surprise though.
Does anyone really believe that they look at star cards harder than commons? The only way I could see that is checking for fakes, trim jobs, etc.

Brunell

I was interested in the previous post where you called in to have PSA explain the low grade. Has anyone else done this? If so, do you have to call in within a certain timeframe of the cards being graded? I have some questions about some cards that were graded lower than expected and would like an explanation.

envoy98

I think they know what the low-pop cards are, and I think they look at stars a bit more closely than "commons" if for no other reason then they will be scrutinized more on the secondary market, and to pay closer attention to alterations and counterfeits.

Here is a tip though, I would say 90% of the time people get lower grades on cards than they think they should is because they misjudge centering and they don't get a good enough look at the surface. Spend $10 and go to Target and pick up one of those 50W halogen desk lamps. You'll be AMAZED at what you see! Pin marks, dents, scratches, "dull" spots where the gloss has come off. And pick up one of those metal rulers that measures in points or the ones that do 1/10mm. It's amazing how close 65/35 looks to 60/40 and the full grade impact it has on your card. One other thing I've noticed, being that I deal mostly with modern, is that on some cards (partiularly between grades 6-9) there is a small variation in what is allowed for centering by one company vs. another. I won't get into the specifics of it, but take a look at what BGS allows for an 8 vs. what PSA allows for an 8. And for a 7 and a 9 etc... What you'll find is that in some cases, if all other things appear equal, you might be better off submitting the card to one company vs. another. Whether that be GAI/SGC/BGS/PSA is up to you. I haven't compared all the companies standards so I can't say with any degree of expertise what they all do but I did notice a difference on the higher grades between BGS and PSA for centering.

It's a learning process, but you'll find that you get a better "eye" as the time goes on and if you ask quesitons here, you'll find there is a tremendous wealth of knowledge to be had.

Best of luck.

chicago111

quick notes from the graders sure would be nice. Even if its one word like "centering"
Instead they leave it up in the air as to why a card got a certain grade.
Not knowing why a card got a certain grade makes me not want to send in other cards.
Sometimes its easy to see why... after-the-fact, but many times i have no clue why the card got the grade it did.

IMO
Chuck

justanoldtimer

I've never sent a card to anyone but PSA.. BGS Heck Beckett is a Joke and a Real Bad joke at that.. I'd hate to be a Modern card collector with Beckett Priceing your card, Grading your card and in bed with the Card Co's.. Heck it was bad enough when all of the Home grader's hit Ebay.. Beckett will palce there graded cards at a higher selling price then PSA untill you hit True Vintage cards where they cant manipulate the market like they can with modern..
Just My opinion
BTW I got the card back today ( 57 Clem ) scanned it then blew it up in Photoshop.. Hmmm should have done that before sending it in LOL I could really see the loss of gloss and the VERY LIGHT touch's on the corners.. O Well I still Like MY Clemente..

easttexascardsandgames

In my 6 Freebies I too sent some cards That I just wanted graded for my own collection, not really for resale. Got 4 10s a 9 and an 8 (previously in a GAI 7 holder)