Grading Questions

MuckyMutt

Hi, excuse the tone of this post, but I'm pretty depressed right now. Recently got back my first submission to PSA. 21 cards, all 1964 Topps baseball, all similiar condition. All cards graded 7, except one 6, and one 8. Then there were the two Mantles - one was a 5 (I guess because it was the highest value card), and one was a friggin' 3! Like I said, all 21 cards were in similiar condition. I could not figure out how one was a 3! So I cracked it open, and lo and behold it had a crease in the middle - a crease that was NOT present when I sent it to PSA. From what I understand, they are not responsible (so they say) for any damage they cause. Geez, bad luck...

Then there was one card not graded- it says "NOT FINALIZED!!!". The exclamation points are theirs. I have no idea what that means. Anybody know?

Now I'm just going to go sit in a dark corner and sob a while...

A761506

What's the sub #/zip... never heard of them posting grades with one saying not finalized

Sorry to hear about your frustration with the grading. I have not had a problem with them creasing any of my cards accidentally, but I'm sure it happens on occasion, and I think you'll have little luck trying to stick the blame on them. Something tells me however, that the grades they put on your cards are probably pretty accurate when all is considered. You can examine the one graded 8 and probably see why the others are 7's compared to it. The difference between a 7 and an 8 is not much, but the centering may be slightly off, the corners may be slightly more worn, the gloss could be thinner, the edges may have more chipping. On 64's, you can really judge the corners & edges quite well by looking at them from the back. Don't lose hope, everyone has a rough time with their first few subs, especially if you are submitting vintage.

MuckyMutt

I agree that the 6, 7's , and the 8 are all pretty accurate. It's just that the Mantles were of course the prize of the bunch, and although I'm new at this, there is NO difference between the 5 Mantle and any of the 7's! I have been following this forum for about three months and you can add my vote to the many posts that claim that PSA has a different standard for high $ cards.

My depression is only because of the Mantles. And that creased 3 really hurts...

mart

You know, the more I read about PSA, the less faith I have in them !! I, like you, am new to this and am learning everyday ! But it would seen that if PSA is responsible for incorrect grades given by them, it should be responsible for damage incurred by them !! (a lesson learned..I would keep scans of any high $ cards sent & take additional pics at every angle to show the damage was not present when mailed). It may not do any good,,, but it can`t hurt !! It really sounds like they just do not want to own up to their mistakes ! Hard to trust a company like that !!!

dgbaseball

So I cracked it open, and lo and behold it had a crease in the middle - a crease that was NOT present when I sent it to PSA

That's the risk we take sending cards via mail to a company and of course there's no way you can prove it wasn't there when you sent it. The whole process is based on faith that they handle cards safely, don't switch cards, don't lose cards etc. Despite unfortunate stories like yours, I personally still have a huge amount of faith in their abilities.

Never heard NOT FINALIZED. Definitely figure out what that means and let us know...

A761506

My guess is that the Mantle card that was graded a 5 has a surface wrinkle that you did not notice. Look at it from all angles under a bright desk lamp to find surface wrinkles.

I do not believe they grade tougher on star cards as opposed to commons. I think each grader grades uniformly from one card to the next. The only time there are variances is between different graders, as some may seem more liberal than others. I have received 8's and 9's on Mantle cards that deserved such grades, while I've received 5's on others worthy of that grade.

As dgbaseball said, there is a slight risk involved in sending cards to PSA, however, you must believe that they will not damage your cards. With the volume of cards they handle, there are bound to be a couple that are damaged along the way, as everything is handled by humans. No reason to get upset with them, as I'm sure the same happens at every company. Bottom line is that they do a good job the majority of the time, their name is the most trusted and respected standard in the industry, and their holders command the most value.

stevek

I could understand a corner ding if someone there accidentally dropped the card. But someone there causing a crease? - highly doubtful in my opinion.

5STAT

Everytime an issue pops up...it's PSA 1st to blame..

A card came back creased....how was it shipped?? Penny sleeve and a Card Saver I? Did you write on your labels "before" or "after" you loaded the cards into the protector? When you were finished packing the cards..did you surround them with cardboard (to prevent any and all bending) and if so...were they taped tightly..or elastic bands used to keep them in place??

The only reason why I ask all these questions is that alot of people are the 1st to cry...but then when they are asked the questions...they say " oh, was I supposed to do that?"

I sat and watched a guy fill out his labels on the back of his card savers....the cards were inside at the time....even the slightest pressure can dent/crease or simply bend a card.
Alot of people don't take the time to use the sleeve...use the card saver I and use cardboard or bubble wrap around their cards. Some say the whole process is too time consuming as it is...

Then you get people who say...PSA stinks...I got my cards back and they were all 5's. 6's and 7's. Well, unless that's what they wanted for grades....maybe they need to learn to pregrade better.

It's NOT always PSA.....

studentT206

MuckyMut,

I tend to agree with 5Stat. Rarely do you see a first time submitter get the grades they anticipated. I know I didn't. Don't give up, just learn from it. There's plenty of great submissions in the future.

Damian

larryallen73

Welcome to the world of grading cards! Overall PSA does a pretty good job and when I have sat back and given an honest look at the cards I can usually see what the differences are in the grades. This is of course a subjective deal though and I have read on here many times of people cracking and resubmitting and getting a better (or worse) grade the next time. Maybe your Mantles are a "high end" 5 and 3? Send them back and maybe you get a 6 and a 4 but probably not. I would not be surprised if you looked carefully you would see the grades are pretty accurate across the board. I have been disappointed MANY times by grades but certainly less and less as time goes on. After 7 years of sending in cards to PSA I generally am not surprised by very many grades in a submission. Good luck in the future!