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Oops, didn't get the grade you expected.. why?

I see a lot of folks being suprised about the grades they get. They expected a 10, got a 9. They expected a 9, got an 8, or worse. When you go back over the card, do you see what you missed, or are you still baffled?

I recently picked up a 10x loupe and went back over the cards I submitted and see why they got the grades they got (and wonder why some didn't grade lower in some instances).
My Giants collection want list

WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25

Comments

  • julen23julen23 Posts: 4,558 ✭✭
    We WAS ROBBED....


    WE WAS ROBBED!!!!

    Julen
    image
    RIP GURU
  • For me, it is always the surface that I miss. I bet I sent in a dozen of what I thought was a PSA 9 or 10 with a clear as day slight bubble starring at me in it's PSA 6 holder!!image
    My focus, 1970 Topps Baseball Raw and Graded, pre 1989 PSA Hockey and 1933 INDIAN GUM ! Yikes!!
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,437 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I still haven't turned in my cards for the last year's membership!!!

    image
    Mike
  • SDavidSDavid Posts: 1,584 ✭✭
    usually nothing - it's just a matter of trying to predict which way the grader will go with the line calls. There are a lot of cards that can go either way, especially on the 9/10 line.

    Every now and then I'll get a submission back from beckett that's graded extremely harsh, but it's not really because I missed anything. When I've cracked those cards out and resubmitted them (to either psa or bgs) they've bumped up about 80% of the time...maybe more.

    I haven't submitted as many cards to psa in the last year or so, but other dealers I've spoken to who submit to psa semi-regularly have shared similar experiences. So part of it is just knowing how to play the game as much as it is carefully examining the cards.

  • SDavidSDavid Posts: 1,584 ✭✭
    ps -

    I think the most commonly misjudged flaw with modern cards (aside from the tiny surface scratch) is corners that have a very slight lift or bend to them. I've seen a lot of modern 8's with this flaw where the submitter was presumably thinking 9 or 10. If the lift is slight enough, the corner will look perfect from a close-up magnified view...it will only show up if held in certain angles under a lamp or a regular light.
  • WinPitcherWinPitcher Posts: 27,726 ✭✭✭
    I went with the grader being a nazi.


    Steve
    Good for you.
  • pandrewspandrews Posts: 7,598 ✭✭✭
    i had my fat girlfriend deliver the cards to PSA on her motorcycle..
    image
    ·p_A·
  • p_A,

    I'm thinking you voted for "surface wrinkle" then, heh?
  • lawnmowermanlawnmowerman Posts: 19,477 ✭✭✭✭
    Ouch! Thats gonna leave a mark!

    Matt
  • Hey pandrews is your bike OK ??
    image
    My focus, 1970 Topps Baseball Raw and Graded, pre 1989 PSA Hockey and 1933 INDIAN GUM ! Yikes!!
  • KnucklesKnuckles Posts: 2,512 ✭✭✭
    When I submited cards into KSA before they went to sh!t. They sent back the cards along with a sheet of paper for each great looking card that got a poor grade with the 'front' and 'back' (just plain 2.5x3.5 boxes) depicted on the sheet. They would do things like circle one corner which would be the corner that had a ding on the actual card.. or draw a line through the box where the crease was on the actual card that they spotted. There were also some lines for them to jot down any explanation if need be as well. I thought that was pretty cool. Too bad they're no better than GEM now.
    image
  • Classic video!! I laughed my A## off.
  • julen23julen23 Posts: 4,558 ✭✭
    that's 1 tough bike.

    Julen
    image
    RIP GURU
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