Do low pop PSA 8 cards drive PSA 7's of the same card up?

RonBurgundy

I've seen some sellers lately - including one rather egregious violator who shall remain nameless - jacking up prices of PSA 7 vintage cards simply because the card has a low pop in PSA 8. Usually they advertise that it's a low pop card in PSA 8 and don't mention the pop numbers in PSA 7.

Now, some cards that are low pop in PSA 8 obviously carry a higher price in PSA 7 because in any NM or better condition they are tough to find. The '57 Mike Garcia for example, which is $70 SMR in PSA 7 and tough to find centered and without snow. (Try finding it for less than $70, by the way.) But to extend this to all low pop PSA 8 cards seems silly, and it seems sillier to pay a premium price for a 7 simply because there is a low pop in 8. The only reason it seems to me to pay a premium price for a 7 is if the card itself is a high end 7. Otherwise you're better off looking for raw cards rather than pay a premium on an off-center 7 with snow (which is how some of these 7's look that I've seen advertised).


Stay classy,



Ron

SOM

I've often wondered about that, too...but in the case of , say, 1959 Topps baseball, I don't automatically see the 7's jacked up just because the 8 is so tough. Good example is the card of Ray Moore...very tough in 8, but it is still sitting, unpurchased, on eBay for $14 BIN...the SMR for common 7's.

mikeschmidt

Ron:

It sometimes does. I think it depends on how/why the card is so low pop. to begin with. In 1955 Bowman - there are a handful of cards that are notoriously off-center. Some have single digits in PSA 8 - and very low populations even in PSA 7 for the same reason [centering]. So PSA 7s end up commanding premiums - and sometimes people will buy multiple copies of a PSA 7 in the hopes of re-submitting for a PSA 8. And when it works, it is like a goldmine in terms of $$$ saved.

RonBurgundy

Mike - that's a fair point. If one buys a high end 7 and resubmits, that's not a bad strategy.



Ron

mikeschmidt

<< <i>Mike - that's a fair point. If one buys a high end 7 and resubmits, that's not a bad strategy.

Ron >>



Ron: It definitely depends on the issue and how high a PSA 8 might go for. In 1955 Bowman - two #300 Tommy Byrne PSA 8s [Pop 8] have sold recently for $700 and $900+, respectively. A PSA 7 will sell for higher than the normal price. Let's just say that it is worth $40. If you purchase 4 or 5 PSA 7s over a period of time, odds are decent that one of them will look nicer than the rest. And then you would be out $200+$30PSA fees = $230 for an $800 card.

magellan

On a bunch of 69's that ended this weekend.....many PSA 8 commons went for $6-7. 2 tough pops in 8 went for close to $20 each in PSA 7. It depends on the card, sometimes the 7 goes for pretty good money, sometimes it doesn't. You need to follow the set you're interested in and be aware of what eBay closed auction prices are on the low pops.

sagard

It just depends on how sick a collector is of waiting for an 8. My experience with building a '63 set in PSA 7 was that the hard to find cards did sell for multiples of regular sevens.

fiveniner

<< <i>I've often wondered about that, too...but in the case of , say, 1959 Topps baseball, I don't automatically see the 7's jacked up just because the 8 is so tough. Good example is the card of Ray Moore...very tough in 8, but it is still sitting, unpurchased, on eBay for $14 BIN...the SMR for common 7's. >>




That is rather odd because the 59 Topps Dave Philley and Ruben Amaro are very low 8s and at one time they were near the $100
mark for a 7.I think I paid about $30 + for a psa 7 Moore about 6 mos ago against other bidders.

ColleSystem

I just bought a PSA 7 1971 Claude Raymond for $200. An 8 just went for $800 or $900. I might end up cracking it out of the holder and submit in hopes of an 8.

Aaronman

I think, in most cases, the fact that a card has a low pop in an 8 will drive up the price of a 7. There are a few reasons for this.

1.) The 8 is very difficult (if there are any) and you want to complete the set so you purchase a lesser grade (usually a 7)
2.) The 8 is very difficult and you know when one comes out it will cost a fortune so you buy a 7 to keep your costs down.
3.) As already mentioned, people buy the 7 to cross it into an 8 for themselves or to sell.


In the cases cited above (and they are all very common) the demand for the card in a 7 is increased by the fact that the 8 is low pop. Subsequently, the price of the 7 goes up.

Doug

ColleSystem

I got the 1971 Claude Raymond card in today. It looks like it wont 8. However, it is still low POP in a 7.
-Scott

srs1a

Don't you guys know anything? If it isn't and 8, it isn't worth talking about

Give me a nicely centered 7 and I am a happy man. Give me 3 nicely centered 7's and I have an 8 when I get around to re-submitting.