Novice Question

CalleyOop

A question for the veterans of the board -- I have only made a couple of submissions to PSA, but from my limited observations, it seems to me that the PSA grading system is not very linear in nature. By that, I mean that the quality of a card that is graded a 4 seems quite inferior to that graded a 5. However, the difference between a 6 and a 7, a 7 and an 8, OR an 8 and a 9 seems miniscule. Is that a fair assessment or do I just have a terrible eye for judging a card's grade (and no, I admit that I have not invested in a loupe to inspect my cards)?

Griffins

I think it's a fair and astute observation, especially from someone relatively new in the game. I agree with your assesment completely.
Welcome to the boards!

zef204

I think its a good observation as well, but there are different reasons for 5's out there. Some are legit 5's and some are high grade cards that have a slight surface wrinkle that often the submitter misses. Therefor, the card may look like an 8 or a 9 but due to a tiny surface wrinkle, it is a 5.

I have had some of the most gorgeous 5's around.

grote15

Excellent point, though there's nothing like holding a well-deserved Gem Mint 10, I see your point. I think at the higher end of the grading scale, it's more about the minor imperfections that get overlooked on a lower graded card - imperfections that are often not even entirely evident to the naked eye, but for the fussy collector there is most certainly a definite difference between an 8 and a 9 or a 10 for that matter. The creation of the set registry has also added undue emphasis on gem mint graded cards, for those collectors a "low end" 10 may even be preferrable to a "high end" 9.

chaz43

Get a loupe and pregrade your cards(write down the grades you would give for your cards on a piece of paper and be very, I mean very conservative and you won't be disappointed). chaz