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GAI vs PSA

How close are the two companies in terms of grading? Anyone had any amount of GAI grading experience? Would a GAI 7 or 8 pretty much cross to a PSA 7 or 8? Any info or opinions appreciated.

Comments

  • PSA is as safe as there is. GAI has had issues (more so than PSA or even SGC) with some trimmed cards. I think its a coin flip between them and BGS.
    SGC is, imho, second best in terms of leitimacy.

    Prices realized reflect the above opinion as well.
  • lawnmowermanlawnmowerman Posts: 19,477 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>PSA is as safe as there is. GAI has had issues (more so than PSA or even SGC) with some trimmed cards. I think its a coin flip between them and BGS.
    SGC is, imho, second best in terms of leitimacy.

    Prices realized reflect the above opinion as well. >>



    image even if you are from a trailer park, not that there is anything wrong with that

    image
  • schr1stschr1st Posts: 1,677 ✭✭
    At one point, I might be willing to buy GAI graded key cards at a 50% discount in comparison to PSA or SGC. Not anymore. GAI has very little respect left within the hobby, especially after the problems with their autograph authenticators certifying a bunch of obviously bad Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and David Wright items recently.
    Who is Rober Maris?
  • WinPitcherWinPitcher Posts: 27,726 ✭✭✭
    3 years ago i bought a 55 Topps Spahn in GAI 7.5

    Last month I sent it in to PSA (raw of course) and it came back...
    (Evidence of trimming)

    Stay away from them.


    Steve
    Good for you.
  • cardbendercardbender Posts: 1,831 ✭✭
    Why I would tend to agree with some of the above posts, it's not always true about GAI graded cards.

    I sold a number of my PSA vintage Baseball cards to a buddy two years ago to fund a large deal I was working on. He decided to have a number of them reviewed by GAI. He liked the half grade system they used and felt comfortable that the head grader there Mike Baker, was formerly the senior grader at PSA.

    All the cards submitted ended up grading the same grade or were bumped higher. Most of the PSA 8's were very high-end so he expected many to come back 8.5 and they did. A few went from 8 to 9 too. These cards were all legit, full size cards.

    The first show he set up at with them for sale was the 2006 Sporsfest show and he ended up selling 40% of them. Most dealers bought them before the show opened. What they did with them after the purchase, I have no idea. Maybe they were then switched back into PSA holders. Who knows. All I can say is they flew off his table despite many being in GAI holders.

    On one card, a '68 Topps Rose, that was a PSA 8, be got it bumped to a GAI 9, then took it to PSA and they crossed it to PSA 9 from the GAI 9 holder. The card was clearly undergraded by PSA in the first place. It ended up in the right holder with the right grade assigned to it in the end. So that tells you right there that grading varies at times. Maybe when I submitted them initially, PSA was in a so-called 'tough grading stage'. I think if you submit enough cards to any company on a consistent basis, you will experience peaks and valleys in grading consistency. Sometimes they're a little loose, other times extremely tough, and most of the time (95% of the time in my opinion) they get it graded right the first time.

    Along those lines some of the PSA cards I sold my friend he had reviewed with PSA and they agreed they were under graded the first time and bumped them into PSA 9 holders. My buddy rarely submits any cards for grading so it wasn't like PSA or even GAI for that matter were doing him any favors by bumping the cards either. Some of the cards just merited higher grades than they initially received.

    In all there were over 120 Baseball cards in this deal from the 1950's and '60's, all were HOF stars. Not a single trimmed card in the group when going from PSA to GAI, or from GAI back to PSA holders.

    So yeah, while I do agree there are some mini-sized cards residing in some GAI holders currently, not all cards sitting in GAI holders are funny or tampered with. Many are legit and accurately graded too.

    It's best to have a good eye and see the card in person or in a very large scan before buying.

    Every grading company has strong cards for the grade and weak cards for the grade too.

    So to answer the posted question, yes many cards will cross from GAI holders into PSA holders and vice versa. But you have to screen them first to make sure you have legit full sized cards to increase your chances of success in cross grading them.

    Sorry for the long winded rant.
  • schr1stschr1st Posts: 1,677 ✭✭
    The reasons you mentioned would be the reasons I would have been willing to take a chance with some GAI cards in the past. I wouldn't take that risk any longer though.



    << <i>Why I would tend to agree with some of the above posts, it's not always true about GAI graded cards.

    I sold a number of my PSA vintage Baseball cards to a buddy two years ago to fund a large deal I was working on. He decided to have a number of them reviewed by GAI. He liked the half grade system they used and felt comfortable that the head grader there Mike Baker, was formerly the senior grader at PSA.

    All the cards submitted ended up grading the same grade or were bumped higher. Most of the PSA 8's were very high-end so he expected many to come back 8.5 and they did. A few went from 8 to 9 too. These cards were all legit, full size cards.

    The first show he set up at with them for sale was the 2006 Sporsfest show and he ended up selling 40% of them. Most dealers bought them before the show opened. What they did with them after the purchase, I have no idea. Maybe they were then switched back into PSA holders. Who knows. All I can say is they flew off his table despite many being in GAI holders.

    On one card, a '68 Topps Rose, that was a PSA 8, be got it bumped to a GAI 9, then took it to PSA and they crossed it to PSA 9 from the GAI 9 holder. The card was clearly undergraded by PSA in the first place. It ended up in the right holder with the right grade assigned to it in the end. So that tells you right there that grading varies at times. Maybe when I submitted them initially, PSA was in a so-called 'tough grading stage'. I think if you submit enough cards to any company on a consistent basis, you will experience peaks and valleys in grading consistency. Sometimes they're a little loose, other times extremely tough, and most of the time (95% of the time in my opinion) they get it graded right the first time.

    Along those lines some of the PSA cards I sold my friend he had reviewed with PSA and they agreed they were under graded the first time and bumped them into PSA 9 holders. My buddy rarely submits any cards for grading so it wasn't like PSA or even GAI for that matter were doing him any favors by bumping the cards either. Some of the cards just merited higher grades than they initially received.

    In all there were over 120 Baseball cards in this deal from the 1950's and '60's, all were HOF stars. Not a single trimmed card in the group when going from PSA to GAI, or from GAI back to PSA holders.

    So yeah, while I do agree there are some mini-sized cards residing in some GAI holders currently, not all cards sitting in GAI holders are funny or tampered with. Many are legit and accurately graded too.

    It's best to have a good eye and see the card in person or in a very large scan before buying.

    Every grading company has strong cards for the grade and weak cards for the grade too.

    So to answer the posted question, yes many cards will cross from GAI holders into PSA holders and vice versa. But you have to screen them first to make sure you have legit full sized cards to increase your chances of success in cross grading them.

    Sorry for the long winded rant. >>

    Who is Rober Maris?
  • cardbendercardbender Posts: 1,831 ✭✭
    Here are two former PSA 8's that now reside in GAI 8.5 holders. Both are high end and I would bet any amount of cash to anyone out there that doubts they will not cross back into PSA holders at any time.

    image
  • schr1stschr1st Posts: 1,677 ✭✭
    They certainly look nice. They'd probably sell for more in PSA 8 holders now (if not more, then certainly more quickly) than they would in the GAI 8.5 holders.



    << <i>Here are two former PSA 8's that now reside in GAI 8.5 holders. Both are high end and I would bet any amount of cash to anyone out there that doubts they will not cross back into PSA holders at any time.

    image >>

    Who is Rober Maris?
  • cardbendercardbender Posts: 1,831 ✭✭
    You may be right about GAI now. I too have seen many mini's inside GAI holders as of late too.

    I was just trying to explain that 'some' GAI cards are fully legit.
    Depends who's submitting them I guess.

  • schr1stschr1st Posts: 1,677 ✭✭
    Lately it's "who". In the past it was "who" and "when".



    << <i>You may be right about GAI now. I too have seen many mini's inside GAI holders as of late too.

    I was just trying to explain that 'some' GAI cards are fully legit.
    Depends who's submitting them I guess. >>

    Who is Rober Maris?
  • cardbendercardbender Posts: 1,831 ✭✭
    Thanks for your comments on the cards. I think you're right about the value of them in their holders. Probably better off in psa holders.

    Like I said these were once mine, I sold them in PSA holders. My friend crossed them into GAI holders, and now he sold them back to me in a small buy back deal.

    So they're mine again although I didn't plan on selling them so there's no reason for me to cross them back into psa holders..... yet.
  • i just sent in a gai 9.5 2001 fsl josh beckett auto & it came back from psa/dna as a 10.

    that was my first try to switch over a card from gai to psa & it went well.
  • yankeeno7yankeeno7 Posts: 9,242 ✭✭✭
    While you are not able to tell when cards were graded by GAI, I think their earlier history was much stronger. I have seen many cards from GAI holders find their way into PSA with no issues. Conversely, we have seen some cards pulled from packs that PSA has returned as Evid of Trimming. No company is perfect. While I believe SGC is your second best, I think there are plenty of GAI bargains out there to be found. I have not tried to cross any yet but I am soon sending in a 62 Mantle. It was graded a 6.5 but I do not think it will get a 7 but the 6 at best. Like they say, buy the card and not the holder. Just carefully inspect the cards before purchasing GAI.
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