What exactly are the standards for the half grade?

mbothner

Feb 1 is only 9 days away and I have not seen anything official about what PSA is looking for on the half grade. I am sending a 100 card bulk submission on Feb 1. As of now I am planning on sending 100 PSA 8's with 60/40 or better centering. Is there something else I should be looking for?

WinPitcher

Mb

If I was sending in cards that I felt could bump I'd make sure they were free of print dots on the front and back, centering was better then 60/40 and the corners were above average for the already established grade. If the card had colored borders I would make sure it had no chipping. The reverse if colored would also be free of chips.

In effect any card I sent in would have to be a 'gem' for the grade. And even with all that i'd be ready to accept a low pct of cards would actually bump. I do not think that cards will be getting bumps like candy.

JMHO


Steve

colebear

Read the article on the PSA home page, that is pretty informative about the change.

stown

IMO, if you are sending in 100 cards for review without knowing the standards, kinda setting yourself up for major disappointment.

/$0.02

mbothner

<< <i>IMO, if you are sending in 100 cards for review without knowing the standards, kinda setting yourself up for major disappointment. >>



Probably. That is why I was trying to get some opinions. I have plenty of 8's and a few 7's to check. I should be able to come up with 100. I will just look for cards that look like they should be 9's.

gameusedhoop

If they are already 8's and you think that they should be 9's, then why not crack them out and submit them raw? You will have a chance to bump some to 8.5, and some to 9s. If PSA's grading was accurate the 1st time then you SHOULD do no worse than your original 8's on the rest. If your going to spend $500+ to get them regraded, at least give yourself a chance to really bump a few.

mbothner

<< <i>If they are already 8's and you think that they should be 9's, then why not crack them out and submit them raw? You will have a chance to bump some to 8.5, and some to 9s. If PSA's grading was accurate the 1st time then you SHOULD do no worse than your original 8's on the rest. If your going to spend $500+ to get them regraded, at least give yourself a chance to really bump a few. >>


That's true. I never thought of that.

JasP24

Especially if you are talking about card valued under $100 (I assume). If they are PSA 7's or 8's and you are hoping for better, crack and re-sub raw is your best option.

Jason

jmbkb4

I'd definitely crack them out. At least make PSA PROVE that they looked at the cards before they say "no change" or "change."

Graders are human, just like most of us. If they want to get their work done quickly, it is much easier (and faster) to say "grade fits" and move on to the next card.

TheVon

The article says that cards should be centered 5-10% better than the allowance for the regular grade if you want the half-point bump.

WinPitcher

wait a second fellas, you need not crack the card out to get the full bump. I thought I saw somewhere they if they feel it will bump the full grade you get that. Once you crack it you run the risk of it down grading and even it being rejected for evidence of trimming.


I am almost positive I saw that somewhere (official)

Steve

gemint

<< <i>wait a second fellas, you need not crack the card out to get the full bump. I thought I saw somewhere they if they feel it will bump the full grade you get that. Once you crack it you run the risk of it down grading and even it being rejected for evidence of trimming.


I am almost positive I saw that somewhere (official)

Steve >>



That's what Joe told me when I talked to him. If the card is deserving of a full grade bump, it will get it. I still think your odds are better to get a bump if it's cracked and resubmitted.

gameusedhoop

<< <i>wait a second fellas, you need not crack the card out to get the full bump. I thought I saw somewhere they if they feel it will bump the full grade you get that. Once you crack it you run the risk of it down grading and even it being rejected for evidence of trimming. >>



If that happens, evdi of trim, then PSA should be called out on it. People buy PSA cards for the security that grading offers. According to PSA 3 EXPERTS looked at that card already and deemed it to be authentic, unaltered, and have assigned a "grade" to it. If they were cracked out and came back EOT, then I would really be on the phone with Joe O. very quickly.

Like others have said, do you think a card in a holder will really get a fair look over for a 1.0 bump? To easy to say NO, and put it aside. How would PSA look if they did bump a # of cards up a full grade uncracked. What would their response be "we were just kidding about the 8 the first time that you paid to have it graded, it was really a 9, but we figured we'd have some fun. Now that you've paid for it again, we kind of feel badly, here's your 9".

WinPitcher

If that happens, evdi of trim, then PSA should be called out on it.


How can you prove it?

Once you crack the card out it is now being sent in raw.


Steve

jradke4

how about you send it in and comes back trimmed or recolored. then resubmit it and it comes back as a PSA8?? lets all be honest they grade cards just as well as we all do. sometimes they are higher, sometimes lower and sometimes they dont look right.