What makes a PSA 10 ?

richtree

I figured I would start this top because I have a ton of PSA 9 cards that I think should be 10.

Firstly, I think we all look for anything obvious on the card -- creases, dents, marks etc.

Secondly, we look at the card centering.


Thirdly, the 4 corners are crip (not dinged)

Lastly, overall shine, luster and presentation of the card.


I have many cards that are flawless in this regard but constantly get 9's.

Manny's Pinnacle Rookie never seems to get a 10 but my 9's look perfect ?


Anyone have insight here ? (figured it may be a good discussion)

thanks

lsutigers1973

I have submitted about a 1000 cards that are in PSA 9 holders that are supposed to be 10's.

WarHoundR69

Perfection, Oh sorry that's an SGC100 - "PRISTINE"

nam812

<< <i>Secondly, we look at the card centering. >>



That's first for me. If it doesnt have that, I dont have to go forward.

thedutymon

Good day,
After 10,000 submissions....Luck of the draw. Like Bill said I have thousands of 9's that should be in 10 holders.

Neil

jeffcbay

I also start off with the centering, then I move to the corners, then edges, then surface (front and back). I don't pay too much attention to the back's centering, unless it's WAY off.

frankhardy

Who knows what really makes a 10. I have an opinion as to what SHOULD make a 10. In my opinion, a 10 should be a 9 that is absolutely, positively, dead on centered. In my opinion, this only difference between a 9 and a 10 should be centering. I mean, Mint is Mint, right? So, Gem Mint should be Mint with extra eye appeal. The only thing you can really see with the naked eye that can make a difference is centering.

WinPitcher

What makes a 10 a 10? PSA.


Steve

gameusedhoop

A decent card and a "well known" submitter.

Stone193

I'm thinkin' - one heck of a nice card.

I'll take a nice 8 any day at a fraction of the cost.

theskypilot

gameusedhoop;

I'll second that

SKY

hammered

Seriously, though, in my experience the biggest factor that separates well-centered and sharp 9s from well-centered and sharp 10s is picture registration. If focus is clear and registration is perfect (which is more rare than many think) it has a good shot at a 10. That's what gives it the extra eye appeal that graders like.

Edited to add that if you are looking for resubbing candidates from 9 to 10, look not only at the photo's registration, but also the registration on the border of the picture and text - make sure they line up perfectly. Otherwise, it will still be a 9.

bobbybakeriv

I agree with Hammered. The key is registration. This separates the 10s from all the rest...

IchiroDeported

the difference is people crazy enough to pay silly money for one grade higher

i'd be happy with an 8, or a raw card that looks like one for 1/10th of the price

jswieton

I feel that the corners play a big part between a 9 and a 10. If you look at a corner under a loop or magnifying glass you can see subtle difference between a 9 and 10. Even though a corner may appear sharp and perfect to the naked eye there may be slight imperfections that can cause the card to grade a 9.

edmundfitzgerald

If Jacqueline Smith was a PSA 9 and Cheryl Ladd was a PSA 10, would you be unhappy with the PSA 9 ?

However, to answer your question, I don't agree that a PSA 10 can have a printers mark on it. I've seen PSA 10's
with a print dot and that takes away from the eye appeal IMO.

richtree

I guess I get mad when I put in 10 potential 10's and get back 10 - 9's...

at least beckett tells you why.

I think all psa 9's should come with reason for not being a 10 ...

What do you thinK ?

jradke4

when i have multiples of one card that i want graded i start by looking at the corners and edges (for some issues black borders for example). then i move on to centering. then if there are any that are still "tied" i move on to gloss etc. usually by then there arent any ties.

however my last two subs were my best ever, over 50% 10's on subs with 150+ cards. all were either finest or chromes which can have scratches. almost all i only had one card. so how about that. i didnt even look at any of them that carefully, just sent them all in even the doubles.

dioworld

<< <i>I guess I get mad when I put in 10 potential 10's and get back 10 - 9's...

at least beckett tells you why.

I think all psa 9's should come with reason for not being a 10 ...

What do you thinK ? >>




Totally agree, they should give more reasoning
Sometimes our card got rejected, like card got trimmed or altered, but they didn't tell you where/why
I always think a little two line comment from them would be good

akuracy503

Does anyone notice a trend in how busy PSA are depending on the time of year?

Does workload affect grading trends...

If it were a Friday before a 3 day holiday weekend does the grader tend to be happier thus more lenient...

We're all humans...food for thought...

thunderdan

I especially ask myself this question regarding the 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson RC.

I've owned a few with perfect centering front and back, no chipping along the edges that were 9s. The last 10 I saw for sale didn't have close to 50/50 centering on the front. Maybe with this particular card there's a rare few with superior registration. Who knows...