Thoughts on vintage PSA 8.5s

leadoff4

What are the thoughts on these cards as far as value?... I'm specifically talking about stars and semi-stars from the 50s-60s. Will they be like 9s and eventually start declining in value or are we too early in the infancy of the 8.5 to be sure yet?

itzagoner

a nice looking vintage 8.5 in a PSA holder is a fantastic alternative to spending the higher dollars on a 9......i believe that for now, it's a good risk to take you above the dividing line at PSA 8.....it needs to be a pretty amazing card, though.

as for vintage PSA 8s, there are still good risks and opportunities to invest or make money, but PSA 7 will become almost an absolute "Collector Only" grade, and 7.5 just takes up space.

RonBurgundy

I like them. And what Mr. Itzagoner said.

leadoff4

But... will their value decline like most 9s as more 8.5s are graded? I assume they will or are they undervalued at the moment?

itzagoner

<< <i>But... will their value decline like most 9s as more 8.5s are graded? I assume they will or are they undervalued at the moment? >>



i'd like to think that there will be enhanced valuation, but you really can't predict this.....how long have they been doing half-grades? i was trying to figure this out a few days ago, but i think it has been over 2 years and there hasn't exactly been a flood of 8.5 cards being added to the pop report or entering the market, but......i bet that could change if an army of people holding onto vintage PSA 8s all decided to resubmit them within a short period of time.

think that could happen?

Mickey71

The 8.5 thing is all about eye appeal. You better be very strict when choosing to buy 8.5's or you could waste alot of money. When reviewing your 8's it's all about the corners. The graders start with the corners and if they are not very sharp they need to look no further from my experience. My best centered stuff did not bump. My sharpest cornered examples did. I'm talking about Mantle's in high grade. To answer the question: 8.5s could very well hold and increase in the future. I'm talking about big cards - psa 8.5 1964 Mantle not like a 1968 Ernie Banks in a 8.5 (JMO)

gemint

I don't buy that PSA 9s are falling in value. If you're talking about the difference from pop 1 to pop 2 or more, then maybe. However, early 60s and older in PSA 9 don't seem to be suffering. Higher pop 9s seem to be fairly stable but you'll sometimes see volatility in the prices. You may see a 9 sell for half what the last one sold for but then the next one that sells could sell for much more than that one sold for.

As for 8.5s, it's hard to say where the values will go. It seems for low cost commons, there's not much differentiation between an 8 and an 8.5. For the star cards like you mentioned, I think there will always be a decent premium for the 8.5. I looked up the Johnny Bench RC in 8.5 as I recall that one had very little premium for 8.5 when the new system first came out. I attributed that to the fact that it's a fairly easy card to find in 9. I was suprised to see the price has steadily risen from $232 in early 2008 to $399. Every single auction result has been progressively higher than the previous one.

wallst32

<< <i>I don't buy that PSA 9s are falling in value. >>



Go back 8-9 years; or even 5-6 will do, and you will see quite a difference in pricing for PSA 9's from the and now.

hammered

One reason 8.5s will hold future appeal are the bumping possibilities. Lots of people willing to take a chance for a bump on a nicely centered 8.5, especialliy when a 9 is worth hundreds more. Bumping full grade, 8 to 9 is almost impossible though.

gemint

<< <i>

<< <i>I don't buy that PSA 9s are falling in value. >>



Go back 8-9 years; or even 5-6 will do, and you will see quite a difference in pricing for PSA 9's from the and now. >>



Well, sure if you're referring to the infancy of the set registry. Most cards were low pops and everyone was building their sets at the same time. In the past 5 years, the pricing has been pretty stable. Also, since the registry has already matured, the 8.5's won't go through that explosive growth phase. The horse was long since out of the barn when 8.5's were born.

SidePocket

I find the .5 grade does very little by itself, and that well centered, sharp cards in any grade always pull a premium.

CDsNuts

The way .5 grades are used is stupid. By definition, an 8.5 should be halfway between and 8 and a 9. Not an 8 that exhibits extraordinary blah blah blah for its grade. If they were going to do that they should've gone with 8+.

Having said that, when buying vintage I will always go with whatever grade is just below the big premium price jump. Wherever that is is where I'm buying. Usually 8-8.5 for 70s cards and 7-7.5 for 60s.

itzagoner

Exhibit A: waited for this card with the eager excitement of a small child in line @ Disneyland and it shows up even better in hand.....colors are outstanding, precise focus, centering and this card is a barely touched corner, a black spot or a white dot away from a 9.....considering almost 1000 examples have been assigned a PSA grade and there are only 14 examples graded higher, i would consider this a bargain at a price substantially lower than the expected price of a PSA 9......BUHZINGA.

jdmi32

I really like them, for all the reasons others have already given. As for long term, I think they'll do quite well as they gain acceptance from those holdouts who previously would never consider buying them. I am already seeing this in the registry sets that I follow.

Here's an example of an 8.5 that someone had the stones to crack out and it's going to pay off handsomely, probably to the tune of 10k-15k in profit. Wish I could go back in time and revise my bids.

This:



Becomes this:

hammered

Is it just me or does the bottom right corner look much sharper in the PSA 9 than in the 92?

itzagoner

that card is the SUPER-MEGA regardless of the number placed above it. WOW.

bking

<< <i>One reason 8.5s will hold future appeal are the bumping possibilities. Lots of people willing to take a chance for a bump on a nicely centered 8.5, especially when a 9 is worth hundreds more. Bumping full grade, 8 to 9 is almost impossible though. >>



This doesn't make sense to me. Doesn't the 8.5 designation basically mean "hey, it's an 8, but one feature was too outstanding to leave it there so we bumped it."

bking

<< <i>Is it just me or does the bottom right corner look much sharper in the PSA 9 than in the 92? >>



There's a lot of minor differences I see between those two. May just be the scan though.

SDSportsFan

I don't see vintage PSA 9s ever falling out of favor, or dropping drastically value-wise. The main thing to me, is the "Mint" designation. There will always be plenty of collectors who want the "Mint" condition indicator, as that connotes "as issued". Anything below a 9 could drop, as they are, please excuse the term, "damaged" as they aren't in "Mint" condition.

PSA 8.5s, as the closest one can get to "Mint" condition without having to pay the price, also will most probably maintain their value, as those collectors who can't afford "Mint" condition cards, will strive for the best items short of that.

Just my 2 cents

Steve

hammered

<< <i>

<< <i>One reason 8.5s will hold future appeal are the bumping possibilities. Lots of people willing to take a chance for a bump on a nicely centered 8.5, especially when a 9 is worth hundreds more. Bumping full grade, 8 to 9 is almost impossible though. >>



This doesn't make sense to me. Doesn't the 8.5 designation basically mean "hey, it's an 8, but one feature was too outstanding to leave it there so we bumped it." >>




8.5s are more than just "well-centered 8s", trust me on that one.
8.5s bump to 9 often enough to prove that it really is just a half grade (which is how it should be). I've bumped several myself, including 2/5 in one recent review order.
If they were only superior in one category, then they'd still be lacking in other categories and wouldn't be bump-worthy.
IME if you send in five 8.5s to PSA, one of them will bump (For 70s cards, anyway - the ratio for 60s and earlier might be more like 1 in 10).
Under most specials, those 5 reviews will cost you $30 or less. Ten reviews of 1960s cards will cost you $60 or less.
So it could be a very appealing proposition, especially when you're looking at a difference in hundreds of dollars between an 8.5 and a 9.