For Reference: The History of the PSA Flip Label (twiley's archived thread)
jeffcbay
Posts: 8,950 ✭✭✭✭
Everything listed below is an archive of twiley's old thread before he deleted it. No sense in losing valuable information! 
(pics transferred to my photobucket too)
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Hi, This has always intrigued me. The history of PSA's flips. So I decided to the best of my knowledge put this together for future reference for all to use when ever someone has a flip question. Especially if they want to know if a flip is legitimate or not. This is a work in progress and a rough draft and will be corrected if there are errors and corrections that need to be made. If something is not correct please let me know so I can make the correction on this post.
Regular standard size flip:
PSA flip style 1. 1991 - 1992 This style flip is PSA's first flip ever produced.
Note the slashes through the zeros and the bar code is long. The back of the flip has a hologram that has "PSA" within it. The hologram is bonded on the outside, but it's not a sticker. It is bonded to the plastic the same way the white PSA logo is. The T206 Wagner pictured below is PSA's very first graded/authenticated card being the very first PSA flip. It also appears that the Wagner flip hologram was an outside sticker? It looks like it is peeling off in the scan below.
Some more examples.
PSA flip style 2. 1992 - 1999
Note The slashes through zeros are gone. The bar code is shortened and centered. The back of the flip still has the "PSA" hologram, but PSA made a change with the hologram. The hologram is bonded on the inside and not on the outside. The white PSA logo is the same, bonded on the outside. This also was when PSA starting putting their logo on the bottom right of the slab.
PSA flip style 3. (This is a guess) 2000 - 200?
The flip front has no changes from style 2. The back of this flip had changed. The hologram had changed from "PSA" to "COLLECTOR'S UNIVERSE".
PSA flip style 4. (This is a guess) 200?- 200?
Note the bar code is now aligned to the left from this style to present day. The font numbers have been shortened and font letters are wider and rounder. Also the grade positioning is to the left and not aligned to the right. No changes on the back of this flip had been made.
PSA flip style 5. 200? - 200?
Note this is a rarely seen flip. Note the flip front is similar to styles 2 and 3. The letter and number font has changed back to the similar font used on styles 2 and 3. The grade alignment had changed back to the right. PSA also changed the red border on the flip's front. The white field within the red border no longer has rounded corners making the white field squared. The back of the flip has changed as well. The hologram on the back of the flip is gone and replaced with "A COLLECTOR'S UNIVERSE COMPANY". The back logo and writing is now bonded to the inside of the plastic. The white PSA logo that was bonded to the outside of the plastic is changed as well. The back blue field is a light blue unlike all the styles preceding/proceeding this flip. The PSA logo is the same font lettering and positioning only now it is bonded on the inside of the plastic and is silver in color.
PSA flip style 6. 200?- February 12, 2008
This flip front is exactly like style 5. The back of this flip's field is now a much darker blue. Also the back has changed from style 5. The back had changed from "A COLLECTOR'S UNIVERSE COMPANY" to "A DIVISION OF COLLECTOR'S UNIVERSE NASDAQ CLCT" which is what is used to date. The PSA logo on the back is the same as style 5. The back of these flips are the same as present day flips. Also there were a very small number of half grades issued in this style flip before they moved the numerical grade below the descriptive grade(See style 7). There is a 1954 Ted Williams photographed in the SMR announcing the half grade launch which displayed as "NM-MT+ 8.5".
PSA flip style 7. February 12, 2008 - Present day
Note this is when PSA introduced the .5 grading system. The only change is the positioning of the grade number (9 is under Mint). No changes on the back of the flip.
if you have info on years or good examples or anything to add please post and let us all know. I think this thread could be very useful for people in the future.
I might go even further and do tall boy/larger sized, PSA/DNA, and wax/cello pack flips as well.
Thanks for looking
Tim
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(pics transferred to my photobucket too)
======================================================================================
Hi, This has always intrigued me. The history of PSA's flips. So I decided to the best of my knowledge put this together for future reference for all to use when ever someone has a flip question. Especially if they want to know if a flip is legitimate or not. This is a work in progress and a rough draft and will be corrected if there are errors and corrections that need to be made. If something is not correct please let me know so I can make the correction on this post.
Regular standard size flip:
PSA flip style 1. 1991 - 1992 This style flip is PSA's first flip ever produced.
Note the slashes through the zeros and the bar code is long. The back of the flip has a hologram that has "PSA" within it. The hologram is bonded on the outside, but it's not a sticker. It is bonded to the plastic the same way the white PSA logo is. The T206 Wagner pictured below is PSA's very first graded/authenticated card being the very first PSA flip. It also appears that the Wagner flip hologram was an outside sticker? It looks like it is peeling off in the scan below.
Some more examples.
PSA flip style 2. 1992 - 1999
Note The slashes through zeros are gone. The bar code is shortened and centered. The back of the flip still has the "PSA" hologram, but PSA made a change with the hologram. The hologram is bonded on the inside and not on the outside. The white PSA logo is the same, bonded on the outside. This also was when PSA starting putting their logo on the bottom right of the slab.
PSA flip style 3. (This is a guess) 2000 - 200?
The flip front has no changes from style 2. The back of this flip had changed. The hologram had changed from "PSA" to "COLLECTOR'S UNIVERSE".
PSA flip style 4. (This is a guess) 200?- 200?
Note the bar code is now aligned to the left from this style to present day. The font numbers have been shortened and font letters are wider and rounder. Also the grade positioning is to the left and not aligned to the right. No changes on the back of this flip had been made.
PSA flip style 5. 200? - 200?
Note this is a rarely seen flip. Note the flip front is similar to styles 2 and 3. The letter and number font has changed back to the similar font used on styles 2 and 3. The grade alignment had changed back to the right. PSA also changed the red border on the flip's front. The white field within the red border no longer has rounded corners making the white field squared. The back of the flip has changed as well. The hologram on the back of the flip is gone and replaced with "A COLLECTOR'S UNIVERSE COMPANY". The back logo and writing is now bonded to the inside of the plastic. The white PSA logo that was bonded to the outside of the plastic is changed as well. The back blue field is a light blue unlike all the styles preceding/proceeding this flip. The PSA logo is the same font lettering and positioning only now it is bonded on the inside of the plastic and is silver in color.
PSA flip style 6. 200?- February 12, 2008
This flip front is exactly like style 5. The back of this flip's field is now a much darker blue. Also the back has changed from style 5. The back had changed from "A COLLECTOR'S UNIVERSE COMPANY" to "A DIVISION OF COLLECTOR'S UNIVERSE NASDAQ CLCT" which is what is used to date. The PSA logo on the back is the same as style 5. The back of these flips are the same as present day flips. Also there were a very small number of half grades issued in this style flip before they moved the numerical grade below the descriptive grade(See style 7). There is a 1954 Ted Williams photographed in the SMR announcing the half grade launch which displayed as "NM-MT+ 8.5".
PSA flip style 7. February 12, 2008 - Present day
Note this is when PSA introduced the .5 grading system. The only change is the positioning of the grade number (9 is under Mint). No changes on the back of the flip.
if you have info on years or good examples or anything to add please post and let us all know. I think this thread could be very useful for people in the future.
I might go even further and do tall boy/larger sized, PSA/DNA, and wax/cello pack flips as well.
Thanks for looking
Tim
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But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
Collecting:
Any unopened Baseball cello and rack packs and boxes from the 1970's and early 1980s.
"Live everyday, don't throw it away"
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Agreed! Thanks Jeff
LaJoie Portrait 3+, Cy Young Bare Hand 3+
Ty Cobb Bat Off 4+, ANY Red & Green Portrait
I just saw a card on eBay that confused me. I was under the impression that the moving of the numerical grade to the 2nd line (a different line from the grade description) coincided with the introduction of .5 grades. But this card seems to belie that. I assume it is legit, so what gives?
I believe I have a couple of those also. When the change was first made to the half point grading they started like these. I don't think it lasted long.
I referenced and updated the label history posted in this thread. I created a new thread and linked my PSA Label History Guide in this thread: https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/992291/psa-label-history-guide
Please head over to that link and take a look. Thanks!
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
Great post. I had no Idea the Wagner was PSA card 1.
Cool thread. The 00000001 cert still works if you look it up on the psa cert app. No 00000002. Anyone have any clue what’s the next lowest cert number?