How does PSA determine the weight of each card in the registry?

ClockworkAngel · June 19, 2013 7:49AM

So i am working on the Tony gwynn Master Collection and looking over the set and what PSA determines to be the most important cards is a bit confusing.

His TCMA Hawaii Islanders is weighted the most, makes sense. Then it's a 1993 PINN. COOPERSTOWN TONY GWYNN DUFEX (never heard of it) Then it's his Refractor from 1993 Finest, and a 1985 KITTY CLOVER POTATO CHIPS DISCS TONY GWYNN. His rookie cards don't have much weight

Is it strictly rarity of the card?

ReggieCleveland · June 19, 2013 8:11AM

In my experience, the process involves a dartboard and a blindfold.

mcadams · June 19, 2013 8:16AM

The weighting is determined by the collectors, not PSA. When I acquire a new card that is not currently in a registry set composite, I request that my cert be added to the composite. As part of that process, there is a comments box as part of your submission. In the comments box, I always make a recommendation of what the weighting of the card should be. In my experience, the recommended weighting by the person who adds the card is what gets used in the set.

CollectorAtWork · June 19, 2013 8:26AM

I believe PSA uses the value of the card in PSA 8 in relative comparison to the other cards in that registry set. So in general, the more valuable the card for that grade, the more weight it will receive.

firedawg45 · June 19, 2013 8:29AM

dart board cause they guess.... it makes no sense really.

mcadams · June 19, 2013 8:33AM

If you request for a new set to be added, you have to provide at least 5 certs that would fit into the new set. If you provide weightings for those cards, those are the weightings they will use. If you don't provide any weightings, they will come up with their own.

Its only a dart board if you don't provide any guidance.

ReggieCleveland · June 19, 2013 9:00AM

<< If you request for a new set to be added, you have to provide at least 5 certs that would fit into the new set. If you provide weightings for those cards, those are the weightings they will use. If you don't provide any weightings, they will come up with their own.

Its only a dart board if you don't provide any guidance. >>

The problem with this method is that PSA assumes that the collector's opinion is an accurate and objective interpretation of the set as a whole. That's a MASSIVE leap of faith. People are always more inclined to hype up their acquisitions and believe that what they have is more rare/valuable/difficult and what they don't have is more common/cheap/easy. In the handful of sets I've participated in the weighting is a joke.

elsnorto · June 19, 2013 9:40AM

<< I believe PSA uses the value of the card in PSA 8 in relative comparison to the other cards in that registry set. So in general, the more valuable the card for that grade, the more weight it will receive. >>

I would think pinning it to a set grade (i.e. PSA 8) value makes the most sense given the value (for the most part) takes into account scarcity, popularity, and condition sensitivity.

But what do they do if there are no cards graded PSA 8?

That would also make weighting very fluid in some cases and would likely not be well received by Registry GPA adrenaline junkies.

Snorto~

ludedude · June 19, 2013 9:51AM

If you see something obvious, let PSA know! In the past they've been pretty good in fixing it.

1985fan · June 19, 2013 12:34PM

I wish they would automate the system to take into account the population report for each card and THAT determine the ranking. It seems (as an outsider with no programming experience whatsoever) that it should be a fairly simple process to program, where you simply take each card into the set and weight each according to the number of 10s, 9s, etc.

ReggieCleveland · June 19, 2013 12:38PM

<< I wish they would automate the system to take into account the population report for each card and THAT determine the ranking. It seems (as an outsider with no programming experience whatsoever) that it should be a fairly simple process to program, where you simply take each card into the set and weight each according to the number of 10s, 9s, etc. >>

That's fine for widely traded issues but the theory breaks down on player sets.

ClockworkAngel · June 19, 2013 12:40PM

<< I wish they would automate the system to take into account the population report for each card and THAT determine the ranking. It seems (as an outsider with no programming experience whatsoever) that it should be a fairly simple process to program, where you simply take each card into the set and weight each according to the number of 10s, 9s, etc. >>

Yes, exactly. I had assumed this to be the reality until i started looking it over line by line.

I mean there are so many damn inserts starting in the mid 90's that they are all rare in PSA 10, just because no one is sending them in for grading. Who can keep up? But for instance his 1983 Topps Rookie Card should have certainly more weight than a Potato Chips card

But I'm the idiot that decided to take this massive set registry project on in the first place and it's PSA's gig so they can do whatever they want. I am thinking of aborting ship

Dpeck100 · June 19, 2013 12:54PM

The weighting structure for the Wrestling All Stars was set at an equal weight and the same for the Carnation set I collect.

On the other hand the Topps and OPC sets have different weightings assigned to what are thought to be better cards.

I get the feeling there is quite a bit of variance across the PSA Registry.

VitoCo1972 · June 19, 2013 1:06PM

I've created several registries in the autograph sets. I have a formula that I used based on when the person died in relation to when the set was issued. Nobody that's alive can receive more than a 5. If you died within 5 years of set issue, it's a 10, 10 years of set issue, 9 etc.

If you ever start a registry, just reach out to Gayle via email and send her the composite. They're happy to have you do their work for them in my experience.

mariner · June 19, 2013 1:27PM

For the major sets, they used the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards by Bob Lemke as a guide to determine weighting.

jeffcbay · June 19, 2013 1:29PM

<< In my experience, the process involves a dartboard and a blindfold. >>

jradke4 · June 19, 2013 11:11PM

<< I've created several registries in the autograph sets. I have a formula that I used based on when the person died in relation to when the set was issued. Nobody that's alive can receive more than a 5. If you died within 5 years of set issue, it's a 10, 10 years of set issue, 9 etc.

If you ever start a registry, just reach out to Gayle via email and send her the composite. They're happy to have you do their work for them in my experience. >>

Maybe we should use you to have the Pro-Football HOF Auto'd card set weighted then. Right now a Curly Lambeau has the same weighting as an Emmitt Smith. While I like your theory how do you handle a HOF auto set where the player is alive when set is created but not in HOF, dies and then is elected to HOF?

jradke4 · June 19, 2013 11:24PM

I have been involved with the Favre Master set from the start. From my experiences they do take what you provide into consideration but it isnt always the end all be all. In general they look at card value and set the weights based on the most expensive cards in a given set. However, that doesnt mean that all sets will have cards weighted as a 10. They have some magical $ amount for that. A few years ago I was emailed the weight break down by value for the Favre Master set. While in general this works well with the advent of serial numbered cards however it does fail. How? Well Beckett doesnt price cards that are numbered less than 25. So therefore many low serial number cards can fall through the weight scale cracks. One time I had a 1/50 numbered patch card weighted higher than a 1/10 auto'd patch card. For me to get the weighting corrected I had to prove to PSA the price that I paid for the card. Lucky for me I was able to track it down. I dont take screen shots of all of my wins on ebay and there are times where it can be over a year later that I finally send the card off to PSA and they grade it and return it to me.

What I would like to see PSA do is allow more say from the top collectors of certain types of sets. For the normal company sets going off of Beckett pricing will probably be fine. But for Player sets (mainly master sets) why they dont let the top collectors help them to some degree I dont understand. After all who knows more about those collections, PSA or the people that actively collect them.

Other sets that have issues are the auto'd card sets, like the HOF auto'd sets. Since those sets allow any card of the person to be included they are not weighted. Yet we all know that the value of the cards do not lie with the card but with the auto. One would say that they should use the PSA/DNA registry weighting then for the auto'd cards. But the problem is, is that PSA only grades the card or the auto not both. If the auto is graded then it goes into the PSA/DNA registry. If the card is what is graded then it goes into the PSA registry. To me that makes some sense. But at the same time they should recognize that some auto's are harder to come by and hence are more valuable. For an example see my preceding post.

One way to solve this problem would be for PSA to grade both the card and the auto.

flatfoot816 · June 20, 2013 1:44AM

when i started my now #2 Yaz Master Set I was told that value goes a long way to determine weight. it is not the only criteria, but apparently the most important. I was arguing with them on the '70 Topps Candy Lid, thinking it should be higher than a 6 in weight--perhaps a 10 like the '73 Comics. I mean do they know how TUFF the '70 Yaz Candy Lid is???

They go by auction prices unless you can provide them with iron clad proof of a private sale--which I did with the '70 Topps Candy Lid

They will take your opinion to consideration, but they do not give it much weight without other evidence

jradke4 · June 20, 2013 1:59AM

<< when i started my now #2 Yaz Master Set I was told that value goes a long way to determine weight. it is not the only criteria, but apparently the most important. I was arguing with them on the '70 Topps Candy Lid, thinking it should be higher than a 6 in weight--perhaps a 10 like the '73 Comics. I mean do they know how TUFF the '70 Yaz Candy Lid is???

They go by auction prices unless you can provide them with iron clad proof of a private sale--which I did with the '70 Topps Candy Lid

They will take your opinion to consideration, but they do not give it much weight without other evidence >>

after all someone that collects the stuff cant know as much about it as those that don't collect it.

Maurice · June 20, 2013 4:27AM

<< For the major sets, they used the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards by Bob Lemke as a guide to determine weighting. >>

This is correct.

1985fan · June 22, 2013 12:52AM

<< 

<< I wish they would automate the system to take into account the population report for each card and THAT determine the ranking. It seems (as an outsider with no programming experience whatsoever) that it should be a fairly simple process to program, where you simply take each card into the set and weight each according to the number of 10s, 9s, etc. >>

That's fine for widely traded issues but the theory breaks down on player sets. >>

Not trying to be inflammatory or argumentative but why would that be the case? Too few graded examples?

How does PSA determine the weight of each card in the registry?

Comments