Recent poppage - Grader of Death

Nikklos

There are some 10s in there I am telling you. But this grader refused to give 'em up.

Usually something salvages my subs. Not this time.

1 1 22136771 NEAR MINT 7 1970 TOPPS 630 ERNIE BANKS Card
2 1 22136772 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1970 TOPPS 495 DAVE MOREHEAD Card
3 1 22136773 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1970 TOPPS 482 TOM HILGENDORF Card
4 1 22136774 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1976 TOPPS 60 JERRY REUSS Card
5 1 22136775 N6: MINIMUM SIZE REQUIREMENT 1978 TOPPS 722 PETE BROBERG Card
6 1 22136776 MINT 9 1978 TOPPS 70 RICH GOSSAGE Card
7 1 22136777 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1978 TOPPS 38 WILLIE MONTANEZ Card
8 1 22136778 MINT 9 1978 TOPPS 720 FERGIE JENKINS Card
9 1 22136779 MINT 9 1978 TOPPS 601 GENE MAUCH Card
10 1 22136780 N8: MISCUT 1978 TOPPS 348 DEL UNSER Card
11 1 22136781 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1979 TOPPS 73 KEN HENDERSON Card
12 1 22136782 MINT 9 1979 TOPPS 555 BIFF POCOROBA Card
13 1 22136783 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1979 TOPPS 297 TED SIZEMORE Card
14 1 22136784 NEAR MINT 7 1979 TOPPS 630 BAKE McBRIDE Card
15 1 22136785 MINT 9 1980 TOPPS 189 KEVIN KOBEL Card
16 1 22136786 MINT 9 1980 TOPPS 400 GEORGE FOSTER Card
17 1 22136787 MINT 9 1980 TOPPS 336 GEORGE MEDICH Card
18 1 22136788 NEAR MINT 7 1981 DRAKE'S 31 JOHN MAYBERRY Card
19 1 22136789 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1981 DRAKE'S 32 CARLTON FISK Card
20 1 22136790 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1981 DRAKE'S 23 GARY CARTER Card
21 1 22136791 MINT 9 1981 DRAKE'S 21 JOE CHARBONEAU Card
22 1 22136792 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1981 DRAKE'S 17 BOB HORNER Card
23 1 22136793 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1981 TOPPS 261 RICKEY HENDERSON Card
24 1 22136794 MINT 9 1981 TOPPS 77 MIKE BARLOW Card
25 1 22136795 NEAR MINT 7 1981 TOPPS 158 FERGIE JENKINS Card
26 1 22136796 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1981 TOPPS 275 DWIGHT EVANS Card
27 1 22136797 MINT 9 1981 TOPPS 28 ENRIQUE ROMO Card
28 1 22136798 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1981 TOPPS 216 JOHN HENRY JOHNSON Card
29 1 22136799 MINT 9 1981 TOPPS 512 GARY THOMASSON Card
30 1 22136800 MINT 9 1981 TOPPS 164 LaMARR HOYT Card
31 1 22136801 MINT 9 1981 TOPPS 100 ROD CAREW Card
32 1 22136802 NEAR MINT-MINT+ 8.5 1981 TOPPS 254 OZZIE SMITH Card
33 1 22136803 NEAR MINT 7 1981 TOPPS 207 OZZIE SMITH Card
34 1 22136804 NEAR MINT 7 1981 TOPPS 220 TOM SEAVER Card
35 1 22136805 MINT 9 1981 TOPPS 624 BOB WELCH Card
36 1 22136806 MINT 9 1981 TOPPS 259 METS FUTURE STARS BERENGUER/BROOKS/WILSON Card
37 1 22136807 NEAR MINT 7 1981 TOPPS 6 STRIKEOUT LEADERS L.BARKER/S.CARLTON Card
38 1 22136808 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1981 TOPPS 3 RBI LEADERS C.COOPER/M.SCHMIDT Card
39 1 22136809 MINT 9 1981 TOPPS 279 BOB KNEPPER Card
40 1 22136810 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1981 TOPPS 252 VICTOR CRUZ Card
41 1 22136811 N8: MISCUT 1982 K-MART 19 VIDA BLUE Card
42 1 22136812 NEAR MINT 7 1982 K-MART 1 MICKEY MANTLE Card
43 1 22136813 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1982 TOPPS 119 JOE PITTMAN Card
44 1 22136814 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1982 TOPPS 128 FRANK PASTORE Card
45 1 22136815 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1982 TOPPS 349 GEORGE FRAZIER Card
46 1 22136816 MINT 9 1982 TOPPS 137 GEORGE CAPPUZZELLO Card
47 1 22136817 NEAR MINT 7 1982 TOPPS 313 JOHN HARRIS Card
48 1 22136818 MINT 9 1984 DONRUSS 547 TUG McGRAW Card
49 1 22136819 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1984 TOPPS 4 1983 HIGHLIGHT S.CARLTON/G.PERRY/N.RYAN Card
50 1 22136820 MINT 9 1985 FLEER 82 DWIGHT GOODEN Card
51 1 22136821 N8: MISCUT 1985 TOPPS 278 DARRYL STRAWBERRY Card
52 1 22136822 N6: MINIMUM SIZE REQUIREMENT 1986 TOPPS 400 ROD CAREW Card
53 1 22136823 NEAR MINT-MINT 8 1986 TOPPS 155 BOB GRICH Card
54 1 22136824 MINT 9 1986 TOPPS 602 MARIANO DUNCAN Card
55 1 22136825 MINT 9 1986 TOPPS 708 GARY CARTER Card
Total Items: 55

OAKESY25

my last 2-3 subs have been like this.. 44 card sub in house now, hoping for better..
I have seen some 10's on ebay ( a 76 topps willie davis for one)
that my 8's are far superior to.

grote15

Lots of Mint 9s at least..

Nikklos

Tim - Yeah I could probably fetch north of $50 for the lot of them lol!

grote15

<< <i>Tim - Yeah I could probably fetch north of $50 for the lot of them lol! >>



Lol, I was trying to cheer you up..

Nikklos

I know, thanks! I am happy with my PSA 9 1980 Kevin Kobel.

By the way, of the few cards here that were cracked out and re-subbed, they were all bump-downs. '81 Jenkins and '79 McBride were 9s until now. Same cards - two grades lower.

yankeeno7

I recently was in a piggyback sub with a couple others and we all got hammered. In fact, two of my cards I know for sure came back damaged but I know I cant discuss that here.

gregmo32

G.O.D. absolutely hammered me on my recent sub, first one in years. Big cards too. I hate G.O.D.

itzagoner

they have most definitely become tougher on flaws which used to slide to the higher side.

Raulsmaster

I must say, I laughed the whole way through this thread. I know it's rude to laugh at other's failures but I've endured the grader a death on a few occasions so I feel righteous. But really, come on though, NO tens...the G.O.D. was laughing for sure when he wrapped up that submission.

pdub1819

Was this a sub from the national?

BaltimoreYankee

The worst were the 2 cards that were 9 crackouts and now 7's. Hmmmmm......

cougar701

That's too bad, man. Its really a waste of time and money to sub stuff yourself anymore. Let 4SC and other BIG BOYS do it for the $1 a card grading fee's they pay and buy the 10's off them for their market value... will save you money over the long haul.

By the way, The grader of death doesn't have a job for long if he treats those guys like that.

cougar701

The worst were the 2 cards that were 9 crackouts and now 7's. Hmmmmm......

Ya, isn't that weird.... PSA 7 and PSA 9 look the same to me, yes sir.


What a joke!

Dboneesq

PM sent

burke23

had the same grader - cracked out 5 high end (with hi subs) BGS 9.5 cards. Got 2 PSA 9's, 1 PSA 8, and 1 Min Size
Just one ten would have made my sub because of the psa premium...no dice.

PaulMaul

Just curious...is it acceptable within the forum rules to criticize PSA's grading performance, consistency, etc? Is it considered rude or inappropriate on this forum, as long as done in a polite and professional manner?

MiniDuff

Sadly, we have all been subject to him at times. It makes sending in large orders a very scary thing. I know a lot of folks break up orders for that reason.

All it takes is one 500 card 70s order coming back 7s and 8s instead of 8s and 9s to break a non majors back.

Here is wishing for more consistency...

Dboneesq

<< <i>Just curious...is it acceptable within the forum rules to criticize PSA's grading performance, consistency, etc? Is it considered rude or inappropriate on this forum, as long as done in a polite and professional manner? >>



SORRY ... I accidentally sent this to the main thread when it was supposed to me a PM. My apologies. It was supposed to be read by only one person.

PaulMaul

<< <i>

<< <i>Just curious...is it acceptable within the forum rules to criticize PSA's grading performance, consistency, etc? Is it considered rude or inappropriate on this forum, as long as done in a polite and professional manner? >>



SORRY ... I accidentally sent this to the main thread when it was supposed to me a PM. My apologies. It was supposed to be read by only one person. >>



Doug, my question wasn't in reference to your post, I'm just genuinely curious as to what's considered appropriate. I'm often tempted to engage in critical discussion regarding PSA's practices, but I don't want to violate protocol....

Gemyanks10

Do you guys think too that this is done sometimes as to not overly flood the market with 10's in particular sets? Only speaking for one particular
set at this point 1980, I've seen 4SC just subbing the crap out of them lately and with each 10, the price does seem to drop a little bit. Maybe they are trying to protect the market a little bit?

Jimmy

PaulMaul

<< <i>Do you guys think too that this is done sometimes as to not overly flood the market with 10's in particular sets? Only speaking for one particular
set at this point 1980, I've seen 4SC just subbing the crap out of them lately and with each 10, the price does seem to drop a little bit. Maybe they are trying to protect the market a little bit?

Jimmy >>



Joe Orlando's "Taking My Hacks" column in this month's SMR is a very good one. I think everything he says in the article is 100% appropriate. Opinions may of course vary on how faithful PSA's performance is to this vision:

This month's "Taking My Hacks"

In my opinion, and I suspect in Joe's as well, the grading process should be completely divorced from every consideration except the quality of the card in front of the grader, to be determined as objectively and consistently as humanly possible.

Nikklos

Guys - thanks for all the commiseration. We are all in the same boat. The process is arbitrary and subjective and there is absolutely no way to get around that I guess. It makes me question why I even sub in the first place. But it is just so much fun. Can't help myself.

But one thing is for certain. In most cases, when it comes to older cards, there is no difference between a 9 and a 10. Any day of the week, the grade could flip-flop. And that makes it absolutely crazy for 10s to command the premiums that they do over 9s. Not complaining because I am sitting on some 10s that could command big bucks. But it is absolutely irrational. I understand completely that it is part of the registry game. The registry game renders everything we once felt about collecting and condition null and void.

My whole fixation since reentering the hobby has been ripping packs and subbing and finding cards in my old collection worth subbing. Now I have nothing left worthy to sub and there is nothing worth it to rip. I may have have popped my last sub, folks. Hate that it ended this way!

PDub - this was actually subbed last week - not at the National. I will say this - G.O.D. gives super fast poppage!

pdub1819

I guess that is good to know for me, since I subbed at the National and my "45" day window is just around the corner.

bbuckner22

I had an 800 card sub last spring that was broken up into two different orders. First one popped quickly, and it may have been the worst result I've ever had. Cards I subbed looking for 9's and 10's came back 7's & 8's. The second half popped three weeks later and was much more in line of my anticipated grades. All of the cards originated from the same source, so the large discrepancy in grades is a mystery. I have not subbed since. I still have mint looking dead centered cards in 7 holders I haven't cracked out yet.

MiniDuff

Spot on. I often find a quick pop on a bulk order to be deadly.

DonDraper

Oops. Tough luck, pal

Mapleleaf

Yeah, I think we've all had it happen. To me, there is a difference between an 8,9 and a 10 and you should be able to see it. It really isn't that subjective. Centering and size can be measured, wear looked at through 5X magnification so it's hard to miss. The only subjective part is eye appeal.

corncobb

<< <i>But one thing is for certain. In most cases, when it comes to older cards, there is no difference between a 9 and a 10. Any day of the week, the grade could flip-flop. And that makes it absolutely crazy for 10s to command the premiums that they do over 9s. Not complaining because I am sitting on some 10s that could command big bucks. But it is absolutely irrational. I understand completely that it is part of the registry game. The registry game renders everything we once felt about collecting and condition null and void. >>



+1


Paying for some unknown weekly employees opinion?


Paying for it twice?


I guess the age old business model is still alive and well............... "There's one born every minute"

Bosox1976

<< <i> My whole fixation since reentering the hobby has been ripping packs and subbing and finding cards in my old collection worth subbing. Now I have nothing left worthy to sub and there is nothing worth it to rip >>



Wax/rack/vending rips just don't have the ROI anymore - sets and lots are where it's at. I've been doing 1973 topps this year - have bought at least 6 full sets and I'd guess 30 lots. You don't get the excitement of wondering who might be in there, but culling the beauties is what I enjoy most.

Merge the best into a monster set, sell the rest. I haven't kept a spreadsheet or anything -- but I just keep upgrading my number one set and selling the rest. I would guess that I am ahead, with a nice set loaded with 8's & 9's, and always looking forward to a package arriving or a sub to pop.

Just my .02.

Big80s

<< <i>Wax/rack/vending rips just don't have the ROI anymore - sets and lots are where it's at. >>



+1 This is exactly the way I've started buying, as well. It's not as much fun - but far more cost effective.

Nikklos

Mike - your recent results from random lots was really impressive. I know I have gotten some enjoyment out of culling through my old lots/sets and plastic pages. Maybe not like ripping a pack but fun nonetheless. So right about the ROI on ripping unopened.

bunt

<< <i>Just curious...is it acceptable within the forum rules to criticize PSA's grading performance, consistency, etc? Is it considered rude or inappropriate on this forum, as long as done in a polite and professional manner? >>



I had to take a short vacation from here for doing so on a Jordan card Not recomended.