PSA grading on wax packs: A few questions before I submit

jalovra

I have submitted cello packs for grading before and think I have a good feel for what they are looking for on those. I am getting together a submission of 1970's wax packs and have a few questions. Do the folds on the seals on the back of the pack affect the grade if the seal is tight nd not loose; some packs have what I consider neat folds with 45 degree anlges and others are sloppy without the sharp 45 degree angles. Does it matter if the gum is loose in pack or adhered to the top card? How about the centering of the front of the pack; the packs that I have are not miswraps but some have the front advertisement centered better than others? And finally how much effort to the put into confirming what stars are showing thru? On a few of my packs I could only confirm the star showing by doing some investigative work like matching part of visible photo showing thru with cards in my collection or cross referencing stats or birthdates. As most of these were bought on group breaks here from BBCE and also from their website, I am fairly confident on their authenticity. Any help is greatly appreciated.

cpamike

As far as wax packs go, there are a few things I would look at when deciding what packs to submit. As you said, you want to submit packs with clean folders with a nice tight flat seal. PSA will also look at the corners to see if there is any wear present which will reduce the grade received as well. I would try not to submit any wax packs with the gum loose as it can rip the wrapper in transit to and from PSA. You'll see a lot of graded wax packs with tears in the wrapper from the gum, but in a high grade which happened when it was shipped back by PSA after grading. The newer holders PSA uses are better than the older ones, but I would avoid submitting the wax packs with loose gum if possible.

As far as stars showing, I would definitely note it when submitting the pack. They are usually pretty good at confirming the star and it never hurts to put it down.

Good luck with the submission!!!

PaulMaul

<< <i> I would try not to submit any wax packs with the gum loose as it can rip the wrapper in transit to and from PSA. You'll see a lot of graded wax packs with tears in the wrapper from the gum, but in a high grade which happened when it was shipped back by PSA after grading. The newer holders PSA uses are better than the older ones, but I would avoid submitting the wax packs with loose gum if possible.

>>



This is why I will never submit packs. Packs with the gum loose tend to be among the freshest and most appealing. Don't ruin them people!

cpamike

<< <i>

<< <i> I would try not to submit any wax packs with the gum loose as it can rip the wrapper in transit to and from PSA. You'll see a lot of graded wax packs with tears in the wrapper from the gum, but in a high grade which happened when it was shipped back by PSA after grading. The newer holders PSA uses are better than the older ones, but I would avoid submitting the wax packs with loose gum if possible.

>>



This is why I will never submit packs. Packs with the gum loose tend to be among the freshest and most appealing. Don't ruin them people! >>



Knock on wood, I've been lucky choosing wax packs with no gum movement. That coupled with the newer holder has worked for me, but most of my graded packs are of the cello variety.

grote15

The new holders seem to do a better job at preventing wrapper tears from the gum during transit, especially so if they use shrinkwrap in the holder, also, but it is still an issue, unfortunately, when the gum is mobile in the pack. If the gum is fused to top card, you won't have any issues. The problem is, a higher grade pack has much greater value once graded, so the risk is sometimes worth the reward. Like Mike, I've been fairly fortunate overall, too, and if the wrapper is torn, you can always open the pack!