Fingerprints on PSA 9 1993 SP Jeter-UPDATE

doog71

I bought a PSA 9 1993 SP Jeter off Ebay that arrived today - I got it for the right price but believe it or not there are couple of fingerprints on it (which are fairly prominent as this is a chrome front card). It also has several pieces of small white lint in the holder.

I can't post a pic at the moment but was wondering if that's happened to anyone else. Is this a red flag that this isn't an actual PSA 9? It seems like if they use gloves when the handle the cards it wouldn't be on there, and if they received a card with fingerprints on it they wouldn't grade it a "9". Any thoughts here?

handyman

The person who subbed the card most likely didnt wear gloves. Unless it was BBgirl.
post a pic if you are worried its switched. We can all speculate but that wont do anything without visual evidence.

otwcards

Also possible that the oils in the fingerprints didn't show at the time of the slabbing, but have become more prominent as time has passed.

doog71

<< <i>Also possible that the oils in the fingerprints didn't show at the time of the slabbing, but have become more prominent as time has passed. >>



That's interesting, I wasn't aware that could happen. I wonder if future buyers would consider that a reason to not buy this card (also with the lint in holder, which is strange).

Trying to decide if I should return it. The picture in the auction wasn't able to magnify and it wasn't viewable. I assumed no issues as I've seen PSA 9s of this card before and always thought they looked awesome.

hammered

You might want to reholder it due to its value, especially if it's not in a new holder.

Anyone know if PSA would be willing to wipe the fingerprints before reslabbing it?

Mapleleaf

The video that PSA used to have about the grading process showed that the graders don't wear gloves.

lawnmowerman

<< <i>The video that PSA used to have about the grading process showed that the graders don't wear gloves. >>



Most likely the guy slabbing the cards is the guilty party. Being a modern collector, I have subbed lots of shiny stuff like chrome cards and refractors. More than once my cards came back with prints on them that did not come from me. I wipe each card clean before penny sleeving it.

slum22

<< <i>You might want to reholder it due to its value, especially if it's not in a new holder.

Anyone know if PSA would be willing to wipe the fingerprints before reslabbing it? >>



I don't know, but I feel it is highly unlikely they would do this. Seems like they would be liable for any damage.

lawnmowerman

<< <i>

<< <i>You might want to reholder it due to its value, especially if it's not in a new holder.

Anyone know if PSA would be willing to wipe the fingerprints before reslabbing it? >>



I don't know, but I feel it is highly unlikely they would do this. Seems like they would be liable for any damage. >>



They will remove debris from inside the slabs but I'm not so sure about the prints.

kingbeeswax

On a kinda related note I got a Jeter graded an 8 last year and it came back with a nice dark hair on it inside the holder. I sold it for cheap making sure the buyer knew it had a hair in it.

doog71

The seller has (sort of) responded to my question about the fingerprints and debris inside the holder - saying he didn't see the grader use bare hands when the card got graded (he apparently was onsite when this particular card was graded), that he lives near PSA and could handle getting it re-holdered for me. The seller has a good amount of all positive feedback, so I don't have any reason to believe he's trying to scam me.

The problem is I have no idea if PSA would take off the fingerprints during a re-holder. It's a toughie. The card is mint except for the prints, and the prints can only be seen with light on the card, but they are very obvious under light.

Has anyone ever had PSA reholder a card and take off fingerprints?

slum22

I would ask PSA customer service this question to get an official answer. While I'm sure everyone posting is trying to help, even if you get someone who says they have had this done for them, it only helps you if PSA still has the same policy.

corncobb

"Proffessional Graders" ya gotta love em.

doog71

So I called PSA customer service and spoke to a nice gentleman named "Fadzli".

He acknowledged that "because it is humans putting the card in the holder, fingerprints on the card do happen sometimes". He said if I send it in to be reholdered and put a note with the issues to his attention, they'll definitely take out the lint and could "possibly" dust the fingerprints off the card. The other possibility is that the fingerprints are on the plastic sleeve inside the holder - just hard to tell.

Normally I wouldn't even give this a second thought but since it's the most I've ever spent on an RC...

Fadzli estimated a 5-day turnaround for a re-holder. Do you fellows feel that is realistic?

miwlvrn

I would only send it back for re-holder if I was sure they would keep it labeled as a 9. If there is any possibility to the contrary, then I'd sell it and pick up another 9 I liked the appearance of better.

If you sent a wax pack back for reholdering that had somehow had the gum rip the packaging after it was originally slabbed, they wouldn't seal it back up as a 9 again. If the fingerprint issue is something where some oils gradually over time rose to the surface that hadn't been there before, as was suggested earlier, then what if they cracked it open, tried to remove lint and any other correctable issues, and then decided it was no longer worthy of a 9?

doog71

<< <i>I would only send it back for re-holder if I was sure they would keep it labeled as a 9. If there is any possibility to the contrary, then I'd sell it and pick up another 9 I liked the appearance of better.

If you sent a wax pack back for reholdering that had somehow had the gum rip the packaging after it was originally slabbed, they wouldn't seal it back up as a 9 again. If the fingerprint issue is something where some oils gradually over time rose to the surface that hadn't been there before, as was suggested earlier, then what if they cracked it open, tried to remove lint and any other correctable issues, and then decided it was no longer worthy of a 9? >>



From my understanding PSA won't do that when reholdering a card, but I could be wrong. Anyone have experience where a card was sent for re-holdering and PSA sent the card back with a lower grade?

shagrotn77

There's no possibility of them downgrading the card, so I say got for it. Sounds like you may have a positive resolution here. Good luck.

JMDVM

I never could understand why graders don't wear gloves. Stamp collectors are taught from day one to never handle a stamp directly because of oils.

CDsNuts

I just want to get this straight- you're considering letting another person remove an extremely condition-sensitive $1000 card from a PSA slab and try to wipe a fingerprint off of it without your supervision? If the card gets damaged they will not put it back in a 9 holder. Even if it's a small chip on the border like 93 SP foil cards tend to get if you look at them the wrong way. PSA would most likely reimburse you something if it gets damaged, but at that point you will be haggling between the difference between a 9 and whatever grade they deem it after the damage.

Just let sleeping dogs lie, it's not worth the risk. If you can live with the fingerprint then keep it, if not then sell it and buy another one.

Lee

doog71

<< <i>I just want to get this straight- you're considering letting another person remove an extremely condition-sensitive $1000 card from a PSA slab and try to wipe a fingerprint off of it without your supervision? If the card gets damaged they will not put it back in a 9 holder. Even if it's a small chip on the border like 93 SP foil cards tend to get if you look at them the wrong way. PSA would most likely reimburse you something if it gets damaged, but at that point you will be haggling between the difference between a 9 and whatever grade they deem it after the damage.

Just let sleeping dogs lie, it's not worth the risk. If you can live with the fingerprint then keep it, if not then sell it and buy another one.

Lee >>



Thanks for the advice, Lee. I'm considering returning the card to the seller, which I hate doing but he did not mention these issues in his description and the prints could not be seen in the Ebay picture...

CDsNuts

Thanks for the advice, Lee. I'm considering returning the card to the seller, which I hate doing but he did not mention these issues in his description and the prints could not be seen in the Ebay picture...

That's a 3rd alternative and might be your best bet.... unless you got it at a great price and could make a few frogs on it. There's a reason the SP Jeter is so tough in a 9 and that's because if you even look at it cocckeyed it will start chipping. I'd be afraid to handle it myself, much less have another guy with nothing into the card handling it.