Question from a novice about estimating grades

NBTrading

I was hoping to get some advice from some of you who are pretty accurate at predicting the grades you'll receive. Do you use a scanner and examine the cards magnified or just practice without magnification?


Thanks,
James

Dpeck100

Surface is generally the primary issue that makes or breaks grades. If you are honest with yourself, centering and corners are pretty easy to judge.

I personally think pulling what you think are strong cards and putting them in a stack and then revisiting multiple times is the best approach. Use a very bright light and if your gut says something is wrong with the card then listen to it.

If you are sending in star cards you can afford some level of margin of error but if you are sending in cards that are worth less then grading fees in PSA 8's or 9's you need to be super strict if you care about the financial aspect of it.

You can blow cards up nicely on an Ipad but I do not believe there is any advantage to it versus looking at them under a bright light.

The other major issue you need to take into consideration is the set you are grading. Different types of cards have different standards. I for one am not good at grading rough cut cards. Others with more experience with OPC cards can better judge how a grader will view if the cut has gone to far into the corner. Other cards have printing issues that PSA will allow for that a non trained eye may deem to be an issue.

There is really no other way to get good then through lots of practice. My first submission to PSA was a block buster one not because of experience but because I was dealing with awesome raw cards. The next few were more humbling and even after many years of practice you still can easily miss things.

MrNearMint

Many collectors use magnifying glasses or loupes but IMO the best tools are your eyes and good lighting. Experience helps too! The more you send cards in for grading, the more you'll learn what the graders are looking at.

NBTrading

Thank you both. I think my biggest misses usually are the surface. I mostly collect the news cards (90's through today) and sets like Finest or Chrome are the ones I get the most wrong.

JWBlue

What confuses me about surface grading is whether there really is noticable difference between a PSA 8 and PSA 9.

Can most people tell?

NBTrading

I can tell the difference between a 5 and a 10 surface but that's about it.

MULLINS5

According to an SMR article I read, the number one factor is corners. Surface is going to be a bit tougher to examine. Definitely buy a loupe. They are super cheap. With one you will turn a stack of potential PSA 10s into a dollar pile very quickly.

hyperchipper09

<< <i>What confuses me about surface grading is whether there really is noticable difference between a PSA 8 and PSA 9.

Can most people tell? >>



I've got some 8's that look better than some 9's and 10's I have. On any given day 8's, 9's and 10's can be real, real close IMO. Centering off, an overlooked corner issue and registration on the card show up more on 8's than 9's, in my opinion. Surface is a crapshoot dependent upon grader. Things slip by, human error.

Dpeck100

When I think of surface issues I think of creases, wrinkles, bubbling, dents, and print dots and snow.

Here is an example of a card that is actually a lot tougher then you would think.





These cards have a very shiny surface and stick together in the packs. You can have what appears to be a Gem Mint card at first glance but if you inspect it carefully you can see at times what appears to be bubbling of the surface by the corners. If so you are looking at an 8 at best. It is easy to see how sharp the corners are and see that there is no chipping on the back and move on. You really need to get it under a light and rotate it back and forth to see if it is very minor and if so put it back in the raw stack. It is easier said then done to get yourself to do so.


Here is an example of a card that is also tougher then one might think.






These also have a glossy surface but do not have the bubbling issue that the prior card does. The problem with this set is quite a few of the cards have a dent line that runs across the back. Once again you can have a card that looks like a 10 and in this case it grades a PSA 6 EX-MT.


Here is an example of a card that has a tiny surface dent on it on the front. You have to really look for it but it is there. This card also has a black smudge along the bottom that is on the card. This example is the best I have ever scene with just barely any. Once again judging what the graders will think of the smudge is tough since every copy that has ever surfaced has some. This card is a stunner.








You can see the black smudge more on this copy and others are even worse.







Here is a card that I actually thought had a chance to go up in grade. BGS is so inconsistent in how they grade these and especially on the centering grade. Most of the Hogan's can be found with some white in the border on the right hand side like this has. In this case BGS gave it an 8 for surface. Unfortunately I cracked this out and it came back a 5 because of a wrinkle on the back. I was crushed.






These are just a handful of examples of why I would say surface is the toughest part of grading. It is pretty easy to tell if a corner is sharp right away or the centering is 60/40 etc.

lawnmowerman

A bright window reveals all. Use magnification if need be but 99% of the times, I don't need it.

Stone193

This card has 9 written all over it.

What did I miss? The back has a "tiny" little production indentation around where the game is and I totally missed it.

So, a careful inspection of the surface on the front AND the back is so important.

Corner wear seems to have a little bit of "room" depending on who's grading.

And most accept chipping if it doesn't involve the corner as OK while others hate it along with "rough cuts."