smr prices and 1964 topps baseball

summersolstice27

Forgive me if this has covered in the past but im new to this forum and this is my first of many questions. When do the smr prices change? What are they based on ? Population? Demand? Scarcity? How often do the smr prices change if at all? Lastly 1964 topps baseball. If the box has been scratched is the card devalued and if so, how much? Likewise if the box has not been scratched is there a premium. Thanx fellow collectors.

LarkinCollector

Originally posted by: summersolstice27
Lastly 1964 topps baseball. If the box has been scratched is the card devalued and if so, how much? Likewise if the box has not been scratched is there a premium. Thanx fellow collectors.

First off, welcome! I can't answer the questions on SMR, but for the 64T BB there is no deduction for a scratched box unless it was hard enough to compress the cardboard and create a surface issue. Some people prefer unscratched so there may be a slight premium, but not much. I personally have a mix in my set, though with a stack of multiples I'll choose one that's unscratched over a scratched one, all other things being equal.

Dboneesq

If you are looking for FMV on graded cards, do not use SMR. Either use recent auction house results or eBay sales. VCP is widely accepted as a guide for current prices. Many people use it and it's worth the money if you are constantly looking for card values.

MilehighHOF

I can't speak to your question about there being a premium for a card with the answer not scratched off, but I can speak regarding how PSA grades these cards. I had a beautiful 64 Aaron that looked nicer than the PSA 8 I had, but the answer was showing on the back. The card surface was nice and there were no indentations on the card where the answer had been rubbed. I emailed PSA about how they took this into consideration and this was their reply:

"I did speak with our Grading Department about your concerns. They did confirm that rubbing off the answer section of these cards does have an effect on the grade of the card. This is true even if there is no indentation left on the card from rubbing it off. How much the grade is effected is dependent on the severity of it, as well as eye appeal. If any paper stock is removed, that will also have an impact on the grade."

I submitted the card and it came back a 6.

DanBessette

SMR supposedly takes into account real sales data. In actuality, it is largely inaccurate. VCP is the way to go. If you don't want to pay for one of their more expensive memberships, pay 4 bucks for a 24 hour pass and dump as much data as you can into a spreadsheet for whatever set you're working on. That's what I do.

summersolstice27

Thankyou for welcoming me into this collectors forum. I dont see how you can scratch the cartoon and not leave any indentation. Since psa regards the scratching in their grading, I wonder if most hobbyists do too.

Dboneesq

If I was collecting cards from a set that had a scratch-off, I would definitely look for cards that were unscratched.

travis t

I wouldn't pay top dollar for a card which is otherwise mint, but has a cartoon scratched off. It's altered. I realize the gray area for this could carry on a discussion for years. But, the fact is, the card is no longer in it's original form once the surface has been compromised in any way. Just my 2. Welcome to the forum.

LarkinCollector

Originally posted by: MilehighHOF
I can't speak to your question about there being a premium for a card with the answer not scratched off, but I can speak regarding how PSA grades these cards. I had a beautiful 64 Aaron that looked nicer than the PSA 8 I had, but the answer was showing on the back. The card surface was nice and there were no indentations on the card where the answer had been rubbed. I emailed PSA about how they took this into consideration and this was their reply:

"I did speak with our Grading Department about your concerns. They did confirm that rubbing off the answer section of these cards does have an effect on the grade of the card. This is true even if there is no indentation left on the card from rubbing it off. How much the grade is effected is dependent on the severity of it, as well as eye appeal. If any paper stock is removed, that will also have an impact on the grade."

I submitted the card and it came back a 6.

Interesting, I haven't sent any in for grading, but have been given the exact opposite advice in the past. Looking through the PSA9s available for sale, I can't find a single example with a scratched back (of those that have back scans) and stand corrected.