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Hand delivering a Bobby Orr rookie to PSA...from Toronto to L.A.

RedHeart54RedHeart54 Posts: 2,279 ✭✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
Howard Berger is a hockey writer out of Toronto and he recently posted this account of getting his Bobby Orr rookie graded. He, unfortunately, experienced something we all have at one time or another when submitting a card?

Between The Posts

He has a great hockey card collection he collected at the time. His blog and archives are worth reading if you're a hockey fan.

Comments

  • StingrayStingray Posts: 8,843 ✭✭✭
    I wouldn't call that Orr, Pristine, based on first glance!!
  • Dpeck100Dpeck100 Posts: 10,912 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Obviously a great card but four touched corners is what I see.

    What does this card bring in a PSA 5?
  • JJCTHE1JJCTHE1 Posts: 49
    My guess is a 5 or 6. With those corners and a wrinkle no way it can be higher than a 6. He needs to start reading grading blogs.
  • RipublicaninMassRipublicaninMass Posts: 10,051 ✭✭✭
    6 with a wrinkle? Not on their worst day
  • MrHockeyMrHockey Posts: 555 ✭✭✭
    Its worth 3 grand-ish, factoring in the eye appeal
  • sushihotwingssushihotwings Posts: 452 ✭✭✭
    Interesting read, but obviously somebody who is taking their licks with reality as most of us did when we first submitted cards. Looks like more disappointment could be coming his way on the Lemieux with the centering. All nice cards for sure, but he has his hopes set so high. I am sure he will write the trip off as a business expense since he blogged about it and got to see some family so not so awful. I would like to know what he means by "my PSA rep"? I have never submitted in person so curious if anyone here has and what he might be referring to.
    On the hunt high grade Star Basketball.
  • packCollectorpackCollector Posts: 2,786 ✭✭✭
    you guys are funny. no wrinkle that card is an 8 all day long. those corners are so within the guidelines of an 8 and better than most and with that centering , the card is an easy 8. The picture is taken with too much color which makes the slight touches shine. in hand I would bet that card is jaw dropping.

    it is comical how critical this board is of other people's cards


    regarding the orr, like everything else rookie related, times have definitely changed. in the 2005-2007 time frame , I had 5 of these. 2 psa 8's , a gai 8 and a psa 7 and a bvg 6 . the 8's cost about 4500-5000 , the 7 1800 , the gai 8 3000 and the bvg 6 1000.

    now an 8 garners an international flight and a cross country drive.
  • MrNearMintMrNearMint Posts: 1,209 ✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: packCollector

    you guys are funny. no wrinkle that card is an 8 all day long. those corners are so within the guidelines of an 8 and better than most and with that centering , the card is an easy 8. The picture is taken with too much color which makes the slight touches shine. in hand I would bet that card is jaw dropping.



    it is comical how critical this board is of other people's cards.






    +1





    I thought that card was at least a 7. I'm sure if it didn't have a minor crease (or two) it would have been.

  • Dpeck100Dpeck100 Posts: 10,912 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I am guilty of under grading my own cards all of the time. I try to be as critical as possible so there isn't disappointment. I went back and looked at the image of the card and I still see four touched corners. I personally would never look at that image and say PSA 8. It is entirely possible it is just the image and if so then myself and others could certainly be wrong with the initial assessment. If there is a wrinkle the owner will be able to find it under an extremely bright light. It may take awhile but if the cards grade was reduced because of one he will find it.

    I only asked what a PSA 5 sells for to see the potential value. I could see this card being a PSA 6.5 all day but just don't see a PSA 8.
  • shagrotn77shagrotn77 Posts: 5,607 ✭✭✭✭
    Agree that the corners probably look worse than they are due to the scan. Disagree that it's PSA 8 materials.
    "My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. Our childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When we were insolent we were placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds - pretty standard really."
  • packCollectorpackCollector Posts: 2,786 ✭✭✭
    the only corner that may keep it a 7 is the upper right. Take a look at the color of his picture and compare it to the color on all the psa 8's in vcp and you can see how dialed up the color is which is making the white on the tips explode with brightness. even then , these corners are consistent with at least 1/2 the 8's in vcp and the centering is almost unimprovable. beautiful card regardless of the grade
  • DanBessetteDanBessette Posts: 6,421 ✭✭✭
    It doesn't matter what it would grade without the wrinkles, if it has them. Grade is automatic at that point.
  • LOTSOSLOTSOS Posts: 1,308 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: shagrotn77

    Agree that the corners probably look worse than they are due to the scan. Disagree that it's PSA 8 materials.




    I think that's the problem actually. It looks like a photo not a scan. It's slightly out of focus and the colors are overblown just like his photo in the L.A. Airport.



    Now of all the players that are often in the conversation for the GOAT in hockey, to me Orr has the worst rookie card. I know that it was a tip of the hat to hockey's coming of age on TV but I'm just not a fan of the TV set look. Are there worse designs? Absolutely! But if I was given the chance to own one and only one gem I'd take the Gretzky and Howe over the Orr everytime and that's despite the fact that I would personally rank him first on the GOAT list!

    Kevin

  • travis ttravis t Posts: 1,185 ✭✭✭
    It was worth the read for the plane ride pics. The tarmac is jaw dropping.
  • MarsAttacksMarsAttacks Posts: 279 ✭✭✭
    Great post and fun story to follow - Thanks!
    Go Dodgers!
  • sushihotwingssushihotwings Posts: 452 ✭✭✭
    Originally posted by: packCollector

    you guys are funny. no wrinkle that card is an 8 all day long. those corners are so within the guidelines of an 8 and better than most and with that centering , the card is an easy 8. The picture is taken with too much color which makes the slight touches shine. in hand I would bet that card is jaw dropping.



    it is comical how critical this board is of other people's cards





    regarding the orr, like everything else rookie related, times have definitely changed. in the 2005-2007 time frame , I had 5 of these. 2 psa 8's , a gai 8 and a psa 7 and a bvg 6 . the 8's cost about 4500-5000 , the 7 1800 , the gai 8 3000 and the bvg 6 1000.



    now an 8 garners an international flight and a cross country drive.




    It is a great card no doubt. Kudos to him for putting it all out there for all to see. I think he probably got some not so great advice lets just say for those looking for business with him if he got the impression he could make a load of money after deducting the grading costs, hotel, food, and jumping on and off internationally flights like they were taxis in NYC. Starting off~5k in the hole is a big gamble counting on an 8 or higher to pay for it. Just my opinion. He made his own decision in the end, but went a little overboard it seems. I mentioned that we have all had bad grading judgment experiences(expecting a higher grade). There are certainly more economical ways to do it. I think part of the criticism stems from the manner in which he did it. Maybe I am just hater image. Hope he at least had fun.
    On the hunt high grade Star Basketball.
  • JJCTHE1JJCTHE1 Posts: 49
    Sorry to disappoint whomever I just saw 4 touched corners. I have submitted tons of cards to psa and BGS and 1 corner issue let alone 4 puts you into 7 territory at best. I don't know much about photography or this card specifically so maybe I'm wrong. Just voicing my opinion
  • VitoCo1972VitoCo1972 Posts: 6,130 ✭✭✭
    Get him to autograph it over where the "wrinkle" is and it's a 30K card.
    My Autograph Projects

    My Podcast - Now FEATURED on iTunes
  • RedHeart54RedHeart54 Posts: 2,279 ✭✭✭
    You can see that he has a lot of gradable stuff. His Bob Dylan story is entertaining in this post.


    Gretzky, Orr and other stuff.
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