Can you guys help a relative newbie understand 9s and 10s?
doog71
Posts: 405 ✭✭
So I'm searching for a "perfect" looking 1984 Donruss Mattingly. As I've looked at PSA 10s, as well as 9s, I have a hard time seeing the difference, and sometimes the 9s look better, especially the centering. There's about a $600 or so price differential between the two.
I'm not trying to contribute to the "one day the same card is a 9, another day it's a 10" debate, but for those that collect both what is the big difference typically between a 9 and 10?
I don't want to be a sucker and just buy a card because it's a "10" (yes, buy the card, not the holder), but there must be some fairly large condition discrepancy for such a huge price difference, right? What is usually the biggest factor that separates these two grades?
Thanks for your expert advice!
I'm not trying to contribute to the "one day the same card is a 9, another day it's a 10" debate, but for those that collect both what is the big difference typically between a 9 and 10?
I don't want to be a sucker and just buy a card because it's a "10" (yes, buy the card, not the holder), but there must be some fairly large condition discrepancy for such a huge price difference, right? What is usually the biggest factor that separates these two grades?
Thanks for your expert advice!
0
Comments
Buy the Fine Nine!
WTB: PSA 1 - PSA 3 Centered, High Eye Appeal 1950's Mantle
Successful card BST transactions with cbcnow, brogurt, gstarling, Bravesfan 007, and rajah 424.
I think the "other" grading co is even more lame with Mint, Gem Mint, and Pristine. Good grief.
I don't want to be a sucker and just buy a card because it's a "10" (yes, buy the card, not the holder), but there must be some fairly large condition discrepancy for such a huge price difference, right?
Sometimes there is no difference at all, since cards that are graded a 9 are sometimes graded a 10 later on. Even some 8s have later become 10s.
With the 84 Donruss Mattingly, the biggest difference with a graded 9 and a graded 10 is usually the centering. That is from me owning a couple of 10's in the past along with several 9’s and years of experience. In the end, always keep in mind that grading is subjective and if you are good with owning a 9, then get one but your "perfect" 9 will never even sell for half as much as the ugliest graded 10. Many collectors like to see that number on their holders. Me personally, I have skipped out on 10’s until I come across one that I personally like and I feel warrants that grade of a 10 without any doubt.
Marc
I think that fact that you consider yourself a newbie tells me that you aren’t experienced enough to tell the difference between a (s)lightly touched corner(s) and gem mint ones well enough to see the difference between a 9 and a 10 card. When I first got back in the hobby in 2011, I thought I had awesome mint cards and then after about a year or so when I became more familiar with the grading scale and after looking at a bunch of graded cards on eBay, I went back and looked at my “mint” cards and the amount of little things I now caught were amazing. From print dots to bad centering to even bad registration. It’s more noticeable on some cards than others but I assure you that most of the time it's right in front of you.
With the 84 Donruss Mattingly, the biggest difference with a graded 9 and a graded 10 is usually the centering. That is from me owning a couple of 10's in the past along with several 9’s and years of experience. In the end, always keep in mind that grading is subjective and if you are good with owning a 9, then get one but your "perfect" 9 will never even sell for half as much as the ugliest graded 10. Many collectors like to see that number on their holders. Me personally, I have skipped out on 10’s until I come across one that I personally like and I feel warrants that grade of a 10 without any doubt.
Marc
Wow that speaks volumes.
In the end, always keep in mind that grading is subjective and if you are good with owning a 9, then get one but your "perfect" 9 will never even sell for half as much as the ugliest graded 10. Many collectors like to see that number on their holders. Me personally, I have skipped out on 10’s until I come across one that I personally like and I feel warrants that grade of a 10 without any doubt.
Marc
Wow that speaks volumes.
Yes, I believe that statement to be correct. There is nothing wrong with buying the card and not the holder and if it saves you money and you are happy with it for your collection, all the better. The flip side is that not everyone thinks that way and there are people with deep pockets willing to pay up for slider 10's at multiples of gorgeous 9's because that is what it says on the flip. And there is nothing wrong with that either. Everyone should be allowed to collect what makes them happy.
To answer your original question. I think grading is ultimately a subjective process despite the technical components involved. The reality is that the difference between a 9 and a 10 could very easily be just the difference between being graded by the same grader on different days. I once subbed three of the same modern card in one sub. All three came back 9's. I cracked them all and while one had a surface problem (possibly from my poor crack out skills) the other two looked perfect. I sent them both back and they both got 10's. There are countless examples of this. There are also examples of people cracking out 8's hoping for bumps and going the wrong direction and getting 7's. I really believe that if you cracked out 10 vintage 10's and re-subbed them all, there is a miniscule chance that all 10 come back 10's again.
I buy 9s and try to submit 10s. But I rarely, buy a 10. I do rip a fair amount of 80s through a year though.
I second this. I only buy 10s of cheaper cards of guys I collect.
I buy 9s and try to submit 10s. But I rarely, buy a 10. I do rip a fair amount of 80s through a year though.
I also buy 9's and try for 10's, sell the 10's and buy more 9's.
If it's well centered, it's a thing of beauty. Here's mine:
To me the diff. between the two grades is the mood of the grader.
That certainly is a beautiful 9 but I can also clearly see why it's a 9.
True. Very sweet looking 9 however
Print spots on his forehead?
I am going with the bottom right corner.
Successful card BST transactions with cbcnow, brogurt, gstarling, Bravesfan 007, and rajah 424.
Print spots on his forehead?
I am going with the bottom right corner.
The snow on his forehead is scanner dust. It could be the bottom right corner and/or there are two red print dots, upper right by his head and in the blue, to the right of 1B. While it's properly graded, the differences between 9's and 10's can be very minor.
Here's a 10 that I would not spend my money on.