Condition expectations as seen under 10X magnification
maddux69
Posts: 2,147 ✭✭✭✭✭
I have relied on my naked eye for judging cards and seeing if they have chances for a high grade for the past few years. I do pretty well overall, but there are always a 7 mixed in there that really make you doubt your grading prowess. I finally purchased a 10X loupe to see if I can better discern certain features. I would like to see if others have a best practice that would enhance using a loupe, i.e. placing it in direct light overhead or behind to view. Would the flip down glasses with lighted magnification work even better? I have noticed that their is a good deal of contrast when looking at corners with the light source behind to get great idea of their condition. Also, are there any resources that show edge wear and corners under magnification so one could better discern what condition fits what grades. Thanks for the input guys
Comments
The slanted card light view while wearing any spectacles one needs along with a loupe for corners serves all.
Here is what has served me very well for over a decade now.
Just bought these. Will report in this thread once they arrive.
Any of these will do. I use a bright light and a couple of different forms of magnification.
I was getting ready to pull the trigger on those as well, let us know how they work out!
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Greg Maddux #1 Master SetGreg Maddux #2 Basic Set
I use a desk lamp with 10x magnification built in. I personally prefer using that to a loupe as I get better light and can see better.
Optivisor w/10X Lens for me.
I go with this:
The scale works great for situations where OC is close to a limit and a pen light can be used at different angles to look at corners.
Kevin
Kevin
Any of these will do. I use a bright light and a couple of different forms of magnification.
Is a 30x too much zoom?
It's roughly 30x more zoom than a grader uses.
A grader doesn't use any magnification?
Correct
20-10 vision, good light, angles. I'll stick with that until I lose the vision
Very bright, precise light more than anything. I have an expensive loupe, but the pen light reveals more to me.
I originally used a lower powered handheld loupe but now use the one linked below that clips to my phones camera. Its awesome for seeing 60x, and can take pics for my reviewing later on. I know its way more powerful that the 10x I believe PSA uses, but I can really see things and get an idea what the card really looks like. Its come in very handy on foil cards especially. My last batch of PSA subbed cards all came back 9's and 10's. I was really able to cherry pick the right cards to send. Heres an example of how well you can see under 60x.
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Microscope-Adjustable-Blackberry-Smartphones/dp/B00XNFEB54
myslabs.to/smzcards
Quality lighting is all you need. Joe Orlando confirmed that PSA graders do not use magnification to assess condition for most cards. It's a mainly a tool to detect/inspect alterations. Magnification will conceal slight bends and other issues, which will affect a grade a lot more frequently than the type of corner fraying/paper loss seen under magnification. Also, 10's from colored bordered sets will frequently have a little bit of white showing to the naked eye on the corners/edges anyway, particularly on the back.
Card Grading and Urban Legend
Over the years, 16 to be exact, there have been many theories offered about the PSA grading process. While it is pure speculation in most cases, some of those theories have become Urban Legend in the hobby. Most of the time, the rumors are honest misunderstandings about the process.
Here are the five biggest misunderstandings about the PSA card grading process.
1) Graders Measure Each and Every Card With a Ruler – False
When a card is evaluated by a grader, they may or may not choose to physically measure the card. Many people are under the false impression that locating evidence of trimming, for example, is a simple product of measurement and nothing could be further from the truth. Graders will measure the card if they think the card needs to actually be measured. Their eyes, due to their experience, are much more crucial than a ruler.
2) Graders Consider the Population Report or the Marketplace When Grading – False
This is a conspiracy theorist favorite. The people who believe this statement think that if a card is scarce in a particular grade or hot in the marketplace that the graders will be extra tough on it. The graders consider one thing and one thing only when grading the card – the card!
3) From Time to Time, Graders are Ordered to be “Looser” or “Tighter” in Company Meetings – False
I hear this one a lot. We do not have meetings where I or anyone else asks the graders to loosen up or tighten up on the grading line. We do meet about grading and discuss particular grading issues but never and I repeat – NEVER – do we instruct the graders to do such a thing. The grading process works best if they have autonomy.
4) Graders Use Magnifying Glasses or Loupes to Grade Every Card – False
Do graders utilize these tools to assist in grading when they feel the need to use them? Of course, but the vast majority of cards are graded with the naked eye. Yes, I said it – the naked eye. In order to be a full-time grader, you need to have an extraordinary eye and these tools can, at times, distort aspects of the card.
5) Graders are Heartless Robot Minions Who Have Been Sent from the Future to Kill Your Submissions and Sarah Connor – Partially True – Kidding
Alright, this one was just thrown in for kicks but the point here is that the graders approach their job with neutrality. They are not trying to help or harm anyone like The Terminator; they have to focus on the characteristics of the cards. If they can justify 100 PSA 10’s out of 100 cards, they will. There’s no rationing of grades based on the overall outcome of an order or anything of that nature that occurs. They just grade the cards, for better or worse, as they see them.
I hope this clears up some of the misunderstandings that exist in the graded card marketplace and helps put to rest some of the urban legends that still roam the hobby. For a more detailed breakdown of the grading process, please visit our website at www.psacard.com for our grading video demonstration.
Never Get Cheated,
Joe Orlando
Editor In Chief
When grading corners on a card that is obviously a 7 (maybe 8) or lower, I would think that no loupe is needed. However, (for corners) I would think that a loupe is absolutely necessary. On a white bordered card (and even some colored borders), it is very, very difficult to tell the difference between a 9 and a 10.
In my opinion, the above comments COULD BE misleading. No.....a loupe is probably not used on a card with obvious corner wear. However, to determine the difference between a 9 and a 10....I would think a loupe is an absolute must.
Shane
IMO, using magnification to look for flaws that can't be seen with the naked eye is the antithesis of "eye appeal". If you can only tell a "9" from a "10" with magnification, the entire grading thing is a joke.
I actively collect Kirby Puckett. I have collections of Michael Jordan, Emmitt Smith, Roberto Clemente, Dwight Gooden, Tom Seaver, Errict Rhett and Evan Longoria.
Your statement has merit, but that is the reality in the grading world with corners. You can obviously tell centering differences and print defects without magnification, but corners.....not so much. SHOULD it be that way? I tend to agree with you.
Shane
To each their own, but I've never used any type of magnifier to distinguish a 9 from a 10, even with sets that are prone to chipping. I know of other people who are the same way and I seriously doubt the graders are louping all these post-1990 cards they get. If they are, it doesn't seem to make any difference. I've seen tons of 10's with specs of white on the corners that were visible without magnification. In some sets, it's hard to find a 10 that doesn't have any visible corner wear with the card in hand.
I found old threads where one member (otwcards) said he was formerly a senior grader with sgc. I don't have the link to it handy but I thought his posts on this subject and others were worth the read.
Demondeacs is spot on.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Definitely miss Scott's knowledge, insight, and candor.
I am simply speaking from my experience. I can't get a 10 unless I'm the card is absolutely perfect. I do have a fairly high percentage of cards getting a 10 when I am shooting for a 10. I'm just saying that I don't get breaks when a card is not perfect. That's why I loupe everything when I send it in when shooting for a 10.
Shane
The graders aren't louping your cards. If you have a good light source and good eyesight, any potential 10 can be determined without the aid of a loupe. If your eyesight or light source isn't so great, a loupe can be useful in those cases, but as demondeac mentioned, you can also miss surface issues like a wrinkle if your using magnification and not looking at the card naturally.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Who cares what the graders do? I am going to use whatever tool I can to eliminate sending in cards not worth grading. I have a pile of PSA slabbed cards that I can't sell for enough to cover the grading fee. I am trying to keep that stack from growing.
I always look at the card "naturally" under bright sunlight if possible, but since using magnification, I have not subbed quite a few borderline cards. This has become more important of late (in my opinion) as 8's and even some 9's are no longer desirable.