Reviewed this 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan RC PSA-9...


This card was won in a Heritage Auction in February 2022. I won with a bid of $34,000+...about $10,000 more than
the going price for a PSA-9.
It looked exceptional for the grade to me with 50/50 centering side to side and 51/49 top to bottom using a 1/100 inch metal ruler inherited from my Dad who made pistons for the Ford Motor Company...so measurements had to be precise. The color is eye-popping and the inks align perfectly to make the word "Chicago" on his uniform clearly visible, not fuzzy. Also...when the registration is not perfect, there is a shift of colors on his shoulders. This flaw is not present on this example. The cut of the card is clean and the corners are razor sharp.
I just heard back from PSA and it is now going into a PSA-10 holder! Extremely happy with this bump!!!! I just wanted to share this news with everyone on the PSA board...
Comments
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@mintonlypls said:

This card was won in a Heritage Auction in February 2022. I won with a bid of $34,000+...about $10,000 more than
the going price for a PSA-9.It looked exceptional for the grade to me with 50/50 centering side to side and 51/49 top to bottom using a 1/100 inch metal ruler inherited from my Dad who made pistons for the Ford Motor Company...so measurements had to be precise. The color is eye-popping and the inks aligned perfectly to make the word "Chicago" on his uniform clearly visible, not fuzzy. Also...when the registration is not perfect, there is a shift of colors on his right shoulder. This is not present on this example either. The cut of the card is clean and the. corners are razor sharp.
I just heard back from PSA and it is now going into a PSA-10 holder! Extremely happy with this bump!!!!
Ummmm…. So I am guessing we know who’ll be treating us all to lunch this weekend???
Nice work!
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one.
Live long, and prosper.3 -
Congrats Monte!!!! Super happy for you. That Jordan is stellar and is now in the correct holder!
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YAHTZEE!
Mike
Bosox19763 -
Way to go Monte!!! Big Hit - Congratz!!
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Wow! Congrats!!!!
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
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Congrats Monty that is a monster bump for sure!!!!
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Nice work! If you don’t mind, can you post a pic of the reverse if you have one handy? Just curious to see what kind of centering on the back was allowed.
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Always buying Bobby Cox inserts. PM me.1 -
I will post front and back scans of the card when I receive it via an armored truck.
mint_only_pls2 -
Congrats! It's nice to see one of us small fish catch a whale from a review submission.
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Feels nice to get a bump on a big card like that! Congrats
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Amazing. Not many people have done what you just did. Congrats!
Super Jelly!!
Curious did you have to pay 2,000.00 just to review it up front. And then Im guessing were upcharged.0 -
Congrats!
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Congrats and awesome news on the bump! That is worth a few bucks for sure 😉
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Yes…I valued it at $25,000, so the review charge was at the Premium 2 level or $2000.
Process went very quickly within the promised 3-day time limit. I was watching it progress thru the process and it seemed to be going very fast. I overnighted it via FedEx and the day it arrived at PSA…it was immediately logged into their system and even went to grading. I thought…it was destined to remain a PSA-9. Then…it slowed at Q1 for a day…and it raised my hope. Then…I was checking every 1/2 hour. Then…it went to Q2 and said hold and a PSA representative will be contacting you. At that moment…I knew I had a PSA-10. An e-mail arrived shortly thereafter saying that there would be a $3000 up charge because it is valued more than $25,000 that I had placed on it.
mint_only_pls2 -
While I do wish you congratulations, here is the problem I have with this. Someone paid to get it graded, and they got a '9'. They paid good money for that opinion. Now, nothing has changed with the card mind you, it is now deemed a '10'. If I was the originally submitter, I would feel shortchanged. Sorry if I am coming across horribly. I congratulate you on your new 6 figure score!
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Great obviously, small loss turns into big win!
Curious is the top right exhibiting white or just the scan? If so surprised it got the bump.
Collecting
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS3 -
Scan
mint_only_pls0 -
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Super, super card. It is a superb 10. You have a good eye.
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@Ahmanfan said:
Great obviously, small loss turns into big win!Curious is the top right exhibiting white or just the scan? If so surprised it got the bump.
agreed...seems a touch of white in top right corner, and then a small white spot an inch down on the right side in the middle of the blue area...I mean, to go from a 9 to a 10, I would have thought that no issue could be found? Congrats in any case
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Wow! Great eye. Congratulations.
Thanks,
David (LD_Ferg)
1985 Topps Football (starting in psa 8) - #9 - started 05/21/061 -
Jeepers Batman, that’s a humdinger!
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Amazing! Congrats on the bump!
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.1 -
@mintonlypls said:
Yes…I valued it at $25,000, so the review charge was at the Premium 2 level or $2000.
An e-mail arrived shortly thereafter saying that there would be a $3000 up charge because it is valued more than $25,000 that I had placed on it.I'm a little confused... You valued it at $25k and paid $2k upfront.... Why didn't you declare it at $24,999, you would have only had to pay $1k upfront if it had not been changed to a 10. With the $3k upcharge, they valued it at over $100K of course.. Obviously hearsay now!! Congrats. Hopefully it doesn't get lost in shipping or damaged, cause you'd only get $25k back.... the risks of under declaring to save on the PSA charge. Per T&C's, upcharge does get you coverage to the new value.
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@Kepper19 said:
@Ahmanfan said:
Great obviously, small loss turns into big win!Curious is the top right exhibiting white or just the scan? If so surprised it got the bump.
agreed...seems a touch of white in top right corner, and then a small white spot an inch down on the right side in the middle of the blue area...I mean, to go from a 9 to a 10, I would have thought that no issue could be found? Congrats in any case
While I agree with you, it appears other 10s have the white also.
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Congratulations.
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Hot off the presses!... I see very minimal white....
A legit 10!!!
https://www.psacard.com/cert/63537372

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Congrats!! So nice to see success stories.
PackManInNC3 -
@bobbyw8469 said:
While I do wish you congratulations, here is the problem I have with this. Someone paid to get it graded, and they got a '9'. They paid good money for that opinion. Now, nothing has changed with the card mind you, it is now deemed a '10'. If I was the originally submitter, I would feel shortchanged. Sorry if I am coming across horribly. I congratulate you on your new 6 figure score!Yep, same here. I think it looks like a 10 but definitely a disservice to the original submitter.
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Congrats. You will be a very wealthy man whenever you sell it !!! Oh hell yeah !!!
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Delete
mint_only_pls0 -
I would have still ended paying $5k for the review since it came back a PSA-10….the upcharge then would have been $4k if I had declared it $24,999.
Yes…you’re right I would have saved $1k if the card had not bumped.
mint_only_pls0 -
I do not think there is an absolute perfect card out there even if graded a PSA-10. Centering can be ever so slightly off, the inks may not align perfectly leading to registration being off slightly, a card can have a rough cut and therefore ever so slight chipped along an edge or under a 10x loupe there might be an infinitesimal chip on a corner. This is just my humble opinion. And my card is not perfect either!
I compared my card to a number of recently sold PSA-10s Michael Jordan RCs side-by-side on my computer monitor, and it compared favorably to those. So…I rolled the dice so-to-speak by submitting my card to PSA for review stating in the comment section such and that it is at least a strong PSA-9 and worthy of a review for a PSA-10.
mint_only_pls0 -
Well done. It looks phenomenal. By far a huge score and I give my sincerest congratulations.
Collecting
HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS2 -
Congrats Monty! That gamble was well worth it, that’s a gorgeous MJ rookie!
Eric
Erikthredd’s MJ Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/publishedset/395035
Erikthredd’s Nike Air Jordan Collection: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregistry/basketball/key-card-sets/nike-poster-cards-michael-jordan-1985-1992/alltimeset/4084861 -
Can you get a bump on a card that's almost perfect but for a very minor indention? It was a PSA 9
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Monty you don't have to explain yourself to anyone as it is a phenomenal card and well deserving of being in a PSA 10 holder. Well done all the way around!
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Ummmmm why do both psa 10 pics above have the same cert # on different cards?
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Monte - that is incredible. It’s a beautiful card and a wonderful bump. So happy for you! Always great to see a board member share the good news so we can all live vicariously.
🎉🎊🍾🍾🎈🎉🎈🎊🎊🍾🍾🎉
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
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Between @UFFDAH ‘s Payton and now @mintonlypls ’s Jordan, this July pickups thread is becoming the stuff of legend.
Just waiting for someone to post their new NM Goudey Ruth and T206 Wagner now…
🤣😂🤣
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
1 -
@bobbyw8469 said:
While I do wish you congratulations, here is the problem I have with this. Someone paid to get it graded, and they got a '9'. They paid good money for that opinion. Now, nothing has changed with the card mind you, it is now deemed a '10'. If I was the originally submitter, I would feel shortchanged. Sorry if I am coming across horribly. I congratulate you on your new 6 figure score!The original owner could have taken the same risk Minton did but chose not to. Why would he not take the risk with that beautiful card. ?
He should not feel slighted. He should kick himself for not being more ambitious with such a great card. Minton saw the opportunity he did not see.
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Just curious, when you contacted PSA beforehand to let them know you were sending in the card for review- did they look at photos and provide any indication of the potential for a bump?
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@Goldenage said:
@bobbyw8469 said:
While I do wish you congratulations, here is the problem I have with this. Someone paid to get it graded, and they got a '9'. They paid good money for that opinion. Now, nothing has changed with the card mind you, it is now deemed a '10'. If I was the originally submitter, I would feel shortchanged. Sorry if I am coming across horribly. I congratulate you on your new 6 figure score!The original owner could have taken the same risk Minton did but chose not to. Why would he not take the risk with that beautiful card. ?
He should not feel slighted. He should kick himself for not being more ambitious with such a great card. Minton saw the opportunity he did not see.
The original submitter paid for the exact same service already. They shouldn't have to pay again to get a better result. And, how do we know that the original submitter didn't have it reviewed and just didn't get the grade bump? If they did, would that change your opinion?
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@SmithAuctionCo said:
@Goldenage said:
@bobbyw8469 said:
While I do wish you congratulations, here is the problem I have with this. Someone paid to get it graded, and they got a '9'. They paid good money for that opinion. Now, nothing has changed with the card mind you, it is now deemed a '10'. If I was the originally submitter, I would feel shortchanged. Sorry if I am coming across horribly. I congratulate you on your new 6 figure score!The original owner could have taken the same risk Minton did but chose not to. Why would he not take the risk with that beautiful card. ?
He should not feel slighted. He should kick himself for not being more ambitious with such a great card. Minton saw the opportunity he did not see.
The original submitter paid for the exact same service already. They shouldn't have to pay again to get a better result. And, how do we know that the original submitter didn't have it reviewed and just didn't get the grade bump? If they did, would that change your opinion?
Neither you nor I know if they did or didn’t.
We have to play by PSA’s rules. If they allow reviews, then we need to resubmit.
I cracked an 8 once and it came back a 10. I understand the game and play it according to the rules they set.
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@SmithAuctionCo said:
@Goldenage said:
@bobbyw8469 said:
While I do wish you congratulations, here is the problem I have with this. Someone paid to get it graded, and they got a '9'. They paid good money for that opinion. Now, nothing has changed with the card mind you, it is now deemed a '10'. If I was the originally submitter, I would feel shortchanged. Sorry if I am coming across horribly. I congratulate you on your new 6 figure score!The original owner could have taken the same risk Minton did but chose not to. Why would he not take the risk with that beautiful card. ?
He should not feel slighted. He should kick himself for not being more ambitious with such a great card. Minton saw the opportunity he did not see.
The original submitter paid for the exact same service already. They shouldn't have to pay again to get a better result. And, how do we know that the original submitter didn't have it reviewed and just didn't get the grade bump? If they did, would that change your opinion?
And people lose in court, pay for a retrial and win. Sometimes you have to pay twice in life to get the outcome you feel is just.
Either play the game, or sit on your hands. The choice is ours.
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@Goldenage said
@Goldenage said:
@SmithAuctionCo said:
@Goldenage said:
@bobbyw8469 said:
While I do wish you congratulations, here is the problem I have with this. Someone paid to get it graded, and they got a '9'. They paid good money for that opinion. Now, nothing has changed with the card mind you, it is now deemed a '10'. If I was the originally submitter, I would feel shortchanged. Sorry if I am coming across horribly. I congratulate you on your new 6 figure score!The original owner could have taken the same risk Minton did but chose not to. Why would he not take the risk with that beautiful card. ?
He should not feel slighted. He should kick himself for not being more ambitious with such a great card. Minton saw the opportunity he did not see.
The original submitter paid for the exact same service already. They shouldn't have to pay again to get a better result. And, how do we know that the original submitter didn't have it reviewed and just didn't get the grade bump? If they did, would that change your opinion?
Neither you nor I know if they did or didn’t.
We have to play by PSA’s rules. If they allow reviews, then we need to resubmit.
I cracked an 8 once and it came back a 10. I understand the game and play it according to the rules they set.
Cracking a graded card and getting a different grade is not what happened here. It was the exact same card in the exact same case.
You're arguing that it is necessary to pay multiple fees for a company to "review" their own work in order to get a better result?
Grading is subjective, but it should not be so subjective where person A gets an opinion worth $30,000, and person B gets a different / better opinion worth $225,000 for the EXACT same item just because they paid another $5,000 for the company to "review" their original opinion.
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@PNWcollector said:
Just curious, when you contacted PSA beforehand to let them know you were sending in the card for review- did they look at photos and provide any indication of the potential for a bump?I did not contact PSA that the card was coming...so no indication for a potential bump. No communication beforehand with PSA or photos provided beforehand...
The card was not cracked out but submitted in the original holder.
mint_only_pls0 -
@SmithAuctionCo said:
@Goldenage said
@Goldenage said:
@SmithAuctionCo said:
@Goldenage said:
@bobbyw8469 said:
While I do wish you congratulations, here is the problem I have with this. Someone paid to get it graded, and they got a '9'. They paid good money for that opinion. Now, nothing has changed with the card mind you, it is now deemed a '10'. If I was the originally submitter, I would feel shortchanged. Sorry if I am coming across horribly. I congratulate you on your new 6 figure score!The original owner could have taken the same risk Minton did but chose not to. Why would he not take the risk with that beautiful card. ?
He should not feel slighted. He should kick himself for not being more ambitious with such a great card. Minton saw the opportunity he did not see.
The original submitter paid for the exact same service already. They shouldn't have to pay again to get a better result. And, how do we know that the original submitter didn't have it reviewed and just didn't get the grade bump? If they did, would that change your opinion?
Neither you nor I know if they did or didn’t.
We have to play by PSA’s rules. If they allow reviews, then we need to resubmit.
I cracked an 8 once and it came back a 10. I understand the game and play it according to the rules they set.
Cracking a graded card and getting a different grade is not what happened here. It was the exact same card in the exact same case.
You're arguing that it is necessary to pay multiple fees for a company to "review" their own work in order to get a better result?
Grading is subjective, but it should not be so subjective where person A gets an opinion worth $30,000, and person B gets a different / better opinion worth $225,000 for the EXACT same item just because they paid another $5,000 for the company to "review" their original opinion.
I think you’ve answered your own question in your first sentence. Grading is subjective.
Successful transactions with: thedutymon, tsalems1, davidpuddy, probstein123, lodibrewfan, gododgersfan, dialj, jwgators, copperjj, larryp, hookem, boopotts, crimsontider, rogermnj, swartz1, Counselor
Always buying Bobby Cox inserts. PM me.1
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