“A - Top 30% - Above Average” assessment
Compton57
Posts: 15 ✭✭
Quick question— I used to be a serious collector & now that I’m retired, am looking to upgrade up a few of my key cards. One of those cards is a ‘59 Unitas that I’d like to upgrade to a PSA 9.
I just noted this card is available in an upcoming Goldin Auction.
When I read the description it says;
“Graded MINT 9 by PSA (64866134). Additionally, the piece has earned a widely recognized "A - Top 30% - Above Average" assessment (8642216). “
I’ve never seen a “A-Top 30% Above Average” assessment? Is it a further qualification relative to a card within its grade class — in this case, are they saying that this particular Unitas PSA 9 is considered in the Top 30% of all Unitas PSA 9’s? Is this PSA making this determination?
Would appreciate if someone could clarify this for me.
Thanks!
Comments
Sounds like Hype. There was a song that said "Don't believe the hype".
PWCC
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Yeah, just a sticker PWCC slaps on it saying this card we are about to sell you is better than it looks so hey, please bid more cause we put our "its a good card" sticker on it.
Just got one myself.
For everybody's info, all of my cards listed on EBAY are in the TOP 10% A+ for their grade. Please buy them all. Thanks for reading.
For the given grade…the card has an above average eye appeal as assessed by PWCC.
I had a few cards get that designation from PWCC and they did bring in more than average money at the time. I don’t know if it was the designation or the fact they were well centered
It increases the card value by about the price of the sticker...which is about 50 cents.
https://kennerstartinglineup.blogspot.com/
PWCC usually had a card correctly stickered. I bought a 1968 Nolan Ryan RC PSA-8 (PWCC-E, exceptional eye appeal for the assigned grade)...Oh…it bumped to a PSA-8.5...but lost the sticker!
I paid $3800...
This phenomenon started with graded coins and a company called CAC that would provide a sticker for top tier coins within a given grade. The premise was that for a coin graded MS-63, it could fall into A, B, or C subgrades.
www.brunkauctions.com
I think that that a secondary assessment designating a card high end for the grade CAN be a useful thing….especially for specific cards that have notorious issues like centering or print marks. Is anyone attempting to offer this service yet, especially since PWCC’s name is effectively mud?
so, a sticker opining about the opinion printed on the flip.
makes sense...
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I think Mike baker does a sticker on them too.
https://www.mbadiamond.com/
Different eyes see things differently defined. There is and always has been a need to establish a higher level for better cards within the grade. That's why half grades were created. It's astonishing to me they've yet to break it down to tenths and hundredths. Give it time.
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I have had it applied to cards I consigned with them. Think their judgement was appropriate selecting the ones they did. Financially it did not help me much but appreciated the attempted nudge higher.
I think where we are these days though, most everyone who is going to spend hundreds or thousands on a card feels that they know how to appropriately assess where a card fits in with others of that grade. In that sense I dont know if there is much value to any company adding their sticker or gold bar to a card because most of us look at it and say, yeah we know. Personally I wont buy a card with a gold bar on it because I just dont like the look. Stickers on the back its fine but I could do without it.
I disagree. There is no need to establish higher levels within a grade, because as you said, different eyes see things differently. One collector could favor sharp corners over another collector who favors centering over yet another collector who favors registration.
SGC's 1/2 grades criteria are distinct to each grade with no focus on centering, while with PSA's 1/2 grade, "there will be a clear focus on centering." Those are 2 different grading standards.
Not to mention, we've all seen cards woefully misgraded by 1-5 grades. What meaning does a 8.5 grade really hold when you could crackout and re-sub and get back a 6 or 8 or even a 10?
I say, just use a simple scale and grade on basic criteria and let the collector decide, based on their own preferences, if the card is a low or high level within the grade.
SGC had 100 pt scale, but abandoned it to the standard 10 point system.
TAG has a 1000 pt scale, but they too changed to translating that score to the standard 10 point system.
I disagree. The PSA 1/2 grade does not have a clear focus on centering, although that is the claim. I've seen plenty of examples of half-graded cards which don't fit that description because the centering isn't so great, but the half-grade was added due to other factors, I presume. Just like the other guys do it.
My point really is this: The argument over how and why PSA assigns crummy grades is the reason grades will need to be more well defined, particularly at the higher levels. People investing high dollars in cards will want reassurance towards having something which is better than the rest.
I'm not saying that I'm in favor of going deeper into the aspects of assigning grades to cards. It will be up to the demands of the investors and creators of policy, which seemingly is what most of us are.
.
But there's also a song called Don't Stop Believin'!
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