Received my MBA cards back - results included - Koufax RC, Bench RC, 1960 Mantle
KendallCat
Posts: 3,103 ✭✭✭✭✭
Just received my second small batch back from MBA, and cards and results are shown below. The Bench I thought would gold, the 60 Mantle could go have gone either way, and the Koufax was a toss up and kept my fingers crossed for a gold. Have a couple more that have received a go for diamond review, and I am going to take them in person so I can keep them from being out of my sight. Thank you for looking.
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Comments
My eyes are well-trained. When I ignore the labels, all I see is beauty. Wows to the Koosman/Ryan.
Fantastic appeal on each one…great eye. What is going on with the bottom right corner on the Mick toward his last name? It really breaks from a 90 degree angle.
Thank you and not sure - rough cut and odd corner. Outside of that it is extremely nice and overpaid at the National for it due to the eye appeal. Funny thing is I submitted a pair of Bench rookies at the National in a PSA 8 and 8.5. They looked identical and the 8 got a gold diamond and the 8.5 received no diamonds. Thought they looked identical, but overall have been very pleased with the results and exceptional service on every order - great personal attention.
^The 8.5 looks like its grade, the 8 presents above. In effect the .5 is PSAs Dimond sticker
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
Perspective is never complete without cards in hand. What I see is on the JB's is the 8.5 has almost precise registration, while the 8 is blurrier.
Actually my understanding is the gold diamond represents the card appears a 1/2 grade or .5 higher than the numerical grade from PSA/SGC…..Silver diamond represents cards with superior eye appeal and are top 15% for their grade. I think the 8.5 is not a gold but would think it is very close to silver and silver on a good day. Thank you for the note.
KC
Stickers or not, KC. I really enjoy looking at these cards!
Holy undergrade....That Koufax should be a 6 or 6.5... The mantle a 6,... That Ryan is crazy undergraded it seems PERFECT centering and very nice corners... looks every bit of a 7 NM card...all these have exceptional centering and look great...good job!
What kind of multiple would you expect on these compared to straight grades?
Very impressive Keith!
One thing I believe? You're the "king" of the 4, 5's that look like 8's.
To bring this home? How about showing your 53T Mantle?
Thank you Mike for the nice comments. I don’t think I started out trying to get cards in the 4-5 range, and when I first started collecting PSA cards in the late 90’s I was a PSA 8 or higher collector and would not look at anything in a lower grade, It was only after learning from people like Jeff at Card Country and Matt C on here years ago about emphasizing eye appeal and centering did my collection start to look better.
I still love cards in my favorite grade (PSA 8.5), but now I try to find cards that “look” like an 8 but are a PSA 4-6.5 - I stay away from PSA 7-7.5 since those cost close to an 8, and if I can find a 5 why pay more for an 8. That way I can stretch my budget a little further.
Thank you again for the note and hope you had a great holiday season. Here is the 53 Mantle which I am taking to MBA at the next show they attend where I am there. Also, here is one of my favorite cards and grades for eye appeal - 56 Mantle in a PSA 4.
Beautiful Mantle's. What am I missing? Why were they graded so low? They appear to be 2 or 2.5 grades higher.
Yes as has been discussed a year ago severe UNDERGRADING started about 4-5 years ago...my thoughts pertain to the graders annual job performance review process and now you can imagine/guess the rest...Rock on!
Love all of these, great cards.
Need some 2007 A&G Regular Back Mini's PM if you have any and I will send my needs list.
Absolutely stunning. Thanks for sharing these hobby treasures!
Kendall cat- great looking cards, thanks for sharing. I do disagree with one thing you said, that you avoid PSA 7 and 7.5 cards because they are close in price to PSA 8.
I’ve bought lots of PSA 7’s and a few 7.5’s that were a lot less than a PSA 8 would have cost. Several were George Brett rookies.
I’m just saying I wouldn’t avoid the 7 grade because there are some great looking cards in those holders also. 👍
Kendall Cat in your opinion why were your two Mantles graded so low? They look much better.
The 53 Mantle has staining on top, i totally agree with the grade nonetheless it displays like a 6 or 7.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
A perfect example of why grading is born of opinions, however, each of us has our own method of choice. A beautiful card doesn’t only require a PSA endorsement to make it desirable.
Darin- Note and in regards to PSA 7 or 7.5 there is nothing wrong with those grades. For me it’s just a personal quirk, and if I found a card I wanted in that grade I would probably grab it. One of the best cards I ever owned that I thought was very underrated was a 58 Mantle. It looked like a PSA 8 or 8.5 all day - I will let you be the judge.
Very good eyes and you are absolutely correct. There’s a little bit of something going on the top, which is not very visible, but is there nonetheless. Outside of that it is very difficult to find the 53 with the bottom right corner without shipping. Pretty sure I’ve had this one a long time and will probably be one of the last cards I sell from my collection.
Sad thing is going go back in the late 90s summer of 2000 I owned a 53 mantle in a PSA 8 that was absolutely gorgeous.This was pre-half point grades and also pre smart phones to take photos, so the only image I have of it is a scan on paper and the paper had some wrinkles - the wrinkles are not on the card. I feel fairly confident that if I still had the card and it was graded today, it would be an 8.5 and worth a couple bucks😉
Wow, Keith! That ‘53 Mantle is a stunner…and I agree with you that it would have a strong chance at an 8.5. You had told me about that card….but I had never seen it b4.
Thanx for the shout out Keith.
How about an update on the family - time has totally past!
I'm here 22 years!
The 53 has a little subtle staining on the top portion. Hard to see on a scan. The 56 in a PSA 4 has probably a small crease on the bottom left iirc.
Mike - thank you for asking and family is doing well. Misty is about a year away from retirement at the University of Kentucky. Keith Jr is majoring in sports management and analytics and is in the middle of his junior year. Just found out today that he made the Dean’s list again last semester and has a 4.0 GPA. That is definitely coming from Mom’s side of the family!
We are planning on a few shows the spring before the National in Chicago - probably going to do Nashville in February, and then do Shipshewana in March. Outside of that just recovering from the holidays and my second knee surgery of the year so I am good - had the left one done in May and the right one done in early December.
Have you been doing these days? Hopefully at some point you’ll make another trip to the national so we can meet up again. Good to hear from you and happy New Year’s!
Wow Keith - that's "some" update!
Glad to hear about Misty - more free time is the best! I don't miss work.
Your son - I remember when he was this little guy! Congratulations on the Dean's list Keith Jr!
Glad to see you're still active and enthused about our hobby.
And both knees? Hope the rehab goes well buddy.
Me? Doing well - I don't buy a lot since I've already got more than I look at - if that makes sense?
I will PM you about future nationals down the road.
For now? Happy New Year and have a great one - time has a way of flying - so enjoy every day.
Take care
Mike - thank you for the note and sorry I missed seeing the last one.
Had one last question for the board on the MBA stuff. Had two Bench rookies I submitted and both were a 1/2 grade apart. One got a gold label and one did not - see attached. Wanted to see what everyone thought on the two examples and which one they deemed the better card. Thank you in advance for the help.
KC
Will show results in a couple of days,
Those look like the cards in this post, already in this thread?
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
i like the bottom one better
Yes they are, and I was trying to do a blind eye test by listing them without grades to gauge opinions. Kind of a moot point now with the about photo you posted showing the grades👍
Keith...
I like the 8.5 better than the 8 w/Gold diamond. The 8 is skewed top to bottom when viewed horizontally. Registration being off and skewness are problematic-card aspects which both PSA and Mike Baker seem to fail to take into account when grading.
The image seems sharper on the 8.5, too.
and if you subbed the same 2 cards back to MBA without the gold sticker on the 8, they may come back with the gold sticker on the 8.5 and not the 8...it's a crapshoot with MBA just as it is with the initial grading with any grading company...it's why I would never consider sending graded cards to MBA...paying a 2nd time for an "educated" guess....no thanks
So, instead of grading your card correctly, you get a silver or gold sticker?
GREAT.
The 8.5 is a bit nicer imo. The stickers mean nothing to me.
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.
How much did it sale for is one of the funniest and most ignorant things I've ever heard.
Your stalking me from thread to thread has become very concerning.
@KendallCat , Apologies for my spoiling it for the few who did not see your other posts in this short thread.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
No worries and thank you for the note.
KC
I mean, one vs. the other, a touched corner or slightly out of focus, but I wouldn't kick either of them outta bed.