1953 Topps Mantle PSA Guess The Grade
 

I just received this back from PSA wanted to get some opinions on the grade?
https://www.nationalcardinvestors1.c...re/p04090n.jpg
https://www.nationalcardinvestors1.c...re/p04090a.jpg
Thanks, Jeff W

Beautiful card Jeff, nicely centered. I’ll go with 4.5

1953 Mantle
 

Beautiful Card but PSA is tough on rounded corners
I say 3.5 Hope I’m wrong and you got a 4.

John P

Tres!

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk

2.5. That folded up corner on the back hurts you, and the centering gives you the half point bump.

No way does that get a '4'. Not with the back corner looking like it does.

My guess a 3.
10 years ago 4

+1

Didn’t see that corner. Maybe 2.5.

My guess is a PSA 2.5 with the emphasis PSA puts on corners. However, the grade doesn't matter with value here. With the centering and registration, I prefer that card to most of the PSA 4's I gave seen.

Guess
 

Looks like mine a 2.5 well centered, minimal chipping under the red, I will say 3

2.5, 2 if any wrinkles or creases

It probably should be a 4, but you have to drop at least a full grade off of your normal expectations these days, so I'll say it's a 2.5 or a 3.

With how tough grading has become and because I can't see if there are any wrinkles/creases, I wouldn't be surprised if that card graded a 1 to a 2.5.

I've seen some nice looking 1's, until you tilt it to show the crease.

For your sake, I am hoping a 3 or 4, but I will be surprised if it received either of those grades based on the cards condition.

With that being said, however, it could be one of those anomalies where the grader was in a good mood and you got a 4 to 5? :)

Edit: Check out this Aaron in post #32
https://www.blowoutforums.com/showth...1500860&page=2

I’d say a psa 2.

Psa 3.0
_

2

2.5

Half grade due to strong eye appeal.

53 Mantle
 

Psa 2

3.5

1.5

here is the grade.....
 

Wow - extremely strong 2.5! I thought it would grade 3.5 to 4.0.

I'd grade it VN - Very Nice. Great looking Mick. Staring over his shoulder at the ghost of Joe D, not imagining what lies before him - five more WS Championships, three MVPs, a Triple Crown and a spot in Monument Park and Cooperstown. And some late nights at the Copa and Toot's with Whitey and Billy.

Oh to be young again.

The 2.5 is how PSA grades those these days and is very consistent. SGC would grade it a little higher, they definitely give eye-appeal more consideration for lower grades. Probably a SGC 3.5 from my experience.

The majority of people here guessed 2.5, which shows you how consistent PSA is. For vintage collectors though, the grade is only part of that equation. The centering makes it just as valuable as any PSA 4 I have seen.

53 Mantle
 

Most important point- GREAT card!

Dandor 1- PSA is "consistent"? I hope you were being sarcastic, wow...

Trent King

PSA in my experience has been very consistent. Out of 300 plus cards I have sent, there has been only a few that were not very close to my guess. Two of them were completely my fault as I missed something like a surface crease.

However, I just entered back into the hobby in late 2019. There are obvious differences from newer and older labels, PSA definitely has changed standards over the years.

I will say over this past year, PSA has been a tad easier with my submissions. I have graded a ton of Mattingly's and McHale rookie cards that were very similar. Most came from vending cases. In 2020 the Mattingly's that I thought were slightly better and graded first, came all back as PSA 8's. The cards graded in 2021 that I thought weren't as good and put in future submissions came back as PSA 8's and I got a few 9's. Same thing with my McHales. In 2020 they were all 7's and 8's and 2021 they were 8's and I got a 9. From my experience I have seen a slightly looser grading standard recently and have gotten back many more junk wax PSA 10's then I did over a year ago.

While PSA has gotten easier IMO, SGC has been getting a tad tougher in my experience. Some of the most recent cards I have gotten back would grade 1 or 2 grades higher at PSA. If you want value for vintage, look at SGC 5 and SGC 6 grades. There are some amazing examples in those grades at the moment.

guess the grade
 

Dandor- thanks for the thorough reply. It's the word "consistent" that grabbed
my attention. I think both PSA and SGC have gotten stricter, but that's a
different story. Two adjectives I don't associate with PSA are "consistent" and
"ethical". Again, I think the owner has a nice looking 53 Mantle. Trent King

I'd be happy with it. I was thinking 1.5

Are you serious? What is your logic and reasoning for thinking it was a 1.5? If you think that is a 1.5 worthy card, I have a bridge in Brooklyn and some Florida swampland I’d like to sell you.

The corners are rounded like a playing card! No wrinkles and a 2.5 or a 3 in a good day.

Suffice it to say, it is a nice 2.5 and would bring a better price than an ugly 2.5

Did you not look at the corners? Looks like paper loss on back upper right as well. Also, since when does PSA use logic and reasoning?

For me, it was a 2.5 without question. I was surprised by the opinion that it should rate as a 4. That seemed to be pretty much in line with sellers on eBay whose grading is eternally sunny, no matter how rounded corners, wrinkles, creases, paper loss-you name it- a given card may have.


Phil aka Tere1071

Working on completing a 1970 Topps Baseball set

Seeking the 1973 and 74 complete sets (someday)

Attempting to upgrade my 1953 Bowman Color, and my 1971, 1972, and 1975 Topps Baseball sets

Nice Mick
I was thinking 2 or 2.5 as well and one I’d love to own

I was guessing a 3 (3.5 on a good day)
 

As my experience is utterly inconsistent, I would have been a bit pissed but not completely surprised with the 2.5. Probably a "bad day" for the grader.

Sadly Howard, the bad days seem to be the norm...these days. I think that's one reason eye appeal has really dominated over last vcp sales

Is this card for sale? Just wondering.

Hoping it was at least a PSA 3 for you! Those folds on the corners are why it ended in the middle - Still a great card!

Jimmy

It's a great card. I nailed the grade by the way. I know you may be disappointed Jeff, but they got it right. You can ask a premium cause it looks nice for the grade.

It would annoy me that they slabbed it with that back corner bent down like that. PSA quality.

From the front I guessed a 3, and when I saw the back I figured a 2.5.

+2

I love when I see vintage cards that are 7's that would be 5's on modern cards.