Is PSA vintage grading coming back to "normal"?

[raulus]

My sense is that when I submit at higher service levels, I get the graders who are more knowledgeable about vintage. When I submit at the bulk level, I get the noobs. Could just be happenstance, but that has been my experience of late.

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by raulus

My sense is that when I submit at higher service levels, I get the graders who are more knowledgeable about vintage. When I submit at the bulk level, I get the noobs. Could just be happenstance, but that has been my experience of late.

I agree with Raulus. Higher service levels = appear to get more knowledgeable grader. Overall I have not seen a return to the old standards. Consider yourself lucky!

[babraham]

Dang, this was surprising.
I sent in a 16-card submission to PSA earlier this month under their Value (45-business day turnaround) service. So it showed an April 15 estimated completion date.
So, I was quite surprised to get an email today that my submission was completed and already being sent back to me.
Less than a month total time.



As for the grades...a few lower than expected, a couple higher than expected...most right about where I thought they'd be.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by babraham

Dang, this was surprising.
I sent in a 16-card submission to PSA earlier this month under their Value (45-business day turnaround) service. So it showed an April 15 estimated completion date.
So, I was quite surprised to get an email today that my submission was completed and already being sent back to me.
Less than a month total time.



As for the grades...a few lower than expected, a couple higher than expected...most right about where I thought they'd be.

Awesome. Always nice to get zippy turnaround. By any chance was your order for modern cards? It seems like these days PSA is overstaffed on the modern side and understaffed on the vintage side, so modern submissions fly on through while the vintage submissions malinger FOR-EV-ER.

[babraham]

Originally Posted by raulus

Awesome. Always nice to get zippy turnaround. By any chance was your order for modern cards? It seems like these days PSA is overstaffed on the modern side and understaffed on the vintage side, so modern submissions fly on through while the vintage submissions malinger FOR-EV-ER.

They were all 1984 Fleer Update and 1985 Leaf cards.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by babraham

They were all 1984 Fleer Update and 1985 Leaf cards.

Cool, cool. Glad you got them back so quickly. And the fact that they were "modern" explains why. Our good friends at PSA draw the line at 1979 and earlier, and 1980 and later. At least for now that's where they draw the line. If memory serves, they've moved it around a bit over the last few years.

[Zach Wheat]

Modern + Autograph authentication slows the process down considerably as well.

[bnorth]

Really, what is normal?

Like many on here I have been collecting for longer than grading has been around. The only consistent thing with PSA grading is almost everyone complaining about it. With PSA I honestly don't think there has ever been a normal as it has always been a crap shoot in my personal experience. One time you get a grader that gives accurate grades(very rare in my experience), then one with lower than expected grades, then one that you love with every card being over graded, and one of my favorites every card in the submission gets the same grade no matter of actual condition. I have received all of these multiple times and I can't imagine very many who has submitted to PSA multiple times has received different results.