The Value of the 8.5 Grade--One of My Largest Trades Ever

sreader3 · #1 02-03-2011, 09:17 PM

Centering is NOT all PSA looks at. I submitted a beautiful, perfectly centered T206 Green Cobb PSA 4 (with a VERY slight diamond cut) under the half-grade service couple years back and it was returned with a note on it that said "corners." I'm thinking about resubmitting because the card is so deserving of a bump in my view. I guess that's how they make their money.

novakjr · #2 02-03-2011, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sreader3

Centering is NOT all PSA looks at. I submitted a beautiful, perfectly centered T206 Green Cobb PSA 4 (with a VERY slight diamond cut) under the half-grade service couple years back and it was returned with a note on it that said "corners." I'm thinking about resubmitting because the card is so deserving of a bump in my view. I guess that's how they make their money.

PSA's website says "there will be a clear focus on centering."

Near perfect centering on a PSA 4 should equal 4.5 nearly every time...Unless, the centering is what kept you from getting a lower grade in the first place. Which may be the case with your Cobb. I don't know though.

A card isn't perfectly centered if it's slightly diamond cut. It may not get the upgrade because of the slight diamond cut. But then again, if you send it a few times, they'll probably give it to you once they've gotten enough money out of you for it.

Anyways, how much did they charge you for the submission? and does their database have any notation about it having already been submitted for upgrade?

oldjudge · #3 02-03-2011, 11:50 PM

Jim-You are saying it right yourself. Before a PSA 8 was 8.00-8.99. Now a PSA 8 is 8.00-8.49. Therefore, it is, on average, a lower grade card and should be worth less.

Peter_Spaeth · #4 02-04-2011, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Jim-You are saying it right yourself. Before a PSA 8 was 8.00-8.99. Now a PSA 8 is 8.00-8.49. Therefore, it is, on average, a lower grade card and should be worth less.

Jay, that assumes people are buying the cards for their condition, as opposed to buying the label for set registry purposes. There are people in both categories.

andybecker · #5 02-04-2011, 07:32 AM

interesting thread which clearly proves one thing to me.....i'm not smart enough to collect graded cards.

oldjudge · #6 02-04-2011, 07:48 AM

Peter-You are wrong. An 8 is worth less in the registry now because you have raised the overall average grade by raising some 8s to 8.5s.

novakjr · #7 02-04-2011, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Peter-You are wrong. An 8 is worth less in the registry now because you have raised the overall average grade by raising some 8s to 8.5s.

Exactly. Lets say, as an example, you had a psa graded 8 card, that only had 50 higher(9's or 10's). Well now, without your card physically getting any worse, there's a bunch more higher now because of the 8.5's. Without the .5 grades before, the cards that should've been 8.5's were carrying the plain old 8's, and that's just not the case anymore.

sb1 · #8 02-04-2011, 08:00 AM

Without regard to the effect of the value of 8, 8.5 or whatever other factors were involved.

If YOU are happy with the trade that is really all that matters. I think you got a lot of bang for your buck in this trade, essentially leveraging a handful of cards to trade for an even larger group in an almost imperceptible 1/2 grade lower condition in most instances. The value is secondary if in fact you needed or wanted the other cards to add to or complete sets, obtaining cards that otherwise might not have been made available to you.

I think everyone has done a trade to some degree that made others scratch their head. Most of these were done because the person "wanted or needed" what the other had to offer, specific dollar value within reason, was inconsequential, as both parties felt they were receiving equitable trades.

Peter_Spaeth · #9 02-04-2011, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Peter-You are wrong. An 8 is worth less in the registry now because you have raised the overall average grade by raising some 8s to 8.5s.

8.5s are relatively few and far between. I doubt someone collecting 8-type sets would pay less for an 8 that became available because it wasn't an 8.5 and they preferred to hold out for one.

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