My first PSA submission - Brady rookies - yuck

[Onepocketj]

Well I sent my first ever submission to PSA and I have to say I'm very disappointed in the results. Not sure if I'm going to crack them out and send them to BGS or what I'm going to do. The fact that I pulled most of them in the last year is what really pisses me off. No way some of these cards deserved these grades.

Gold Reserve PSA 9
Ultimate Victory PSA 9
Ultimate Victory Gold Parallel PSA 9
Donruss Elite PSA 8.5
Ultimate Victory Gold Parallel PSA 8
Playoff Prestige PSA 8
Donruss PSA 8 (barf)
Donruss PSA 8
Metal PSA 8 (this blows my mind as well)
Bowman PSA 8
Bowman PSA 6 (this one had the dent in the top from the factory. Just saw one worse than this that got an 8)
Pacific Omega Redman/Brady PSA 7
Pacific Prism PSA 7

Waiting for about 40 more grades but at this point I'm not very hopeful...

[blackbears86]

Well I sent my first ever submission to PSA and I have to say I'm very disappointed in the results. Not sure if I'm going to crack them out and send them to BGS or what I'm going to do. The fact that I pulled most of them in the last year is what really pisses me off. No way some of these cards deserved these grades.

Gold Reserve PSA 9
Ultimate Victory PSA 9
Ultimate Victory Gold Parallel PSA 9
Donruss Elite PSA 8.5
Ultimate Victory Gold Parallel PSA 8
Playoff Prestige PSA 8
Donruss PSA 8 (barf)
Donruss PSA 8
Metal PSA 8 (this blows my mind as well)
Bowman PSA 8
Bowman PSA 6 (this one had the dent in the top from the factory. Just saw one worse than this that got an 8)
Pacific Omega Redman/Brady PSA 7
Pacific Prism PSA 7

Waiting for about 40 more grades but at this point I'm not very hopeful...



Maybe you got a grader having a bad day?

[Onepocketj]

Maybe you got a grader having a bad day?

Well he succeeded in making me have a bad day as well...

[swerve]

Post some scans when you get them in.

[Grid]

The fact that I pulled most of them in the last year is what really pisses me off.

This really doesn't have anything to do with grading modern cards.

I can see buying vintage wax looking for high grade. But it honestly doesnt work the same for modern "vintage" in foil packs.

Old wax paper kept the cards pretty tight together and didnt allow much movement. Add in the no nonsense box usually packed with 24 or 36 packs of 10-15 cards per and everything was kept snug. Outside of centering, you could pull some gems 30 years later.

Modern packs, like everything you pretty much busted, come with maybe a dozen packs per display box. Those things shift around in the box. And move around in those loose foil packs. Plus with only 5 or so cards per pack, nothing keeps them snug.

If you busted a modern foil pack 20 years after it was sealed, I cant even image how often boxes like these were resold, reshipped, moved around and treated like currency until you busted them.

I feel your pain, but just because you busted them doesn't mean they should all be gems.

[alifaxwa2]

First time graders are almost always disappointed.

[swerve]

I feel your pain, but just because you busted them doesn't mean they should all be gems.

This

I know it seems like people are always getting a high percentage of 10's but if they are like me they are meticulous. What you are not seeing is the large number of cards that look really nice but aren't being sent for grading.

[sigmachi]

This

I know it seems like people are always getting a high percentage of 10's but if they are like me they are meticulous. What you are not seeing is the large number of cards that look really nice but aren't being sent for grading.

I just started grading a little over a year ago. I had so many cards that, in my mind, I wanted to grade...however after my first order I quickly learned that it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be to get high grades. In fact, MOST modern cards have some kind of defect if you look hard enough...dinged corners for regular topps/donruss cards, surface roller marks/scratches on chrome technology cards, edges on thicker cards etc.

Now when I send in an order, I start out with a HUGE pile of cards I want to grade but by the end I usually only end up with a handful worthy of paying the money to send in. Flashlight, rubber gloves, and microfiber cloth have helped me...also the realization that not every card that comes in a pack is mint.

[Onepocketj]

I sent in a lot of rookies because of all the fakes showing up now.

Obviously I didn't expect to get all 10's. And I'm not surprised by most of the grades. That being said, the Donruss, Bowman and Metal shocked me. I have a lot of Metal rookies. Back when they were always on ebay I would search through 50 for the best one. And out of all of the ones I have ungraded, that one looked perfect. I compared it side by side to my PSA 10 and saw no difference. An 8 blows my mind. One Donruss I knew one would probably get an 8 because of the centering. But the other one was perfect. Great centering, edges, corners, etc. I will probably just accept most of the grades but those two are definitely being cracked.

[rainmaker]

First time graders are almost always disappointed.

yep. when the op gets the cards back in hand it will be more clear.

[dhendrix1303]

My results from the first time and last time I’ve ever submitted are huge.

Like.. way huge.


I’ve purchased a jewelers scope with LED light and it’s helped me out a ton.

[Onepocketj]

Honestly it wouldn't matter how much I examined them because I was sending them in to get graded no matter what.

And like I said, I wasn't expecting amazing grades. I am just shocked by a few of them. The Donruss I opened, never touched and put in a magnetic holder. I transferred it the day I sent it in and saw zero flaws. I'm glad that one is numbered or I would really think it was switched out. The Metal surprised me too.

The ones I'm waiting on will probably be more of the same. Rookies & Stars, Pros & Prospects, Momentum, Showcase, Mystique Gold (2), etc. At least now my hopes aren't up.

[RogerGodahell]

My last batch graded good but i've been in your shoes. I feel your pain.

[RogerGodahell]

How did you package them? Just wondering if you sent them in magnetics and top loaders. The graders probably get a hair across their arse if you don't send them in card savers which it states on their website is mandatory. I've sent them in before in top loaders and they accepted them but i had better results last time using card savers.

[Onepocketj]

How did you package them? Just wondering if you sent them in magnetics and top loaders. The graders probably get a hair across their arse if you don't send them in card savers which it states on their website is mandatory. I've sent them in before in top loaders and they accepted them but i had better results last time using card savers.

Nope - followed directions perfectly. Thought that would help but what did I know. I watched a lot of submission videos online where people didn't do it according to the directions - ie. put each item in order and label each item. I sent them in card savers in order with a post it on each card saver identifying the card. Labeled the outside of the box with turnaround time.

[Onepocketj]

I guess I can't be TOO mad. The most I paid for any of them was $199 for a box of Donruss. So I'll do ok with Probstein, PWCC or dacaptain. :)

[RogerGodahell]

Those card savers suck i don't know why they like those so much. I watched the guys at the Nationals slide a 1955 Mantle Bowman pulled from a pack into one of those without using even a penny sleeve. That was cringe worthy.

[RogerGodahell]

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[Onepocketj]

I hate card savers too but I wanted the submission to be perfect.

[rngrdanny22]

Those card savers suck i don't know why they like those so much. I watched the guys at the Nationals slide a 1955 Mantle Bowman pulled from a pack into one of those without using even a penny sleeve. That was cringe worthy.


That Mantle wouldn't fit in a penny sleeve.

I've personally damaged more corners putting a card in a penny sleeve than a CS1.

[RogerGodahell]

That Mantle wouldn't fit in a penny sleeve.

I've personally damaged more corners putting a card in a penny sleeve than a CS1.

Is the 55 an oddball size? In general i've seen this done before with other high value cards as well. I wouldn't so much be worried about the corners as i would the surface. With a penny sleeve if you put a slit on the top corners with a pair of scissors they'll go in a lot easier.

[rngrdanny22]

Is the 55 an oddball size? In general i've seen this done before with other high value cards as well. I wouldn't so much be worried about the corners as i would the surface. With a penny sleeve if you put a slit on the top corners with a pair of scissors they'll go in a lot easier.


Yeah, I'd only use a brand new CS1. Never a recycled one as I'd imagine some funk would work its way down in there and could damage the surface. New ones should be clean though.

Any card of that Mantle's value I'd overprotect the living hell out of it. haha!

[Onepocketj]

Well I just got the cards and I'm still very confused. I deliberately left two cards off of the list above because I was at a loss. I thought maybe PSA would have a note saying trimmed or something like that. Nope. And I've studied these two and have no idea what the issues are. I thought there might be a surface issue that I missed but still can't see anything. And still shocked on the Metal as well. The rest will be posted in the B/S/T section shortly.
(and no, they're not curved, it's the angle of the pic)
https://i.imgur.com/EKz9JtJl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ehq9GbEl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/xcmjDhfl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/IWUku8dl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/t58TdATl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/dHp2sAsl.jpg

[Onepocketj]

yep. when the op gets the cards back in hand it will be more clear.

Definitely didn't clear up anything for me :(

[CaptainUgly]

The prices difference between a PSA 8 and PSA 9 Brady Metal is only like $25 (Yes, the jump to a PSA 10 is a $300 jump) so it wasn't extremely bad. I would be interested in the Metal card and would even give you PSA 9 value, if you are selling it?