Inconsistent and illogical PSA grading standards on early 2000s, 90s & 80s

larry25 · 02-15-2023, 10:34 PM

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed PSA turning the screws ridiculously tight on cards from 20-40 years ago. I own a ton of this stuff, much of it still unopened, and I have collected it since the early 1980s when I first started watching baseball. I have tons of factory sets, cases, wax, etc., and when I have time, I open some of it, and I send it out for grading. Usually I send to PSA, but I am old school and still like BGS, too, always trying for that Pristine 10. I have noticed recently that the grades from PSA are laughable and even nonsensical. I am trying to understand it, and what I think has happened is that the legions of unexperienced graders at PSA have adopted the brand new 2020s Panini Prizm and Topps Chrome and other cards made of plastic and metal as the standard for Gem Mint 10 and they are illogically using that to compare to older cards. Obviously this doesn't make any sense, as cards made from vintage card stock in the 80s and 90s and even some brands in the 2000s have totally different quality. I think this is happening, and I also think PSA is just out of control. I have sent PSA 9s to BGS recently that I thought were obvious 10s when I sent to PSA, and at BGS several graded Pristine 10. I couldn't believe it. Is anyone else noticing this. Is it just a fool's errand to send cards 20-40 years old to PSA hoping for 10s. Why even submit this stuff to PSA anymore at this point? Do you think it is also maybe pop control? I never really believed in that, but it's starting to make sense to me now.

02-15-2023, 10:34 PM	#1
larry25 Member Join Date: Sep 2022 Posts: 959	Inconsistent and illogical PSA grading standards on early 2000s, 90s & 80s Just wondering if anyone else has noticed PSA turning the screws ridiculously tight on cards from 20-40 years ago. I own a ton of this stuff, much of it still unopened, and I have collected it since the early 1980s when I first started watching baseball. I have tons of factory sets, cases, wax, etc., and when I have time, I open some of it, and I send it out for grading. Usually I send to PSA, but I am old school and still like BGS, too, always trying for that Pristine 10. I have noticed recently that the grades from PSA are laughable and even nonsensical. I am trying to understand it, and what I think has happened is that the legions of unexperienced graders at PSA have adopted the brand new 2020s Panini Prizm and Topps Chrome and other cards made of plastic and metal as the standard for Gem Mint 10 and they are illogically using that to compare to older cards. Obviously this doesn't make any sense, as cards made from vintage card stock in the 80s and 90s and even some brands in the 2000s have totally different quality. I think this is happening, and I also think PSA is just out of control. I have sent PSA 9s to BGS recently that I thought were obvious 10s when I sent to PSA, and at BGS several graded Pristine 10. I couldn't believe it. Is anyone else noticing this. Is it just a fool's errand to send cards 20-40 years old to PSA hoping for 10s. Why even submit this stuff to PSA anymore at this point? Do you think it is also maybe pop control? I never really believed in that, but it's starting to make sense to me now.