PSA is labeling 1996 Kobe Bryant Metal Base Cards as Precious Metals if you ask them

[bdrr]

So, this seems pretty messed up to me, but I might simply not understand this insert as well as I thought I did. If I'm just wrong, do let me know.

My understanding is the 1996 Metal Precious Metals are differentiated from the base card by being entirely silver, while the base cards have swirls of color on the 'molten' left side of the card.

This is a Precious Metal



This is a base card



Yet, apparently, PSA is now happily slabbing base cards as Precious Metals if you ask them to, I guess.

This PSA 10 (new label), sold for $900, looks like a base card to me

So does this currently listed PSA 8.5 (new label) with an ask of $440

This is pretty effed up. We're talking about a ~$400 card (and key rookie) being confused with a ~$3 card from which it is very obviously distinguishable. But perhaps more criminally, it is clearly not an isolated mistake as there are multiple copies available just on eBay searches. As a PSA 10 we're talking ~$900 verus ~$40.

[brettmik59]

I've noticed this also. At first it seemed like maybe an isolated mistake or two, but apparently they're still labeling these incorrectly given the new slabs. You can understand how alterations get past them. They don't even know the difference between base cards and parallels.

[6celtics33]

Hold them accountable to their buyback policy

[Luni]

Just FYI, but you can get them to label your PMG as a regular base card as well if you want!

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?t=1145081

Though I don't recommend it :P

PSA needs to step their game up. No excuse for stuff like this.

[rustywest]

Your understanding is spot on and its not even difficult to distinguish the Precious Metal from the base. Chalk it down to yet another example of incompetence from PSA. I suppose they could be forgiven if it was an isolated incident but multiple examples? I saw a mislabeled Kobe a few months back, but it might have been the one you linked for 440. I thought about messaging the seller about the gaffe but decided it would be a waste of time. The way people worship graded cards, if the all mighty PSA label says its Precious Metal, that's what it is.

By the way, 96/97 Precious Metal cards are simply tremendous, and seem pretty underrated. I have just one, pulled it from a box busted earlier this year. A Dan Majerle, looks so nice that at some point I will probably go after some more - but its a minefield out there on ebay

[sh403]

This is a major problem that needs to be fixed by PSA. The pop report for the precious metal parallel version of the card is grossly inflated as a result of PSA's incompetence. Back in may of 2020, the total pop report for the card was less than 50. In one year it's somehow skyrocketed to over 80. This card is way too scarce for 30+ more examples to have just miraculously been discovered -- it was something like over 1:3,000 packs to pull a "precious metal" card of any player, and probably like one in a million to pull the K. Bryant precious metal -- so it appears that many if not most of the newly graded examples are mislabeled. Just some basic research online reflects numerous examples of the base card being mislabeled as the precious metal parallel. See attached. PSA needs to fix this because it's a major problem affecting what is likely the scarcest Kobe rookie parallel there is. I own four legitimate copies of this card, including 3 by PSA (one of them is a 10), and this f-up is affecting the value of the legitimate copies like mine in a major way. This can and should be corrected by PSA by revoking the certs for the mislabeled cards.

[sh403]

By the way, this is now a $40k+ card in PSA 10 condition (even with the mislabeling) so it's not like some obscure mistake on an insignificant card that can be swept under the rug. Without the mislabeling, the card would much more because the pop report would reflect probably around half the number that it currently reflects (which is 80)

[mjohnatgt]

Good point; send it to Nat. He's always willing to help in situations like this...

On the less sarcastic side, I have submitted quite a few of these screwups on their Auction Prices Realized tool "Report this item" when you click on the auction specifics. They have changed the item information in the database so that when you look up the card in their Cert Verification tool, it will come up as the base card. Feel free to mark as many as you want, if they have auction sale information you can see the image of the card and make corrections there. Keep doing it for as many cards in the set(s) as you want to clean up their database for them. They obviously aren't going to hire anyone to fix all the bull excrement in their database themselves. At least by reporting it and having PSA update the entry, anyone who checks it out before bidding will know it's the base version. Just think if every "Industry Leader" in the corporate world was as lousy as PSA... ;-)

https://www.psacard.com/auctionprice.../values/366614

[sh403]

Originally Posted by mjohnatgt

Good point; send it to Nat. He's always willing to help in situations like this...

Good idea, I'll do that! Thanks

[sh403]

Oh I didn’t know you were being sarcastic about contacting Nat. I’ll contact him anyway and see what he says and let you know. I will also report as many mislabeled examples as possible. Do you know if PSA photographs each card it grades? Surely it must right? If so only they are going to be able to root out all the mislabeled examples because presumably lots of them have never come to market and thus won’t be visible in photos online.... man this really pisses me off because it’s significantly f-ing up the value of the card

[rats60]

I sent PSA a Jordan Precious Metal and had it marked as such on the order form. They mislabelled it as the base card. PSA is so incompetent, why do people still send cards to them? I got fed up and quit 2 years ago. It is no different than PSA doubling down on the trimmed Gary Carter RC saying it is fine after BODA presented pictures proving it is trimmed.

[mjohnatgt]

Originally Posted by sh403

Oh I didn’t know you were being sarcastic about contacting Nat. I’ll contact him anyway and see what he says and let you know. I will also report as many mislabeled examples as possible. Do you know if PSA photographs each card it grades? Surely it must right?

Well, I was only being sarcastic about him willing to change the entrenched mafia at PSA: Sloan, Orlando, and the whole crew of miscreants.

No problem reaching out; anything to do with 90s basketball has a better shot of being worked since it's Nat's wheelhouse.

As far as what's reported, they only take pictures of cards at Express or higher service levels, AFAIK. It started at Super Express only, I believe, and was supposed to trickle down. But there are a hundred million cards in their slabs (or whatever) from before they started taking pictures of any. If you go through eBay/PWCC/VCP and record all the cert #s and images for them, you might get them to update even more that are not captured in their APR tool (which only started eBay sales in like 2017).

[mjohnatgt]

Oh, and PSA is not liable under the grade guarantee for mechanical errors, so these are all a "BUYER BEWARE" issue. However, if they choose not to fix them and the buyer gets scammed anyways, then maybe you have a civil case against them.

Certain exceptions to the Guarantee apply, including, but not limited to, the following: the Guarantee does not apply to any card as to which a clerical error has been made with respect to the assigned grade or description

https://www.psacard.com/about/financialguarantee

[sh403]

Originally Posted by mjohnatgt

Oh, and PSA is not liable under the grade guarantee for mechanical errors, so these are all a "BUYER BEWARE" issue. However, if they choose not to fix them and the buyer gets scammed anyways, then maybe you have a civil case against them.


https://www.psacard.com/about/financialguarantee

Arguably if they know about the issue and choose to do nothing, people like me who have the real thing might have a civil claim against them for the diminished value of our cards resulting from the flood of mislabeled copies inflating the pop report for the real thing.

[mjohnatgt]

If you are a PSA submitter (or website user), you might want to delete your post throwing shade on them. They can be very protective about who gets to use their services, and mentioning the possibility that you'll file a lawsuit against them may get you banned.

[duron]

Originally Posted by sh403

This card is way too scarce for 30+ more examples to have just miraculously been discovered -- it was something like over 1:3,000 packs to pull a "precious metal" card of any player, and probably like one in a million to pull the K. Bryant precious metal

That’s not right, Precious Metals were one in every series 2 box. It’s 1:3,528 for a specific player. Not saying the numbers aren’t inflated a bit from mislabeling, but many think these are tougher than they are.

[sh403]

Originally Posted by duron

That’s not right, Precious Metals were one in every series 2 box. It’s 1:3,528 for a specific player. Not saying the numbers aren’t inflated a bit from mislabeling, but many think these are tougher than they are.

Oh ok, I guess I heard that wrong then about the odds of pulling one. But idk if that's right about 1 per series 2 box; I opened two series 2 boxes in the last couple weeks and didn't pull any precious metal cards

[sh403]

Originally Posted by mjohnatgt

If you are a PSA submitter (or website user), you might want to delete your post throwing shade on them. They can be very protective about who gets to use their services, and mentioning the possibility that you'll file a lawsuit against them may get you banned.

I never actually had any intention of filing a lawsuit against them. Jackie from PSA just confirmed they have fixed the certs for the batch of three mislabeled cards I was able to locate that are mislabeled, so that's good news. I'm not sure whether they went through their own records to fix any others or whether it will happen on an as-its-reported basis...

[mc1]

Originally Posted by sh403

Oh ok, I guess I heard that wrong then about the odds of pulling one. But idk if that's right about 1 per series 2 box; I opened two series 2 boxes in the last couple weeks and didn't pull any precious metal cards

Hobby Only

https://www.beckett.com/basketball/1...recious-metal/

Randomly inserted into hobby packs at a rate of one in 36, this 98-card set is a parallel of the Series two set only (minus the checklists). These cards differ from the basic set with the background of the card being completely silver. To ascertain values on individual cards, please refer to the multiplier in the header, coupled with the value of the base card.

[mjohnatgt]

Originally Posted by sh403

I'm not sure whether they went through their own records to fix any others or whether it will happen on an as-its-reported basis...

PSA will not do any extra work, IMO. If you want this to be more accurate, you need to keep submitting change requests. They barely answer emails, there just isn't manpower for them to go around and fix and research work they've already completed unless someone brings it to their attention.

[duron]

Originally Posted by sh403

Oh ok, I guess I heard that wrong then about the odds of pulling one. But idk if that's right about 1 per series 2 box; I opened two series 2 boxes in the last couple weeks and didn't pull any precious metal cards

Yea like mc1 said they were hobby only, guessing you opened retail boxes.

[MJGOAT23]

Hello - bumping this thread to confirm.. I have one of each here? Regular on the left, Precious on the right?

[Ericc5Bears]

Originally Posted by MJGOAT23

Hello - bumping this thread to confirm.. I have one of each here? Regular on the left, Precious on the right?

Yes, correct.

[MJGOAT23]

Originally Posted by Ericc5Bears

Yes, correct.

I didnt even notice until PSA corrected my order. So, they do get it right sometimes

[duron]

Originally Posted by MJGOAT23

I didnt even notice until PSA corrected my order. So, they do get it right sometimes

Well that’s a pleasant surprise.

I’ve mentioned it a lot already but at the time kids used to think they were just error cards.