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09-29-2020, 03:17 PM #1
PSA Submission Advice for Newbie
Hello,
I collected football cards (and some baseball and basketball) casually in the late 80's and 90's. I wouldn't say that I have anything to write home about with regards to any cards of "real" value. Recently I've gone through some of them and noticed that if they were to get graded that coveted PSA 10 or BGS 9.5, then I could make some $$$ off of them.
With that said (and again I'm really new here), I'm noticing that if they were to come back a 9 then the value is basically peanuts. For fun, I want to go through all the boxes and at least get a short stack of them to send to PSA or BGS to see what comes back. At the very least it will keep me engaged.
My question is the following. What should I look for when going through these in their cases. I know centering and the corners are the biggies. What else would you recommend that I see on these cards before I make a final stack of ones that I feel have a 10 or 9.5 potential?
Thank you for the help.
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09-29-2020, 03:31 PM #2
Check out this thread:
https://www.sportscardforum.com/thre...3#post14936803
As you will need some of the right tools to do the job when you prep your cards for grading. The clothes are for cleaning the surface on certain cards as surface is another one to look for.
p.s. Just use the search function and you will find ton of other folks who have asked this question in the past (years) and find out members responses with helpful tips.
Don
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10-01-2020, 02:20 PM #3
@frankdemariany; @doniceage; @Shaggy
I hope you have some great cards, but I am going to warn you of pitfalls and some things I have seen. First, a little about my collection. I have over 900 PSA graded cards in my collection, many PSA 10 and many the only one graded a 10. I have been a member with PSA (on and off) since 2004, when I sent in my first submission. I review ALOT of cards and when financially feasible, I send in as many as I can. That being said, I would read some of my other threads, as pointed out by Don and really think twice about grading for profit. But, here are some quick things
1. I always checks corners and edges - If they are not sharp, you are losing a grade...period
2. I use a large magnifying glass with a light to make these checks.
3. I also tilt the card in the light to check the surface. That is where I see the most issues arise in cards being sent in for grading. The surface of the card can be easily scratched when stacked on other cards, etc. Cards from the 80's would sometimes get a sandy like substance in the wax packs that actually would scratch the surface. These scratches are only visible when the card is held up under a light and tilted a certain direction. I have sent in cards that I thought were 10's and got 8's. This issue was with surface scratches.
4. Centering is another issue. (Backs should be centered too (at least not complete train wreck on the back)
5. OK, This one is the worst...see cards from 1990 Topps: Card Production. Not a big deal on newer cards for the most part, but a HUGE deal on cards from the 80's and 90's. Many of these cards aren't as "glossy" as today's cards. Different card stock. The result. ink not even over the entire card, ink spots, bleed over various borders. All common issues that may effect a grade from a 10 to a 9 or lower.
These are the basic issues. If you check the PSA website (https://www.psacard.com/resources/gradingstandards) they will also tell you the "Overall Eye Appeal" of a card. So you go through all of this and the card just doesn't look perfect, it's a possible 9.
In short. If you plan on sending cards in form the 80's and 90's, they better be mint, or you better be able to lose money.
Here is an 8 and a 9 on a very hard card to grade as a 10 due to the black borders:
The PSA 8 is slightly off-centered as compared to the PSA 9. It takes blowing the images up large to see the edges with slight white. The 8 also has a super slight corner ding (upper left) that you can't really see unless you magnify the card. (Forgot: I also scan the cards into a picture and look at the card in a larger close up view).
All this and I still don't get all 10's om my submissions. My first submission was a complete train wreck. I've gotten better over time, but still not perfect.
In short, if you think you have alot of money in cards from the 80's and 90's and think grading is the way to go, I would be VERY Careful. Now if you want to go down this road, we here at SCF offer PSA Grading though myself or @Joshmets31. Both of us have accounts and can send in cards. This would save you from having to get a membership, which I believe they have suspended right now anyways.
Here are the current PSA specials (which I will also post in another thread shortly):
CURRENT QUARTERLY GRADING SPECIALS
T206 RevivalYears Accepted
$8.50 per card
Reholder
20 Card Minimum
LEARN MORE
1909-1911
Declared Value Limit
$499
Categories Accepted
T206 cards
Item Types Accepted
T206 cards
Membership Requirement
Collectors Club Membership
Turnaround Time (Estimated)
Varies with demand
Exclusions
Regular, Tallboy, thick/patch, coins/pins, Supersized, T3's and autographed cards
Gridiron GreatsYears Accepted
$10 per card
20 Card Minimum
LEARN MORE
1972-1989
Declared Value Limit
$499
Categories Accepted
Football cards
Item Types Accepted
Regular sized cards
Membership Requirement
Collectors Club Membership
Turnaround Time (Estimated)
Varies with demand
Exclusions
Tallboy, thick/patch, coins/pins, superzied,T3's and autographed cards
MTG FTWYears Accepted
$9 per card
20 Card Minimum
LEARN MORE
All years
Declared Value Limit
$499
Categories Accepted
Magic:The Gathering cards
Item Types Accepted
Regular sized cards
Membership Requirement
Collectors Club Membership
Turnaround Time (Estimated)
Varies with demand
Exclusions
Tallboy, thick/patch, coins/pins, supersized, T3's and autographed cards
Pre-War ScoreYears Accepted
$8.50 per card
20 Card Minimum
LEARN MORE
1869-1939
Declared Value Limit
$499
Categories Accepted
Baseball cards
Item Types Accepted
Regular sized cards
Membership Requirement
Collectors Club Membership
Turnaround Time (Estimated)
Varies with demand
Exclusions
Tallboy, thick/patch and coins/pins, supersized, T3's and autographed cards
The Best There Is…Years Accepted
$12 Wrestling & MMA Autograph Authentication
LEARN MORE
All years
Declared Value Limit
$249
Categories Accepted
Wrestling & MMA
Item Types Accepted
Any autographed item with an authentication fee of $39 or less. Encapsulation can be included for additional fees, $2 for Regular & Tallboy, $5 for Supersized & T3, and $30 for Jumbo.
Membership Requirement
No Membership Required
Turnaround Time (Estimated)
Varies with demand
Exclusions
Autograph grading, LOA upgrade, dual grading & return shipping
Triple ThreatYears Accepted
$25 Autograph Authentication & Encapsulation
Autograph Grading Included
LEARN MORE
All years
Declared Value Limit
$249
Categories Accepted
All catergories accepted
Item Types Accepted
Any single-signed item with an authentication fee under $39 submitted for both encapsulation and grading.Items requiring Jumbo Holders will incur an additional charge of $30.
Membership Requirement
No Membership Required
Turnaround Time (Estimated)
Varies with demand
Exclusions
LOA upgrade, dual grading & return shipping
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10-01-2020, 03:41 PM #4
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10-01-2020, 03:53 PM #5
Any time. You know graded cards are near and dear top me. Always glad to discuss them and help others with them. I'm actually trying to get PSA Dealer Status. You have to spend a minimum of $5000 a year with them. I am hoping my wife will let me drop $5k when I retire to gain the status and send in a monster crap ton of cards.
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10-01-2020, 04:12 PM #6
I cannot thank you enough for that detailed reply. Much appreciated!
I'm going into this with not high expectations. I have some time to look into this and some cash so I figure let me at least see if there is any potential.
I would be very interested in working with you on what I have. What is the best way to do this? When I have a final stack/list together would you like to see some pictures and then you can advise me from there?
Thanks again and I look forward to your reply!
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10-01-2020, 05:16 PM #7
@frankdemariany
Any card between 1972 and 1989 is on a special right now, so those would be the cards I would focus on. The requirement is only 20 cards and I can find some of my own (1988 Topps Dallas Cowboys is one of my next PSA projects) so we could send a submission in together and get decent pricing.
1. eBay has a card centering measuring tool. I don't use it by @FireRob does.
2. Here is a light like the one I use. There are cheaper ones, this is an example: https://www.grainger.com/product/6MN...2D69O:20500731
3. You can use the inventory tool here or you can email me directly with pictures of cards. I'll give you my opinion, which means absolutely nothing, but I'll be happy to work with you. I am always avail to discuss graded cards and such.
4. Card population from the SMR (https://www.psacard.com/pop) is important. If a card has a large population, it still may be important (Troy Aikman Rookies, Barry Sanders, etc...) but for lower tier players, population and need is the key. If you haven't seen it, PSA has a set registry with all of the cards sets listed and who needs which cards and who needs to upgrade. This is the link to mine: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregist...stry/dashboard
5. I have bought 1984 Topps football cards [PSA 9's] for .99 cents a card on ebay. So the potential loss of $$$$ is pretty big.
6. The more cards you send in, the cheaper PSA is. If you send in lots of over 100, they will usually discount prices, so I don't know what kind of money you have, but if you have mad money...That helps in the recouping costs department.
7. If you have cotton gloves, use them. Keeps the oils, prints and nails from affecting the cards.
Other than that, scan in pics and we can keep discussing your plans. We also have links and pics of some of our work stations and methods in the Graded card forum as well. I suggest you browse thru and read a few additional forums.
We also have only talked about PSA. I only submit to PSA, but that is just a personal preference. Beckett and SGC are also reputable and others can help you submit cards to them if you want to go that route.
Talk soon Rich
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10-01-2020, 05:32 PM #8
@krunchtyme
Okay that sounds like a plan. When I go through these boxes, I'll have a better idea as to what I am looking at. I know off the bat that they are mostly football but there would only be a few from 72-89 from what I can remember. Most will be 90-96 I'd say so we will see if they are worth it. I also have some Marvel and WWF cards as well. There are some Basketball cards I have too like SHAQ, Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway rookie etc.
In some of my research already IF (and I know that's a big IF) some where to come back 10's then I saw some value. For example a Marshall Faulk Rookie I have went for $80 recently. I'll check out the POP reports as well.
I'll start getting a list and some pics together and share them with. Just in case what is your email? Or should we message each other for those details?
Thank you!
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10-05-2020, 03:27 PM #9
Would anyone mind here if I posted some pics of the cards that I think might have potential for PSA?
Thanks in advance.
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10-05-2020, 08:53 PM #10
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