grading flawless cards with flaws

what i mean with that title is flawless cards that have scratches and/or printlines in the holo. i got some cards that are literally flawless except for the holo. how much does this reduce the grading if everything is perfect except some light scratches in the holo, up to some “major” scratches and printlines. can some of them still get psa10 or how much would the impact be regarding the intensity of the scratches?i hate psa for not giving subgrades. yeah takes double time but come on, as THE grading company…

appreciate you sharing your experiences, thanks.

Can you upload some pictures to show these print lines/scratches?

I have multiple graded neo genesis holos that are perfect aside from the holo. perfect centering, no edge/corner wear, no dings, nothing. They graded between 6-8, only because of factory printlines. You will not get a 10 with multiple scratches on the holo. When there´s (multiple) deep scratches/printlines, you might have a shot at a 9, but will most likely get an 8 or lower.
That being said, nobody can give you an accurate assessment without seeing the cards.

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Then they are not flawless

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hence the ironic title…

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@pokaholic, most likely an 8 . . . it’s difficult to assess with a sleeve on the card though.

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this is some bs, i have no clue where those scratches come from. the rest is perfect, it’s only the holo…

I mean, what do you want people to say…?
It’ll grade a 8 or 9. That’s it. It’s not a perfect card.

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Most likely factory scratches that show up after the final protective layer has faded due to many factors - sun, dust, normal microscopic movements. You can have cards sitting away for years in sleeves and most of the time you won’t see anything, but every now and again you’ll find a card that shows more damage then you remember putting it away with. The foil is where this occurs the most, it’s one of the big reasons older cards with a lot of foil are harder to grade.

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Welcome to the world of grading Base Chanseys :slightly_frowning_face: you can teleport them from inside the booster pack to PSA Headquarters and they would still be scratched.

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Would BGS give this a 9.5?

This is something you’re better off sending to Beckett so you can have those subgrades.

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Psa 9

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Maybe, if it gets a 9 for the surface and 9.5 or better on all else. I don’t think the edges are quite 9.5 quality though (see lower left rear), and 8.5 on the surface is a possibility.

I agree that those edges are definitely 9ish, but I’ve also seen worse edges that have gotten 9.5s so who knows what this will score

If the card is just to keep and not sell, I guess the grade doesn’t really matter that much anyway right? I just learned that I’m a minority in caring about a label more than a card’s actual condition.

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Ya, what do I know . . . it’s not like I’ve graded thousands of WOTC cards over the last decade :wink:

Sorry, not trying to disappoint or insult you, but holo scratches generally drop a card to a PSA 8, sometimes a 9 if they are less visible. On lighter holo, like Chansey, scratches are a lot easier to see, which is why they are generally a hard card to grade. Sometimes, the scratches are on the sleeve and not the cards, so it’s best to remove the sleeve for photos. I think a 9 is possible, but it’s always best to assume the worst and hope for the best.

I think you guys are misinterpreting the BS line as being directed towards a member instead of being directed at the bad news…

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