Is it worth sending PSA 8.5's for grade review?

General
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I have about ten PSA 8.5 cards in my collection and few 9’s that I would like to send to PSA for a grade review. For those who have done it before, how was your experience, and is it worth going this route?

Thanks
PTC

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I would not review something unless there’s a 3+ grade difference.

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I have personally cracked and re-submitted a few dozen PSA 8.5’s. It is an abomination of a grade and I have yet to have a card retain the 8.5 grade upon re-submission. They have always resulted in either a PSA 8, 9 or 10 upon re-submission. They gave 8.5’s out like candy for a few months and currently I think given them out still at a higher rate than historical, yet much lower than the end of 2016/beginning of 2017.

I’ve regraded dozens more since this initial work outlined here I’ve just not updated the spreadsheet or tracked it closely. I had a fairly even split in the past work linked below between PSA 8/9 but have had more success recently getting 9’s. I’ve opted to resubmit only the more solid looking ones whereas in the past I did it quite indiscriminately to prove a point that 8.5’s were a joke and not remotely replicable.

www.elitefourum.com/t/psa-8-5-grading-anomaly-december-2016-january-2017/18738/1

Edit to add: I would always advise a crack and resubmit for this grade and specifically advise against an in case review.

  1. I speculate that using the review service they would be much more likely to retain the 8.5 grade.
  2. The in slab review service is a bit of a joke in itself.

It could just be that my tin foil hat is too tight though.

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A year and a half ago I noticed you asked me a question I didn’t notice. So since it’s pertinant again I’ll use this opportunity to answer.
Knowing my distaste for cracking you asked my opinion on the 8.5 anomaly of that time and might that change my feeling at all. Yes, it does. If the cards were for my collection I would feel justified to “crack and release”. If I was just going to sell it regardless of grade then I would be adamantly against cracking it and would sell it as is.
Sorry for the late reply lol.

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My only PSA 8.5 is a shadowless Raichu. It has what appears to be a flawless front, but a tiny bit of edgewear one or two corners and one spot on the top back edge. If I regraded it, I’m willing to bet it would get a PSA 8, but if there was ever a card that I would define as PSA 8.5 it would be that one. Just a tiny bit too much whitening to be PSA 9, but not enough to be PSA 8. I’m not a fan of the 8.5, but I’ll take 8.5 over an 8 since a 9 is so much more expensive.

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Why you gotta do my 8.5 like that. He’s just trying to live his life, pay rent, and he still gets called out as an abomination.

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@bbqcat the grade “8.5” is the abomination. The card inside is just an innocent victim who suffered at the hands of “two” PSA “experts” who for around 50 attempts have failed to re-certify a single card as an 8.5 again. I’ve freed every card from that fate that I could over the past couple years.

This is coming solely from me who is no expert in abominations though.

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Thank you all that replied!

@gottaketchumall I am bit amazed how your 8.5s graded among 3 different grades (8-10) and none came back 8.5. Thats some good data you calculated. Clearly the 8.5 isnt a true grade then. Im just scared to crack cards lmao. But if it can bring justice to my 8.5s maybe thats the route to take. By any chance have you ever used the direct review service before? If so how were your results?
@joer I have 1 or 2 8.5s in similar boat as yours. I probably wouldn’t send those in.
@pkmnflyingmaster , the scroll :wink:

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I’ve only ever reviewed cards in the cases between companies and that was only in circumstances where the value of the card made me too scared to crack it myself. Like PSA, BGS 9 or higher 4-5 figure stuff.

Otherwise I would always recommend cracking anything that is to be regraded whether with the same company or otherwise. I don’t understand how they grade through a case. It isn’t a reasonable thing to do IMO with how much is obscured from view and there is no way anyone can claim they can get a clear enough view of everything to make a full and proper determination. Think about it… To change a grade under review you theoretically have 2 PSA graders claiming that their opinion of a card obscured through plastic is more accurate than 2 of their co-workers (and maybe even their own) prior opinions of the card raw. It doesn’t even begin to make sense except for the case of cards with egregious mistakes needing downgrades. BGS doesn’t review cards and I would argue that is very reasonable and reputable of them because it is just a silly process.

I understand why they do offer the service though. (More $$$ through submissions of cards that otherwise the owners would be afraid to crack)

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