Is this really a PSA 9

Just wanted to get opinion before I buy. Concerned about bottom
Left corner. Looks good otherwise.

Thanks
Mike


Grading is subjective. The only thing that would make me pass on that card is the centering, bottom heavy

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If it’s graded a 9, yes it’s really a 9.

While there are objective standards for grading, there is some subjectivity in applying them, so not all 9s are going to be identical. If you’re happy with the card, buy it. You need to know what kind of person you are regarding flaws you initially notice. Will it stand out and bother you forever? Might not be worth buying it then.

Looks fine for a 9 imo.

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Looks well in the 9 range for vintage IMO

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Grades have a range. This looks like a weak 9. May as well wait for a stronger copy.

Looks fine to me

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Welcome to the forum! If the price is right I would go for it. Looks like a solid 9 to me.

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Pretty hard to say from these scans alone. The holo could easily have a scratch that’s not visible in this scan

I would be happy with that as a 9

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Thanks guys. This whole grading thing has me thrown. I guess end of day the number matters and I suppose front of card is most important.

But with these the back shows the damage the most I suppose.

It’s priced right at market. These are not easy to find at that price. Lots posted for 2-3x market / last sold pricing.

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I wouldn’t fall down the “numeric grade is most important” fallacy. Buy the card, not the grade. If you are unhappy with the condition of that specific PSA 9, go find another copy that you are happier with.

Once you see damage that particularly bugs you, it may spoil the card for you when you own it. It’s better to buy a copy that you feel confident in, whatever that looks like. We all have different preferences for damage and expectations of 9s and 10s.

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I would call this a 9 and have seen much worse with newer certs so to me I would be happy with this. Like others have said it’s you that has to be happy with this card. Not the grade it has but the actual card.

It’s a beautiful card and many would be happy I myself included to add too the collection :raised_hands:

Hope you get more bangers like this one in your future

Looks like a normal 9 to me, especially for vintage

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Is vintage stuff graded at a different standard then modern cards?

Some things are looked at differently.

Example: Jungle and neo destiny silvering.

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Yes

when was this graded? is it new or old
I would have great difficulty believing that’s new. If very old then I can believe it

With the poor centering on the front and rather elevated amount of whitening on the back to the sides and corners, this would be a pretty straightforward psa 7 today

The card would have a chance at a psa8 if not for a very large surface blemish on the bottom left rear. Because of the size and the fact that its a surface issue, in addition to the other issues, even with a generous grader it could not grade an 8 if cracked and resubbed

Today, psa uses ai to scan and give a grade to the centering before the grader even gets the card on his table. It was revealed by the ceo last year that this is now what they are doing
This would be capped at a psa9 today if the back side was absolutely perfect because the grader doesnt get a say on centering anymore

looks solid to me, anyone who expects a flawless card for a 9 should either buy a psa 10 or none at all

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You are slightly incorrect in this statement that graders do not get a say in the matter of centering.

On the topic of adding more meta data onto the cert look up page, Nat Turner said and I quote “We actually do automate the measurement calculation of centering, people don’t really realise that but you know yes we have graders looking at it and confirming but you know we do have a AI system if you will detects centering”

Also upon the topic of AI grading Nat Turner says a few times “Tech assisted human grading” and “Never replacing the human element”.

PSA does utilise AI to assess the centering of cards yes however, a human grader will always review the cards centering and AI’s assessment and either confirm or adjust the evaluation if they believe the AI to be incorrect.

*Looks like a 9 to me.