Part of the issue here, is that some sellers push this narrative for financial gain. As there is no comprehensive data proving how harsh grades were for any given era, a new collector is easily convinced newer certs a “better”.
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That is modern day Pokemon for ya
Since the PSA cert standard change can’t be proven, all we can look at is the objective trends that more people don’t want the older ones Imo it’s one of the more justifiable things new collectors do these days. Others may disagree but like I said, unprovable
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I think if PSA really believed their standards are timeless and completely unchanged they would allow the cert to be upgraded on a recase order 
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With Pokemon being worth so much more now than it was when very early grades were given, it’s only natural that more scrutiny is put on grading. There’s a lot of money, job security and company reputation on the line now for missgrading a Charizard. If you did that in 99, nobody would see it or care and PSA would, at the very worst, have to pay out a couple hundred dollars. Now it’s hundreds of thousands on the line, and a media circus. Adding extra eyes or even just spending another 30 seconds looking can only make grading harsher than if you spent fewer resources doing it.
Obviously this doesn’t apply to all cert eras because by the time 4-5-6 certs popped up Pokemon was worth money and was taken more seriously. But you get the mentality, some people buy into that more than others. The same way some people buy into grading as a whole more than others.
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archived link
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I unironically love seeing 0x certs. Almost like seeing historical artifacts.
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Finding a 3 cert is a fun game.
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I’d rather just use my eyes tbh. Paying a premium for a newer cert even though it’s identical to the same card with an older cert is silly. Plus the newer cert is more likely to have been creamed.
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Still has old cert number though. For people who dont want an old slab and old label reholdering makes sense. Unless psa damages the card during reholder process. regardless, a 12 mil cert will sell more than a 2mil cert in new slab
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I heard PSA will review cards now during re-holder. Prior to their buyout they didn’t review re-holders. If true it’s another example of their value awareness.
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Maybe the mass-fixation on cert number has more to do with many (particularly new) people not being skilled at assessing card condition.
They just hear that PSA graded more leniently in the past, and so they just immediately gravitate to newer certs.
For me that’s odd. I collect vintage 9s. I know how a 9 is supposed to look. So when I consider buying a new card I ask myself: “Does this 9 look like it deserves a 9?” Yes? Buy it. No? Move on.
That’s it. The cert has no utility value for doing that assessment. And that’s the only assessment that should matter when buying a graded card in a particular grade.
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I’m curious if you could please share any details on this, it’s quite concerning if true!
I found some possible evidence of this here.
I’m unsure on what the submitter means when they say it was a 6, reholdered Authentic then a 4.
Did they reholder it from a 6 > Authentic > 4 or simply mean it was reholdered the once from a 6 > 4.
Nat asking if they cracked and resubbed is quite strange as it has the same cert number so that wouldn’t be possible.
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That’s probably an example of what I was told. I personally haven’t sent in a reholder order since the change. I’m just quoting what I was told by a PSA employee when I contacted them about a deactivated cert.
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I’d be piiiiisssed. I was thinking of sending some in for reholder but after hearing that I’ll just hang onto them.
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Re-review of grades for reholder orders makes financial sense for PSA due to their Grade Guarantee policy. However, it absolutely sucks for collectors.
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I could be misunderstanding, but shouldn’t PSA be reluctant to change grades during reholdering as they would have to pay out the difference?
Paying out the difference in 2025 is financially better than paying out the difference in 2050 for most high-end cards.
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Ah I didn’t think about it like that - good point
It’s all just hearsay at the moment though, no?
I have some cards I’d like reholdered soon, and they still look the grade to me, but I’d rather wait for comment from PSA at this point.
