I bought this card off of Fanatics Collect last week.
It appears to be UV-damaged rather than some sort of unique printing error (e.g., ink layer missing or insufficient). This card was submitted as-is and was not UV-damaged after grading, as per the scans at PSA. For reference, here is the normal copy and the recently purchased copy next to each other with the same scanning equipment.
Notice how the UV-damaged copy has silver borders around the art box and for the height/weight. Anything gold/brownish/yellow would degrade quicker than reds, blues, or black ink.
Photodegradation occurs when ionizing UV radiation from the sun breaks down the molecular bonds in ink pigments, leading to fading and discoloration. In terms of ink stability under UV, yellow is the first to fade, then magenta, then cyan, and finally black ink.
Generally, the following ink colors change from ___ to ___
Yellow → Off-White or Beige
Green → Cyan
Blue → Cyan
Red → Orangish then Yellowish then Off-White
Purple → Cyan
Black → Black or Gray
PSA has historically downgraded UV-damaged copies in the past or labeled them as “Authentic.” It leads me to believe that this card was simply overlooked during the grading process because the discoloration is minor and/or aligns aesthetically with the card art.
How should PSA grade UV-damaged cards? Should they add a “UV” qualifier such as PSA 9(UV) or something else entirely? Post your thoughts below. Thanks!
)
