.So to start this story, I recently purchased a Art Academy Kyogre from Collectors Cache. Upon arrival I scanned over the card that was listed NM/Mint. Indeed it was just that. Took a picture for Instagram, and sent it off on its way to PSA for grading.
Doing this how you should, I sent in on an Express 8-Day Order, fully valued at $1500. Fast foreword to today and I finally get the card back. To my excitement it’s a PSA 9 Mint.
BUT this is the best part. Looking over the card, I noticed a rather obvious mark of some kind on the front of it. At first I think it’s on the case. Then I look closer hoping it’s dust of some kind. To my horror, it’s on the card and it isn’t dust. On this one of kind card, that was sent on Express and fully insured, is some sort of residue, smudge or grease of some kind.
Now 110% this was not on the card before sending, as I have a before picture I took and one CollectorsCache took. Secondly, if this happened during transit (which isn’t possible) the grader over looked this big, blatant smudge and gave it a PSA 9. I know for a fact as well it’s on the card because when you reflect it in the light, the smudge reflects with the gloss of the card.
Obviously I’m extremely upset about this. Just got off the phone with PSA and they’re going to review the pictures I sent, as well as “go over surveillance tapes” to see what happened. I just don’t understand what’s going on at PSA anymore. It’s hard to support them when stuff like this happenS.
I know how you feel. Remember that $1800 Alakazam I just wanted re-cased? Same feeling. It makes you not trust any third party company. Like what do we have to do, put notes on each card saying “Please wash your hands before touching?”
As said above, hopefully it is just removable and it can get brushed off. In my case they fucking scratched and fingerprinted it and then told me they use gloves. You can’t force someone to care.
When you work at PSA and a card comes in which is so sexy that you have no choice but to unzip at work but then you get caught because you missed a bit whilst cleaning up after yourself:
That’s really awful, I’m interested to see how they respond to this. Hopefully it’s fixable!
I know usually psa puts the card in a plastic sleeve before encapsulating it. I really hope the stain is on the plastic sleeve and not the card. This happen to me before where one of my yugioh prize cards came back with multiple fingerprints on the back. To me it appeared to be on the card, but PSA said its probably on the plastic sleeve of the card. PSA took it in free of charge, re-encapsulated it, and sent it back fingerprint free.
PSA was very professional throughout the process! Hopefully your situation gets resolved the same way!
PSA had mentioned it to me when I contacted them at the moment. Plus it makes sense because the yugioh cards do not move in the holder. They are sealed shut someway. As for PSA pokemon cards i think fourthstartcg might be right since the pokemon cards do move around in the psa case.
Thats awful and what a card to happen to as well! I swear I’m hearing more and more quality control issues with PSA as the months go on. Steadily shaking my faith in them…
Hope you can find some kind of solution for what Mr Greasy Fingers presumably did to your card!
UPDATE:Reached out to customer service, and was asked to send over pictures of before and after grading. Was emailed back last night and was told that “This is definitely something we want to fix”.
Due to there being one customer service rep todat and Monday, they will be sending me a return label sometime next week.
