I’m currently trying to tick off some of my yearly goals for the PSA 10 cards I’m after. Grateful to the community here, as previously I would’ve seen the 10 grade and bought. Now I’m much more careful to check the cards condition before purchasing, and am put off spending PSA 10 cash on a card that has some whitening or a small scuff on a corner/edge.
As the cards will be going into my collection and have no immediate thoughts of reselling (things can obviously change with time and circumstance) I’m wondering how other collectors go about buying PSA 10s. If the card has very minimal damage are you inclined to ask for a lower price but still pick up the card, do you pay a slight premium on PSA 10s that are “strong” or will you only look for strong 10s at market price and disregard cards that you deem on the weaker side?
Also, do you find that “weak” 10s are more commonly listed for mid end cards ($500+) or do “strong” 10s consistently turn up on the market?
I definitely like this saying but as I’m new to collecting I’m kind of uninformed about whether a PSA 10 is considered a card with zero flaws or whether a small issue is still considered a 10 worthy card by collectors?
I dont know much about the market on things i tend to buy what i like and just accept the price point. With that being said i have been known to buy 10s in a card i absolutely love and i will take the time to find one thats a strong 10 out of personal preference. I feel like if im buying the slab to have a favorite encased i personally would like it to be perfect since im essentially buying a double thats entombed to keep perfect for a long time.
There’s some really bad PSA 10s out there, especially with early certs. I would just look at a card and judge it. Are you ok with a little off center? If it has a small print line or white corner dot? Hard to find an absolute perfect card in low pop stuff.
Yeah I’ll be staying away from the egregious examples. I guess if the mindset is the card must be perfect, patience is likely required as there’s no scale for PSA for the perfect 10.
this is where i’m at as well. I don’t have the luxury of maxing out every card in my collection, so i choose to settle on a quality that is satisfactory to my ability to enjoy the card and move on to the next.
if the card being in a slab is important to you, I would be content with 9s if you can find a good copy.
my biggest issue with older cards in particular is the foil, and it seems scratches here and there aren’t as big of a hit to the overall grade despite being a huge hit on the eye appeal (personally). I remember trying to find a minty english fossil dragonite and literally could not find a single copy without scratches, so i went back to japanese where the foil is more resilient and it is easier to find clean foil copies for significantly cheaper.
sorry for the rant… TLDR, 10s are fine for investments, but for a collection, unless you want absolute perfection, you may as well go for a 9 and save yourself a huge %
I find the more cards I own, the less I care about the individual details of condition of any given card. I think it’s good to do a soild lookover if it’s a really expensive card but otherwise just don’t sweat the details.
A PSA 10 is deemed ‘virtually perfect’ by PSA, meaning it’s going to be ‘as good as it gets’ for 99% of cards out there. PSA is slightly lenient towards card centering, and so if you want a truly perfect card you should probably consider Pristine/Black Label type grades from BGS or CGC. Personally I am really happy with my PSA 10s, it’s still a difficult grade to obtain at times, especially with vintage cards. I wouldn’t over-analyze things too much - in the end of the day the market and collectors still value and regard PSA 10s at a high level.
I buy and collect cards ranging from 8-8,5 to 9, I’m not particularly sensitive to small imperfections, often really difficult to see in person, even when the scans feel so dramatic. Also, I’m not in the market for PSA10, I cannot literally afford that premium.
However, if I decide to buy a 10, I would expect at least pristine holo, no edge wear and no whitening (in a degree compatible with the set print quality). If I’m willing to pay such premium I want a virtually perfect specimen, otherwise a “weak 10” really feels like buying the label.
I completed my PSA 10 collection this year, but this month I’ve been buying stronger versions of the ‘weaker’ 10s. It’s all a bit silly thinking about it! But I love having near flawless versions of my favorites
I think patience is key, I wish I held out for ones I was 100% happy with. Price wise I think only obvious misgrades go for less, everything else seems to be in the same range
