# The case for old and new certifications in PSA **URL:** \ **Category:** Grading\ **Tags:** cert, opinion, psa\ **Created:** [April 4, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558 "2024-04-04T14:48:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Charizard1020](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/charizard1020/32/252961_2.png) [@Charizard1020](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Charizard1020)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 2:48pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/1 "2024-04-04T14:48:25Z")
So for some reason I’ve been seeing this a lot. When someone buys a card they want a newer certification. Which doesn’t make sense because like it’s said in here. Buy the card not the grade. Thoughts for and against preferring a newer certification? ---
**Author:** ![ddk](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/ddk/32/233929_2.png) [@ddk](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/ddk)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 2:52pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/2 "2024-04-04T14:52:25Z")
![Screenshot_20240404_104915_eBay](https://efour.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/9/f/9f5a08b430bfc27406549bf607ee9696080923b2.jpeg) And just as this topic is created I see this on eBay. Same card, grade and seller but one has a newer cert # and is listed for $300 more. I just don’t get it 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![Charizard1020](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/charizard1020/32/252961_2.png) [@Charizard1020](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Charizard1020)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/3 "2024-04-04T15:09:24Z")
Yeah one being a price difference makes no sense and it’s only 6 vs. 8 ---
**Author:** ![pfm](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/pfm/32/254328_2.png) [@pfm](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/pfm)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 3:20pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/4 "2024-04-04T15:20:22Z")
A history of certs ![8ljh9v](https://efour.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/5/1/51db2d9d1c6fa69cafd7e60c396cea7235c4bb86.jpeg) ![8ljhd7](https://efour.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/b/7/b7605cf4f32281d014f3d689c9fda898c173daeb.jpeg) ![8ljhg0](https://efour.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/a/5/a5f15c59e7b840c35358399a9ef62bea99c10c96.jpeg) ![8ljhhs](https://efour.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/5/4/545ed63e3532c8674f3c5ed0bfc873c02c8550ac.jpeg) ![8ljhjj](https://efour.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/9/7/976bdb0edc7f9d8ffcbcbdc50dc452257471e92e.jpeg) Spoiler alert ![8ljhlt](https://efour.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/6/7/673982743790cb88071bf1f1bfcaedaa4cf529e2.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Dyl](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/dyl/32/234623_2.png) [@Dyl](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Dyl)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/5 "2024-04-04T15:25:33Z")
I’m holding out to upgrade my entire collection in 10xxx cert. ---
**Author:** ![traineramy](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/traineramy/32/132565_2.png) [@traineramy](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/traineramy)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 3:27pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/6 "2024-04-04T15:27:43Z")
I stay away from first and second gen slabs from PSA (up to like 23x certs) completely but after that have no problem buying anything from an other era of PSA grading. Just buy the card at that point ---
**Author:** ![Charmeleonaire](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/charmeleonaire/32/37869_2.png) [@Charmeleonaire](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Charmeleonaire)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/7 "2024-04-04T15:28:48Z")
My very subjective and anecdotal experience since returning in Jan 2024 to ‘collecting’ after 20+ years is that PSA grades very harshly on vintage. I’ve been completing a shadowless base set recently and learned this through buying. I’ve bought some new cert PSA 6 that looked what I would expect to be an 8. On the flipside, I bought a 5.5 CGC Zapdos that I almost thought wasn’t real because the damage on it was SO much. It only had one far away picture on eBay, but the grade (and price) lured me. I returned it and paid for shipping both ways. For me, I like to buy new cert PSA 6+ on vintage. I avoid CGC, unless it has lots of pictures, and BGS feels like a middle-ground. I have a bunch of vintage in my personal collection I need to send in (complete Jungle, Fossil, and TR 1st ed holos) from 20 years ago, but as I was going to send to PSA I backed out because it seems like it’s more enjoyable to buy PSA slabs then get them graded by PSA. I also discovered Beckett was local, so all the insurance and shipping issues would be mitigated, so likely going that route, as these are for pesonal collection, and not for flipping. ---
**Author:** ![amcgl58](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/amcgl58/32/77209_2.png) [@amcgl58](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/amcgl58)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 4:20pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/8 "2024-04-04T16:20:15Z")
I bet you the majority of the same people wanting to only buy newer certs wouldn’t sell you an older cert for cheaper. I also bet that the majority of people who completely reject “older certs” have never wanted a legitimately rare item. Being able to be picky about certs is a biproduct of the desired item encased in the numbered plastic not being rare. It’s all an argument that is absurd since it’s based entirely on subjective speculation. ---
**Author:** ![ddk](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/ddk/32/233929_2.png) [@ddk](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/ddk)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 4:30pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/9 "2024-04-04T16:30:21Z")
Same. At least with this there’s a visual difference between the current slab design and previous two iterations. I prefer all my PSA slabs to look the same and would prefer to avoid the hassle of reslabbing. ---
**Author:** ![Will](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/will/32/223509_2.png) [@Will](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Will)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 5:01pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/10 "2024-04-04T17:01:48Z")
This post from @pfm is a great one on the topic. The “stickiness” aspect is something I think is important to think about > [@Psa grade old card](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/psa-grade-old-card/39390/5): > > Two things to note: A PSA 10 with significant damage is a mistake. Mistakes happened back then and they happen today, they happen with PSA, CGC, BGS, PFM grading, etc. We can discuss whether these mistakes are more or less common between eras and companies but ultimately there’s no real way to know. The thing that’s always left out of these conversations is what I’ll call card “stickiness”. When a card is bought, there’s a chance the same copy will end up on the market again within 3 years… ---
**Author:** ![ShinPorygon](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/shinporygon/32/75807_2.png) [@ShinPorygon](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/ShinPorygon)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/11 "2024-04-04T17:26:54Z")
![image](https://efour.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/8/6/86c3ee14f25696809d90b6c0950c4c1e892008fb.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Charizard1020](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/charizard1020/32/252961_2.png) [@Charizard1020](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Charizard1020)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 5:28pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/12 "2024-04-04T17:28:14Z")
I forgot about that. Trimmed on the bottom. Sold on pwcc right? ---
**Author:** ![Charizard1020](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/charizard1020/32/252961_2.png) [@Charizard1020](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Charizard1020)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 5:30pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/13 "2024-04-04T17:30:13Z")
So here is the image from psa directly, with the back too. ![4122058](https://efour.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/8/3/8383e395a32b3e4db0d2884030a6ff9b917f1837.jpeg) ![4454377](https://efour.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/7/d/7dec360d6dd943e469c0f3d78210401eb6dbea15.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Coop13](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/coop13/32/1290_2.png) [@Coop13](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Coop13)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/14 "2024-04-04T17:31:52Z")
I care less about the cert # and more about the actual label style. Modern label is way better than the older ones. I have some older certs that have started to ruffle ---
**Author:** ![Dyl](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/dyl/32/234623_2.png) [@Dyl](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Dyl)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 5:57pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/15 "2024-04-04T17:57:43Z")
Here are my thoughts about this type of sampling bias that @pfm has brought up previously. > [@CGC Changed Their Grading Scale & Label](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/cgc-changed-their-grading-scale-label/42079/846): > > Also consider that the strongest PSA 9s/10s from the 2 cert era or earlier are likely locked away in collections and will not see the light of day for some time. In comparison, almost every 6 cert or 7 cert card will be seen in auction, listed as a BIN, or “flexed” on social media. This is an example of sampling bias where prospective buyers disproportionately see the less desirable older certs, while the “weaker” newer certs are overshadowed by the “stronger” copies from the same era. It creat… ---
**Author:** ![pfm](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/pfm/32/254328_2.png) [@pfm](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/pfm)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 6:15pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/16 "2024-04-04T18:15:17Z")
![image](https://efour.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/0/e/0eb687313e27046b1e213cda375fef270557e16e.jpeg) don’t worry PSA stopped making mistakes after 62xxxx I promise ---
**Author:** ![lamplamp](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/lamplamp/32/36375_2.png) [@lamplamp](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/lamplamp)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 6:23pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/17 "2024-04-04T18:23:07Z")
Thanks to this thread I am fully educated on which certs are best. From now on, I will only buy 3XXXX certs ---
**Author:** ![fourthstartcg](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/fourthstartcg/32/163893_2.png) [@fourthstartcg](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/fourthstartcg)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 6:27pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/18 "2024-04-04T18:27:52Z")
It’s been four years on the “new certs are harsher” train can we please stop I want to get off ---
**Author:** ![Charizard1020](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/charizard1020/32/252961_2.png) [@Charizard1020](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/Charizard1020)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 6:35pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/19 "2024-04-04T18:35:55Z")
Aye I was just making conversation 👀 Didn’t mean to cause any issues ---
**Author:** ![rtas](https://efour.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.elitefourum.com/rtas/32/257427_2.png) [@rtas](https://www.elitefourum.com/u/rtas)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2024, 6:36pm UTC](https://www.elitefourum.com/t/the-case-for-old-and-new-certifications-in-psa/47558/20 "2024-04-04T18:36:38Z")
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