Hey everyone, I am still new to this forum and didnt know if any discussion about this Topic has ever taken place on another thread, so I decided to create a new Topic for my question.
I have always wanted to buy a 1999 Tropical Wind and now I might finally have the chance to get one, but there is just one thing about that card: it is only PSA authenticated as “altered”. The seller already made public, that the card has additional ink on the back, the original owner wanted to cover some whitening with that. I will attatch a picture so you guys can clearly see how “bad” the alteration on this card is. Other than the ink which is visible on the picture, it doesnt have any more alterations. It has some other flaws which would probably bring the grade down to a PSA 6-ish if you exclude the alteration in my opinion. I will link the Ebay listing so you can clearly have a look at the condition of the card.
I am now thinking about a fair price to buy this card. The last statement of the seller was 5.5k USD or best offer. Also note that I want to purchase a PSA 8 or 9 in the future (it will be my next big goal for the next months/years). So in my thought process, there always has to be the option to sell the altered copy for around the same price like I have paid for it, so I wont make a huge loss on that card in the future when selling it and purchasing a better condition one.
Does anyone have any advice or opinion, how this specific card should be valued? What do you guys think, how much would you pay for it at best? I feel like, while 5.5k USD is already the lowest price I have ever seen in the past few years for a 1999 tropical wind, the alteration might still affect the price more, and the card could be worth less than 5.5k due to that. Obviously, how much a card is worth (especially for the more rare cards) is always based on how much someone is willing to pay for it and for how much someone is willing to let it go. But in general, any advice or opinions on the value of this card would be appreciated since I really want to purchase the card, but I am not sure at what price I would consider it “fair”
I wouldn’t mess around with the altered card if your long term plan is to acquire the same card in better condition.
There is no guarantee someone will be willing to buy the alteted card for the same price you paid for it. Plus there are fees and shipping you would lose out on.
In general altered or inked is bottom tier. For a card this rare it could be the only option for a collector. It would be a great binder copy, and still a solid display option, since it looks like the alteration is on the back.
Since you mentioned you are after a higher grade it would make sense just going for the higher grade. Then again this is coming from someone who has this card in multiple grades.
Also I think the offer and list price is pretty fair.
$6600 for a pretty clean 3.5. Altered (at least in sports) always sells lower than even a psa 1 unless the card is so nice that it would have graded like 5-9 without the alteration and it gets a small premium (I’ve seen it before). As others have said, it may be best to be patient while looking for better copy in future and saving the money for now unless the price is very right.
Altered cards are considered damaged by most collectors/stores/graders. It is really the “bottom of the barrel” in terms of valuation and liquidity. However, they can make excellent binder copies and/or visual pieces if you couldn’t care less about resale.
Because you are eventually looking to purchase a PSA 8/9, I would recommend staying away from this altered copy.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I have decided to pass on this card and keep looking for a 1999 Tropical Wind in higher grades in the future! (unless the seller will go down in price so hard that I cannot say no anymore )
I think this is an excellent option for someone who can´t afford a raw or low PSA graded card, and with cards like this it is very unlikely you will get a better deal to at least own it. If you can afford a better one go for it, patience is key.
Update: After quite some back-and-forth with my decisions I have now made my final decision and purchased the card. I have “canceled” my goal of owning a PSA 8 or 9 one day, I will be equally happy with that card compared to a PSA 8 or 9 since I really enjoy the iconic art and the historical aspect behind the card. Even owning this card in any condition, raw or graded, is a huge privilege, thats why I took the opportunity to buy it, since I will most likely never see a 1999 Tropical Wind for that price again. I couldnt be happier with my decision!
I onced removed ink from an old back Japanese card with acetone, it is possible but extremly tricky. Not sure if I would even try with a card like that.
To add: Only if it is on the surface of the card, if it got in the side of the card there is no way to remove it I think
Thats what I thought as well I wouldnt do that to be honest, the risk of damaging the card even more with the extra alteration is too high, just to get the chance to remove some tiny ink dots.
I agree with the others, this is one of those situations where owning the card itself is worth more than the grade or a little ink on the back, especially if you got a fair deal on it. Congrats!!
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