This is a PSA 9 which is why I’m asking this question.
I’m 60/40 on this being some sort of hair/fiber stuck in between the card and slab or damage to the card itself. It “shines” with light hitting it at different angles and seems to blend into the card sometimes.
I tried to tap the card to one direction for a bit to see if it moves and I think based off of these photos it did a little but idk haha.
You can make fun of me and call me terrible things because trust me I know I’m crazy. Crazy enough to possibly “rehold” the card even though its newly graded.
Also, if anyone has had their cards reholderd recently how did it go and how long did it take? I’m always afraid of the the thought that my cards would get damaged.
I don’t see why people would make fun of you for this, I would be annoyed if I graded a card, especially if it’s expensive/one of my favorites and suddenly now there’s a fiber/material stuck inside the casing.
I think it’s a fiber, it looks above the card.
I think I would at least complain to PSA about the material stuck inside the case, especially if it’s an expensive card since the service is not cheap for that, and it would definitely affect possible values in the future.
Looks to me like a small plastic shard, which sometimes happens if the encapsulator is being careless. An eyesore to be sure, but not damage to the actual card, in my experience.
I know the feeling. I also have a card that I eventually need to take care of that has a questionable blemish on the inside of the case if I ever try to sell it. With mine, I found out it wasn’t on the card by casting a light (sun or high powered led light) over the top and looking at it from eye level (like picture 3). If it looks 3D, then it’s not the card but rather something else. Mine actually casts a shadow on top of the card itself (also in picture 3). Idk how PSA missed this, but it does make it frustrating to have to send it back. Looking at yours I’d say the same as the others that its a possible hair or even a scratch on the inside of the case maybe. I hope this helps you.
Had one just like this, cracked it out since it wasn’t worth sending in for a re-encasing. Ended up being a small piece of plastic or like dried glue feeling, couldn’t really tell, it did come right off though without any damage to the card.
I appreciate it I’ve just dealt with people who could care less about the case and make me sound crazy for asking questions.
I personally did not grade this card but would it still be worth it to contact PSA over it? It is a more recent cert# so they might be willing to help? Along with that possible hair/fiber there are those 2 black dots as well (one on the card and one under the case from what I can tell)
I don’t mind paying for it to get reholderd but I don’t want to wait months for it to get back and expedited for $50 just sounds like a bit too much
That’s okay, there will always be people from different camps on any forum or anywhere that would think differently!
You can try contacting them, but if you yourself did not grade the card I think there’s less recourse you can do with it, since they will probably ask for your order # and you will not be able to provide it. Note that I never personally complained to PSA as of yet, so perhaps others can chime in, but from my years of reading over PSA complaints on the forums, the complain usually comes from either people who personally submitted themselves, or if they purchased a card with a certain grade and the card clearly does not show the grade provided.
The hair/eyelash/fiber would not affect the grade of the card, but perhaps the black dots would. Note that you are protected by PSAs guarantee regardless, and if in the future the card’s grade is affected by the black dot defect, they will reimburse you the difference between the grade of the card and the value lost from having a lower grade.
In this case, I think if it’s just the hair/eyelash/fiber and you yourself did not grade the card, you would have a weaker case for them to reholder for free. You can try messaging in regards to the PSA guarantee about the black dot and see if it’ll affect the grade; I think no matter what though, PSA is swamped right now and it will take a few months to get anything rectified, even if it’s at PSA’s expense.
I’m sorry for asking more questions but you seem to know a bit more than me and I’m just a little confused.
Based off of cards you’ve seen in the past that black dot is most likely printed onto the card and not just a black speck stuck to it under the case right? It’s a very black dot and I feel like it would be lighter if it was actually printed onto the back of the card if that makes sense.
I’m guessing the grader this card had didn’t seem to find it much of a defect to lower the grade further from a 9?
Would someone else at PSA that looks at this card think to regrade it if they see the black dot?
Does something with a black dot greatly affect the value of cards even though they’ve been graded a 9 or 10?
Sorry for all the questions and I know there is no completely RIGHT answer but man I’m just kinda upset since I was so happy to finally grab this card ugh.
Hey, no problem! I’ll try my best to answer your questions but note that I don’t have THAT much experience with grades and it’ll be better if you can find someone with more experience with grading. At huge chunk of my knowledge stems from reading hundred of forum pages over the years.
I think you will need a high intensity light and hit it at an angle to come up with a better conclusion. I think this is, based on your pictures, printed on the card because it seems to be able to be seen at all angles which makes it more likely it’s already on the card.
If it was inked with a sharpie or something, then the grader would have definitely missed this and it would no longer deserve a 9, but from what I am seeing and what I THINK the grader also thought is that it’s just an ink error from the printers. You may have also a better chance to see if there is a pattern by looking at the back of the same card listed elsewhere; they may all have this random black dot. Printer ink errors as minor as this doesn’t affect the grade further from a 9 I believe (this is my guess though, someone should chime in if I am wrong).
It’s possible but it depends on where the black dot comes from. If it’s a sharpie mark, for sure yes, if it’s an ink printer error, probably not. I can’t give a definitive answer to this.
It depends on the preference of the buyer; some rather scratches on the holo than edgewear, some rather edge wear with a perfect holo, and some rather a creased card than a marked card. If your card is immaculate except for that black dot, and it’s confirmed the black dot is simply printer ink from manufacturing, I think it won’t greatly affect the value. After all, this card passed the parameters of PSA and if it doesn’t then you will be reimbursed. That’s why members here always chime in buy the card and not the grade, because even PSA 10 cards are not perfect, and if the minor imperfection is exactly the damage you hate the most on the card, then you will not be pleased.
@karmaawhoree, from what I read in threads, they base it on auction realized listing prices, and you can argue with them in regards to how much you get reimbursed. Of course they will try to offer you a deal that is in their best interests, but I am sure there are other factors that would come into question: how much you paid for the card, how old the data is for the auctions historic pricing, etc.
