Thought on PSA 9 vs PSA 10 as a collector?

Hey guys so as I’ve been rebuilding I’ve been rebuying a lot of PSA 9 just because the 10s are outrageous I picked up a PSA 9 151 zard for 200 bucks versus paying 700. Now if the price difference isn’t massive I will pick up the 10. I got the rainbow pickachu for 300 versus 150 in a 9 but just thoughts from a collector perspective? I’ve alway been about buy the card not the grade but I know grading has become everything the last 5 years.

PSA 9s can be a great value compared to 10s, especially when they are cheaper than raw cards.

However for modern and very common cards, I personally just either save for the 10 or buy NM raw for a binder. If it’s for the collection, as long as it looks good in a binder, condition isn’t a huge issue for me. I’ll pick up 9s for really hard to get items like Japanese gold stars.

But if I’m buying for value or to sell in the future, I try to stay away from 9s because I’m general they are less desirable, move less often, and are more likely to fall in value.

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You had it right in buying the card, not holder.

I avoid buying any 10’s for my PC. If they’re cheap, they’re probably dirt cheap (and all mint) raw and if they’re expensive they’re not worth the premium for some guy’s opinion.

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I don’t think I can say I’d buy one vs. the other 100% of the time.

There are a lot of cards out there, and buying a 9 vs a 10 will very likely allow you to own more cards you want in comperable condition.

I also consider the value I’m getting for a 10 vs. 9 when looking at a card to buy. If a 9 is $100 and a 10 is $200, and the card has a 5% PSA 10 rate, I’ll probably buy the 10. If a 9 is $100, and a 10 is $2000 with that same grading ratio, I’ll probably go for the 9, as $2000 would be a signficiant amount of money to spend on a card when there are so many more I want in my collection.

Also

Would like to better understand this, as I doubt it’s the case all the time.

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Since I’m buying for my personal enjoyment and collection, I tend to always buy 9s, even if it’s a JP or modern card.

A mint card is a mint card imho, so I prefer having more cards instead of fewer 10s. However, if you’re unsure and the difference in price is negligible, pick whatever you like!

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For most Japanese and modern english I think saving up for the 10 is worth it. On the older english side unless im willing to spend a 10x premium for a psa 10 i will probably go for the 9 instead.

Here’s my detailed views:
S&M → SV, go for the 10 because qc is good and PSA 10s are abundant. No real stupid premium for a 10 outside of a few promos.

XY Ancient Origins → XY Evolutions, there are abundant 10s outside of a few outliers (evolution holos, generations RC, box promos) but the disparity between 9 & 10 is pretty big. I’ll still go for the 10 because I like XY. If you don’t like XY then it probably doesn’t make sense to spend the extra money.

DP → BW → XY Roaring Skies, honestly the 10 premiums here are crazy and often 10x, oftentimes 9 cleans are better condition than weaker 10s. For this category unless you really like one of the cards, i’d go for the japanese 10 or english 9.

For ex and WOTC the QC seems a bit better than the mid era, but cards still easily command 5x+ premiums in PSA 10. I don’t really care about this era so I don’t have much to say here.

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I collect vintage Mews in PSA 8s and vintage Espeons in 9s, and have been pretty content with how clean they are, especially at the price point, which can often be a tenth or less of the PSA 10 price. For modern I’ll collect in PSA 10 just because I mainly collect Japanese for modern and 10s are so common. I can usually find gradeable copies of Japanese so I can save some money that way.

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As for them being more likely to fall in value, this is technically universally true, but only really meaningfully true with common cards and also in the short term. Of course over a long enough period of time, the odds are anything you buy will go up. Just depends whether it’ll take a few weeks,years, or even decades.

In an extremely hype period like right now where many cards in 10 jump to prices that aren’t worth it for many people, so they end up settling for 9s. When the market stagnates or retraces and people lose interest, lower grades will fall in price first.

Of course it depends on the card, but I guess for a concrete example, let’s take Van Gogh Pikachu. This card is and will be very widely available for years and years to come. Right now demand is so extremely high, PSA 10s are going for a very high price despite the high population. If for some reason the demand for this card wanes, the lower grades will drop in value first and most dramatically. Now I’m not saying that demand will suddenly drop dramatically any time soon. But it is a possibility. That’s what I mean by the risk for it dropping in price is higher. A 10 is more likely to hold value over a 9.

And again, that’s all in terms of short term value for money. If it’s for a collection, what you value is completely subjective, and 9s can be an amazing value purchase. And if we’re talking about something like Japanese gold stars, even 9s can be extremely rare, so they are less “risky” of a short term investment than buying a Pikachu Stamp promo 9.

And this is my current understanding,so if I’m wrong in some places, I’d love to be corrected and learn more.

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You could buy ungraded cards for even less and get more bang for your buck. Especially if you buy Lightly played cards instead of mint and near mint cards. I see some 151 SIR charizard SIR cards on ebay right now for less than $200. I assume the rainbow pikachu is the Pikachu Vmax Rainbow Rare from Vivid voltage. I see a bunch for as low as $120. During slow times and PSA 9s can be less than a loose NM copy, I might pick one up and crack it, or in cases where I want that specific card(swirl collecting is a rough gig) I’ll take it on the chin. That is how you get the best value for the card and not the grade.

As a collector.

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This is a great post, I agree not only with the idea that 9 vs 10 calculations should be different across eras but also a lot of your categorizations of what’s worth it and what’s not.

It does have to be said, as many have noted, that the objective difference between 9s and 10s is minimal. You’ll get a very similar condition card for often a large difference in price. If what you want is a great condition card at a reasonable price, and that’s the most important thing to you, then go for 9s and maybe even 8s.

However, card collecting (especially in our current market) often involves expenditures of large amounts of money, to the point where it forces you to consider things other than the pure optimization of value and condition. If you’re buying a card, you probably want to make sure it won’t lose a lot of the value you paid for it.

In my opinion lots of modern 9s are effectively worthless because they are so abundant and modern cards have been graded so frequently and protected so well. I honestly think you’re better off buying a raw copy than a modern 9, because it just doesn’t add anything to the card. Modern is already risky and if the crash does come (unlikely but a possibility), modern PSA 9s will be hit very hard.

I agree with what you said about the BW/XY era that the 9/10 line is very arbitrary and the 9s are well worth it over the insane 10 premium. In EX and WOTC you do get much cleaner cards, so I would say the premium for a “strong 10” is more justified.

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I honestly considered just taking the 9s and cracking them and either regrading or just binder them. I picked up a PSA 9 eveee from prismatic the SIR for 120 and I might just crack it. Buying raw it’s hard because unless I’m buying from a reliable sources it’s hard to get a good raw good condition. My thing is from a collector/return on investment I collect sealed. The collector in my buys 9s and 10s based on price. To me to pay 700 for the 151 zard and I know it will just keep going up is just too much for my blood. I originally owned one and I sold it for 400 now it’s booked up but I just can’t spend that money for an ultra modern card. But when it’s a slight difference I go for the 10s all day but if it’s more then double the price a 9 is perfect for my PC and saves me a ton of money. I always said I got into the hobby for the love of it not the money. When I got into it 2019 the market was starting to go up but I wasn’t trying to make money just was fun.

I prefer 9’s for both price and mainly how they look vs a 10. Yet I strictly only want to buy vintage so 9’s are much better in price point ( still expensive in most cases like gold stars and 1st Ed wotc holos ) but when you can get a 7xxx cert that looks better than a older cert 10 in a psa 9 , it’s a no brainer for me.

When it comes to vintage psa 9’s are a good choice , just depends on the budget since even 9’s in certain vintage cards are getting out of a lot of peoples budgets

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I agree that it’s dependent on the era and/or the value proposition between grades.

I primarily collect English WOTC and 90% of my graded collection is PSA 9’s because I feel they are the best value. They’re often 4x+ less than PSA 10s and 2x- more than raw copies that would likely grade PSA 7.

When it comes to desirable modern cards I just buy raw Japanese because I can’t make heads or tails of the English prices.

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I’ll be the one to say it: I prefer PSA 10s. I like knowing the card I have has achieved the highest possible grade, and even more so if the card has some level of inherent rarity (not just conditional). I think my desire to have 10s forces me to focus my collection and make hard choices about which cards I really want versus just impulse buying any item that catches my eye. Obviously, sometimes a 10 is not an attainable goal for niche or rare cards, so in those instances I will cut my losses and enjoy a lower grade. It’s worth noting there are plenty of cards I wouldn’t even buy graded (regardless of the grade), simply because I only want them in a binder.

That said, while I prefer 10s there is definitely an inflection point for some cards that I am not willing to pay the 10 price (at least the current 10 price). A lot of the main stonker cards are good examples: I would be willing to fork out the money for a PSA 9 Gold Star or 1st Edition Base holo, but probably unwilling to for a 10.

As to the OP, if I was rebuilding my collection, I may have a different stance on this. Getting PSA 10s of everything I currently have as 10s is a significantly steeper uphill battle than going for 9s. Ultimately, a collection of cards you love in 9s, 8s, or any grade is a collection worth being proud of and enjoying :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:

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I’ve never been a fan of 10’s because 99% of the time they’re indistinguishable from 8’s and 9’s unless you look reaaaally close, even 7’s are like this, add that to the inconsistencies in grading where people resubmit 7-9’s and then get a 10? Yeah I’m not spending a premium on something so ambiguous.

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My brain really enjoys seeing a 10, but my wallet says I’m too poor. I started collecting back in 2012 and could buy 10s easily enough. But my remaining collection goals have all boomed like crazy and 10s are just no longer feasible especially when I’m looking to buy my first home. I’m going for 9s now.

If I had the funds, I’d still keep going for 10s.

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For modern cards, I usually only do raw or 10s

For vintage, PSA 9s are fine for me.

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Similar to what others have said…I’ll do modern 10’s and vintage 8-9’s.

For modern, the 10s are generally still within my price threshold…whereas vintage 10’s are out of my price range.

Seeing 10s for me is visually pleasing, but I’m growing to like the 9’s and 8’s especially if you’re picky and get a very strong 8/9.

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I think paying a premium upwards of hundreds maybe even thousands of dollars for what amounts to a miniscule speck of white, seems like an outrageous venture.

For some cards, like my pikachu’s, I collect tens, but generally as when completing a set I’m simply looking for Near Mint or better, which is generally considered a grade of 7.

Near Mint is often considered “pack fresh” which is more than adequate for myself.

I’m also highly cautious of 10’s, I feel like they still need to be evaluated by my own eye as human error does occur during the grading process. The card cannot just simply be graded a 10, it must also be a 10 in my eyes.

The other reason I’m cautious is because I feel like a considerable amount of people in the hobby are chasing the value of a 10, so they have resorted to altered the card with various currently undetectable products. Which in my mind means the card is authentic but altered. I feel like its only a matter of time until a motivated fan determines a way to detect this type of altering and the legitimacy of all currently graded 10s into question.

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I’m a vintage PSA 10 collector and have completed most of the 1st Edition WOTC Holos; however, that’s only because I started in 2011 when it was cheaper and easier to do so. If I were starting over today, I would pursue PSA 9’s . . . the difference in condition is negligible and you can build a significantly more expansive collection at an equivalent price. Even from a long-term investment perspective, PSA 9’s have generally outperformed PSA 10’s.

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