Do you think it could work if we made a mega-thread where people post photos of cards they are debating on grading, but want others opinions first?
I am debating on whether or not to grade this 1st edition Charizard. I kind of like the idea of a top-loader binder, which has me leaning towards not grading. But on the other hand, I am curious to see if this Charizard card actually has what it takes to be considered Near Mint. I do know it’s hard to judge from photos versus in person. I also know this card is obviously not getting a 10 or a 9.
QUESTION: In your opinion do you think scratches on the front are more critical in determining a grade than whitening on the back?
I think the back of my card is NM 8 material, but the front is EX-MT 6 or NM 7. Opinions? Any Input is greatly appreciated!
Surface and edgewear hold pretty much the same importance.
Unless one needs advice on centering pictures only help some. Based on what I could see I’d say 7/8 but normally there’s a lot you can only see clearly with a loop.
Oh what a good idea for a thread.
I’d also like comments on this Lucario Full Art.
I WILL BE POSTING HERE A LOT c:
I can’t really give much judgment since I am not familiar with grading yet but maybe in the future I will contribute more feedback.
Centering on front and back is good. No surface scratches on holo at the front, which is good.
The back shows edgewear and some nicks in the corners, lowering it to a 8/9. There also appears to be a scratch or a crease at the bottom, which would make it a 6 maybe a 7? Hard to tell with only a few pictures.
I personally would not grade any of those cards. I’d expect grades ranging from 6-8 on all of them, which would not be financially viable if you’re looking to increase the value of your cards through grading.
I have to repeat, pictures are of little use as a tool for pre-grading. In fact, it’s more likely to be counterproductive. I always tell newbies to closely examine cards that are already graded. You can learn a lot that way. I remember buying a bunch of cheaper graded coins to educate myself on coin grading. It really helped.
The plus side for a thread like this is you can have fun with it and there’s nothing wrong with that:)
Great point Gary. A high-quality scan can also help you quite a bit, but pictures don’t capture some of the finer details that PSA will look for. Examining cards that have already been graded helps a ton.
I am not an expert of PSA cards but I think this topic can not work.
Indeed pictures or even HD scans can hardly show some micro-scratches on the non-holographic part of a card, which are visible under certain light incidences.
Even when I ask someone to examine carefully a card (to say if the card is really mint or not), that person rarely sees those micro-scratches, so to see them on a picture or a scan …
I don’t ever recall being told that, it’s just what I had believed. I do know that I saw a video before of the “grading process”, I think it was from PSA themselves, but I don’t remember seeing loupes used.
My question still stands though. Do they use them?
