Grading service submission questions....
 

Old timer collector here, never have submitted any cards before. I have heard about the pros and cons of PSA versus CGA, all this aside..... is there any benefit to getting with a large dealer on my submission as opposed to sending in 5 or 10 cards on my own to get graded? I have heard from some people that the "large" submitters get maybe better grades than the small potato guys because the grading services are trying to keep them happy. Is this true or just a rumor? Conspiracy theory? What do you all think??? Thanks in advance for your experience and opinions........

Conspiracy theory; Vintage Breaks will now allow you to send in to PSA on their submissions if you go to their website. They just got a couple of stinkers for grades on their most recent received group. Let me see if I can dig up a youtube video of it.
Board member Bobby Williams also has a bulk special going on right now for cards under $99 raw declared value.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny92Af9Dujg start at 1:17. Most of those cards were pulled fresh out of packs by Vintage Breaks on live video. 3s, 4,s and 5s... yikes.

Further PSA Question
 

How do you determine the declared value if you don't know what grade the card will receive? I have a card that I think could be an 8 or 9 but could also be a 5 or a 6. Thanks!

Most people use the RAW replacement value of the card. The value is used for insurance purposes in case it's lost or damaged.

Oh, and the people who think that 4SharpCorners gets the biggest breaks on PSA grades may not realize that they submit thousands of raw cards monthly and only the ones that meet their minimum grade requirements actually get slabbed. So they can submit 50 1975 Topps Nolan Ryans and only have 11 get slabbed as PSA 8 or higher, then get the other 39 returned raw for a very cheap submission fee. So if it looks like all their grades are good, it's because they are. You don't see their misses, because they're not slabbed.

I've never heard of CGA. I'd stay away from that one.

correction
 

oops changed my CGA to SGC..... got it mixed up with the currency grading guys! Thanks!

Yep. Goes with my definition on the difference between a good and bad photographer. Good photographers know what pictures not to show. :)

the rejects are supposedly the cards that newenglandsportscards sells. I've bought one from them, like a $1.50 1981 Topps Pete Rose, that I subbed for a PSA 9.

But they have many PSA 4, 5, 6, etc. on their website for sale. Not looking to cross you, simply wondering how that can be.

And is that true about NESC's, that they sell the second cut cards from of 4SC? Or is it an urban myth?

Over the years, I have bought many graded cards from 4sc and many raw cards from NESC.

My observation is over the years, as PSA costs have increased, many of the vintage (higher pop) commons that 4sc sells are typically a grade higher than they used to be 7-10 years ago . A few years back I built 72 and 75 Topps PSA sets (primarily PSA 8s) as well as started several other sets from the late 60s/early 70s that I am between 50-75% complete on. Many of the cards for my sets were PSA 8 cards from 4sc as there was an abundant supply of cards in this grade range. Recently, I visited 4sc ebay store and most (not all, but many) cards they offer from these sets now start off at the PSA 9 level instead of the PSA 8 level. In other words, because of many the PSA 8 cards for these years I previously collected now have absurdly high pop counts coupled with the increase in PSA costs, now most of 4sc's higher pop offerings now start as PSA 9s. Obviously, on lower pop/star cards, NESC still offers cards in lower grades. The days of finding a plethora of your basic (higher pop) PSA 8 commons for the cards from the late 60s-early 70s appear to be over at 4sc.

Maybe there have always been a plethora of 9s offered by 4sc, but the fact that 9s are the new 8s seems to say the submission model used by 4sc has changed from where it was 5-10 years ago.


Nesc does sell the cards 4sc does not submit/have returned. Over the past few years the percent of raw cards I have received from nesc that are more characteristic of what is typically seen in 8s has grown as compared to years ago when the bulk of cards primarily had the quality more characteristic of 7s. This trend supports what is now seen with 4sc offering more 9s than 8s.