PSA Grading of Unopened Packs from 1948 to 1970

[Steve_NY]

I have recently found myself buying baseball and other sports packs from the 1940s to 1970. Few if any have corner holes and few also have broken gum. I have read the PSA grading standards for pack grading and see that corner damages are acceptable in many grades. But I also read that PSA was not grading wax packs with broken gum or gum that is floating within the pack and not attached to a card. Is that up to date and correct? I have seen some magnificent packs where the gum was broken and shouldn't think that should be the deciding factor on not to grade a pack. Corner holes could but don't always signal that a pack has been opened. I guess that PSA is concerned about perfect packs that are sent in for grading where the gum breaks in transit. I am also constantly shocked by the grades that some packs get and then when they are placed in a holder, they just do not look as nice as they had before. Just check some of the graded packs on eBay or those sold in many major auction houses. Being from the old school, I still prefer an ungraded pack but I do see the reasoning behind validating the authenticity of an unopened pack. Either way, I would love to hear more opinions.

Steve Sabow

[jfkheat]

The reason PSA stopped grading packs with loose gum is because the gum would slide around and poke holes in the wrapped. Packs that were originally graded 8 or 9 are no longer 8 or 9 quality since they now have punctures in the wrapper.
James

[Steve_NY]

Yes but that doesn't signify that the pack has been opened. It is just their policy not to grade such packs. I also suspect that there are a large number of packs that can't be graded for just that reason. It seems to me that this policy is unfair as they do grade packs that have one or more opened corners.

[packs]

That seems like a weird reason not to grade. If a pack from 1960 has broken gum and no tears in the pack, why would it then tear in the future after being held stationary inside of a slab? Makes no sense. It's already had 50 years to tear.

[Griffins]

because PSA's holders don't properly protect the pack from movement, or from gum moving inside the pack.

[packs]

If life can protect a pack with broken gum from being ripped apart by the gum, so can any case you choose to put it in. I can see an argument for not grading packs with tears, but if a pack hasn't been torn from just being in the world, it's not going to tear if it's put into a holder either.