PSA 8 or PSA 9 Brooks Robinson 1957 Topps
 

Since getting into the rookie card hof thing again (it was my first love when I got back into collecting as an adult) it seems crazy (to me) to pay 4.5x the price of this 8 for this 9? Anyone else think so?

I will be interested to hear the responses to this. I'm with you, that's a lot to pay in comparison to the '8'. I guess the aging (if that is aging) is the difference, and I must admit, I have been looking at some '56 Spahn and Snider, and the aging and color differences seem to be my issue on whether or not to pull the trigger on a couple. But, we're talking much smaller price differences, nowhere near the figure you are dealing with on the Robinson. I would be really interested to see what a "perfect" level of color and border whiteness would be on this card, as I really don't like a card that has lost color due to exposure to light. Anyway, it will be interesting to see what the more advanced vintage collectors than myself will have to say on this one.

I might be wrong but the toning on the 8 could have to do, a little bit, with the scan. The flip isn't white either so that could be a scanning issue. But it could be toned just that way which is the way some are.
Regardless of that it and the PSA 9 are beautiful cards .. I just guess at the top of the pyramid the number matters more than the card, with respect to value, or so it seems many times.

And there is an easy segway into the discussion of quoting VCP or book prices on cards. I laugh at that.....My mantra when selling will be that if I am selling at or below a guide price then I have made a mistake. :) I always want to be higher than the guides on my cards.

I believe it's ridiculous.

I find 6's that are nicer than 7's, and 8's that would be lucky to grade a 7. Unless someone is into the grade, I see it as wasted money.

The card needs to justify the grade, and the price.

The images pictured are a great example. The 8 has much better centering than the 9. And the color between the two is more likely due to the scanner. I imagine the color is very similar for both cards.

It all depends on the purpose of the purchase. If for collecting, it's stupid. If for resale, it may not be.

the only way to acquire a card like that is to overpay.

That might be a primary point :). Maybe the guy buying the 9 is doing it solely for resale and it is a wise investment. While the person with the 8 is among a lot more competition and might not do as well on resale. And if trying to have the highest graded set matters then the 9 is way better. (exponentially, I am sure)

Says one who would know? :D

and yet to be disappointed.

If you buy the 8 today, with the way key RCs are exponentially increasing in value, in a few weeks the 8 will be worth what the 9 is today. Plus, without the flip, it would be tough to tell which card is which.

Brooks Robinson
 

I'm pretty much purchasing to collect so I'd go w/the 8 in this example. I can't see paying that much more just because it's a 9 (now that's just based upon the two you pictured). There are instances, like I said just for collecting purposes, that I'd pay a premium just because the card is just that much nicer.

You could ask the same question of any high grade high end card as most have big jumps from one grade to the next. Would you rather have 5 nice PSA 7 55 Clementes or 1 PSA 8? Or a nice 7 and 100k to spend on something else? You can usually find a 1960 topps Yaz PSA 8 for 1200 or so. A 9 is sitting at 30k on Goodwin.

It's not that the 9 is 5 or 25 times better it's that it's that much rarer. Investors and high end collectors are after the flips and top registry spots. These type of cards have proven to be pretty good investments over the last few years and demand appears far greater than the supply.

For any particular year, I feel that there's a dividing line between "Hey, that card is really nice." and "Meh, I think I'll wait until a nicer one comes along." I can't imagine that I'd say "Meh" about ALL of the PSA 8's of a card from 1957--there are just too many "Wow" cards in 8 for me to spend an extra penny for a 9.

If I self-submit a card from that year, and it accidentally gets a 9, I'd probably sell it and buy an 8.

For 1952 Topps, PSA 7's are fine. For 1948/9 Leaf, PSA 6's fit the bill...actually I have lots of 5's in my set that have nice eye appeal. For 1991 Topps Desert Shield, well, I might spend a few dollars more to get a 9, but I have plenty of 8's in my set that don't bother me one bit.

I think you were probably correct...

My 52 yr old eyes see no difference between the 2.

I'd take the 8 any day over that 9.

Pretty hard to tell much of a difference side by side like that.

The 9 looks short.

Psa 8
 

I think the 8 looks better than the 9. I think the card is not only more centered, but more clear as well. Look at the Robinson how the colors are a tad off.

Yep...the 8 has better registration and therefore a sharper image.

I believe that everyone is spot-on with the 8 being the better card. Could it be the back is more off, or what I tend to believe is that PSA has dramatically tightened up their grading. As a result, the 8 at one time, would have been a 9. The 9, would be an 8 if graded now.

I have seen some newly 6's that are far sharper than 8's graded years ago. Now I find myself looking at the card AND the registration number before I decide on a card to buy.

I didn't notice that until you pointed it out. Big borders are always good on higher grade cards. Tiny borders on high grade = possible red flag. :eek:

I agree!

btw, to this eye....and it could just be the scan, but the 9 looks to be about 47-53 top to bottom, so maybe that could be an issue.

To this eye, it is short in the holder and has less border total than the 8.

That's because it is.