[55koufax]

So in 2009 or 2010 I sat down with Joe O. and had a discussion about why it was seemingly so impossible to get 10's? Specifically from the hundreds (now well over a thousand) of '55 Topps AA's fresh out of cello packs I had graded. (Mind you I had already spent $150 per pack to get several packs graded - I actually paid for PSA to obtain a new mold to fit them). 48 of the 57 PSA 10's in the pop report are from my submissions, and I firmly believe 3 others that have somewhat recently popped are from my cards that I sold, and then they were subsequently trimmed to ascertain 10's (sad but true). Anyway, he offered this:

"PSA wants to maintain a certain aura or mystique surrounding the grade of 10".

They had just started with .5 point grades and I then asked him why they skipped the 9.5 grade His response?

"PSA wants to maintain a certain aura or mystique surrounding the grade of 10".

Now I ask all of you, does this make sense?

Looks like PSA feels a 9.5 grade would detract from those "mystical" 10's ??? Not only that, how can you say you are objective when the boss admits in so many words they are not - when it comes to 10's.

I could show you MINT 9's of the same card next to GEM 10's of same, and even with the all the tools of the trade, you would never discern the difference. Not only that, I have had 4 Otto Graham 9's that I compared to the only 10 in existence (from pre 2009 which was one of only six tens in the entire pop report at the time) that belonged to Nate Sanders at the time, and it is a joke. That antiquated 10 is noticeably inferior to all 4 9's...