Any luck with a PSA 'Review'?

[Kzoo]

Guys.........I'm headed to the National next week and have a higher end card that I believe has been undergraded by PSA. I'm wondering what kind of luck/success rate anybody has had when paying for a 'review' through PSA. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance............Matt

[Eggoman]

I'm 0-1. I THOUGHT I had a LEGIT SHOT with a BEAUTIFUL 1961-62 Fleer Basketball Robertson Rookie. I was hoping for an "bump" from an 8 to an 8.5 shortly after they went to their 1/2 point grading system...

Sorry if this is SLIGHT OT....

I'm just a relative NEWBIE at this....

[glchen]

On the PSA, ppl tend to say the odds are around 5%: Link. I would think it would be much easier to go from a 3 to a 4 than a 9 to a 10. That is, the higher the current grade, the tougher it will be for a bump.

[bosoxphan]

Is it free if they change the grade?

[glchen]

Originally Posted by bosoxphan

Is it free if they change the grade?

Only if they change the grade to a lower one due to an obvious grading error.

[LKeeler]

I'm 0 for 3. I've always wondered how many do get changed after a review. I don't see a TPG changing a fellow grader's grade as that would be admittance of inconsistency in their grading standards, and that it all comes down to who the grader is.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Originally Posted by Kzoo

Guys.........I'm headed to the National next week and have a higher end card that I believe has been undergraded by PSA. I'm wondering what kind of luck/success rate anybody has had when paying for a 'review' through PSA. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance............Matt

I'm 0 for 1 as well. Last national I brought my psa 2 Wagner and paid $50 to try for a bump. No such luck

[TanksAndSpartans]

I'm 1/1. I had a 4.5 I thought should've been a 5 for years, but I didn't send it in until I saw a 6 that looked about like my 4.5. It came back a 5.

P.S. Wagner card above sure looks looks like a 3 to me - I've seen plenty of 3s with a crease.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

I'm 0 for 1 as well. Last national I brought my psa 2 Wagner and paid $50 to try for a bump. No such luck

nice card...funny though all sellers on ebay always say their card is a candidate for a bump.....I would try with their money ...

[GregMitch34]

Last year I had an SGC 3 Cracker Jack 14 bumped to a 4.5. It had 5 corners and it all hinged on view of staining. Either SGC has started going lighter on staining or just a fluke.

[pokerplyr80]

Originally Posted by GregMitch34

Last year I had an SGC 3 Cracker Jack 14 bumped to a 4.5. It had 5 corners and it all hinged on view of staining. Either SGC has started going lighter on staining or just a fluke.

Did you crack it out first or did you get the bump in the 3 holder?

[Bosox Blair]

I have no empirical evidence on this, but I think it has to matter whether the existing grade was given in the days when there were no half-grades versus a grade that was given when halves were already available.

If it was from earlier times, the TPG is not admitting to a "mistake" by bumping the card...they are just adjusting for the new point scale. But if the original grader was allowed to use halves, then a change kinda is an admission of a mistake...I suspect that is much harder to get.

Cheers,
Blair

[LKeeler]

Excellent point, Blair. I forgot about the pre half grade days. I think you are spot on.

[glchen]

Originally Posted by ajjohnsonsoxfan

I'm 0 for 1 as well. Last national I brought my psa 2 Wagner and paid $50 to try for a bump. No such luck

That's a pretty nice CJ Wagner. I'm also surprised it didn't bump up. How does the back look? Any scrapbook residue or staining on the back?

Edit: after looking at the scan again, the grade may be due to the creasing. I think for a 3, you can have one longer crease and perhaps another small crease or two as long as they don't go through the center of the card, but not two longer creases.

[GregMitch34]

Jesse, got bump still in holder....

[bobbyw8469]

I'm like 0-20...and the cards I submitted weren't slouches. I think it is a money losing proposition, akin to doing one of those 50/50 raffles from an acquaintance that comes by your job. Only do reviews with money you are prepared to lose.

[Kzoo]

Thanks for all the replies so far. I think I'll pass on this option with PSA.

My other idea was to try a 'crossover' with SGC with the hope of a slight 'bump'. Has anyone ever 'crossed over' and been surprised with the results?

Thanks...........Matt

[steve B]

You could see about an informal review. I'm not sure PSA would do it.

I brought a couple cards to a show that I thought SGC had gotten wrong. Both T206s. One was a 50 the other a 40. The 50 looks great the 40 looks a bit better than 40, maybe a 50 maybe a bit better or worse depending. I dropped off a few cards for grading and asked if I could get some info about the grades on a couple other cards. The guy gave a quick look and showed me why.

The 50 has a tiny crease about halfway up the left edge. And a flake of paperloss on one corner that's less than the wear on some 50's I knew about the tiny flake of surface missing but not the tiny crease. Combined they kept it to a 50.

The 40 had a very light erasure on the back that I hadn't seen. And I'd had the card since the early 80's.

He also mentioned that I could have them reviewed, but that they probably wouldn't change. I agreed that now I saw the flaws the grades were right, or at least so close as to not matter.

Can't hurt to ask, the worst they can say is that they won't look at them without being paid.

Steve B

[glchen]

One thing that is relatively common is that for folks who buy the PSA Collectors Club membership, they receive a grading voucher also for a few cards, but it expires within a year. Some people who can't find a use for the voucher before the expiration date often use the voucher for reviews (assuming the card is within the $500 declared value for the voucher) rather than letting the voucher go to waste.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

Originally Posted by glchen

That's a pretty nice CJ Wagner. I'm also surprised it didn't bump up. How does the back look? Any scrapbook residue or staining on the back?

Edit: after looking at the scan again, the grade may be due to the creasing. I think for a 3, you can have one longer crease and perhaps another small crease or two as long as they don't go through the center of the card, but not two longer creases.

Just uploaded the back scan. No staining or paper loss.

[Jetsfan]

Has anyone ever submitted for a review and had the card come back downgraded? That concern keeps me from considering this on higher priced cards, but I didn't know if that can even happen.

Adam

[MattyC]

The card won't come back downgraded. I used to review quite a bit, and batted very well. Had some big cards go from 9 to 10 as well, most notably a Molitor RC. Anecdotal evidence, for sure, but like the Lotto says: Hey, ya never know. Basically it's a crapshoot no matter what the grade, as it is so subjective, but if the card is pretty then you have a puncher's chance-- especially in the lower to mid grades I found.