Questions on reslabbing SGC and PSA

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

I have a number of PSA and SGC cards that have cracked or smudged slabs and I want to send them in for reslabbing. Do the companies automatically keep the grade and just put the cards in a new case or do they inspect the cards again to ensure that the cards deserve the grade? Some of the cards are very expensive T206's and I'm concerned that considering what I paid for them they may not come back with the same grade. Also, what is the PSA policy (not the company line but if anyone can help with what really happens) on resubmitting cards that seem to have gotten the shaft? I have two 1956 Ted Williams cards, one a 6 and one a 7 and I swear the 6 (recently graded) is nicer than the older-graded 7...

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Posted By: Anonymous

Jeff:

PSA reholdering costs $5. Yes, they will give you the same grade as before. Of course, they'll inspect the card to make sure that it was not damaged when the slab was damaged, and if so, they'd probably contact you.

Although many collectors feel that PSA was more lenient/stringent (pick one!) a few years ago, according the PSA, they have never changed their grading policies. Because of this they aren't going to change your grade if you just have it put in a new holder.

If you think you have gotten the shaft, best thing to do is break it out and submit it raw. With rare exceptions that don't involve you or me, they're not going to admit it deserved a different grade.

However (speaking from experience now), when you break it out to submit it, you might notice a surface wrinkle or another flaw you missed before, so give it a good going-over before you spend the money.

Another idea is to submit a slabbed card to another grading company (crossover). I've heard of grades going up from PSA to SGC (and the other way). You can specify a minimum grade that you will accept to the new company; if it doesn't meet the grade you want they won't break it out. I think PSA will even put their sticker on an SGC cardholder if you want a double graded card.

In other words, they have lots of ways to separate you from your money...

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Posted By: slacks

Not that this adds any credibility, but that last post was from me (slacks).

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Posted By: leon

Don't know anything about PSA but if you ask SGC to only re-holder with the same grade or better they will honor your request. Unless your card is in one of the older holders without the 1-10 grade below the 2 digit number, or the card has been damaged in the case, they will probably give you the same grade. I have done it successfully with SGC. Someone else will need to chime in about PSA......best regards

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Posted By: tbob

getting PSA slabs cross-overed and receiving higher grades from GAI or SGC. From what I understand, it doesn't happen.

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Posted By: slacks

I disagree, and if you care, you can check the archives at the PSA set registry message board. They comment on more than just PSA grading and some of these guys are WAY into it.

However, I can't remember a lot of it being pre-war, but I think it's the priciple were talking about.

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

Fellas, thanks for the input. I've finally learned the last lesson I needed to know in buying raw cards--don't pay a lot of money for a raw card unless it costs no more than one grade below the SMR value of the grade you are hoping it will receive upon submission. For every 5 raw cards advertised as "Near Mint" on ebay, perhaps one will ever receive a PSA 7 grade. You're better off buying the graded cards, sadly, if you want higher quality for the most part. Sellers just puff too much.

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Posted By: Jason

In my experience with most sellers figure 2 grades below. Some even 3! I cannot count how many times cards are sold as EX-EXMT and really VG. Some cases.....VGEX and really G. You should figure a couple of grades atleast on ebay unless you personally know the seller.

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Posted By: petecld

Sadly, Jeff's statement is all too true but I'm glad to see he is getting the sometimes sad condition this hobby is in these days. I'm sure others will see themselves after reading Jason's experience as well. I get quite a few emails from people saying they bought this card because they were told it was (xx) but now that they have the card it has this wrong, and that wrong, etc. I can't remember the last time I told someone they bought an "under-described" (not even sure that's a word but you get the drift) card.

I tend to ignore the sellers assigned condition claims these days. ESPECIALLY FROM FESTBERG!!!!!! I look for posted images - and if their isn't one I don't bid - and come to my own conclusions.

Side note: Another quick way for a seller to loose my bid is by posting a picture with the edges of the card cropped off. I never trust those sellers either. If they can figure out how to scan a card and post the image why aren't they showing the whole card? Hmmmmm. . . .

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Posted By: jay behrens

I just got a new scanner and it automatically crops the scan, clipping the edges. That is why you will always see a black background on scans. Just beucase a scan is cropped past the edges doesn't neccessarily mean that there is deciet involved. Sometimes it someone that just doesn't understand how their scanner works.

Jay

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Posted By: slacks

Jay: There's surely a way to override the automatic cropping of a scanned image. The default setting is usually as user-friendly as possible, but there are many reasons why many users wouldn't want this.

Check online help for your scanner if you're interested.

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Posted By: jay bahrens

slacks, read my message again. I say right in there what I do get around it. By placing a background other than white, it scans the whole image and then I can crop it the way I want. I like the black better anyway because you can see the corners better that way.

Jay

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Posted By: petecld

Really? I've never heard of a scanner doing that automatically. Learn something new everyday.

i would think that is a preference you can turn off for those who want the white background and still want the entire image of what they are scanning to be included.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I've sent in two cards that I felt were classic "tweeners" to SGC in PSA 7 cases and had them come back 86's, an N162 Dempsey and a 1948 Leaf Dempsey. IMHO, SGC does a very fair job of grading the card, not the holder, on cross-overs.

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Posted By: Dave

I too also just got a new scanner. Actually, my first, but still new. It is a HP3970, which cost about $100 at Best Buy or Circuit City. It has a slide/negative holder built into the lid, so you get strange background if you don't cover it up. The rest of the cover is white, and it will automatically size to a card when scanned, without the edges. But, it is easy to grab the corners and expand to expose the edges. I've also found that I like a black background, especially for white border cards. For this, I've taped a sheet of black construction paper to the lid of my scanner. With this, the scanner selects the whole page, and I will adjust it down to the card with edges showing. It's really not very hard!

Here's a recent scan. Baker with a trapezoid cut.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

I had the same problem with my new scanner. You should be able to go into its settings and deactivate the automatic cropping feature.

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

as far you can throw an Epson Perfection 1660 Photo scanner, but even a technologically challenged person like me can change the settings to "manual," and be reponisble for (his/her) own exposures, sizes, pixels, color and B and W densities etc.

If I can do it, anyone can.

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Posted By: jay behrens

but you are woman. Guys refuse to ask for directions.

Jay