PSA Population Report- How Accurate?

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Posted By: Marc S.

If you believe in the 'free market', if you will, the PSA population report loses some of its value [as well as the SGC report, etc.]. After all, although it is a guide as to the relative rarity of certain cards over others, the absolute population should not have a huge impact on the relative demand side of the equation.

If you have a T-206 card in PSA 8 with a population report of seven - the market should, to some extent, bid on the card irrespective of population. If there are only four or five examples, instead of seven, the number of collectors who want/need that card to fill a hole doesn't change. If four of the five examples are already spoken for on Registry sets, or what not, there is only one example available in the public for sale.

At the end of the day, population reports are a good starting point for the relative rarity of a card. But the true test of value, as is always the case, is what someone is willing to pay for it. And if you have a handful of deep pocket collectors who need the card for an upgrade, and there has not been an example in the public for a few years, they are going to pay what it takes to win the card, independent of what the population report may say...