PSA submission question...

[53Browns]

Hey all, thanks in advance for any helpful feedback. I have recently purchased a 1953 Topps Mickey Mantle PSA 7 oc. (Thanks to fellow board member Pete Sycks). Anyway, I want to get rid of the oc qualifier. I wanted to send it back to PSA to try and get it re-graded as a PSA 7. Or even maybe a 6.5. Does anyone know if I can send just that one card back or is there a minimum. Does anyone have any experience with this or helpful hints?

[glchen]

There are no minimum's with PSA submissions (although some specials have require certain minimums). However, the lower left corner looks dodgy, so I don't think you'll do better than the current holder. If you crack the card out, you could easily get a much lower grade. And the card is off center for the grade.

[insidethewrapper]

Looks like a 7 was generous. Why is the "I" and "c" in the word Mickey on the PSA label so far apart ? Is this normal ?

[novakjr]

Would never get a straight 7...Not a chance. It got the OC because the centering "at best" would warrant a 5. A 6.5 is definitely out of the question, because even if the card would be worthy of a 6, centering would usually get you the half-grade, and it's already been established that this centering is 5 at best.. Also, the original 7 might've been overly-generous, given the lower left-edge and corner.. I'd guess if cracked and re-submitted without qualifiers, the card would come back a 4, maybe 5.

[sfmays24]

I concur with novakjr ...based on the label font, this card was graded sometime ago and the standards may have been sub-par.

[glchen]

Originally Posted by insidethewrapper

Looks like a 7 was generous. Why is the "I" and "c" in the word Mickey on the PSA label so far apart ? Is this normal ?

That's an older PSA flip. It's believed that standards were more lax then. (Of course, some strongly believe they are still very lax.) A thread from another site with the history of the PSA flip with images is here: Linky

[sycks22]

Like the card Bill.

[53Browns]

A 4 or 5? Really?? Thanks for the "brutal" honesty.

[Griffins]

I'd agree- 5 at best, possibly a 4. Keep it in the holder it's in, or you can have them reholder it in the same grade to get rid of the old flip.

[smtjoy]

Very nice card but as said above graded a while back and might be a bit generous on that.

[U240robert]

No way is that a 4 or a 5 at best. I have a PSA 6 Paige that was graded in the past year and has more corner wear than this.
This would be no worse than 6/6.5
4= alot of corner wear and possible creases.
Remember the grades are based on the set also.
So a '53 Topps set will grade differently than a '54 Topps set.

[53Browns]

Thank you U240robert for bringing some sanity into the thread!

~Bill

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by U240robert

No way is that a 4 or a 5 at best. I have a PSA 6 Paige that was graded in the past year and has more corner wear than this.
This would be no worse than 6/6.5
4= alot of corner wear and possible creases.
Remember the grades are based on the set also.
So a '53 Topps set will grade differently than a '54 Topps set.

This wasn't part of my original assessment. I based that solely on looking at the card. Now I'm not trying to be Captain Obvious, BUT....A 7 with a qualifier, would come out a 5 at best without one...Otherwise it wouldn't have gotten the qualifier...

BTW. a 6.5 would be completely out of the question...99% of the time, the half-grade is given to a card because it has exceptional centering for it's grade...

[sycks22]

Originally Posted by novakjr

This wasn't part of my original assessment. I based that solely on looking at the card. Now I'm not trying to be Captain Obvious, BUT....A 7 with a qualifier, would come out a 5 at best without one...Otherwise it wouldn't have gotten the qualifier...

BTW. a 6.5 would be completely out of the question...99% of the time, the half-grade is given to a card because it has exceptional centering for it's grade...

Not always the case. My PSA 3.5 Jackie is 35/65 best case.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by U240robert

a '53 Topps set will grade differently than a '54 Topps set.

That makes no sense

They make no mention of that at all on the grading standards page, and the whole point of TPG is to base the grade almost exclusively on the technical merits of the card. They do make some allowance for eye appeal, but claim that it's uncommon.

With that corner, I just can't see that as being any better than EX. And that's ignoring the centering.

Steve B

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by sycks22

Not always the case. My PSA 3.5 Jackie is 35/65 best case.

That's why I said 99% of the time...There's always gonna be a few exceptions. Using one of them as an example, doesn't make me any less right...

Also, getting a half grade doesn't mean that a card is between two grades...It's basically a reverse qualifier... Where one point stands out as exceptional in terms of eye appeal for the grade. On occasion something else will be that much better, but it's usually centering.. And you're usually looking at that aspect being two grades above to get it, much like the qualifier.