Buying The Card, Not The Holder

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Posted By: t-206collector

This maxim is obviously being used by the bidders in this T206 Joss Pitching auction. But for this card to receive a PSA 4, it has to have a crease or wrinkle that we can't see in the scan, right? This seems to be an awful lot for this card -- am I missing something?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31718&item=4130009087&rd=1

...this next T206 Joss Pitching graded GAI 4.5 and is expiring the same night. But not nearly as bright and sharp a card as the PSA 4.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31718&item=4129732734&rd=1

It seems people are buying the card, not the holder. Nonetheless, the current price differential is astonishing to me.

[Archive]

Posted By: Dave

I certainly can't explain the high price for the PSA graded card. Here's what has happened with graded Joss pitching cards on ebay over the past few months:

PSA 1 $38.00
PSA 3 $59.88
PSA 4 $177.50
PSA 4 $113.01
PSA 4 $159.00
SGC 20 $33.00
PSA 4 $88.02 Polar Bear back

It is clear that my list doesn't grade the card at all, but the slab. That isn't my point, I still look at the card before I buy anything. But, it is easier to catelog by pubic grades.

This doesn't explain why a PSA 4 would go for $300.

The GAI card seems to be reasonable compared to the range shown here.


Dave

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Posted By: Judge Dred

I'm sure I'm not the only one that notices that PSA graded cards seem to fetch a higher price than cards graded by the other services. I don't particularly care for the PSA holders (among other things) but here's what I tell people that ask me which grading service to use - "If you're going to sell your cards then have them PSA graded, if you're going to keep the cards then use one of the other grading services (SGC, SCD, Beck Vintage)".

The truly sad part about these major grading services is that we would like to see consistency but when you look at the job some of these main services do it really wakes you up to see just how inconsistent the grading services can be.

My guess is that they do a good job of authentication but the subjectivity to grading is very broad.

[Archive]

Posted By: OldOriole

Actually, based on data since the beginning of 2003 to present, PSA graded cards no longer fetch top dollar across the board. It all depends on what type of card it is. While PSA is still the king for resale values, SGC now commands a slight premium for certain issues. These include T202's, E92's, E97's, and E105's. In addition, SGC and PSA show no statistical difference in sales prices for T201's and several other E-cards. I'll also add that GAI is closing in, although they are not at that same level for selling prices yet.