prices for..1914-1915 cracker jacks...

[effe]

I got a PSA 3 one this one and I'm puzzled as to why. Was the impression on the left side severe enough to knock it down that far? Perusing the grades on Ebay I was expecting a 4 or maybe even a 4.5. I'd appreciate any even input, even if it's "John, your full of s***, you were lucky to score a 3 on that one" .

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

I'm certain that CJ grades have gotten much stricter in the last 2 years at PSA. What would be a 5 is now getting 3 or lower in some cases. One contributing factor seems to be that caramel staining is more closely scrutinized. On your card, the crease on the left definitely plays into the 3 as well as the staining. But to be honest I've seen that same condition and worse in 4's and 5's. Because of the wildly fluctuating grading in this set, unless you're playing the GPA registry game, buying the card vs the grade is crucial.
The grading variance is also one reason I think the pop reports for this set is off by as much as 25% with collectors cracking and resubmitting.

p.s. that's a very tough card in the set and one you don't see come up for sale often. It's a beauty!

[effe]

Thanks for the responses. I was actually able to get the customer service rep to talk to the head grader at PSA. His response was the 3 resulted from the staining. I just guess it would have been nice if they had decided how they would treat the staining on these cards from the outset and stuck with it.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

great example of a very poor 4. If that card were to be graded today it would most certainly get a 2.

[iwantitiwinit]

In my opinion your three is properly graded, too much staining on the front to be graded much higher.

[dabigyankeeman]

Here is probably a stupid question, but how do you tell whether a Cracker Jack is a 1914 or a 1915?

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

no dumb questions in the hobby my friend...

The 1914 set has 144 cards (denoted on the back) and the 1915 set 176. The backs of the 1915's are printed upside down as well.