1951 Mantle - Guess the grade

[hcv123]

PSA's opinion is a 2.5. I appreciate all the guesses. Rather than a diatribe, I'll suffice to say I had it pegged at a 4. Thank you to Darren for your amazing "shape work" dispelling what I already 99.9% knew and stated that it is an original owner card and no funny business (trimming, etc.) going on.

[Peter_Spaeth]

AI casualty perhaps? I've been shown some absurdly low grades recently. Howard sorry you did not get the appropriate grade. What are you going to do with it, sell as is?

[ocjack]

When I was growing up, that would have easily been an ex-nm card. It's like the "completed pass" rules in the NFL. It used to be if it looked like a catch, it was a catch. Now the "grading companies" decide how long you held the ball, how many steps did you take after catching the ball, did you let the ball go after you hit the ground, etc. Damn grading is everywhere.

But I will say that's a damn fine looking 2.5.

[3-2-count]

Beautiful card Howard!

To hell with what the flip says! It's a keeper....

[hcv123]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

AI casualty perhaps? I've been shown some absurdly low grades recently. Howard sorry you did not get the appropriate grade. What are you going to do with it, sell as is?

Sell the card - not the holder! If I do well enough at the national, I may buy it myself (it is a private consignment)!!

Attached is a PSA 2 (not mine) - heavy vertical crease down the middle, heavy nik on the right border, something going on on Mantle's face (paper loss?), way worse corners and the one I have is only 1/2 grade better?

I would consider breaking out and selling raw, but too many collectors are uncomfortable with all the fakes floating around on this one.

[maniac_73]

Thats insane how it only got a 2.5

[irv]

Originally Posted by maniac_73

Thats insane how it only got a 2.5

I agree.

I've said for a long time now, and that is that SGC grades tough, or tougher than PSA, but they have definitely closed the gap to where it can now be said PSA is the one doing that based on this card.

[Peter_Spaeth]

A friend of mine who has been doing this for decades just showed me 4 soccer cards that he pegged as 7-8 but came back 3s and 4s. I really wonder if they are using AI and it can't process the tiny inconsequential flaws in vintage paper. His grades were truly senseless from the images and his description. And to make it worse, Nat Turner apparently has decreed that they won't reexamine grades, so the only choice is to crack out and try again.

[ASF123]

It’s grade deflation, pure and simple. PSA’s incentive is to keep “tightening” standards to keep the jackpot prices at the upper end. It’s a pure gatekeeping function that has absolutely nothing to do with the actual condition of a particular card.

Any purported grading “scale” that gives this card 25% of the possible points is completely useless in terms of actually providing information on the relative quality of the card.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by ASF123

It’s grade deflation, pure and simple. PSA’s incentive is to keep “tightening” standards to keep the jackpot prices at the upper end. It’s a pure gatekeeping function that has absolutely nothing to do with the actual condition of a particular card.

Any purported grading “scale” that gives this card 25% of the possible points is completely useless in terms of actually providing information on the relative quality of the card.

Maybe but that cuts the other way too, if they are too tight why the hell spend astronomical sums submitting to them just to get royally screwed? At SOME point if their grades are absurd the money is better spent on a competitor.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Maybe but that cuts the other way too, if they are too tight why the hell spend astronomical sums submitting to them just to get royally screwed? At SOME point if their grades are absurd the money is better spent on a competitor.

Yes but next time the same exact card gets submitted it could get a 5. I got in on one of the group subs and everything came back graded a 8, from the gem mint cards to the one with the very noticeable crease. PSA is a joke at best but hey they bring the most cash so very few care how horrible they perform their job.

[ASF123]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Maybe but that cuts the other way too, if they are too tight why the hell spend astronomical sums submitting to them just to get royally screwed? At SOME point if their grades are absurd the money is better spent on a competitor.

A lot of observers have been waiting in vain for a long time for logical consequences to apply to PSA’s business practices. But the only important thing seems to be to perpetuate the jackpot prices. That seems to be sufficient to keep demand up.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

A friend of mine who has been doing this for decades just showed me 4 soccer cards that he pegged as 7-8 but came back 3s and 4s. I really wonder if they are using AI and it can't process the tiny inconsequential flaws in vintage paper. His grades were truly senseless from the images and his description. And to make it worse, Nat Turner apparently has decreed that they won't reexamine grades, so the only choice is to crack out and try again.

That won't work because the card has been digitally fingerprinted now. Basically they'll know they've already seen it. That's the thing the AI is best at right now.

[tnosmoothly]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

That won't work because the card has been digitally fingerprinted now. Basically they'll know they've already seen it. That's the thing the AI is best at right now.

From what I read they have only been "digitally fingerprinting" about half of the more recent submissions with a goal to have all submissions done in the future.
I had it at a 4 when looking at your initial scans but I also wondered about some very small staining. They are no longer doing qualifiers, no? If no qualifier, would that bring the grade down?
Howard, let me know if you're still selling after national.

[hcv123]

Card was sold at the national