PSA 8 in an old slab versus a newly graded PSA 7?

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by bk400

Hypothetical question: would you pay significantly more for a PSA 8 in a super old slab that looks to the naked eye worse than a PSA 7 slab with a 7XXXXXXX certification number?

I've been seeing a lot of cards (especially from the 1970s) where the price point for the old PSA 8 far outstrips the price point for the new PSA 7, even though the new PSA 7 is a superior card. This suggests what the "market" thinks makes sense.

But how does this make sense? I've read threads about "buying the flip", but this phenomenon suggests that people are buying the flip while covering their eyes. Thoughts?

Yes, registry collectors. However, on a consistent basis, I don't think the old PSA labels bring as much as the newly graded cards.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by Zach Wheat

Yes, registry collectors. However, on a consistent basis, I don't think the old PSA labels bring as much as the newly graded cards.

I would say this is true for the majority of collectors. Personally, I feel more comfortable with older grades as I feel a tad more comfortable they are less likely to have been altered and then slabbed by an unknowledgeable worker drone. (other than the first one, lol)

Having this thought pattern sometimes saves me a tad when I do buy a graded card.

[Kutcher55]

There are undergraded cards in old slabs just as there are overgraded cards in new slabs.

[rugbymarine]

From my experience (mostly post-war vintage), a PSA 8 in an old slab will outpace a PSA 7 in a new slab. That same card will almost always fall shy of a PSA 8 in new holder, provided that the new holder is actually a newly graded card, and not a re-holdered card from 20 years ago.

But given that, I'd will always prefer to buy the really nice, newly graded PSA 7 at a premium instead of the old PSA 8 of the same card, even if that old PSA 8 is discounted because of the age of the slab. And in a lot of cases, I've found great PSA 5s and 6s using the same logic. There have been other cases where I'm willing to pay a PSA 8 price for a really nice PSA 7, especially for an example that I think is much nicer than what I typically see when browsing for cards.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by rugbymarine

From my experience (mostly post-war vintage), a PSA 8 in an old slab will outpace a PSA 7 in a new slab. That same card will almost always fall shy of a PSA 8 in new holder, provided that the new holder is actually a newly graded card, and not a re-holdered card from 20 years ago.

But given that, I'd will always prefer to buy the really nice, newly graded PSA 7 at a premium instead of the old PSA 8 of the same card, even if that old PSA 8 is discounted because of the age of the slab. And in a lot of cases, I've found great PSA 5s and 6s using the same logic. There have been other cases where I'm willing to pay a PSA 8 price for a really nice PSA 7, especially for an example that I think is much nicer than what I typically see when browsing for cards.

+1 when it comes to post war there are so many examples of 6s and 7s that have superior eye appeal to many 8s there's no need to chase the monkey unless you're a registry guy.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by JustinD

I would say this is true for the majority of collectors. Personally, I feel more comfortable with older grades as I feel a tad more comfortable they are less likely to have been altered and then slabbed by an unknowledgeable worker drone. (other than the first one, lol)

Having this thought pattern sometimes saves me a tad when I do buy a graded card.

If they're looking the other way the knowledge of the work force is not the issue. Altered cards have been rampant forever.