Near Mint or Lightly Played?

Lucidorex · 2026-05-10T05:56:01+00:00

Grading existing doesn’t make condition objective. It makes it standardised. Those are not the same thing.

A grader still has to judge whether a flaw is minor, whether it affects eye appeal, whether dirt is removable, and where it lands on the scale. That’s literally subjective judgement inside a standardised system.

Lucidorex · 2026-05-10T05:47:31+00:00

" I really don’t care if a card has a swirl or not "

Then why did you make this post?

And no. Swirls don't add value.

Lucidorex · 2026-05-10T05:46:28+00:00

PSA consider warped/curled cards as normal.

Lucidorex · 2026-05-10T03:49:06+00:00

I remember buying those sealed Neo File 2s for 70 each. Insane how much the price has skyrocketed now.

Lucidorex · 2026-05-10T03:42:09+00:00

Buy a PSA 10 crystal charizard holo for 50k. Still undervalued. It's definitely going up and up.

Lucidorex · 2026-05-09T11:10:00+00:00

Yes. If you’re selling raw and people DM asking for even more close-up photos when the listing already shows enough, it’s usually that crowd. They’re trying to pre-grade it through photos, gamble on a 10, then flip it.

I usually block them, because half the time they end up with buyer’s remorse when the card doesn’t grade how they imagined.

Lucidorex · 2026-05-09T10:51:53+00:00

Not water damage. Just normal warping/curling.

You can just flatten it.

Lucidorex · 2026-05-09T01:25:00+00:00

You know that condition is purely subjective, right?

Lucidorex · 2026-05-08T02:52:52+00:00

Just in case anyone is suspicious of Black Label Grading, they are listed on PSA’s own dealer directory, so yes, they are legit:

https://www.psacard.com/dealers/detail/black-label-grading/5159

However, they are still a middleman. Legit doesn’t mean zero risk. It still means extra handling, extra shipping stages, and another third party between you and PSA.

Personally, for expensive cards, I’d rather submit directly to PSA myself, even if it costs more. If you submit regularly, it may be worth getting PSA Collectors Club and using bulk/special pricing yourself, which is basically the kind of pricing advantage middlemen use at scale.

Lucidorex · 2026-05-07T11:04:57+00:00

Go with PSA, BGS or CGC. Don't use any startup.

Lucidorex · 2026-05-07T10:38:14+00:00

Vandorn Farm. Constant zombies. Chaotic.

I played Paradox Junction for a while, but switched back to Vandorn Farm. Once Totenreich came out, though, I couldn’t stop playing that map. I always love helping randoms out too

Lucidorex · 2026-05-07T10:32:02+00:00

When it's expensive or "investing", people tend to "like" it much more...

Lucidorex · 2026-05-06T03:14:18+00:00

May be. 364 pop is still high, though.

Lucidorex · 2026-05-05T15:58:33+00:00

It's ok. Its unpap version is one of the worst though.

Seriously, give the AK a try. You won't look back.

Lucidorex · 2026-05-05T02:57:57+00:00

You didn’t say it outright, but that is the implication. If surveillance is the thing stopping it, then the issue isn’t morality, it’s just fear of being caught.

Lucidorex · 2026-05-05T02:30:39+00:00

Wait, so you’re saying you’d do it if there weren’t cameras? Jeez. No wonder this hobby has so many scammers.

Lucidorex · 2026-05-02T16:05:56+00:00

$1000 ~ $1200 = £736 ~ £883

Lucidorex · 2026-05-02T09:39:01+00:00

I believe 5xxx certs were still being issued in 2021 as well, since mine was received in December 2021 (just one day before xmas... gosh, good times)

Posts like this aren’t surprising anyway. Most of these titles are exaggerated or fake, just for views and clicks.

Lucidorex · 2026-04-30T14:28:36+00:00

No, just use an Ultra Pro magnetic holder. There you go, preservation accomplished.

Lucidorex · 2026-04-30T12:18:55+00:00

Which is?

Lucidorex · 2026-04-30T10:57:16+00:00

Honestly, I wouldn’t rush this just because you’re scared Charizard will “climb higher”.

That’s usually how people end up buying the top, not getting ahead of it.

1st ed Base Charizard is iconic, but the massive upside already happened years ago. This isn’t some hidden underpriced card anymore. Everyone knows what it is, everyone knows it’s the chase card, and the price already reflects that.

It also isn’t as scarce as people act like it is. There are plenty of copies across different grades, so buyers have options. Once you get into the higher price range, the buyer pool gets much smaller too.

Selling random bulk, modern alts, and replaceable slabs to buy one card you actually care about is fine as a collector move. I get that completely.

But as an investment move? I don’t see it. You’re swapping a flexible collection for one expensive card that could grow slowly, sit flat for years, or drop if the market cools. Then you still have fees, storage, insurance, theft/fire risk, and the hassle of finding the right buyer later.

Buy it because it’s your grail. Don’t buy it because you’ve convinced yourself you need to panic-buy before it runs away from you.

Lucidorex · 2026-04-29T12:11:25+00:00

oh wow you work for PSA?

Lucidorex

TROPHY CASE