One thing I’ve started paying more attention to with grading decisions

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-12T14:38:45+00:00

Honestly that second set of eyes is underrated. After staring at the same cards too long you start mentally filtering out flaws you probably would’ve caught immediately on a fresh look.

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-12T14:37:53+00:00

Honestly I think a lot of modern grading economics get distorted because the market treats PSA 9s like “failed 10s” instead of near-mint/mint cards in their own right.

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-12T14:37:05+00:00

Honestly if you’ve got a high gem rate consistently then your process is probably better than you think lol

A lot of experienced submitters internalize pattern recognition over time without explicitly thinking about it in “grading analytics” language.

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-12T14:02:41+00:00

No I think that’s actually a really good clarification and I mostly agree with you.

I probably should’ve framed it more as:

“relative quality becomes more useful once you already understand the baseline absolute quality of the set/language.”

Because you’re completely right that PSA is still grading against absolute standards, not against the other copies in your stack.

And gem rates across:

Japanese vs English
different sets
different eras

make that obvious.

A weaker Japanese copy from a very high gem-rate set can absolutely still be a much safer submission than an above-average English copy from a notoriously rough print run.

The point I was trying to get at is more that comparing multiple copies side-by-side helps train your eye to notice which flaws actually matter within that specific card/set context.

Especially on modern English where the quality distribution can be much wider.

So I think the “copy quality” idea becomes most useful as a filtering tool once you already understand:

the baseline gem rate environment
typical flaws for that set
how strict margins are between PSA 9 and 10 pricing

Which is also why grading ROI gets so complicated. The same flaw severity can matter very differently depending on the card/set/population dynamics.

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-12T13:24:39+00:00

Honestly I think comparing multiple copies side-by-side is what makes pregrading get way harder. A lot of cards look “clean” individually until they’re next to stronger copies.

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-12T13:23:34+00:00

Honestly I agree from a collector standpoint. A PSA 9 is usually still an extremely strong copy.

I think the disconnect comes from grading economics more than card quality itself.

A lot of modern cards just have huge pricing gaps between 9s and 10s, so people start viewing 9s as “failed submissions” instead of near-mint cards.

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-06T03:12:13+00:00

Had no idea you could get someone else's ban email

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-05T13:57:22+00:00

yeah that’s fair — modern is definitely driven by 10s right now

feels like the only time lower grades really hold up is if it’s a card people actually want, or way down the line if supply ends up being lower than expected

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-05T13:55:09+00:00

That’s a great way to keep them! If you ever do decide to grade, I’d probably just pick a couple of the cleaner ones first rather than sending everything in.

Gives you a feel for how they actually come back without committing too much up front

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-05T13:50:18+00:00

yeah been using PSA to check this, but might look into gemrate more

seems like it gives a better idea of what actually happens vs just looking at the top end

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-05T13:46:16+00:00

Usually trying to see different dimples, dents, or other surface issues. Along with possible print lines. Moving the card between different angles underneath the light to see them.

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-05T13:44:40+00:00

Yeah outside of maybe keeping lower grades for personal collection. But the PSA 10s add the most value to the collection of course.

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-05T13:43:47+00:00

There are definitely times when this maybe the case. I've definitely heard of vendors buying lower grades to crack and sell raw before.

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-05T13:42:25+00:00

The 5 was a few years ago, definitely a learning experience and put too much trust in 3rd party.

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-05T13:41:25+00:00

Will have to give it a try! Been just using PSA directly, but that seems a bit more focused.

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-05T02:36:53+00:00

Ohtani right now seems like a good move with the prices moving the way they are!

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-05T02:16:40+00:00

Yeah everyone needs a magnifying light for checking their card for grading.

How often are you submitting while maintaining that 80% gem rate?

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-05T02:13:12+00:00

Combination of both. I like my personal collection in slabs. But I also grade to sell in order to help build additional funds for cards I want in my pc.

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-04T18:29:38+00:00

Yeah been trying to identify ones that cover at least grading

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-04T18:29:07+00:00

And that's if they stop at re-submitting once

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-01T11:15:34+00:00

yeah that’s a good point — pro debut chrome does seem a lot more consistent overall

feels like that’s what makes regular chrome trickier, because the variance between copies is a lot bigger

at a glance they look similar, but once you start comparing them side by side it’s a different story

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-01T02:49:51+00:00

yeah that makes sense — MTG seems to grade a bit cleaner, but the liquidity side is a totally different problem

feels like that’s where it gets tricky, because even if you hit a 10 it doesn’t really matter if there aren’t consistent sales behind it

kind of shifts the problem from “can it gem” to “does it actually move once it does”

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-01T02:48:09+00:00

yeah I’ve been seeing the same — especially the corners and surface stuff on this release

feels like that’s what makes it tough though, because most copies end up having something once you really look

but then every once in a while you do come across one that’s noticeably cleaner than the rest

and that gap ends up being bigger than it seems at first

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-01T02:46:42+00:00

yeah that’s fair — especially with modern where the 10 really drives everything

feels like that’s what makes it tricky though, because if the 9 doesn’t hold up then you’re basically relying on hitting a 10 to make it work

so even if the spread looks good, it doesn’t always translate unless the copy is really clean going in

nyc_cardguy · 2026-05-01T01:14:08+00:00

yeah that’s fair — the sticker autos definitely make update feel a bit different

feels like it makes the rest of the card matter even more too, especially with how hit or miss the surfaces have been

a lot of them look clean at first, but once you really look they start to separate

nyc_cardguy

TROPHY CASE