Glad you made this video. I’ve been telling this “pandemic era” of collectors that you absolutely cannot tell if a card is gradable by looking at a pic, that you truly need to put it under light and microscope. I get so much grief for it 🤷🏻♂️😂. Case and point shown very well in this video
@@SportscardLyle_onIG Exactly. Collectors making videos that examine cards using tech that can pick out obscure stars in faraway galaxies. Meanwhile, PSA doofus takes one glance, slaps a grade number on it, spends more time putting it in the holder, and charging the owner an insane amount of money. What a scam.
I know one person that did work at PSA. They had to sign a NDA to never reveal what and how they grade cards. All of the training, and yes they do train, but it is all covered by a 6 page NDA. Some real serious penalties. Sent him this link and he said it was good to use this as a guideline for sending cards in.
Great job with this video. This is part of the hardcore collector's journey. Once you start viewing your cards under a powerful loupe, you open up an entirely different world of "condition" range. Inspect some of your PSA 10s and you'll see that PSA can be a lot more forgiving than you thought previously.
This was interesting. Thinking about dusting off the old microscope the family bought at a yard sale to look over my cards. This could be fun or horrifying. Lol
Thanks for the helpful information. I am getting back into collecting cards. I’m compiling a some in my new collection that I want to have graded. So yes, this video helped!
That's too much.... the over production of cards have caused this chaos..... If the card looks good by eye or a magnified glass, then you should be solid.
@@sw1217 You're the 7th person to ask this question on this thread... and all 7 times the question doesn't get answered. Annoying... maybe it's further down in the comments - I'll keep reading
That was really cool. Thank you for showing that cuz I never really do they did that. I sent some comic books in to be graded and I was shocked at how low they came back to me at. I never thought about the magnifying glass part. All the best.
Thank you for this. I am tired of people complaining on UA-cam complaining when they get their cards back. They all look at their cards with the naked eye and say some version "whats wrong with this card?" If they did what you do before sending cards they'd get better results. Having this and a centering tool makes a huge difference. My last order I got 27 cards back from psa and 22 were 10's. The magnifying glass has been a life saver.
I was wondering what was the magnification you used? I think you said 50x but grading companies do not use more than 10x magnification. That makes a big difference.
Yes, PSA supposedly uses 10x. If this video is using 50x then its a little off.He should have done te same thing with a PSA 10 so people could compare. The idea for the video was good but without the same magnification its not what PSA is really seeing.
I use a Jeweler's Loop but I love Raw Vintage Cards. Been collecting them for over 15 years so I'm pretty good with telling things apart and honestly if it has good eye appeal without it, it's a ✔️ in my book.
@@commiehunter733 lol no man. When you zoom in 100X you can actually see tiny living creatures on your card. That brings it down to at least a PSA 6 maybe even a 5
That's amazing. To the naked eye they look great, but not when you zoom in. I have a few cards that came back with a 7 or 8 grading that I couldn't understand, but this answers that question. Thanks a lot my man.
Excellent!! Thank you!! Exactly why I sell raw cards only. Let someone else deal with the grading process. I’ve bought a few graded & sent in a few to get graded for my PC but never to sell. Costs too much & wait time is way too long. To me it’s not worth it
Yup that’s why I rather buy graded cards already, Whenever I pull an expensive card it goes straight to a binder right away. I don’t need no headache sending cards to psa.
When you train yourself to see what they would see. You begin to realize that they are true, but very stingy. Which isn't that bad. If you train yourself to see what they see, than it all makes sense. I'm creating a startup company that basically teaches you to see what psa would see. In their eyes and in mine, no one would and or will pay top dollar for a janky card. Brilliant video my man. That's exactly how I examine my own cards.
What u should do is compare to a psa 10 w mag lense.... I'd bet most 9s look like that too as far as edges go. That's a 1988 Topps pretty old and cardboard from that Era was prone to chipping away. Still that type of wear is microscopic and typical so there's no way it should be graded like 6 or 7 I could see 8 honestly
How much magnification does PSA actually use? If you magnify 50x, like you did in this video, you can see all kinds of "imperfections" in a card that is almost perfect to the naked eye. In the coin world, NGC (Numismatic Guarantee Company) graders only use 5x magnification.
What you see is not always what you get. Good video Nico. I would keep that Bo Jackson card and take it out to look at it now and then and just be happy to have a great athlete on a card that has outstanding appeal to the naked eye. Enjoying cards is my attraction to the hobby and should a card also have market value, then that is simply a bonus! Cheers!
That was a way cool Video! My only thought is, I wish for the sake of a follow up video you sent it in to be graded with a request for detailed feedback. Then, an update video to show us the grade and feedback!
Great Video.... Just from my own experience.....my shop never submitted a card to PSA before and I wont forget what I learned. Bottom line it got a 8 and I resubmitt to bGS and it got a 9.5!
Nice video. I'm wondering now how genuine any of those old 50's Mickey Mantles are? 70+ years should yield at least the minor wear we see on this card. People just didn't store and save cards like they do today back then. Knowing that there is a fraud market out there i would never trust a vintage card being a perfect 10.
Yeah the idea that there are only a few 10’s but there are hundreds or thousands of 9’s is definitely by design. It’s so subjective but it’s part of the hobby . Thanks for watching !
Thank the Ceo of PSA Inc. Great Video Sir. I ordered a car a while back that kind of pause to me left me speechless. I believe it was a 9 or 9.5 missing the corner! Like literally it was cut off besides that to the eye looks great besides the corner but even though there is no way they should give that card at 9 or 9:5 and what kind of lens did you say you had again for your iPhone?
This is a really great short video to educate some collectors why their cards sometimes get the grades they do when they look great to the naked eye. This is not a knock on you in anyway but I think the video would be even better if you had a pack fresh 88 Topps football card or even a graded 88 Topps football card to use as a visual comparison. Great video though. I need to get myself one of those IPhone magnifying lenses and ditch my crusty jewelers loop.
The Bo Topps Super Rookie looks like it has one soft corner (upper right), it’s off center left to right, and top to bottom, so why would you expect a top grade on that card?
Doesn't matter what your grading this is what they do. From sports cards to action figures to comics put it under a jewelers loupe magnifying glass and this is how it will be graded. You want a gem mint 10 then find the perfect card under a magnifying glass first
Card is off center to begin with you can see the color loss with the naked eye even on the video. Thanks for the video it will help some to understand. Cool phone attachment I had not seen that before.
How much does the centering of the card come into play? Like from the white background to light blue on the Bo Jackson card here. If its way off "cut" does it bring the card grade way down or just a little? How does all that work into it? Can you do a video of it or do you already have a video about that?
@@NicoSportscards Yes, I suppose. I've NEVER sent a card in for grading. Most of my collection is from the 80's and it cuts off at 91. I have a few cards after that, but most of them were my old friend trading with me. So, really, just wanting to know what would be a waste of time sending in for grading. Assuming corners aren't chipped along with border and no creases.....I have no idea how much they grade down for the card being off-centered.
I found some amazing looking 1974 Topps baseball HOFers. Thought maybe they could be 9s. Under a microscope a little chipping on edges was very clear and I decided not to submit since they would probably be 7s. Still nice but probably get a better price ungraded.
Eye-opening video.., I have an autographed, 1964 Topps Mickey Mantle that I'm considering sending for grading and authentification.., looking at the corners under bright light with a magnifying glass, it looks really good.., but seeing this video, I'm a little worried now...
I would like to send some of my cards in to get graded I'm glad you made this video so now I need to get one of those magnifying glass like you got to check out my cards before I send them in Thanks for the info
Do card collectors really care about the grading system that much? I just started learning the terminology of baseball cards. Would I have to grade something like this
It’s really up to the collector. I only started grading about 2 years ago but I’ve collected for ages. I like the authentication that grading brings to the hobby. There are just too many fakes out there
I have an Enhanced Vision Merlin MRV19a that I got brand new in the box for $20 at an estate sale You can see everything and also screenshot w cable and use as eBay pics I was using it for coins but I have shit tons of vintage baseball cards in crispy mint I want to submit the ones that are definitely 10s
Magnified examining cards is fine but there should be a limit or an industry standard 5x-10x is all you really need if you start grading cards under 50x the truth of the matter is gem mint should be unattainable.
Glad you made this video. I’ve been telling this “pandemic era” of collectors that you absolutely cannot tell if a card is gradable by looking at a pic, that you truly need to put it under light and microscope. I get so much grief for it 🤷🏻♂️😂. Case and point shown very well in this video
Pea said then spend about 15 seconds on each card…. Thru don’t catch anything
@@SportscardLyle_onIG Exactly. Collectors making videos that examine cards using tech that can pick out obscure stars in faraway galaxies. Meanwhile, PSA doofus takes one glance, slaps a grade number on it, spends more time putting it in the holder, and charging the owner an insane amount of money. What a scam.
which microscope do you recommend / what is used in this video
@@Sigildollarsign Hubble
@@user-hm5zb1qn6g This was a microscope. You're thinking of a telescope.
I know one person that did work at PSA. They had to sign a NDA to never reveal what and how they grade cards. All of the training, and yes they do train, but it is all covered by a 6 page NDA. Some real serious penalties. Sent him this link and he said it was good to use this as a guideline for sending cards in.
Thank you, sir! (-;
NDA's don't mean anything just ask President Trump 😂
@@Worklikeyoushouldbe LOL....that was funny Worklikeyoushouldbe! 😀🖖
Great job with this video. This is part of the hardcore collector's journey. Once you start viewing your cards under a powerful loupe, you open up an entirely different world of "condition" range. Inspect some of your PSA 10s and you'll see that PSA can be a lot more forgiving than you thought previously.
Totally agree. I already loved collecting and now I have this new dimension to enjoy . It’s like unlimited entertainment
Hardcore??? lol that’s funny
This was interesting. Thinking about dusting off the old microscope the family bought at a yard sale to look over my cards. This could be fun or horrifying. Lol
Thanks for the helpful information. I am getting back into collecting cards. I’m compiling a some in my new collection that I want to have graded. So yes, this video helped!
Great! Welcome back to the hobby !
Thanks for this. Where did you get that magnifying attachment? I’d like to invest in one of those!
I use 16 times magnification and have luckily been on the mark or just slightly off when sending cards for grading. Eye-opening video for sure.
using what tool?
That's too much.... the over production of cards have caused this chaos..... If the card looks good by eye or a magnified glass, then you should be solid.
“eye-opening” he says
@@sw1217 You're the 7th person to ask this question on this thread... and all 7 times the question doesn't get answered. Annoying... maybe it's further down in the comments - I'll keep reading
That was really cool. Thank you for showing that cuz I never really do they did that. I sent some comic books in to be graded and I was shocked at how low they came back to me at. I never thought about the magnifying glass part. All the best.
You got it boss. I’ll make another one soon
Thank you for this. I am tired of people complaining on UA-cam complaining when they get their cards back. They all look at their cards with the naked eye and say some version "whats wrong with this card?" If they did what you do before sending cards they'd get better results. Having this and a centering tool makes a huge difference. My last order I got 27 cards back from psa and 22 were 10's. The magnifying glass has been a life saver.
What do you mean by "a centering tool"? A ruler or something specific to cards?
arts and crafts stores have quilting rulers. my submissions have improved dramatically by using them. @@ErikHaanVincent
@@ErikHaanVincent There are card-specific measuring tools
Wow! Thank you! That was amazing! I am going to check my cards differently now!
I was wondering what was the magnification you used? I think you said 50x but grading companies do not use more than 10x magnification. That makes a big difference.
PSA uses the magnification of some college-aged doofus with a -5.85 eyeglasses prescription.
@@user-hm5zb1qn6g geez sounds ageist. college aged folk can be genuine people as well
@@Sigildollarsign how precious
@@user-hm5zb1qn6g you sound like a grumpy bully
Yes, PSA supposedly uses 10x. If this video is using 50x then its a little off.He should have done te same thing with a PSA 10 so people could compare. The idea for the video was good but without the same magnification its not what PSA is really seeing.
I use a Jeweler's Loop but I love Raw Vintage Cards. Been collecting them for over 15 years so I'm pretty good with telling things apart and honestly if it has good eye appeal without it, it's a ✔️ in my book.
I also use a loop, but I'm always looking for something better.
Looks like a BCCG 10 to me 😁
Pristine
Cuz it is.... the card industry is getting WAY TOO anal with microscopes. If the card looks good under a magnified lense, ITS GOOD
I have a bccg card with a flaw visible to my bad eyes. Graded a ten. They are a joke
@@commiehunter733 lol no man. When you zoom in 100X you can actually see tiny living creatures on your card. That brings it down to at least a PSA 6 maybe even a 5
I ran to all my cards that I was going to get graded and double checked them over and over. this is a good video on why you can't call it by eyesight.
Great video. You got to the point quickly and showed us some great stuff. Thank you.
Great feedback thank you!!
Did you ever end up sending this card in for grading? Curious what you got if you did.
Naw never did. But check my other one with Ozzie smith. That one is sent in
That's amazing. To the naked eye they look great, but not when you zoom in. I have a few cards that came back with a 7 or 8 grading that I couldn't understand, but this answers that question. Thanks a lot my man.
Great video homeboy! Straight to the point and you essentially saved some people thousands of dollars on submitting cards.
Using that makes the vintage cards look so horrible haha thanks for the video Nico! Awesome content!
I’m submitting to PSA this week. This is a great video, great job!
Did you get them back yet?
Very informative and helpful there Nico! 😀🖖
Excellent!! Thank you!! Exactly why I sell raw cards only. Let someone else deal with the grading process. I’ve bought a few graded & sent in a few to get graded for my PC but never to sell. Costs too much & wait time is way too long. To me it’s not worth it
Yup that’s why I rather buy graded cards already, Whenever I pull an expensive card it goes straight to a binder right away. I don’t need no headache sending cards to psa.
Bro!! All you need is a magnify glass with led light. It’s like 15$ at Barnes and Noble.
Goooood video bro. Very informative and a good insight 🤙
Wow!!
Thanks for the vid
Eye opener
When you train yourself to see what they would see. You begin to realize that they are true, but very stingy. Which isn't that bad. If you train yourself to see what they see, than it all makes sense. I'm creating a startup company that basically teaches you to see what psa would see. In their eyes and in mine, no one would and or will pay top dollar for a janky card. Brilliant video my man. That's exactly how I examine my own cards.
What u should do is compare to a psa 10 w mag lense.... I'd bet most 9s look like that too as far as edges go. That's a 1988 Topps pretty old and cardboard from that Era was prone to chipping away. Still that type of wear is microscopic and typical so there's no way it should be graded like 6 or 7 I could see 8 honestly
PSA 7 by definition is any sign of surface wear, the card has significant surface wear
How much magnification does PSA actually use? If you magnify 50x, like you did in this video, you can see all kinds of "imperfections" in a card that is almost perfect to the naked eye. In the coin world, NGC (Numismatic Guarantee Company) graders only use 5x magnification.
That’s an excellent question. I believe they have a range of magnification options as well as lighting options to detect imperfections.
10x is what they use
Wow couldn't even see any of that damage! Great video!
I do this also before I send anything to grade except for 1950’s vintage HOFers
What you see is not always what you get. Good video Nico. I would keep that Bo Jackson card and take it out to look at it now and then and just be happy to have a great athlete on a card that has outstanding appeal to the naked eye. Enjoying cards is my attraction to the hobby and should a card also have market value, then that is simply a bonus! Cheers!
Amazing comment. Totally agree !
@@NicoSportscards Keep smiling and best wishes always!
Dope video. What is magnification of the lens you’re using? Thanks
That was a way cool
Video! My only thought is, I wish for the sake of a follow up video you sent it in to be graded with a request for detailed feedback. Then, an update video to show us the grade and feedback!
Great Video.... Just from my own experience.....my shop never submitted a card to PSA before and I wont forget what I learned. Bottom line it got a 8 and I resubmitt to bGS and it got a 9.5!
That's exactly what I needed the straight truth thanks chief
Good insight. Very helpful. Thank you!
Crazy not shocked though! Thanks for sharing Nicoooo!!
Interested to see what that card would get graded at. Would be willing to help pay to send it in!
That Bo is off center left to right pretty good
There's cards with no boarders what then?
Nice video. I'm wondering now how genuine any of those old 50's Mickey Mantles are? 70+ years should yield at least the minor wear we see on this card. People just didn't store and save cards like they do today back then. Knowing that there is a fraud market out there i would never trust a vintage card being a perfect 10.
Yeah the idea that there are only a few 10’s but there are hundreds or thousands of 9’s is definitely by design. It’s so subjective but it’s part of the hobby . Thanks for watching !
Thank the Ceo of PSA Inc. Great Video Sir. I ordered a car a while back that kind of pause to me left me speechless. I believe it was a 9 or 9.5 missing the corner! Like literally it was cut off besides that to the eye looks great besides the corner but even though there is no way they should give that card at 9 or 9:5 and what kind of lens did you say you had again for your iPhone?
Thanks . I got the lens off Amazon . 200X Phone Mini Pocket Microscope
@@NicoSportscards There it is. The answer. Thanks!!!
What type of magnifying glass are you using? Good vid
Laughed hard. Thank you. Really wish you looked at one of your 10's under the Magnifier.
Wow this is very interesting, amazing this is a great video it looks like 9 from far but a 6 from up close.
Crazy right
@@NicoSportscards yup it gives you a better understanding viewpoint on how to buy cards for sure. 👍🏽
Very informative video, thank you very much for this.
You got it !
Cool video. I’m going to buy a magnifier!
This is a really great short video to educate some collectors why their cards sometimes get the grades they do when they look great to the naked eye. This is not a knock on you in anyway but I think the video would be even better if you had a pack fresh 88 Topps football card or even a graded 88 Topps football card to use as a visual comparison. Great video though. I need to get myself one of those IPhone magnifying lenses and ditch my crusty jewelers loop.
Thanks I really appreciate that
What power are you using. Any idea what they use?
This is a very informative video, thank you for making it. What was the tool that you were using? Can you post a link to it possibly?
The Bo Topps Super Rookie looks like it has one soft corner (upper right), it’s off center left to right, and top to bottom, so why would you expect a top grade on that card?
Doesn't matter what your grading this is what they do. From sports cards to action figures to comics put it under a jewelers loupe magnifying glass and this is how it will be graded. You want a gem mint 10 then find the perfect card under a magnifying glass first
Card is off center to begin with you can see the color loss with the naked eye even on the video. Thanks for the video it will help some to understand. Cool phone attachment I had not seen that before.
What is that iphone attachment you have there called? can i get that on amazon?
He got the lens off Amazon . 200X Phone Mini Pocket Microscope
Can I get more information on your magnifying attachment, please?
He got the lens off Amazon . 200X Phone Mini Pocket Microscope
Fantastic video. I could not understand certain grades I received.
Thanks man!
Thank you for sharing this!
You got it
How much does the centering of the card come into play? Like from the white background to light blue on the Bo Jackson card here. If its way off "cut" does it bring the card grade way down or just a little? How does all that work into it? Can you do a video of it or do you already have a video about that?
Like describing their grading scale? That’s actually a very good idea
@@NicoSportscards
Yes, I suppose. I've NEVER sent a card in for grading. Most of my collection is from the 80's and it cuts off at 91. I have a few cards after that, but most of them were my old friend trading with me. So, really, just wanting to know what would be a waste of time sending in for grading. Assuming corners aren't chipped along with border and no creases.....I have no idea how much they grade down for the card being off-centered.
@@rytoniowendolini2793 A lot - see PSA website - they describe their centering criteria on there grade-by-grade
Depending on how much you pay them to grade it, that could be anywhere from a psa 6 to a psa 9
This guy gets it.
I don't understand?
@@PokemonRocketPulls He's suggesting that you'll get a higher grade if you purchase premium service.
Where can we buy that magnifying attachment?
He got the lens off Amazon . 200X Phone Mini Pocket Microscope
What would you personally give that bo jackson card?
Time to do some trimmin’ and make those squirly edges look nice and fresh again!!
Gives me more appreciation to an authentic 10. I have 10's that must have slipped through a new grader, off centered and bad corners.
I found some amazing looking 1974 Topps baseball HOFers. Thought maybe they could be 9s. Under a microscope a little chipping on edges was very clear and I decided not to submit since they would probably be 7s. Still nice but probably get a better price ungraded.
Pretty sure that PSA's magnification standard is only 10x... anything beyond that would look rougher than what psa sees
You can definitely see those corners with a 10x. You can see all of the damage with a 10x. Not necessary to go deeper than that.
Thanks, great insight 👍
I’d like to see a side by side comparison with a PSA 10 and a PSA 9 to see how much of a difference it really is using this same method
So handy to have those 10 graded cards for when people come over to look at the collection with their microscopes.
You’d be surprised 🤓🧐
Do a video on re-submissions to another company like BGS! I have great experience with this process and it ll started by watching this vieo Thank You!
Eye-opening video.., I have an autographed, 1964 Topps Mickey Mantle that I'm considering sending for grading and authentification.., looking at the corners under bright light with a magnifying glass, it looks really good.., but seeing this video, I'm a little worried now...
Just go into it with low expectations. 6-7’s are the new 8-9
Underrated video thanks !
watching this video makes me want to buy that gadget just to look at the cards I plan sending them
Do it ! I put the product I used in the description
@@NicoSportscards I actually have a 2x macro lens I use. Very neat to see the designs in cards.
Wow crazy. Great video
It's OC quite hard on the back.
What's the link for the Magnifying glass?
Dude could be making referral money here but continues to leave this question unanswered
He got the lens off Amazon . 200X Phone Mini Pocket Microscope
@@jperryniagara Thanks man, you're a legend!
Thank you for convincing me not to send this 02 Brady card in
Thanks for sharing I still give it a 8.5 to a 8
It's an 8
I would like to send some of my cards in to get graded I'm glad you made this video so now I need to get one of those magnifying glass like you got to check out my cards before I send them in
Thanks for the info
Noticed that you seemed fine with the off-center BACK of the Bo Jackson card. Does centering on the back not matter in grading?
Matters but much less. If the rule is 60/40 ratio in the front for a 10, you can get away with 70/30 on the back
for vintage a 6 can have basically 95/05 reverse centering and still grade. Or at least it used to be the case
That’s a real eye opener, thanks. Looking forward for more videos like this.
The Bo is Off Center on the Front and the Back so its Automatically an 8... so keep subtracting from there if there are anymore Descrpincies
Ha! So entertaining!! 😂
Look at a PSA 10 through the case with that magnifying glass
That’s a good idea actually
Wow just wow
PSA ruined card collection, truly ruined it.
Yes agreed
Where should we go to get cards graded?
Nah made it better
Do card collectors really care about the grading system that much? I just started learning the terminology of baseball cards. Would I have to grade something like this
It’s really up to the collector. I only started grading about 2 years ago but I’ve collected for ages. I like the authentication that grading brings to the hobby. There are just too many fakes out there
Yes, a 10 grade can provide a 3-4x price increase over a 9 of the exact same card.
What kind of magnifying glass?
Check the description of the video. I list it there. Can get it from Amazon
Great vid mate
When I see "PSA 10?" on a raw card ebay listing I roast the seller. If it's PSA 10 why isn't the card graded?
There should only be 1 grading company !
That’s exactly why you send a card a least 10 times, eventually you’ll get your 10.
I have the same card ungraded. At this time a 10 grade sells for $1500
I have an Enhanced Vision Merlin MRV19a that I got brand new in the box for $20 at an estate sale
You can see everything and also screenshot w cable and use as eBay pics
I was using it for coins but I have shit tons of vintage baseball cards in crispy mint I want to submit the ones that are definitely 10s
For sure give it a shot. If you can get 10’s you’re golden
From the get go you tell isn’t a 10 from the off centering. Centering is a major player in the grade because it’s the first thing you notice.
Can you do a close up of psa 10 vintage cards vs psa 9 cards?
drop link to microscope?
That bottom damage can be caused when inserting the card into the sleeve... Ive ruined cards myself this way
I do it all the time. I heard there is a sleeve brand that solves for that somehow? Idk the name of it but I’d buy them
Magnified examining cards is fine but there should be a limit or an industry standard 5x-10x is all you really need if you start grading cards under 50x the truth of the matter is gem mint should be unattainable.
Awesome video!
If you put a card under a microscope your going to find flaws, I wouldn't waste the time or money to get a card graded.
I mean that's how you make money. 😂😂😂 Others have....
Sending my micro mosaic cj stroud along with other cjs and Anthony Richardsons praying for the best
Good luck bud !
@@NicoSportscards got a 9! Can’t complain !