My PSA Experiment Did NOT Go as Planned
An autograph collector documents an experiment sending 50 graded PSA 9 cards to players for autographs, only to have most cards downgraded upon re-submission. He discovers that PSA's grading standards appear to have become stricter, with cards previously rated 9 now receiving 7s and 8s, resulting in significant value loss.
Summary
The speaker, an autograph collector, conducted a two-part experiment with promotional advertising cards from a 1986 Fleer set. He collected approximately 50 promotional cards graded as PSA 9s, had them signed by various NBA players, and submitted them back for re-grading to determine how many would maintain their 9 rating. The experiment was designed as a community journey to document the results.
Throughout the video, he reveals the re-grading results from the first batch of approximately 20 cards. The outcomes were largely disappointing. Only 2 cards returned as PSA 9s (Steve Stepanovich and a Chunk Goonies card), while numerous previously 9-rated cards came back as 8s and 7s. Notable downgrades included: Kelly Tripuka (9 to 8), Xavier McDaniel (9 to 7), Terrl Bailey (9 to 8), Mark Aguirre (9 to 8), Roy Hinson (9 to 8), and Derek Harper (which dropped dramatically from 9 to 4—a five-grade downgrade).
The speaker attributes these downgrades to stricter PSA grading standards, particularly regarding centering and signature quality. He observes that signatures coming off cards or cards with centering issues are now being penalized more severely. He shares several side tangents about other autograph collections he's building, including Goonies autographs and Seinfeld memorabilia, and provides tips for getting items autographed (such as mailing to comedians at comedy club venues).
The speaker expresses frustration with the grading inconsistencies and advises other autograph collectors not to waste time sending signed promotional cards for grading, suggesting they keep lower grades like 7s or 8s instead. He mentions having 25 more PSA 9s to submit in part two and predicts only 5 will return as 9s.
Key Insights
- The speaker discovered that PSA's grading standards have become stricter than when he originally submitted his cards, with previously-graded 9s now receiving 7s and 8s upon re-submission.
- Derek Harper's card experienced an extreme five-grade downgrade from 9 to 4, which the speaker questions as unjustified and encourages viewers to review the PSA certificate to judge the grading themselves.
- The speaker advises autograph collectors not to waste time submitting signed promotional cards for grading because the investment in grading fees won't be recovered, and recommends keeping cards at lower grades like 7s or 8s instead.
- Out of approximately 20 cards submitted from the first batch, only 2 returned with their original PSA 9 rating, with the majority being downgraded to 8s and 7s.
- The speaker shares a life hack for getting autographs from comedians on the road: mail items to the comedy club venue two days before their performance, addressed to the comedian by name, and they often sign and return items.
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] This is the first part of an experiment I conducted with promotional advertising . Two parts to this. I must have collected 50 nines from promotional ads. I am an autograph collector. It's just what I do. I have an autographed '86 Flirt set , and I thought, "Hey, you know what I'll do? I'll reveal a pile of nines , send them out to the players, get the cards back and see how many of them come back as nines, and you guys can join in [0:31] on the journey. I have a few more interesting things here. Okay, so I don't know. Oh my god, this was submitted, I think, in January or thereabouts . It is…
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