23 Card PSA Sub Order Reveal! 👎 Got tight New Jersey grader. Awful turnaround time. Grading return

I'll be back with a 23 card PSA suborder reveal for you today. Overall, I'm not very happy with this order. So, you will hear me complain a bit, but just know I'm not looking for any sympathy or anything. I know the risks grading with PSA. It's just nice sometimes to let those feelings out. Vent a little bit. So, I didn't accept any PSA offers on this order because the grades were tight and quite frankly, I was angry. Plus, the order took excessively long to complete. It arrived October 24th and completed March 2nd. Yes, March. Well past the estimated completion date, which I believe was February 13th. So, it took long enough for me to even call customer support to make sure the order was okay. I thought maybe it was a good sign that maybe I was going to get that consolation upcharge email with some awesome gem grades, but that didn't happen. grades finally popped and I knew from that that they weren't going to be good. And it's never a good sign when your order is coming from New Jersey or Florida. You want your order to come from California. Trust me on that. This order was New Jersey. Most of my bad orders are from New Jersey and Florida. Let me know if you guys experienced that same thing. So, with that said, I'm not going to lie to you guys, but lately I've been just feeling pretty down about the whole grading scene, and this order just kind of really pushed me to that edge, but not over that edge yet. So, maybe I'll just wait till the end of the reveal to vent a little bit. So, let's just dive into the cards and grades right now. First up, we got a Michael Jordan fanation. I always love this card growing up. It's 1992 upper deck. So junkwax era, but it's hard to find this card in even a mint nine form. There's a lot of chipping on the corners and edges with the dark. Uh I thought this was in between a nine and a 10. It could have swung a 10. It was really clean, really sharp. But you know, they grade the goats tough, so I'm okay with a nine. I'm going to go and stack these up in whether I think they're accurate grades or undergrades or overgrades. We have a really cool looking Ray Allen 1996 rookie finest. It is the uncommon refractor version and uh it had the coating on originally. I peeled it so I can get that gem 10 cuz the centering was just near perfect. And I've gemmed this card up before and it may look like there's some greening or hulking to it, but that's actually how the the card the image looks. So, I'm actually disappointed to get an I. I thought this was a really good shot at a 10, but h [sighs] my PSA is just grading tough. Mint nines are the new tens, right? So, it's a struggle. Mint nine there. I'm going to actually put that one in the undergrade pile. I really think it should have been a 10. Next up, we have some baseball. Good time to get this back. Kyle Schwarber. Having incredible years with the Phillies right now. Uh, so this is his first Bowman Chrome autograph. Bold, beautiful signature. Uh, this one I was just shooting for a nine. It had a chance other than one printing defect. You can see it right here. You don't see a lot of uh fish eyes on chrome products, but especially nowadays. So, uh, yeah, I think this is accurate grade. It's number 99, green refrator. Still a really nice card, and I'm glad I got it slabbed up. So, accurate grade there. Next, we have a Pasia Stoyakovich. Uh, you know, this one, I believe, was an SGC 10 that I cracked out. I thought it looked great. And these 1998 SP authentics are really easy to grade. They have high gem rates. Um, I didn't see much wrong with this card to be honest. Like I said, it's easy to gem. This one should have been a clearcut 10. It's sharp. It's really sharp, but I got nine. So, I'm going to put this in the undergrade as well. Uh, next we have a Chanty Billups. Did I submit this before or after the news? Because it's been so long, right? Who knows? Uh, I thought it was pretty clean. This is a card nowadays you with a $25 grading fee. You don't submit unless you're pretty sure it had a coating. I peeled it. And uh I don't know. I thought it looked pretty good. There's no refractor line. I I I think I think this is a potential underrated too. But as you can see, it's just nowadays the cards that are in between a nine and 10 just swing to a nine, especially if it's an older card, you know. All right, the next is probably what I thought to be the most important card in the order. The card that was going to make or break the order. Uh, so here it is. It's It's gorgeous. So, it is the FF Air on the Bat Knob Billy Ripken 1989 Fleer. Uh, I thought this was a clearcut 10. Uh, I actually have never seen a nicer copy. maybe slightly thinner on the left than the right, but uh if anyone knows these 89 fleers, you get a lot of chipping and white showing on the edges. But look at this card. It is just gorgeous. And it it's really frustrating that the graater didn't have the balls to go and give this a 10, which it deserved. So, there's no way in hell that I was going to accept their PSA 9 offer on this card. I will snap this out eventually. Um, and I there's no way I'm selling it as is as a nine cuz it's just beautiful, beautiful copy. So, undergrade here. I think that's what most frustrates me about this order. I think there's one more card that really frustrates me, too. Uh, next up is a 1984 Don Mattingley. Uh, off top to bottom and and left to right, but other than that was just flawless. A lot of times you get little fish eyes on these 1984 fleers, especially on the back, so look for that. Um, but this card was really clean and sharp other than the centering. So I I I was hoping maybe it could swing a nine, but nowadays that's a joke. I I shouldn't have thought that, but still a nice copy in an eight. It was worth a shot. So I I think that's an accurate grade. All right, next up is the other card I was extremely frustrated in. So, when I bought this and it it came to me in the mail, I was like, "Wow, this is a pristine copy, I couldn't believe it. 2006 tops finest LeBron refrator." Uh, I don't know. And no white showing. There's nothing. I don't know. I I don't know what they saw. Uh, at the end of the video, I'm going to go ahead and crack this open for you guys, and we'll do a uh Did they do me dirty or not? because I'm I'm almost positive they did unless hopefully they didn't damage it somehow uh before grading or during grading. Um but we will find out. Should be a 10. So, as you can see, there's there's no gems so far. Um next up, we have a Draymond Green. I thought this was a great 10 shot. Um, I love the autographs bold and a lot of times his his signature goes off of the sticker and uh this one's nice and full. It's just beautiful. Um, I'm not I mean maybe a touch here and there, but look, this one easily could have swung to a 10 and quite possibly should have been. So, Draymond rookie 2012. I'm going to go undergrad on that one, too. Next up, we got a 10. These cards are actually pretty easy to gem up these prisms. This is Ice, but they sell pretty well. You know, they sell for around 90 bucks. 90 to 100 bucks. So, easy grade. Uh, Gem 10. Yeah, it's graded accurately. We have another one. This is the factory set and it got gem 10 as well. So, like I said, pretty easy grade on those ones. And then we have a card for my PC that I was just hoping for a five, but I could see a four. I don't think they did me dirty on this. You can see, look at the bend. Look at the bends. I just want to get it slabed up kind of as authentic. Artist proof. This is such a rare card. 2012 Panini Brilliance. Four out of 10. So, it'll just go straight to my PC. I mean, it it hurts my heart a little bit that someone over time would have damaged this card so much, but who knows? Maybe a kid had it. I just don't know. But it's no biggie. It's rare enough where I still want to own it, you know? Artist Proof LeBron. Uh I wouldn't say they did me dirty there. Um the WBY just his uh prison based rookie. Look at it. Corner sharp, centered up 50/50. Not one surface scratch. Back good. Nice. Nothing wrong. This is a clearcut 10. Undergrade there. Uh, next up we got a LeBron James. Kind of a chalk toss. I don't like this card cuz [laughter] I can feel his pain. If I were him, I wouldn't like this image because he's got that big old bald spot and uh I have, you know, a bald spot growing and I hate when someone would take a picture from the backside and show the bald spot. So, I feel bad for him on this card. Um, so it's not my favorite image, actually. But red ice, LeBron. I I thought this one was a 10, two. You hear me say it a lot in this order, right? I mean, look, not a lot. That's just excess. That's not even white showing on the corner. It's just a little extra. Uh yeah, I don't know. I think that one could have been 10 easy. Uh next up, we got a Terrell Davis. This is had the coating. I peeled it and uh I didn't see a flaw. What the heck am I missing? Did they not know these were part of the design? The dimples. Uh, there's nothing. There's nothing. Maybe I'll crack this one out just for fun so we can do a Did they do me dirty, too? Uh, okay. So, next we have a Dak Prescott. Uh, this one is thinner on the right than the left, but unbelievable card. It was just the shine and not one surface scratch and the corners were amazing. I I think you let that slide. That centering I that centering is close to 55 45. Um and look, no touches. The back's just amazing. I I think this is a 10. It's not that far off if you look. I Yeah, I don't know. We'll be generous and put it in the maybe they got it right pile because that centering. But next we got we got 10. Saquon Barkley. I love these color burst. They're not really short print, but uh they pop, they shine. I really like the design, everything. So, it's out of 2018 Phoenix football one. I bet this is a 100 buck card gem 10. And next up, we got these 2024 prisms are so tough. Uh this is an accurate grade though because it had a few little light dimples. Um, if you're looking to grade your Drake Maze and your Caleb Williams, your bow nicks, uh, prisms, these little dimples are going to knock you to a nine quickly. So, uh, just be on the lookout for that. And the other issue is always you get little chipping on this bottom edge or top right edge. But this card looked good. Other than that, it was just the dimples. So, I'm okay with a nine grade. I think that's accurate. Uh, next, this is a good one. This is the best one in the order. We have an Aaron Judge, kind of a secondyear rookie, 2014 Bowman Chrome. And uh it it was so flawless that even this grader couldn't deny me a 10. [gasps] I tell you, PSA gives you just enough to keep you keep you going to him, keep you returning. Uh beautiful card. I think they offered around 350. I didn't take it. Uh I think they sell for around 450. jump in. Next up, we got a Oh, if you guys if you watch my videos, you remember this card. I really wish this card wasn't in this order with the tight grader because it was just amazing. It was so sharp and clean for the 82 tops. Look, there's no like surface dimples or ripples or anything. And the corners are so nice. This is a nine. This is a nine copy. I'm not looking for a 10, but this is a nine. I've seen this card a lot over the years. Um, the back has some touches, but it's not that bad. Touches on the back corners. This is an underra. This is a nine. I'll be keeping this in my collection or cracking out. Uh, next we have a Daryl Strawberry. There's an 84 fleer. Uh, this one, this one had a 10 shot. I usually like the Mattingly, you get fish eyes on the back, but or you get a little smoky hue on the edge, but looks pretty good. And top to bottom centering is there, too. A little thinner on the right, but this one could have been a 10. We'll be generous again and say they got it right. But um they got a Rome. This one was just I remember I pulled it and it was pristine. Not one dimple thankfully. And the edges. Look at the back. Perfect. So this was easy grade, easy 10. And we're going to end on a Verlander rookie. Uh this was I thought flawless. Um, so yeah, I mean the the tends to just bump into a nine on a little bit older cards from, you know, 1980 to 2012. It's it's frustrating, but look at it. It's beauty. Verlander. I think that one should have been a 10. Uh, so about 50/50 that they got it right and they got it wrong. Um, it's just annoying because it's a big swing of uh of money, you know. Um, instead of making 3,000 on this order, you're probably making 500. So, it hurts. Let's go ahead and crack out those two cars, the LeBron and the Trail Davis, and just see what we can we can find out. All right, I'll do that right now. Okay, cracked out successfully. And it was the newer slab. And I've mentioned this before, but you guys need to flip it over if you're going to crack it out and start from the actually start from the bottom and just go slowly all the way through and around. And then it pops like that. Um, okay. Do you want to see what a LeBron 8 nowadays looks like? [sighs] [clears throat] It's just a beauty. It's a thing of beauty. Look at that. Look at that shine. No surface scratches, no refrator lines. It's just beautiful. And uh the back. Boom. Absolutely nothing. No touches, no white showing, no indents, nothing. Absolutely nothing. Edges look clean. [snorts] This is a a pristine copy. It's beautiful. for them to give this an eight is just a disgrace. And I've been seeing that on almost all of my rare LeBron cards lately. And it's obvious. I'm I'm cracking them and I'm grading them with CGC or whatever SGC and and they're getting one to two grades higher every time. So, this is a 10. You're going to see it in a CGC 10. So, it's just it's just frustrating for sure. As for the Terrell Davis, uh I didn't even crack it because um I did a quick pass through look at and uh the front looks flawless, but I don't know if I missed it or uh they caused it, but there's some little dimples and little indents right here. And and that is enough for an eight. So, I get it. I don't think they did me dirty. Um if I missed that, then yeah, they didn't do me dirty. But if they caused it, then yeah, it's annoying. But uh at least it wasn't a big card. But I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt that I missed that one. Other than that, the card looked good. So, just going to keep this and sell it as an eight. All right. Now, let me vent just a little bit more and then you guys can be on your way. All right. So, you guys know I've been doing this a long time, right? Making a living, buying raw, grading with PSA, then selling. But it's always pretty much been a battle. It's never been this bad. But I'm just starting to feel the exhaustion. I mean, I do okay, but I never seem to get over that that hump, you know, find that land where I can financially feel stress free. Uh, yes, I get some good orders, but I get just as many bad orders. There's just no consistency for me to get that steady flow. And I know it's not me being inconsistent. I feel like my knowledge of cards only continues to grow over the years. It's just sometimes it feels like PSA just doesn't let you break through that wall. And do they even want us to break through that wall? Um they are good at giving you just enough to keep you coming back, but lately for me that's just that's just not enough. Uh, I'm becoming exhausted and I'm starting to feel myself questioning, is it all rigged or is it just pure human consistency? All the new hires, incompetent graders, and I'm sure it's the latter, but I just don't know anymore. Uh, and it has me for the first time feeling uneasy, unsettled submitting to PSA, and I hate that feeling. Um, I am in the process of grading more with CGC, but it seems like all the grading companies end up letting me down. They end up selling out or whatever and I'm just apprehensive and scared. But I did send them a big 44 card order and I didn't hold back, meaning I sent them my nice gem 10 copies that I was saving for PSA. So, I'm very intrigued with the results, what they will be, and the turnaround time on that larger order. So, expect that CGC reveal soon, hopefully within a couple weeks. Okay, everyone. I appreciate you letting me vent to you guys and uh hope you still had some fun looking at some cool cards. And I'll be back with another video soon. And everyone have a great day.