Do YOU Pay “The PSA 10 Tax”?? 🧐🧐🧐

[@CollectingMaddux1987]

I am the proud owner of zero 10s in my collection 😂. 8s are my go to, no one wants them but me

[@HighPopProfessor]

Hey, 8 is great! I have a bunch in my collection too! Thanks for watching, Allen!

[@bradyelston1813]

I have a psa 5 that is for sale on ebay for 50. It is a 5th anniversary of Ken griffey jr upper deck rookie

[@Godlikecollectibles]

It really is wild the price difference from a graded card to a raw card. Great video!

[@HighPopProfessor]

Yes! That’s really the point of my video, I guess. It doesn’t make a ton of sense to me for the same card to have such a wild difference in price based on condition. I kind of understand high grade vintage being pricey, as that kind of condition scarcity for cards THAT old is significant. But even still, when you have a Rickey Henderson rookie that costs $300 for a PSA 8, $2000 for a PSA 9, and $50000+ for a PSA 10… why would one buy anything higher than the 8?? There is such a gigantic difference in price between 2 grades, where it makes no financial sense to go for anything higher than the 8. The opportunity cost of that $1700 difference between the 8 and 9 could be used for so many more AMAZING cards instead of buying an almost identical card that has a “9” in the upper right corner instead of an “8”. Same thing with a card like the ‘93 SP Jeter rookie. The fact that there IS a market for these top end grades at such an absurd price point is actually one of the biggest motivators for me to even submit orders to PSA in the first place. I know that if and when some of my cards get that mythical “10” grade, there will be some registry guy who will want to buy that card and pay up for the “10 Tax”. Thanks for watching!

[@Godlikecollectibles]

@@HighPopProfessor I agree with you, I would take an 8 or 9 over a 10 if the price difference was so drastic. I want the card not the grade.

[@HighPopProfessor]

@@Godlikecollectiblesspot on!

[@richardprice8951]

Most Hobby undervalued pitcher of all time

[@HighPopProfessor]

Hey, I’m not complaining! I agree with you - heck, I think he’s the best post-war pitcher, period. That may be a controversial statement, and I will concede that Seaver, Randy Johnson, and Pedro all have their merits, not to mention Clemens. But Maddux’s trump card is his record setting 18 gold gloves - the most by any player at any position, ever. Plus the fact that he was a 300 game winner, World Series winner, and the only 3000 K club member with fewer than 1000 walks, puts him at the top for me. And he did it all without throwing harder than 92 MPH. “Underrated” in the hobby just means it’s easier for me to pick up his cards for less money, so I’m happy he’s at a more competitive price point than Griffey, Jeter, or Bonds. Thanks for watching, Richard!

[@richardprice8951]

@@HighPopProfessor Excellent points Professor! As far as post-war pitchers are concerned, Sandy Koufax had a pretty good six year span where he was virtually unhittable.

[@HighPopProfessor]

@@richardprice8951Oh, absolutely! The hobby seems to value Koufax appropriately in my estimation. Koufax was the definition of a “peak” guy.

[@vintagesanctuary]

Brian, don't tell anyone there are PSA 8's that look as good or in some cases better than PSA10's ... at a fraction of the price! 😂👍 I share in your joy of getting a 10, selling it for $150, and replacing it with a $10 copy that looks just as great to the naked eye ... and may very well be! 🤯🤯🤯 Stunning beauties, all of them!

[@HighPopProfessor]

Uh oh! Maybe the secret will get out!! But, but, the Emperor couldn’t possibly be naked! Right…??? 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks, Adam!

[@old-schoolrookiecollector1667]

I only own 2 PSA 10s in my collection and I will say it is kinda nice knowing I have a POPULATION 27 “gem 10” but I submitted both cards myself and didn’t pay for the 10 prices.

[@HighPopProfessor]

That’s the way to do it! Get into the 10s without paying that 10 Tax!

[@Dufex_of_Life]

Unless it’s condition sensitive card difference btwn 9 and 10 is usually i distiguishable

[@HighPopProfessor]

Hard agree! This is why I love getting 9s - they’re effectively defect-free cards but without the 10 tax. Many newer 8s are getting to be like this too!

[@Dufex_of_Life]

@@HighPopProfessor People focus on the number and not the descriptive grade enought, 9s are still MINT CONDITION

[@HighPopProfessor]

@@Dufex_of_Life An excellent point! It has never sat well with me that companies like BGS and SGC have 3 grades ABOVE “mint 9”. Honestly, even “gem mint” is kind of stretching it a bit. At least PSA only has 1 grade above a 9.

[@Matt3ttu]

Great video, I could watch those all day. Never buy 10s or 9s of modern. I collect low grade and I crack them out.

[@HighPopProfessor]

Nice! I like having 8s and 9s for 90s inserts, but 10s seem like overkill. I mostly just sell 10s when I get them, so I tend to use the ten tax as a way to help fund my hobby. Thanks for watching!

[@Matt3ttu]

@@HighPopProfessor that is a great idea. Thanks for replying.

[@HighPopProfessor]

@@Matt3ttu Haha, yeah some say that grading is a “scam”, but nobody is forcing anyone to use their services, buy their slabs, or pay the ludicrous 10 Tax prices. I’m with my brother Iconic Al on this one - I recommend using grading as a tool - add value to your cards where you can. Not every card needs to be slabbed. I love my Frankenstein collection and I love my MagPro holdered cards. It makes no difference to me. Some collect cards, others collect slabs. Both are fine, but it’s good to clarify the distinction.

[@Nimbatik]

I have a few 10's that I have received back from sending in raw cards to get graded, but for the most part if I am buying slabs for myself I look at 9's. If someone has a 9 and a 10 in a sales case side by side and the difference is more than about $20 I'm buying the 9 all day long.

[@HighPopProfessor]

This sounds like the way I tend to approach the value difference gap between 9s and 10s! I approve! 😂😂😂 Thanks for watching!

[@4softcorners728]

I don’t grade or buy graded often but when I do I’d say collect the 8s or 9s and sell the 10s because I’m most interested in owning the cards. Although if it’s a Pop 1 it may be hard to let go of. Haha

[@HighPopProfessor]

I know that feeling!! You sound like me! 😂😂😂 Thanks for watching, Joe!

[@Dufex_of_Life]

Populations, condition sensitivity, and nominal $ difference in price dictate if paying the multiple is worth it

[@HighPopProfessor]

Right! Good luck to those registry guys out there going for the Rickey Henderson or Jeter SP rookies in a 10!

[@billthehofcollector4525]

You should come over one day and look over my Maddux pc and let me know which ones I should grade lol.

[@HighPopProfessor]

Whether you’re kidding or not, that sounds like a blast to me! I’m in Philly - just let me know! 😂 Thanks for watching, Bill!

[@billthehofcollector4525]

@@HighPopProfessor haha nah I wasn’t joking. I close on a home in mount olive next week. As soon as I saw a vid where you mentioned Philly I was like oh he’s close. Let me get settled into the home these next few months and maybe one day we can meet and talk 90’s

[@HighPopProfessor]

@@billthehofcollector4525sounds awesome! We can go bowling 😂😂😂

[@jamiepike6909]

I don’t own a single PSA card and have no intention of owning any. I just collect to collect and happy not to pay x 15 on the exact same card bar one minor thing you can’t even see. Crazy.

[@HighPopProfessor]

More power to you! I respect that position. I don’t pay the “10 Tax” either! I mostly grade to add value to my collection and make 10s to sell to those who will pay a hefty premium for them. My question to you is this: Have you ever, or would you ever consider buying a slabbed card in order to crack it out? In this way, your collection maintains its consistency and the condition and authenticity of a card obtained online has been evaluated by an impartial third party.

[@jamiepike6909]

@@HighPopProfessor it’s never been an issue before, but I guess I would buy to crack open if the graded value is within a close % of the raw value. I’m not buying a 10 at a premium to crack it open.

[@HighPopProfessor]

@@jamiepike6909 Haha, well said! Thanks for the reply!

[@Kevin_40]

I have a theory that for decades theres a group of rich PSA guys pumping PSA 10s only and over spending on them and even selling them to each other and then returning the card and money to each other...

[@HighPopProfessor]

Same thing happened with the graded sealed video game market with WATA and Heritage auctions! It’s not all that crazy of a conspiracy theory!

[@joshualowery9699]

Capitalism and consumerism goes BRRRRR

[@HighPopProfessor]

Money talks! 😂😂😂

[@lovetruth1776]

Not usually, i don't collect psa slabs. I like sgc. Sometimes i pay the 10 tax. I did one time for a 2016 Trump psa 10. Paid $45 and sold it for $1500 during the boom

[@HighPopProfessor]

I only paid the 10 tax once, and it was also a flipping opportunity. The auction ended WAY too low, so I ended up winning and later resold it at a higher price. Thanks for watching!

[@UrsusObesus]

Grading in my opinion is a scam. I used to collect both Baseball Cards and Comic books and I never bought graded of either.

[@HighPopProfessor]

I’ve always been curious about this position. Is it a scam because the people doing the grading are unqualified? Is it a scam because the graders are inconsistent with their assigned grades? Is it a scam because their grading standards have risen drastically in the past couple years? If those are the arguments, I agree with those observations. I like both graded and ungraded cards. The fact is, having a card in a high grade slab makes it much easier to sell online and fetch a higher price. Period. That increased value and liquidity is reason enough for anyone to go “10 hunting” in submitting a grading order. I happen to think that paying exorbitant amounts (15x multiplier) for a “gem mint 10” copy of a card is silly. Apparently plenty of buyers disagree with me though - look at the market and recent sales! So, is it a scam to sell a $10 card for $150? If someone is willing to pay it… I’m 100% willing to create it (through my PSA order submission) and sell it for that price. In fact, that’s my incentive for placing grading orders in the first place. If they didn’t sell for absurdly high amounts, I wouldn’t be incentivized to abuse those who happily pay the “10 Tax”. Thanks for watching, Big Bear!

[@joshualowery9699]

I send all my cards in at the lowest grade price, if it grades up I’ll pay the premium “tax” then.

[@HighPopProfessor]

Ahh, you’re referring to the “up charge” tax! That’s an entirely different animal! I like your take here, as a “10” grade can never be assumed (like a double play). IF it gems AND is now valued over the arbitrary threshold, THEN pay the up charge. That’s a way better method than paying for a higher service level and then getting disappointed by a 7 or 8 that would have yielded no up charge.

[@MrJmangini]

That’s easy. Hell no!

[@HighPopProfessor]

😂😂😂 I already knew how you would answer this one! Thanks for watching and sharing, John!

[@MrJmangini]

😂