I’ve got a quick question. I don’t see these cards come on the market very often and i’m not sure if PSA even still grade in .5’s anymore. My friend has owned a PSA 8.5 1st edition base set Charizard for 3 years and is giving me first pickings to buy it before he lists. I was wondering what sort of price point is a fair deal currently for this card, as the website only records PSA 8’s and PSA 9’s in the pokemon price portion and I can’t see any previous sold listings on EBAY. Looking at the card it looks very strong for a 8.5, i can only see 2 very tiny specs of whitening on the top border but the centering isn’t perfect. If regraded i wouldn’t be surprised if it made a 9, although i’m obviously not a professional.
Do you guys think that it would be logical to just meet in the middle of PSA 8 & 9, even though it’s potentially pushing a 9 grade? I’ve been looking to add a high grade Charizard to my collection for awhile and this could be a good opportunity!
Would love to hear some feedback on potential price points for a card like this from some knowledgeable people.
I’m going to spare you the generic “pay for it how much it’s worth to you” response.
A PSA 8.5 would obviously warrant *something* between a PSA 8 and a PSA 9.
But I personally think the value should be priced closer to an 8.
Why? Because a “Mint 9” is a grade a lot of people want to achieve. I don’t think most people would get the same satisfaction upgrading from an 8 to an 8.5 that they would upgrading from an 8.5 to a 9.
Even if you think it might re-grade as a 9, you don’t know that. There’s a very real chance that you could pay a lot to have the card re-graded only to have the card come back as an 8.
Don’t lose out on a deal for something you want from someone you trust. If the 8 is $7000 and the 9 is $11,000 why not offer him $9500? If you decided to crack and submit and you get a 9…well, you did well
It’s dependent upon the grader and the card of course, but most 8.5s seem to upgrade to 9 more often that not through resubmission.
The centering doesn’t matter as long as it doesn’t exceed 60/40 on the front and 65/35 on the rear. Two specs of white would seat it right into PSA 8.5 territory, though, as PSA allows for only one in 9.
I would err on the upper middle end of the two prices considering this. If the 9 is $11,500 and the 8 is $6,500-$6,700 (current prices) then I would estimate that around $9,500 - $10,000 is fair via ebay, or subtract 7% for G&S.
Keep in mind that regrading a zard of this caliber would not be cheap… If he chooses to regrade and it stays put then he is out a good deal.
IF YOU CAN BUY THIS CARD TAX FREE THEN DO IT. That’s a big saving right there and an 8.5 is gonna have a low pop so that is something to consider as well. If you can swing it for 7-8k then do it do it do it. 100%
I own an 8.5 and I also think the 8.5s value should be closer to an 8 than 9. Rather than paying 9.5/10k for an 8.5, id rather pay the extra 1k or so to get the 9 grade. I’d value the 8.5 around 8.5k. If you think it’s a very strong 8.5 then by all means pay what you think it’s worth, also just because the back looks very clean doesn’t mean there aren’t any hard to notice print lines/feint scratches on the holo.
Even if the card *does* re-grade as a PSA 9, you’re going to be paying at least $1,000 in grading fees. At that point you’re getting pretty close to just paying for a PSA 9 that gives you certainty in the grade.
On the other hand, if the card re-grades as a PSA 8 then you’re paying an extra $500 for a card to be down-graded.
So unless you’re *extremely* confident that the card will re-grade as a PSA 9 I don’t see why the price shouldn’t be closer to a PSA 8.
I thought the same, but he can submit it with a base grade requirement of 8.5, so worse case it will retain the grade. That is unless you suggest he crack and submit, which is way riskier, but also more likely to get an upgrade too. It is a tough call.
I appreciate all the responses guys and i’ll take them all in. I personally wouldn’t want to re-grade it, was just genuinely curious about what the estimated value of an 8.5 was because you rarely see them! I’ll be able to meet up in person so it saves all the in between costs on both ends. As for the front of the card…it looks to be mint, no feint scratches or lines on the holo. It’s just the 2 tiny specs on the top border.
Going to come up with an offer by tomorrow and see if we can come to an agreement.
The problem with that is if he submits it in the PSA 8.5 case and asks for a review then it’s extremely likely to remain an 8.5 (and he’d still have to pay about $500 for that).
Since you’re not planning on re-grading, all these arguments about re-grading possibilities are obviously not relevant for you!
In that case you really do just have to decide what feels right to you.
I personally would feel that owning an 8.5 feels more like owning an 8 than a 9, but maybe you’d feel differently.
Also, if this is just for your personal collection and you feel the card looks every bit as good as PSA 9s you’ve seen, then it sounds like this would be a good purchase for you! As they say “buy the card, not the grade.”
Let me just say I own a 1st edition PSA 8.5 Shining Tyranitar. Only 4 in the world. I happen to love the grade and card and would never regrade it. Seller also charged me PSa 8 price at the time I’m very happy with it but I see a lot of other people dont like 8.5 grades but to each their own. Good luck on getting the zard and I’d be incredibly happy to own a 8.5 1st edition zard myself
Correct and ill admit I did not consider that the grading fee would be so high, my mistake. My main considerations were the need to not worry about taxes (nearly 9% in my locality) or lost shipments with the ability to pick up in person.
I’ve been looking for a PSA 8 or 9 Zard for my personal collection for awhile and I knew about my friend wanting to sell his, so I figured it would be a good time to jump on board as I could defer all the middleman fees. Only issue is that it was an 8.5 and there’s not a whole lot of info out there in regards to pricing so I was a little hesitant haha.
Is there any way to find out pop reports of .5 graded cards?
Go to psa website and enter the cert number and it will show exact card and should show how many there are. And if I’m guessing right there probably isn’t a ton of 8.5s of this card so it makes it more special in my opinion. But like others above have said most aren’t a fan of 8.5s or would rather regrade
I would pay closer to an 8 because the increase in price isn’t supposed to be linear between grades as some as explained here, enjoy it and if I wna upgrade it, will leave it on eBay on BO and wait for one of those guys that wants a 1st ed base zard in every possible grade and pays a premium and use the proceeds for a 9 or smth
I’m very happy with it but I see a lot of other people dont like 8.5 grades but to each their own. Good luck on getting the zard and I’d be incredibly happy to own a 8.5 1st edition zard myself 