I know that it can be so hard to tell just from photos and not from having the card in hands, but I’m looking for a second opinion on a graded card.
Firstly, the card is graded as a PSA 10. To my eyes these scratches appear the be on the holofoil itself. I’ve passed it around to a few people and the general consensus was that is was on the foil itself. I’m inclined to agree, especially since I do have some PSA’s that have scratches up cases and these scratches dont “move” when the cards tapped to various sides of the case.
The only reason I’m still holding out that it may be the case is because this is the last card I needed, and, well, these are a lot of scratches for PSA to have missed.
The two scratches to the right are on the case. I’m specifically looking at the one large one, the three smaller horizontal ones, and theres another horizontal that my camera apparently didn’t pick up so I haven’t included it.
Those are definitely on the foil itself. However, PSA 10 does not mean that it can’t have factory scratches. The scratch in your first picture isn’t straight enough to be factory, but I assume that to them it fit the bill of ‘not detracting from the overall appeal of the card’ under the condition that the rest of the card is pretty damn good.
The smaller scratches I believe are from the printing process and the loading of the uncut sheets. @garyis2000 knows a thing or two about that process, so he could perhaps explain this better than I have, if I have at all!
I’ve pretty much quit giving opinions on cards based on pictures especially blown up and oversized pictures. Regular size that’s a very tiny thing so I’m sure it’s 10 worthy. That’s my last grading opinion lol.
I used to think that 10 meant flawless or very close to it, but I’ve learned that it depends on the grader, how the cards are arranged if sent in a batch, and other human factors. In the end, PSA is just a group of humans prone to making mistakes.
How are the photos blown up *or* oversized lol? Would you prefer that they were taken from ten feet away so no one could see what I’m asking about (which isnt grading. It’s if the scratches were on the case or card - I can make my own descision as to whether this card was worth the PSA 10 premium for me, though I appreciate those that chimed in on it.)?
Most people that look at cards in their collection don’t look at them through any means of magnification, so if you don’t see an issue as apparent without magnification then it does not matter too much.
As for the actual scratches… they seem a bit big for a PSA 10, but if the card is otherwise Gem Mint then I can understand it.