My first post, what’s good everybody. Just curious as to what you guys would rather have and what your thoughts are in terms of comparable value ($$). Personally, I’d rather have the PSA 10 unlimited because most of the time the values are similar if not more than their PSA 9 1st Edition counterparts. Also, I just like knowing a card is flawless & mint as opposed to it being mint.
Note: Obviously this isn’t the case for Base Set
Wait I thought 1st Ed PSA 9 was more expensive… Also the fact that a 9 could still be flawless to the eye makes me side with the PSA 9 1st edition.
1st ed 9 all day
There have been other conversations about this before, probably even a few more if you dig harder.
www.elitefourum.com/t/psa-10-unlimited-vs-psa-9-1st-edition-long-term/22088/1www.elitefourum.com/t/do-you-prefer-lower-graded-1st-editions-or-unlimited-psa-10/18408/1
There are multiple interpretations of the word “value”. The obvious one is financial value. If you want to compare prices between PSA 9 1st and unlimited 10, I’d recommend checking out www.pokemonprice.com/Sets If you’re asking about future value, any answer (including my past opinion in those threads) is just going to be totally speculative (i.e. mostly made up).
When it comes to collecting though, the important interpretation of “value” is what you, as a collector, value in your collection. For me, I collect a lot of PSA 9 1st ed wotc cards because I love the stamp and the money I put in (usually between $20 to $100 per card) vs what I get from it (a pack fresh card, already graded) is more value per dollar for me than paying multiple hundreds of dollars for a PSA 10 version which is just slightly better (usually). I don’t collect PSA 10 unlimited because I just don’t personally value unlimited cards at all.
So, you have to determine what you value more yourself. You have already said that you prefer a gem card over the significance of the 1st edition stamp so it sounds like you may already have your answer.
A few things to note, keep in mind my own collecting biases:
I can understand from a collector’s perspective the case for wanting the PSA 9 1st Editions, arguments can be made for both. But from a strictly $$$$ standpoint, PSA 10 Unlimiteds usually have the slight advantage over their PSA 9 1st Edition counterparts. Below I listed some examples from recently sold listings in Ebay for a sets “Top Tier Cards” and the price ranges they’ve sold for.
Fossil
PSA9 1sted Dragonite ($80-$100) vs PSA10 Unlimited Dragonite ($121-$154)
Jungle
Snorlax PSA 9 1st ($60-$80) Vs. PSA 10 ($125-$175)
Challenge
Blaine’s Charizard - (Price is essentially the same in the for both $175-$225)
Genesis
Lugia - PSA 9 1st ($150-$200) vs. PSA 10 ($300-$400)
Revelation
Ho-OH - PSA 9 1st ($90-$150) Vs. PSA 10 ($150-$300)
I dont have time at the moment to go through the rest of the WOTC sets but as you can see the $$$$ dont lie. If you look at the rest of the cards from those sets you’ll see the same thing.
1st Ed PSA 9.
Ultimately collectors determine value. That is the main reason any card is worth more than $1.
1st Ed 9 has much more interest and demand, but currently more availability. Id wager a lot of the unlimited 10’s value speculation is based on scarcity + low pop. There is more incentive to grade 1st ed, and less for unlimited.
Either way the money answer is pretty negligible.
Actually, the $$$ kind of does lie, or at least it’s potentially a bit deceptive. For one, you have chosen to look at the PSA 10s that will probably perform the best in unlimited since these are the popular Pokemon/cards that people may be collecting all the variants of. These cards are not representative of wotc holos generally.
One thing that goes unmentioned is the number of sales for each of these cards. These numbers are from www.pokemonprice.com which goes back to about the beginning of 2017:
Snorlax 67 1st PSA 9 — 2 Unlimited PSA 10
Dragonite 125 1st PSA 9 — 12 (3 below $90) Unlimited PSA 10
Blaine’s Charizard
80 1st PSA 9 — 18 Unlimited PSA 10
Lugia 42 1st PSA 9 — 1 Unlimited PSA 10
Ho-Oh 58 1st PSA 9 — 5 Unlimited PSA 10
The moral of the story is that prices are pretty comparable between PSA 9 1st and PSA 10 unlimited, higher for some unlimited 10s. BUT PSA 9 1st is already super saturated and those price points are well established. If you assume that the availability of unlimited 10s will stay relatively limited, I would agree with your assessment but we are talking about cards that are literally called “unlimited”…
For me I wouldn’t mind having either but a 1st Ed PSA 9 would mean more to me in my own collection.
As @smpratte said, the value of PSA 10 unlimited cards may be based on scarcity and low pop. However, the reason for their scarcity and low pop is lack of demand, not lack of actual number of cards.
Therefore, if PSA 10 unlimited cards came in significant demand, you’d see more of the cards graded and then for sale. The prices wouldn’t grow, because the demand would easily be met.
Pick any WOTC card from Base set to Neo Destiny. I’ll take the PSA 9 1st edition over the 10 Unlimited any day, regardless of price. I think they are better cards because they had a much shorter print run and have the uniqueness of the 1st edition stamp. It’s an age old saying that has almost become cliched at this point, but “buy the card, not the grade”.
@pokenastic I believe the saying means don’t blindly buy a card because of the PSA grade, but instead use the PSA grade as a guide in addition to making your own judgement on the grade. There’s nothing wrong with preferring the best condition for your cards.
I somewhat agree that the unlimited PSA 10 price is almost entirely based on low pop/scarcity but the fact that its flawless plays a part too. If the PSA 10 Unlimited populations ever caught up to their PSA 9 1st edition counterparts their prices would likely plummet. Sorta like how diaminds are essentially worthless because they’re so abundant. Yet the ones who pull the strings of that industry sit on stockpiles of em and release them in such small amounts making them valuable.
Which leads me to another question…its safe to assume this forum’s members have a sizable impact on PSA pops. Do you actually opt to submit 1st Edition Holos over Unlimited Holos when both are 9 or 10 canidates?
Personally, when I think any of my raw WOTC holos are a 10, unlimited or 1st Edition, I’ll get them graded. (Yes even a lowly unlimited Fossil Muk)
No, there isn’t anything wrong with preferring 10’s and you should almost always go with that when given the choice.
But we are comparing two sets of cards - Unlimited and 1st Edition. Apples to Apples, 1st Edition is superior. 10’s are slightly more pristine than 9’s. If we only look at those 2 facts and do not include personal collection goals or preferences, the only reason someone would choose the Unlimited is because they like seeing the number 10 on the case. Just my opinion.
Hypothetically you win a giveaway and have to choose between a free PSA 10 Unlimited Venusaur and a free PSA 9 1st ed Venusaur. Would any of you honestly choose the 10?
PSA 9 1st > PSA 10 unlimited far and away
There are loads of PSA 10 potential unlimited cards out there that could be PSA 10’s but aren’t graded because it is a losing proposition given the 8’s and 9’s you’d end up getting are an auto loss in many cases. PSA 10 unlimited is an odd niche in that way whereas 9 1st is a lot more fleshed out since for many 1st edition sets 8/9/10 are all worth grading and typically a net gain in value for grading it so people keep sending them in. Unlimited have low pops and the value they due just due to their awkward status in that way. Same thing with PSA 10 1st commons and uncommons from any set other than base.
E.g. if I have 100 mint pack fresh fossil Aerodactyls and 50 are 1st edition and 50 are unlimited I will send in every single one of the first editions because the 8/9/10 prices are $155/$30/$26. Regardless of what I get for a grade I will pay back my fees and then some. 8/9/10 prices for unlimited are $70/$22/$6. PSA 8’s and 9’s are each big losers when you account for grading fees, shipping, time value of money and the 10’s don’t even net you that much. I may try and send out a few of the very best but it’s easy to argue it isn’t worth the time or risk to even look them over. You’d be far and away better off selling them as bulk NM/M holos for a few bucks a piece or in sets. If PSA 10 and 9 unlimited prices ever shot up higher you’d see way more submitted because believe me they are out there and this would be a huge drag on any potential price increases.
You also have the interesting option with stronger PSA 9’s that they can gain value while the price remains stagnant if they are regraded/reviewed to BGS 9.5 or PSA 10 (moral gray area).
I like a mix of 1st 9s and unlimited 10s. It all depends. If there’s a card I’m dying to have but can’t afford in a 1st 10, I’ll opt for the unlimited 10. For cards that I like and admire, (but am not necessarily passionate about) I go for the 1st 9. The unlimited 10 just feels more special to me personally.
Of course, Base set is an entirely different animal and under no circumstances would I ever prefer unlimited over 1st edition.
I get the point your making, but the exception to this argument is the base set. Strictly because a PSA 9 1st edition Venusaur is worth wayyyyy more than a PSA 10 Unlimited Venusaur. Which is true for that entire set. Now would you prefer a PSA 9 1st Edition Fossil Moltres over PSA 10 Unlimited Fossil Moltres? Personally, I own both, but Im partial to the 10. They’ll always be comparable $$$ wise/flawless example of the card/technically rarer lol
Price aside, in this circumstance I would take the 9 because of the 1st Ed stamp. It’s something that always catches my eye.
PSA 9 First Edition. Having said that, I cannot decide between unlimited 10 or First Edition 9 for Shining Magikarp and Gyrados. Decisions Decisions. I think it’s because I consider these two in a league of their own.
Are you collecting the revelation set or just the 2? Honestly comes down to preference because the price points are about the same for UNl/1st. If you wait for an auction for the unlimited you’ll get a good deal.
It depends on what you collect.
Some people only want 9s so if they have the choice surely they’ll pic the 9.
If I was offered TODAY a fossil Dragonite in Unl 10 or 1st Ed 9 I’d have to snatch up the 10.