What do you consider to be junk slabs? Certain eras? Certain grades?
There are a few different ways in which, to me, a card can be a junk slab. (Just like everything there will be exceptions)
Generally, a junk slab is a graded card that is below the mean average grade for a card and is in abundance at a higher grade OR a niche, low rarity, low desirability card, in a low grade. (Low grade can even be a 9, contextually)
Champions Path Charizard in PSA 9 is a junk slab, because not only are PSA 9s in a massive abundance, the PSA 10 copies are even more so.
A PSA 8-9 Reverse Holo from basically any modern set is a junk slab.
Any grade below a 10 on a lot of C/UC/R/Holo for most species cards are going to be junk slabs because they are niche and species collectors are generally going to want to go for 10s because they are easily attainable.
Any graded card that sells either at or below grading cost is a junk slab.
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I’d argue that 50% if not more of all slabs are junk slabs.
Just take a look at the population report for any set.
Why are there thousands of cards of normal Vs etc being graded?
When full arts or gold cards cost you $2, how is even that not a junk slab?
Then again, it depends who is grading them. Species collectors who aren’t doing it for resale, it won’t be a junk slab to them. I just find it difficult to believe that there are that many species collectors grading CGI 5ban etc.
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Slabs of any condition that don’t elevate the value of the card in that condition after costs
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I feel like they aren’t actually that easy to get because it requires people to buy product themselves.
I suppose they could bulk order of TCGPlayer or whatever though and hope that the cards weren’t just thrown aside after opening.
I also base this off seeing so many bad grades on the pop reports. If you’re sending in a common card to grade, why wouldn’t you make sure it’s a 10 before spending the grading fee? You have many pop 1, grade 5-9 of these RH or normal C,U,R,H cards.
I think @koala said it best. A junk slab is a card that has either gained no value or lost value due to it being graded. For example, a lot of modern alt arts sell for more NM raw than graded as PSA 8s.
I would also argue that a junk slab is a card that cannot sell in auction. Look at the hundreds of slabs that can’t sell for $5 on PWCC each week. Those are junk slabs.
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all slabs are junk 
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100% When I’m hunting modern for my collection, I usually get hits from low-graded NM- slabs. I’m waiting to see all those low-quality cards hit the market in 5 years.
Vicious! 
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I think for any modern card that isn’t a 10 (with few exceptions), I really feel should not be slabbed at all and just sold as a raw NM/M card most of the time. If isn’t a 10, I’d sooner have it in a binder or toploader. For vintage, it will depend on the card or set. At this point, something like a Base Set 1st Ed holo can garner good value in a PSA 8 or even lower grades. I wouldn’t necessarily say they will gain a premium over the raw card that would be similar condition, but they’re not easy to find in truly NM condition raw either because they’ve been already graded or they’re tucked away in collections now. So depending on ones budget or conditional preferences, I see these as not being a junk slab compared to most modern cards in the same/similar grade.
Then you also have certain cards that regardless of the slab grade I would never view as a junk slab necessarily. Say a 1st Ed Base Charizard or similar. I would gladly buy and own this is any slab/grade just because of what it is. However, if it was just a regular common card like an energy or similar, then you’re getting into junk slab territory to me. Like in 2020/2021 you had people grading just about anything because there was euphoria around having everything slabbed during that time, and as a result you have a lot of literal junk slabs out there that will probably never sell compared to just buying the raw card that is easily obtainable still.
Like unless it’s a childhood card with sentimental attachment or has some other non-monetary value tied to it, I see absolutely no reason to slab an easily obtainable card in general. This is how I personally distinguish the value of quality slabbed card compared to it being junk grade. Also this doesn’t even touch on all the backyard grading companies out there. If it’s not PSA or higher grade BGS & CGC (8+), I automatically view it as a junk slab unless I can truly verify the condition myself through high quality scans/pics.
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I’m not really going to add onto what others have said about what makes a junk slab a junk slab, because they’ve done a good job of describing it.
Instead I’ll add this - If you’re looking for NM copies of modern cards and don’t trust most online raw sellers and/or fish for deals, you could look into 7s an 8s. I’ve bought a good number of cards in that grade range to play with because, surprisingly, they’ve been cheaper than buying a TCGPlayer NM. Most people aren’t interested in those grades, but I’ll gladly crack and sleeve them up for decks and stuff.
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I mean, this is the reason why most PSA 9 C/UC WOTC bulk cards exist. People think they look like 10s, and PSA ends up giving them a 9 for one reason or another (and sometimes they are misgrades).
There is no such thing as a “sure 10.”
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Can merge into the same thread here.
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I don’t mind duplicating a conversation, especially if it’s been almost a year. But it’s good to link the thread as you have so they are connected like this
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I was going to say this, but I think there is a counter example in hyper rare cards. Like consider a never before seen snap card. Do you think one being raw NM vs it being graded a PSA 7 would meaningfully affect the price?
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I agree, it’s a definition more tailored to cards printed en masse, and rely on conditional rarity to sell well. Junk slabs have rarely been considered for much rarer cards from tournaments or contests.
Under a PSA/Cgc 7 for wotc and e series and under a 10 for ultra modern is junk imo. This excludes rarer promos, gold stars, 1st Ed base etc
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Like 98% of the slabs for sale on Facebook groups
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I tend to agree
Everything in a cgc slab is a junk slab imo.
Is this shitposting or do you genuinely believe this?