This is not meant to imply any sort of judgement like “oh you dont know how to collect or your goals are wrong” lol everyone has their own goals for their own reasons which is the best part of the hobby.
As someone who is working on a goal of mostly 9s for my collection, I am very curious as to why some people would spend the extra 2x - 100x price tag on 10s over 9s if they are for your own collection. Is the thought that you will eventually sell your personal collection stuff? Is the quality difference really worth that change in price between a 9 and 10? Do the 10s help you worry less about inflation in pops? Did you grade the 10s raw so they didnt cost you the price that they seem to go for (and if so whats stopping you from selling and getting 10 more cards graded 9)?
Once again, I don’t think either way is better at all. Its just hard to decide what makes it into the personal collection and what does not. I seem to like too many cards so getting them all in 10s is crazy and getting a mismatch of 9s 10s 9.5s 8.5s is not my style so maybe thats why I like the flat 9s. I do hold a few 10s because I know the value they have but they dont really fit in with my collection goals.
I don’t know how to collect and my goals are wrong.
I go after PSA 10 Pichu cards simply because Pichu isn’t all that much of a popular Pokémon to collect and lower grades used to mostly be worthless. The 20 or so lower-grade Pichu cards I have are either very rare or have very few PSA 10s graded yet. Lower grades don’t hugely interest me otherwise.
With today’s prices if I was only just starting out I’d 100% ignore PSA 10 cards altogether.
These are just assumptions on my part since I only have 1 psa 10 card. I think with some collectors they want the top grade because they don’t want any flaws with their card (which I know isn’t always the case with PSA 10s anyway). Another factor could be “rarity”. In the case of some cards there’s a lot less 10s than 9s, so having a card with a higher grade that’s less available could bring more personal value to the collector.
I think this comes down to people have different perspectives on the intrinsic value a graded card actually has and where that value comes from. There are also different types of cards where certain grades are more or less realistic, which affects the way people perceive a certain grade.
(I am going to use the word “perfect” here but of course not every PSA 10 is actually perfect. Forgive the shorthand.)
For me personally, any card I grade is in pursuit of a 10. The entire reason I am having the card graded is in hopes of certifying and encapsulating a “perfect” example of that particular card. I don’t need someone with a magnifying glass and a micrometer to tell me a card is less-than perfect. I don’t really see the value in that. A less-than perfect card can go in my binder, where I prefer my cards to be anyway, so I only want perfect cards in capsules. With this mindset, there is nothing more frustrating than a 9. I hate 9s because they are the “close but no cigar” grade. I would rather the card not be graded at all.
Exceptions to this are with cards that are so scarce or so old that having them certified in any condition at all has value. With these cards, a 10 isn’t really a feasible grade to achieve. So being as close to 10 as possible becomes the new goal as well as preserving an old or rare card in its current condition indefinitely.
However, other people view graded cards entirely differently. Lots of people happily collect 7s, 8s, and 9s because that’s just de facto format they prefer for their collection. For these folks, having the card graded at all is the goal so they are more flexible towards what those grades should be. For someone like you, having 9 grades assures a great example of the card in near mint condition and the distinction in quality between a 9 and a 10 is not really meaningful to you. So it makes more sense for you to collect the more cost effective version.
So while you think it’s a needless expense to pay for a 10 grade over a 9 grade, I feel like it’s a needless expense to pay for a grade at all when I prefer my binder. While I view graded cards as a premium, elevated format I’d only want for rare or special cards, I suspect you view them as the primary format for your entire collection.
Different kinds of collectors with different goals, as you said.
that is an interesting take! I dont use binders and display my entire personal collection in big display cases. It would probably be easier to display raws but slabbed solid 9s among like 4 display cases looks good to me
Because 10 is a bigger number than 9.
There are two major factors with collecting - rarity and condition. If collectors/ evil investors / 3% ladies can attain the best condition possible, they will. They’re harder to get and hold the most value.
Personally, I have cards in my personal collection ranging from PSA 5 to 10. It all depends on what the card is.
I keep all my cards in a custom made Rhino trunk, which is portable and secure and allows me to lock it. All my cards are double sleeved in premium Bindertek binders with slip covers. I have custom cut and punched archive quality card stock which I use as set dividers. I take a lot of personal pleasure and pride in maintaining my binders, which gives me a physical way to interact with my collection. Sleeving, sorting, and arranging my cards in their binders over time (since I am a set collector and have to build my sets) lets me spend time with my cards intimately. My cards are something I go to and immerse myself privately in versus display.
So it makes sense that we both seek different formats for our collections as we both want to create a certain satisfying environment for ourselves.
Why get a 9 when I can get a 10? I´m buying these cards because I genuinely like them, since I decided to collect PSA, I of course want the best option available.
For me, its just that a 10 is top tier. Maybe its an ego thing having the best of the best…but come to think of it I do have 9s too. For my favourite cards, I feel like I need 10s
I have sold a lot of my 10’s & switched primarily to 9’s because, in my experience, many 10’s have the same quality flaws as my 9’s. Grading is subjective but when a 10 has obvious scratching, whitening or print lines… I don’t see that as any rarer than a 9 w/ the same issues. It just so happens that the grader at PSA missed it.
But, for those 10’s that truly are flawless… I hang onto.
Although I’m absolutely not in the boat of only collecting PSA 10s, there is a reason that always seemed completely logical to me - for the relatively few collectors who have ‘completed’ their collection goals in whatever condition, the logical next step to remain engaged (aside from modern/starting wider goals) is to upgrade condition where possible, with the ultimate goal being to reach the peak of condition.
Therefore, aim for gem mint cards, and naturally an independent, third-party assessment helps in making that judgement (relatively) consistent, hence PSA 10s (or BGS black label, or a CGC perfect, or whatever flavour of gem mint+ you’re into).
I just bought a PSA 7 Playmat Slowpoke for the same price as the raw card. At least I know what I am getting. Personally, I could care less about chasing a 10 as I am looking to just buy the card.
The only time a 10 stands out to me is when it is obviously rarer based on the pop reports. Like if only 5% of the total submissions are 10s then I would consider it worth the extra value.
Why would you want to own albums that are a 9/10 in your books (in case of condition I’m excluding sentimentality)? Apply that logic of quality in prestige to your collection and you’ll be trimming fat faster than fast food will.
I do too, but the problem is anything with an eseries logo becomes my favorite card. Getting the wotc 96 holos plus crystals is hard enough, plus now I want the early nintendo eseries too
