Mark Aho

Looks like I hit a soft spot! Is CSG more likely to give out 9.5 mint+ than the new 10 gem mints? Maybe. I still love CSG and I think their still gonna eventually take over, but as for all of us submitting cards, expect less 10 gem mints and more 9.5 mint+.

On 5/22/2022 at 1:46 PM, northkorea said:

I've found PSA is getting tougher, again. (They seem to go through cycles.) I think it might be related to Kevin Lenane taking over as President. His philosophy might be geared more toward collectors, rather than speculators. Heck, they have enough business now to do it.

It could *also* be that all the "investors" (fund managers who decided to rotate into a new asset class) are requesting grade validations on PSA 10s at much higher rates than before.

This is why I liked the old CSG system. I felt that by being accurate and consistent (tough is the word often used), they would create a new standard for grading and force other companies to do better. It seems they accomplished that... and decided to be like everyone else around the time they got traction.

I don't mind the new label. I understand the decision to remove subgrades. I appreciate the choice to move 9.5 to 10.

That said, they should have just done the ridiculous and made three tiers of 10:

Gem Mint 10 (black color)

Pristine 10 (silver with one star; back would denote what fell short of perfect)

Perfect 10 (gold with two stars; back would show all 10s)

Now, people would say this is confusing. They're probably right. However, it would have prevented the perceived need to lower grading standards to "adjust to the industry."

This is actually the point I was trying to make. I too appreciated the old CSG system with the 9.5 gem mint and the hard to get 10 pristine. My concern now is that the 9.5 mint+ has taken the place of 9.5 gem mint, and are there going to be enough 10 gem mints now. I totally think that the perfect 10 should be extremely hard to achieve and I do like that CSG is a tough grader. I think this might add to your point on the 3 levels of 10's with the 9.5 mint+ having been added to the new grading system.

Your right, my bad.

my bad

CSG is different, they are established in comics and currency. What I see is PSA, who I don't like is #1 in cards. PSA hands out plenty of 10s, I think if CSG would give out just a handful more 10 gem mints, not 10 perfects, they would catch up in a hurry. Don't get me wrong, I am totally for CSG.

Y'all might wanna give out a few more 10 gem mints, your on the cusp of taking over the grading industry but the lack of 10's is what's holding you back.