Cards We're Not Grading #3
Folds, chipping, and other weird defects you should be aware of.
Today we’re going to look at some of the cards we’ve decided not to submit, while focusing on a couple of the more unusual defects we’ve seen lately.
In general, it’s key to have an idea of what defects are normal and predictable and which ones are unusual and thus not as easy to evaluate. You can read more about that in our Complete Guide to PSA Grading.
This post will look at 4 cards, two Shohei Ohtani’s and two Victor Wembanyama’s, each of which has a different defect. Even with some of the more unpredictable defects, we’re confident we made the right decisions on each of these.
1. 2018 Shohei Ohtani Topps Gold Label Class 3 #17
I genuinely feel like edge issues are the biggest wildcard of PSA grading. Sometimes cards with chipped edges can get PSA 10s and sometimes they get PSA 6s. We tend to be conservative on these and generally avoid submitting.
Given that we bought this assuming an Expected Gem Rate of 70%, it made more sense to sell it raw. This card would have a very low chance of getting a 10.
2. 2018 Shohei Ohtani Topps #US285
It’s a bit hard to see, but this goes a bit beyond just a dinged corner. The surface by the corner is a bit pressed in or indented. I don’t think the chances of this card still getting a 10 are necessarily 0%, but I do think it’s more likely to get a PSA 6 than a 10. This was a pretty easy decision to just sell as is.
3. 2023 Victor Wembanyama Prizm Pink Ice #136
In a post characterized by weird flaws, this is the weirdest one. While the circled part looks like a scratch, really it’s more like a fold. These kinds of structural surface defects tend to be card killers, so much so that they are often PSA 8s or worse.
Overall this would be a very high risk submission, with a real chance at grading anywhere between a 6 and a 10. We decided the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze. Arguably, this would have been a decent card to submit strictly for learning purposes.
4. 2023 Victor Wembanyama Prizm Silver #136
This was the easiest of the 3. The front surface of this card is pretty scratched up, and as a result we didn’t feel like this had any real chance of grading as a 10. As I say often, this shows the importance of having a good desk light when you’re evaluating cards to be sure you catch things like this. Without the right lighting it’s very hard to see.
Also worth noting, this was a card that we initially bought with minimal pictures, and it ended up coming in with defects. This is a risk we’re generally willing to take, as long as we’re getting good deals on the cards.
Top Auctions Ending Today
This is a short compiled list of auctions that could be profitable to buy, grade and resell.
2023 Prizm Silver Victor Wembanyama Silver #136
2018 Topps Chrome Pitching Shohei Ohtani #150
2023 Prizm Silver Victor Wembanyama Ice #136
2025 Cooper Flagg Topps Chrome Refractor #251
2023 Shohei Ohtani All Aces #AA-11
2026 Pokémon Ascended Heroes Pikachu ex #277
2023 Pokémon 151 Charizard ex #199
2025 Pokémon Black Bolt & White Flare Reshiram ex #173
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