Sports cards are incredibly popular and records are still being set in terms of the prices for selling certain cards. Many of the cards that sell for the highest price are authenticated by PSA.
PSA or Professional Sports Authenticator is a public service that grades sports and Pokemon cards based on their quality. When a card is authenticated by PSA it receives a grade from 1 to 10.
If you are just starting your collection of sports trading cards or Pokemon cards, you might be a bit confused about what grades are worth buying. One of the grades that frequently pops up is PSA 9 sport trading cards.
PSA 9 graded sports trading cards will appear as PSA Mint 9 meaning the card is in excellent condition with minor flaws.
In this article we are going to walk you through whether a PSA Mint 9 would be worth buying, so you can make an informed decision about your next purchase.
Are They Worth The Investment?
All card collectors strive to purchase a raw PSA 10 card, as this is a card with the highest quality. Though, these cards are very expensive to purchase.
So instead of buying a PSA 10 card, many people settle for buying a PSA Mint 9 card.
PSA Mint 9 cards are a fantastic way of building up your collection of high quality sports trading cards. In terms of their worth, a sports trading card with the rating PSA Mint 9 is worth more than raw cards.
In terms of investing in PSA Mint 9 sports trading cards to make a profit, most people tend to spend more money on PSA 10 sports trading cards.
However, finding rare sports trading cards that are graded PSA 9 would definitely be worth investing in.
PSA 9 cards are in mint condition, with the exception of a few very small flaws. They are worth the investment due to being the next best thing to PSA 10 cards.
Is PSA 9 A Good Card?
Many new collectors often ask whether PSA 9 cards are good cards. To understand whether or not they are good cards, you need to have a clear understanding of the PSA grading system.
The PSA grading system has a scale of 1 to 10. A card with a grading of one is considered to be in poor condition. However, there are letters in front of the numbers so a card graded one will actually have the grad PR 1.
The ‘PR’ stands for poor. So the lower the number the poorer the condition of the card.
So, with this system in mind, PSA Mint 9 cards are the level right under perfect condition. This makes them good quality cards and would be a great addition in any collectors personal collection.
PSA Mint 9 cards might have slightly white borders. The centering of a PSA 9 card on the front has to be within the range of 60/40 to 65/35 or better.
However, on the reverse side of the sports trading card it needs to be at least 90/10 or better.
Faults Of PSA 9’s
As mentioned above, a grading of PSA 9 for a sports trading card is not a bad grade. It is the second highest grade and the cards are considered to be in near perfect condition.
However, since the card is not in perfect condition, there will be minor flaws to the card. These minor faults are:
- A slight was stain on the reverse side of the card
- Minor printing imperfections
- Slightly off-white borders
These are the official flaws that PSA state. However, there are sports trading cards graded PSA Mint 9 with other imperfections. These include:
- Slight scuffs
- Small scratches
- Slightly imperfect corners
In terms of their worth, these flaws do make the cards less valuable. However, these imperfections are to be expected and they are still usually worth more than raw cards.
Many people believe that these imperfections make PSA 8 cards less valuable.
Comparing PSA 9’s To PSA 10
Many collectors often ponder over buying a PSA 9 sports trading card or a PSA 10 card. The question many ask is which one is worth buying. Well, this completely depends on the person and their situation.
PSA 10 cards are cards considered to be in perfect condition. Therefore, these cards are worth more and might be worth more to a collector.
PSA 10 sports trading cards are also considerably more expensive than PSA 9 cards. This is where the person’s situation comes into play.
For collectors who have a large budget, then buying a PSA 10 card might be worth it to them.
However, those with lower budgets might prefer to buy a PSA 9 card as they are still good cards and are worth more than raw cards.
PSA 9’s And Raw Cards
Raw cards are sports trading cards that have never been sent off to an authenticator to get them graded. They are being sold without a grade.
When we compare raw cards to PSA 9s the one that is worth buying becomes clear. In terms of what they are worth PSA 9 sporting cards are mainly two times as much as raw cards are.
So when it comes to deciding if PSA 9 graded sports trading cards are worth buying over raw, the answer is almost always yes.
Lower PSA grade cards might be closer to the worth of raw cards, but higher PSA grade cards are worth more.
Final Thoughts
PSA 9 sporting cards are most definitely worth buying, especially over raw cards or lower graded cards.
However, if you are wondering whether you should buy a PSA 9 sports trading card over a PSA 10 card, then if you are able to invest in a PSA 10, a PSA 10 would be worth more.
Overall, PSA 9s are worth buying since they are the second best card in terms of grading and their condition. We hope this article has helped you work out whether a PSA 9 card is worth buying. Thank you for reading.
Apart from being such an interesting hobby that can take you in so many directions. It keeps you in touch with your younger self. I still feel the same level of excitement when adding a new card to the collection.
I'm still learning, and I always will be. I hope you find my posts helpful.
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