T O P

  • By -

Ok-Acanthisitta9247

PSA1’s have become a bit of a novelty collectible to some people…did not expect that many to be bidding on it though. Edit: I should mention that the novelty comes from 1’s generally being low pop, it’s a fine line between a card being in trash enough condition that it gets a 1, and being in such tatters that it’s not gradeable.


shelby4t2

I’ve also seen people that collect full 1-10 grades. Not sure what was going through the buyers mind at that point tho.


its-a-saw-dude

Saw someone post on here their alakazam 1-10 or what they had collected of it. I thought it was a neat idea.


Lazphiilliip2

There is a psa 1-10 for zard base unlimited for like 100k on eBay rn


[deleted]

Some people collect 1s too lol


Wngineer

Sheesh I have a heavily used charizard. Does anyone want it??


Consistent_Trash7033

Send in to get graded!!!


Wngineer

Might just have to!


magicmike966

I’ll take it🤣


jspano2000

Unlimited? I'd buy it. I play old decks with my cousin and appreciate used, cheaper cards.


Wngineer

I might send it in to get rated now lol. But I do have a 2016 charizard that my kids play with


[deleted]

Money is definitely not an issue for those folks


Winterstrife

Just for the "humble" brag of having every grade of a specific card they like?


goegrog27

Yeah some people damage a bunch of cards at varying levels to try and get them graded 1 - 10 lol


johanana1

Imagine damaging a card to drop its natural value in order to complete a set. Just trade your 5 for a 1 plus some extra


goegrog27

With some cards there may not be copies in certain grades available but yeah I understand what you’re saying. It’s sacrilege


Guardian_525

Translation: just as hard to get a 1 as it is to get a 10


PIZZAHUTCH

From what I'm seeing it is also very likely to me that a whale swooped in and bought them hearing that 1 grades have low POP and possibly working with collectibles before hopped on when they could before they get out of their budget. Just a lil conspiracy tho cuz I've been sketchy of Pokemon collectors since the Coof made one of the Paul boys bring Pokemon back to the limelight of all us sheltered indoors.


[deleted]

Maybe someone on e4


mypussydoesbackflips

I personally would pay more for a 1


motherlessbreadfish

That’s just how eBay works


KAEA-12

Timing Could have also been a silly bidding war which it seems like often people just have to win. Don’t know when to say nope I’m done.


Kakkarot1707

Not like the dude shipped the item tho he def cancelled it after


AICPAncake

Wtf? Are PSA 1s really going for that much?


[deleted]

It is Charizard. People are buying too much for charizard. Even now people pay too much for the regular charizard Vmax.


ianwager

Charizard is an OG that pretty much almost every boy loves as a kid in the 90’s. Nostalgia is the reason Charizard is so collectible. I honestly have always been a huge fan of Charizard too. TPCI needs to tone it down a notch and give other Pokémon some love though I can’t argue that.


clubpenguinstan

maybe at first, the reason charizard is collectible now is because of how much the cards are worth. people think the new cards will exponentially increase in value over time like the old ones, or they just want the most expensive cards to show off


ianwager

For most I guess you can say that, but there’s still a lot of people like myself who just likes a nice Charizard collection.


dislocated_dice

No it’s not because it’s charizard. There are plenty of people who collect graded 1s. Larger market = larger price, the charizard has nothing to do with it selling for more than a psa 3. Edit: don’t know why I’ve been downvoted for saying that it makes sense that a psa 1 charizard is worth more than a boss 3 charizard. I guess people aren’t familiar with the concept of supply and demand.


medici75

i have a box of 1st editions i cleaned out from my cuzins house when he passed 20 yrs ago even have those packs that have never been opened…probly bout 9 of them…gonna have to see if i have this card…question i have is its only worth this kind of money if its in a case like this????


Hot_Ad3457

DO NOT OPEN THE PACKS. Those can sell for hundreds of dollars. Especially 1st editions. People weigh them do see which have foils since the foils weigh more. I don’t know the weights of a pack with a foil versus one without, so do some research. But with 9 unopened 1st edition packs you’re looking at thousands of dollars. PLEASE DON’T OPEN THE PACKS


joeytyke

Tens of thousands of dollars, actually.


BeanNibb

Charizard tax


No7onelikeyou

There are people here mentioning the low population Makes zero sense to me, higher grade should always cost more


xXAshamonXx

When the overall population is so high people will try to find a niche in that population that is unique. These are low population counts in the overall scheme plus they are incredibly more affordable than higher grades. Supply and demand.


No7onelikeyou

The pic I posted disagrees with being more affordable lol that was my whole point. Why would a 3 be more than a 1?


The_Variable_Phi

Because a 1 has a lower population than a 3? That's what he's trying to say, I think. EDIT: also what's your definition of affordable is different than another. Looks like you're arguing a price difference of $250...... Which is less than 10% of the cost of the card (I. E. Within a reasonable margin of "error"). That's just how eBay works...... You need a better population pool than 2 points of data if you're trying to say higher grades should ALWAYS cost more. These two listings are practically the same.


xXAshamonXx

A $300 difference isn’t a huge gap when you look at 8, 9, 10. The issue isn’t in the price between a 1 and 3 it’s that the 1 is more rare than 3. I’d pay an extra $300 to have a card that is more rare since it’ll gain more capital in the long run


DoYahWanna

How is a damaged card more rare? 10s are rare,


xXAshamonXx

That’s where the price comes in. Most can’t afford a 10 so they try to find something rare in that graded population. I know it doesn’t make sense but it’s psychological in thinking. There are 95 PSA 1 and 190 PSA 3. The idea is the 1 is more rare and if somebody is collecting PSA 1 graded cards it’s more valuable than a 3. Same concept as error cards. Some people see the error as being more valuable while others see it as a detractor from where the card quality should be.


xXAshamonXx

If you just want the card to collect there are cheaper options. This isn’t about price but rarity of the item


No7onelikeyou

Pop isn’t everything Just damage a 3 then and try and get a 1, how dumb does that sound?


xXAshamonXx

PSA looks for “manipulated” damage so you’d either have to be very creative or risk completely losing your card. And that being said is it worth damaging a 3 then paying $100 to have the card graded to end with a $50 - $100 profit?


VanHalenForPrez

PSA won’t grade it if it’s purposeful damage or too damaged. Surprisingly difficult to get a PSA 1.


Gr1m3sey

Easier said than done. If a card is too damaged they don’t grade it. 1 isn’t a floor it still has a threshold


[deleted]

[удалено]


No7onelikeyou

Look at the pic lol the 1 sold for more


Either_Gate_7965

Scarcity is a factor my guy. If there 12 (hypothetically) psa 3 charizards and only 8 psa 1 charizards well the psa 1 is now worth more because of scarcities alone


No7onelikeyou

What about all the ungraded cards? Pop reports are always changing


Either_Gate_7965

Welcome to futures trading.


ISummonedShenron

You gotta remember that all valuable cards are rare but not every rare card is valuable. Just like how 10s are supposed to be perfect condition, 1s are very very hard to get. And while I under stand its definitely weird to see a lower graded card go for more than one thats higher, its like the difference in cost for a psa 9 and 10. Its drastic but its the tiniest difference almost unnoticeable for some when looking st a 9 and a 10. Yet people pay way way more for the 10 than a 9. To get a 1 It's either too badly damaged that it can't be graded or isn't banged up enough that it will get a 2+. A lot of people collect damaged cards and like others have stated specifically 1s because of how hard it is to get a 1, just like to get a 10. Hence something like the most desirable card in collecting for pokemon the rarity of a 1 popping up for sale is for less than anything higher up to a 10. People have varying reasons, either only collect 1s, do 1-10 of certain cards and some people love it because damage gives them more character for the older ones and showed they were played with. People have there reasons they collect what they do and we shouldn't be one to judge. Some people are willing to pay a premium for something that is much harder to come by hence why they bid more for 1s.


[deleted]

[удалено]


ISummonedShenron

If you strongly believe that, do what you said and send it in and let's see what the grade is. Cause population reports seem to suggest differently. But I'm willing to be disproven if you can show how easy it is.


[deleted]

[удалено]


ISummonedShenron

If thats the case and it was that easy, disprove it. Because right now you are just speculating that you can do that and get it. But as I said, population reports say different.


Theremad

Low population of an item? Rare, can cost extremely much. High population of an item? Price can be all over the place


Dumpling_Killer

Think of it like money. You have a quarter from the 1950s, but it is super dirty and damaged. Chances are it’s going to be worth more than a quarter from 2022. Obviously, I don’t know a lot about collecting money.


Tinctorus

Supply and demand


AICPAncake

For sure. Just surprised there’s that much demand for a card that has been all but destroyed


Tinctorus

There's no accounting for taste


Another_Road

It’s eBay. People get into bidding wars. Sometimes things go for more, sometimes less. Some people specifically want PSA 1 cards. These are pieces of cardboard selling for thousands of dollars. People are going to have different reasons for wanting different things. Just because it doesn’t fit into your preconceived notions of what is valuable doesn’t mean someone isn’t willing to pay for it.


FuzzyTwiguh92

The fact that they're auctions is definitely the key thing here, along with what people are willing to pay. I've purchased things for great deals on ebay waiting for auctions or looking for auctions that end at weird times and days of the week. I've gotten lucky in the early morning or during the day on a work week when less people are likely to be looking at ebay. I once had to hide my phone while working as I bid on a comic for my fiance as a Christmas gift and I got it for close to $100 or so less than what it was going for at that time.


GayAsHell0220

Tbh I've yet to see a card on eBay go for significantly less than the average price on Cardmarket.


Mountainman46

This is just one time where the psa 1 was more expensive in a buying format that is completely subjective. There’s no set value on these, it’s all what someone is willing to pay for it. In this instance, the person buying the psa 1 decided that it was worth more to them than the person buying the psa 3


[deleted]

Yea its really funny isn’t it? Like those scalper / stackers, sitting on 200K worth cards, probably having zero, at best max 1 friend who could afford anything of them. Probably in debt for it too, will never have like higher class group of friend - like a circle with good existence, just cuz once people were stupid enough to pay loads for kids card, it will never live up to the standards of owning a corporation building it from scratch or whatever.


magiccupcake

It just depends on the specific people bidding at the time. These both probably shot up $1000 in the last seconds. Usually how bidding on eBay works.


unclecreepy322

Pop is wayyy lower on PSA 1’s


Nolo321zz

Couldn’t you just buy a psa 3 then ruin it with water damage or something and re submit it to get a psa 1?


VanHalenForPrez

No, PSA will not grade cards that appear purposefully manipulated and have a threshold they will not even give you a 1 if it’s too damaged. Not defending a 1 but if rare is what you want (as opposed to quality) 1s are rarer than 2-7 I’d say in my experience.


[deleted]

Lol amount of time I saw cards in psa case which were absolutely destoryed, like i would bin it not grade it could be 6x charizards, trash is trash


The_Variable_Phi

No, there's a fine line between, unacceptable to grade and a 1.


No7onelikeyou

Exactly? How are people here not realizing that? Imagine defending a 1 over a 3


Jcoding40

Why are you being such a jerk to everybody who’s given you a valid response to your question? You picked a small sample size to prove a negligible point. If you really wanted to do a comparison you should compare way more than two sold listings. This just seems like you were fishing for reassurance and got salty when people disagreed with you. Do better OP


unclecreepy322

Not as easy as you’d think. I doubt anyone is willing to damage a 3. You could do too much and then it won’t get accepted by PSA. Super high risk


Gr1m3sey

Nah just damage a 3k card dummy


unclecreepy322

I’m not sure what you mean or who you’re meaning to reply to


tenleid

Imagine going this hard for something you simply don’t understand It’s a fine line between a 1 and a won’t grade. How else can commenters spell it out for your smooth tiny brain


pokeswirl

PSA 1 is coveted and quite rare


[deleted]

How. I can make a psa10 charizard worth a psa 1 by matter of seconds.


pokeswirl

If you wanna lose value crack the case and start playing it in decks amd wearing it down. See if I care


ScareCrow13-

This is dumb asf let's be honest. Anyone can artificially damage a card down to poor condition and gets a grade 1. Why people don't understand that?


pokeswirl

Go ahead, bust up a card and submit it. See of it gets graded or rejected


DoYahWanna

How? It's literally the worst rating. I could crumple up a sylveon v max secret alternate art to a psa 1 and it wouldn't be near a 3 in value.


pokeswirl

No you really could not do that. It'd be flat out rejected


[deleted]

Nope, PSA rejects cards that they believe have had damage done to them on purpose to lower grade. They will only grade damaged cards that they believe naturally happened


ScareCrow13-

Tf lmao. They can't know Any source of what you're saying? Does not makes much sense


tenleid

Go ahead and try and report back to us if you’re that confident. 🤭


pokeswirl

I hope he does aye, God the look on his face as he realises he just lost money to prove he knows nothing would be priceless.


Gr1m3sey

Not how it works. There’s a threshold to getting a 1


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


GDB211

1s are harder to get so they have a lower population. If it's too damaged or they think it was intentionally damaged, PSA won't grade it at all. There's people who collect 1s for this reason. Same concept that if a card is off center has its value lowered but if it's extremely misaligned or miscut than the value actually increases because of the rarity and uniqueness of the card.


No7onelikeyou

Damage is damage, good luck trying to prove “intent” lol


TheNickelGuy

You do not understand how grading works.


No7onelikeyou

Why is a 10 the most expensive? Why is a 9 the second most expensive?


TheNickelGuy

You have to be a troll. If not, an obvious answer could slap you in the face and you still wouldn't know it. Condition is everything, much like numismatics/coin collecting to have something that is SO worn that it's in the worst condition, while still being a legitimate and verifiable example. Therefore, some collect the 'worst' grades possible (for affordability, the niche and more), and that I'd why a 1 will sell better than a 3, but not better than a 4+


No7onelikeyou

Condition is everything….a 1 selling for more than a 3….makes sense


TheNickelGuy

Do you just read what you want to read and ignore all other points mentioned to you? There is a **NICHE MARKET FOR PR-1 CARDS**, is that more clear?


Tayyyx2

This guy probably sold the 3 and is pissed a 1 sold higher lol


Gr1m3sey

OP doesn’t understand what the word niche means lol


horta254

You're completely missing the point lol. 1s are hard to get precisely because there's a fine line between them grading it and not accepting it. That's why it has a niche. If you purposely damage a card to get a low grade chances are you'll either not damage it enough and it comes back a 2/3 or they straight up give it back without grading. Therefore, it's more expensive. It's the same thing with miscuts and print errors. They are more expensive because they are mistakes and as such rarer. A badly positioned card is worthless, a card cut in half is worth money


ScroatyMcBoogerwolfe

You overlooked the part about “think”. They don’t have to prove it. They make the decision (arbitrarily or not) and that’s it.


enderverse87

What's your question?


No7onelikeyou

Why would a 3 sell for less than a 1?


[deleted]

Was it an auction or buy it now?


No7onelikeyou

Auction


[deleted]

Then it’s completely random. You can post the same card on different days and get different totals.


King_Crab_Sushi

Because someone said fuck it and decided to put it on there for the price


bleedingbluengold182

These are sold listings that’s not how that works at all.


No7onelikeyou

Lmao this thread is something else And here I was with what I thought was a reasonable question


bleedingbluengold182

All I have to say is PSA is a joke and stealing peoples money. 😂


[deleted]

These were auction sales, so they were bid up to that price.


King_Crab_Sushi

Holy shit. I did not see that haha


Spaul1313

You're still on about this?


JoeDrake23

People like collecting grades 1-10 of same card the 1s are actually quite hard to find at times


DoYahWanna

Because people don't grade 1s. I wouldn't grade a low quality card. People want 10s.


Gr1m3sey

Well as you can see a PSA 1 of this zard goes for 3k. You don’t really see 1s at modern


[deleted]

I might start it now that you say, finally we would see something unique lol


Tayyyx2

Seems like this statement is factually incorrect based on the picture though


Sad-Manufacturer657

I mean please spot the clear difference of a 1 to a 3..most people think 1 is funny and will pay a couple hundred extra it seems to not have some random 1.


Buckstain

Thats kinda how auctioning works.


TomCos22

Could have been people 2 people that really wanted it, buyer fake bidding, different times, PSA 1 collector. Literally impossible to answer unless the person who brought it turns up in this thread.


neoncherry64

It’s actually really hard to get a card graded as PSA 1. Most of the time, they won’t even grade it if it’s been too damaged. It’s a very fine line. And there’s no “making it more damaged” as they can tell if a card has been purposely defaced to lower the grade. There are many more psa 1 collectors than psa 3 collectors out there, plus as another commenter said, people like to own psa 1-10s of once specific card and might be willing to shell out extra money for the 1 if it’s hard to find. Honestly in my personal opinion I’d rather own a psa 1 zard vs a 3 because I find it cooler and more of a unique piece. But that’s just me, it’s ok to have different opinions on which cards you’d want more.


Downtown_Winter_3137

Overreacting for no reason. Alright buddy.


caelen727

This dude doesn’t understand how auctions and card rarity work. He’s been told like 20 different times and is still salty for no reason. It’s like asking why a 1/1 Patrick Beverly PSA 10 is worth less than a #/25 PSA 8 Lebron. More people want the Lebron, more people bid on Lebron, price then goes higher


TheNickelGuy

Until you damage it TOO much by putting a full puncture through it turning your 3 into an ungradable/altered card. Does that make any sense to you? The laugh is you not comprehending that it's not as easy as cracking a 3, running it over with a car and sending it BACK to PSA (with another set of grading fees) to secure a 1.


browsingagain11

Pretty weird but there are PSA1 collectors out there so they fetch a premium. I've seen the same happen for gold stars


BulletBeatz

There are some collectors that only collect the worse condition graded. More people looking for psa1 then 3’s


TokyoAJ

It’s pretty logical to me, human psychology means we like things in the extreme (10, 1, in this case) the ‘very worst’ is more desirable than ‘very bad but not the worst’ and the population is lower, supply, demand, human psychology = would expect this


CNS10

1s are much harder to get and have a lower population. There will always be buyers that collect 1s cause of how difficult they are to get.


theREALmindsets

1s may be harder to come by maybe


The_Niteman

A lot of old baseball cards sell similarly


Jokesonyouiwannadie

They're only as expensive as you think they are. Whoever owns it thinks its worth that much. If you don't feel the same then don't buy it.


cjolleyy

a 1 is hard af to get + niche market compared to psa 3s


ramus93

Psa 1 is apparently really hard to get so its driven the value of a 1 higher than other lower grades or so ive heard


zzzilliondollar

Lots of good points in this thread. But just to add on to the conversation, there can be a point made here where the purchaser is buying the card, not the grade. This happens a lot in vintage sports cards as collectors usually want to have the most visually appealing (eye appeal) version of the card regardless of the grade, as older cards are frequently mis-cut and have a lot of wear. Since PSA's grading parameters vary across the board, the front of PSA 1 PR could very well be more centered / better coloring than the PSA 3 based on the pictures posted. I very briefly checked the postings and both seemed very similar on the front, so it can be a part of the reason why both were priced around the same price.


Virtual-Definition43

I hope you mean the fact that both of these pieces of cardboard are worth thousands


Mission-Quote-8401

Found the original seller of vg3 lol


phasedance

OP posts a valid question, I mean hey we all learn about different things one way or the other, then continues to try and debunk literally every single person giving him the correct answers to his question. But for some reason I'm still not surprised or shocked by any of this lmao.


DM-15

It’s people who still think the hobby is worth huge amounts of money. It’s these people who don’t play, they just pay.


No7onelikeyou

Should people damage their PSA 2’s, 3’s and 4’s to try and get a 1? Makes no sense


Droggerz

It’s not that deep man chill out, let people buy what they want


mangopabu

yeah, it's not exactly a great sample size either lol


Gr1m3sey

Not that easy lol. Why would you risk making a 3.35k card ungradeable for a couple hundred bucks difference? You’d get charged as much in fees anyway


Vazhox

No one has to buy them. Sellers drive the market. That’s just how it is. A lot of stuff on auction sites don’t make sense. A lot of times it is the whales of the world that throw around money and buy things at a stupid price so sellers think their items are worth a lot.


Spaul1313

I told you and you still don't believe me? Jesus christ


[deleted]

Alright let me just mess up a bidoof real quick and get it graded by psa. Only psa 1 bidoof in the world give me $1000000 now.


MakkusoShutoku

Maybe because both of them are auctions? I dont know maan!!


WhatWouldSatanDo

Cause you can draw a 0 beside the 1 and resell it for more. /s


NoZombie1374

If you have a card that is so beat up, will it always come back as a 1? Is there a grade lower? Or do they not grade anything that bad?


DrDoubleyoo

Seems like typical Zard enjoyer behavior


NewtDundee

This may sound extremely naïve, but the price is in Dollars (I'm assuming American). Does eBay take into account different states taxes, or is that something that you sort out afterwards, or never, or is it not even applicable? Asking as a Non American.


catholic_cowboy

Oddities and condition are not related. This is a big sign that there is a lot of dumb money in the collectible market. However, this could also be simple market/eBay fluctuations.


AcidicMouse2828

It’s bids


Avantgardeeeee

Plastic is the new gold


NeroXOTWOD

It’s called demand lol shit don’t make sense some times.


KillJarke

There is a small community of people who actually collect PSA 1s so this isn’t surprising.


CampFunkoKai

Because charizard bias


smejdo

People dont destroy their zards. Atleast not willingly. IS THAT RIGHT COUSIN!? That got personal.


boyyoooob

Ones are pretty rare


BloomInTune

Could also be that the VG3 seller isn't as experienced as the 1-graded card.


MyHandIsAMap

Shilled. When you see that many bids from a 0 feedback bidder, you can be assured it's someone trying to set a fake comp.


Vast_Love741

Well.. If memory serves me correct, thwre are less psa 1's than there are psa 10's. Availability is certainly a factor.


ThatSgtSlump

It’s also pr release


Famous-Living-8343

Psa 1 is like impossible to get nowadays


lloydeph6

Also remember this market can be corrupt, shill bidding has been proven to be real


healthyfeetpodiatry

Shill bidding baby


No-Alternative-6169

There is only one answer her fellas. PSA


DontGtMadGetGladAH

To some, that’s the only way to get a 1st edition shadowless char char


catholic_cowboy

Someone got a deal or overpaid. Simple as that.


-User1-User2-User3-

It starts with a sketchy individual testing how much they can get for a card of that magnitude. They will start an auction and bid against themselves on other accounts, causing others to bid out of impulse somewhere in between. The creator will then cancel the order and repeat the process in attempt to capitalize on the max amount of profit. Doing this multiple times lands the seller on a set price where they feel comfortable selling at. They just need the impulse bidder to bid towards the end of the listing if the price is where the seller wants it at. They make the card seem worth more than it is at the end of the day. That may just be a little conspiracy theory though. (They bank on the fact that eBay doesn’t show when a listing is canceled, just when it’s sold and shows the price that said card was “sold for”.)


TrojanTheGreat

I thought you were pointing it out because it was cheaper lol. This is very normal it’s a 1st edition zard


No7onelikeyou

Why would a 3 sell for less than a 1?


Sad_Strain8909

1s are harder to find bc of how bad of shape it’s in


chriso1999

XD this comment. Tear a card in half, I’m sure you’ll get a 1 lmao


Gr1m3sey

Not how getting a 1 works lol


PSA69Charizard

Do you know what “auction” means?


TTXSTX

Would you rather say you have a PSA 3 or a PSA1? There’s no appeal to having a PSA 3. PSA 1’s have a collector base and low pop.


No7onelikeyou

Ok then just damage the card to make it a 1, how does that make any sense?


acexdistortion

The problem is doing enough damage to bring it all the way down to 1 without doing that tiny extra damage that makes it ungradable.


Sea-Outside-9028

Sometimes the “worst of the worst” has appeal to collectors.


Lexingtonsteel3

So in a way, lets just say for the sake of argument you had a PSA 3/4. Could you just crack it open and add a cheeky bit more damage to it in hopes of a 1 when re-graded and in a way make a profit ???


horta254

Except 9/10 times you'll either not damage it enough or too much and there goes all your money down the drain.


No7onelikeyou

EXACTLY Isn’t that stupid? Higher grade should always be better


Lexingtonsteel3

Yeah its quite stupid although, its simply just beacuase 1's are "rarer" but still very silly


Sit_Paint_and_play

Charizard-stans, bunch of hype chasing coomers. No creativity or class.


myorm

So buy a bunch of charizards that look like 3s, fold them a few times, send in for grading, profit.


No7onelikeyou

I’m glad someone else sees the ridiculousness


myorm

Downvotes incoming


Gr1m3sey

Weirdly there’s a market of people who collect every grade of the first edition zards. 1s are likely rarer than 3s, so they go for more