Vintage Hall of Fame Rookie: 1978 Topps Jack Morris #703

I’m the proud owner of a few of these, being that my PC is mainly comprised of my favorite Detroit Tigers from my childhood - Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Lance Parrish, Kirk Gibson, and, of course, Jack Morris.

Jack Morris, SP - Played from 1977-1994

HOF Induction in 2018 - 14 out of 16 votes (87.5% ) by the Modern Era Baseball Committee

Standout Stats:

• 254 career wins (tied for 44th all-time)

• Three-time 20-game winner

• 162 wins in the 1980s (most of the decade)

• A 10-inning shutout to win Game 7 of the 1991 World Series

• Career WAR - 43.5

Hobby Thoughts: Are PSA 10s Worth the Monetary Pursuit?

Back in 2022, I saw an article that referenced the prices of Jerry Rice and Steve Young rookie cards, prices that were in the five- to six-figure range, because they were PSA 10s. I thought to myself, “I have each of those cards, in my parents’ garage, right now.” That’s what initially got me back into the hobby. The thought that I could have what amounted to a lottery ticket that I just needed to dig up.

While those cards have gone down in value a bit since the peak of the Covid boom, they are some of the many examples of the disparity between PSA 10s and PSA 9s. For instance, let’s look at the 1986 Topps Jerry Rice:

And the 1986 Topps Steve Young:

Doing some quick math, the Jerry Rice rookie population difference is 17.7 times more 9s than 10s, while the difference in price is the 10 being 32.5 times that of the 9. That’s almost twice the disparity. Meanwhile, for the Steve Young rookie, the population is 24.3 times more 9s than 10s, while the difference in price is 24.4 times, which lines up pretty nicely.

One other example is probably my favorite card, the 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson rookie:

The difference in population is 90.5 times more 9s than 10s, while the difference in price is the 10 somehow being only 55.4 times that of the 9. Lucky for those in search of one of the 25 10s, which would be $235,300 if it lined up with the population difference.

Scarcity is a good reason for high prices, sure. There are only 63 Jerry Rice rookies in a PSA 10, 25 Rickey Henderson rookies, and, amazingly, only 8 Steve Young rookies. This can be especially true when you consider those three cards have been graded by PSA nearly 100,000 times, meaning 10s take up 0.1% of the total.

That is all well and good, but here’s the thing: being able to tell the difference between a 10 and a 9 can be difficult, especially with the naked eye, which is what most of us use when we’re looking at our cards. Here are the grading standards for each, according to PSA.

For a 10:

“A PSA Gem Mint 10 card is a virtually perfect card.

Attributes include four perfectly sharp corners, sharp focus and full original gloss. A PSA Gem Mint 10 card must be free of staining of any kind, but an allowance may be made for a slight printing imperfection, if it doesn't impair the overall appeal of the card. The image must be centered on the card within a tolerance not to exceed approximately 55/45 percent on the front, and 75/25 percent on the reverse.”

For a 9:

“A PSA Mint 9 is a superb condition card that exhibits only one of the following minor flaws: a very slight wax stain on reverse, a minor printing imperfection or slightly off white borders. Centering must be approximately 60/40 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.”

55/45 centering compared to 60/40 is by no means a big difference, while, yes, the 75/25 to 90/10 comparison is a bit more obvious, but to be fair, how often do people look at the back of the card to judge how good a card looks in comparison to looking at the front of the card to do the same? Additionally, please note the “approximately” used in both descriptions, so there’s wiggle room there. And the other flaws allowed in the 9s are what PSA itself notes them as: minor.

I should say, I’m not trying to call out PSA here. I reference them because they are the grading company used the most these days, and they are, generally speaking, the grading company that will give cards the most value when given higher grades. And while there are grading standards set out, graders aren’t robots, meaning there is a degree of subjectivity that we as collectors understand - or at least have to acknowledge can exist. Conspiracy theories abound regarding things like population control, which I won’t get into here, because that’s not the point of this discussion.

The point is this: does the ever-so-slight difference in grading standards between a PSA 10 and a PSA 9 justify what people are willing to pay for PSA 10s?

Population counts matter, sure, and these wider variances in prices between 10s and 9s are more heightened with older cards, since it’s that much harder to get a “perfect” older card, but what is perfection on a card that is typically 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches? That’s not much real estate to work with, so why do some collectors feel the need to have a 10 instead of a 9? And why does the market drive such a big disparity?

Answers abound (and please leave a comment if you have thoughts), but I think it’s just a fascinating discussion to have. Every collector has their own rationale for why they spend what they do and what they want in their collection, and with more discussions about “Buy the card, not the grade,” it’ll be interesting to see what that does to prices if that becomes how more people collect.

And it’s not like I’m disappointed that I didn’t have the Jerry Rice, or that the Steve Young I was able to find had small bubbles on the surface that eliminated any possibility of a 10, much less a 9. I mean, come on, that’s just ridiculous …

Some Current Auction Highlights

Listed in order by closing date (with highest bid prices as of Sunday evening PT):

Huggins & Scott (closing September 4):

1934-36 R327 Diamond Stars #64 Jimmie Foxx - Original Card Artwork - $14,500

1910-11 M116 Sporting Life Ty Cobb Pastel Background PSA 6 - $7,000

1938 Our National Game Pin and 1950 Callahan Hall of Fame Lou Gehrig Pair - $100

Goldin (closing September 6):

1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle SGC Authentic/Altered - $31,000

1980-81 Topps Scoring Leader Bird/Magic Rookie Card PSA 9 - $6,000

1975 Topps, 1975 Topps Mini Baseball Collection (40), Featuring 39 PSA-Graded Cards, Including Nolan Ryan, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock - $170 (Editor’s Note: I may have to track this one, since it’s probably my favorite set)

Fanatics Collect (closing September 7):

1946 Nannina Figurine Technicolor Ferenc Puskas Rookie PSA 6 - $20,500 (Editor’s Note: I had to look Puskas up and he was a Hungarian soccer player and manager “widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time” (per Wikipedia), scoring 802 goals in 792 career games)

1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 PSA 2 - $8,250

1960 Topps Eddie Mathews #420 SGC 6 - $8