>>48339159You know that PSA strictly states that a PSA 10 is a 'virtually perfect' card, right anon? That means it can have an imperfection or 2, it's not a BGS or CGC 10 Pristine grade. Most PSA 10s would be 9.5/9.5/10/10 or something along these lines, depending on the grading criteria. No one will crack a PSA 10 and send to another company simply because it says '10' which people see as a high enough grade. PSA is more lenient on centering (55/45, not 50/50) so that is why PSA 9s and 10s will sometimes have average centering. It's almost impossible to collect absolute perfect cards.
As far as the price discrepancy, that's a whole other topic that comes down to a card by card basis and also the population of 9s vs 10s. When you have a 1000 9s and only 100 or 50 10s, of course the price of the 10s are going to be 10x more due to rarity and low availability, people want more and collectors are willing to pay more. People mainly buy the grade and not the card itself and just assume that the 10 is better than the 9 even if they're real close.
If you're just a collector and care less about potential investment, a PSA 9 is totally fine to own or buy if you want a mint example. Just buy one with good centering and the eye appeal is great.
