Card doctoring...
is the hobby's dirty little secret. It is interesting to me that so many of the newer collectors (and some of the old) including those spending large sums of money seem to think that if one of the major TPGs slab a card, it's legitimate. And the logical corollary of that is sellers are judged only by their customer service --if they get you the card you bought well-packaged in a reasonable time, they're a superstar.
But it ain't necessarily so. Many of us know better and know that doctoring is rampant. To an extent, one could say, well who cares, once slabbed a card becomes a commodity and the alteration is irrelevant. On the other hand, I suspect a fair number of collectors would not buy even slabbed cards if they knew they had been altered, or deal with sellers who traffic in altered cards. But the dilemma is this. Those who know are just not going to go on a public forum and name names. And the reason is this: for the most part, we don't have incontrovertible proof, we didn't see anyone do it or overhear an admission, it's more in the nature of knowledge from our long history in the hobby, the reputation of certain people among graders and honest dealers we know, observation about the cards certain people buy versus those they sell, observation about cards purchased that to a trained eye appear altered, and so forth. So what's the right thing to do? I guess you could say I and others are (plural starting with p) for not coming forward and naming names and only making statements like the above in general terms. And maybe that would be correct. Anyhow, at the risk of being vilified, I put the topic out there for discussion. |
Knowledge is power - stick to the facts
I for one think it would be completely reasonable to raise questions/suspicions stating the facts as you understand them or your own personal experience (as that) supporting the question(s). That could be the start of a conversation at the end of which each person can make their own decision or draw their own conclusions - I don't think it would be fair or reasonable to name call or make unsubstantiated accusations. The PWCC Joe Dimaggio card thread would be an example.
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I am a small fish in the collecting world. It used to be that I was a small fish out of necessity. While that is somewhat still the case, it is now also a result of some of what you are saying, Peter. I observe a lot here on Net54, at the National, etc. It is funny and ironic how certain things come back around full circle and end up devouring themselves. I remember being a teenager and looking at dealers' ads in magazines like SCD and Tuff Stuff. You never really knew what ex or nm meant because it was different for every dealer. Now we have dealers trading in altered cards and such, but it is all okay because, as you say, those dealers provide impeccable service as they connect customers with the cards that have become slabbed commodities. The dealers can simply plead ignorance and defer to the TPGs. Nevermind that professional grading was supposed to regulate the hobby. I used to bristle when you wrote "stuff trumps all." However, I now know it to be true.
Thank goodness there are good people still left in this hobby. I have become content to work on little off the radar, low budget projects that few here would even care about, in hopes that some of the graft you describe will be cleaned up. I am not holding my breath. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk |
"once slabbed a card becomes a commodity and the alteration is irrelevant"
This is the root of the problem. |
Unless you had that incontrovertible evidence, naming names would only get you into an argument. Those who are named would obviously deny the accusation and we'd go round and round. Jeff L. warned us of Mastro and he denied everything until he got busted by the Feds. Might make for an epic net54 thread though.
Not to hi-jack your thread as this might be a little off target, but pertains to card doctoring. I've wondered about the time line of progression of the sophistication of alterations. What kind of alterations were being done 20, 15, 10 years ago vs 5 years up to current techniques? Where alterations much "simpler" so to speaker 15 years ago which made them "easier" to detect? Could that mean earlier graded cards actually being less likely to have some kind of alteration due to the types of alterations being done at that time easier to detect? Could be a totally naive thought, but a thought popped into my head. |
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> if one of the major TPGs slab a card, it's legitimate
> once slabbed a card becomes a commodity > observation about the cards certain people buy versus those they sell These and other thoughts have recently occurred to me as well and I find myself left jaded a bit and wondering what the future might be. The fact that we even need TPGs I find somewhat disconcerting... I'd rather that all cards were "raw" and authentic and unaltered (and there are differing opinions on what constitutes alteration for that matter) - but that's not our world. I wonder if someday should I need or want to liquidate my collection will uncertainty of how these traits are viewed have negatively impacted today's value - I suppose that its just a hobby; but still... I sometimes think that one big scandal involving a major TPG will crush that value - again, just a hobby; but we're all acquiring/buying in a market that is heavily propped up by the influence that TPGs have on it. Just another small fish writing here... |
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Funny this post got added today. Today I had two cards posted with SGC that were deemed "color added". I've had all other cards always receive a grade and then today 2/6 are color added. Funny thing is I bought the cards at least 6 months apart from different sellers and it was a 62 Topps and a 75 Topps. So wasn't like it was 2 - 71 Topps from the same batch from the same seller. I think it's relevant to the OP because I've never had this happen in dozens of sumissioms and now 2 in a single submission? Maybe one was obvious so they took a harder look at the rest? Kind of supports the notion that maybe some of my other submissions had alterations but they weren't picked up.
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Provenance, provenance, provenance
Yes, many graded cards have been altered, and a common problem with graded baseball card collectors is many don't give one hoot, one care, where the card came from, just its current entombed grade. If they inquired, even insisted, on documented history-- even if merely having the seller of a gem mint card demonstrating that he got the card in that condition--, many alterations would be revealed. The Importance of Provenance in Collecting |
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The TPGs allowed so much more "collectors" cough investors in. They brought tons and tons of money. No more barrier to enter the hobby, no knowledge is needed and TPGs opened that door. SO while ALL our collections have appreciated, I believe the fraud has increased and the name of the game is getting some by the goalie into a slab. It has helped the hobby economically and hurt it colleting wise...and it will never be the same. Most of it is just a commodity now. |
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Unless we see the act of altering first hand we can't really say for sure (unless there is an admission :))? That is a big issue.
And since we are on the subject, restoration and altering have been around a long time. No doubt before this too. The write-in is a familiar name too. :) http://luckeycards.com/5a1.jpg http://luckeycards.com/5a2.jpg . |
Throughout my TPG experience I have found that if SGC gives one of my cards a numerical grade I can take it to the bank that its real/authentic and unaltered. I trust SGC, imo they're accurate and very strick on their assesment of issues such as authenticity and alterations.
I'll buy SGC cards all day long over PSA. |
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the cards should be destroyed or somehow permanently labelled as such... and TPG'ing companies should be held accountable for their errors. |
Card restoration
Although card doctoring has been around for decades the original motivation was mostly for the personal satisfaction of the collector. Obviously there was some money motivation 30 years ago, but nothing like today. And I cannot help but see the irony that the grading companies offer an expensive solution to a problem they helped create. (I'm an attorney and we are good at creating expensive solutions to problems we created too). I have a 1956 Mantle psa 6 and a psa 9. (the 9 by the way is overgraded and about as attractive as the 6).
30 years ago the reaction to the cards would be those are two nice Mantles, I'll give you an extra $20 for that one. Now that psa has dictated that the two cards have subtle differences that justify an insane $30,000 difference in price, there is powerful motivation for plastic surgery. I collect mostly vintage, but last year I put together a 1986 Fleer basketball set all psa 8. I paid $11 for my psa 8 Johnny Moore card. Somebody paid over $15,000 for a psa 10. Can you honestly tell me that the small differences in the card of a journeyman player justify a $15,000 price difference. Especially since if we broke the cases and resubmitted they might both come back a "9". |
prior sale
Well you always run the risk of someone posting the exact card on a prior sale in which the cards look identical but for the alteration.
So theres a ticking time bomb and musical chairs as the card keeps changing hands before the music ends I have often touted an ownership registry with pictures so you can tell if your 1952 Mantle is claimed to be owned by someone else and it would also aid in the alteration issue, maybe I'm before my time there as well. |
Leon - thanks for posting that from Lew.
I guess I should not be surprised but seeing such details and proof in print from so long ago, kinda confirms for me that a lot of doctoring is being done today. I've been seeing/handling t206's, etc since the late 1970s and I don't remember seeing so many sharp old cards as I do today. Could they have come out of olde timie collections? I guess. But if I was a betting man, and I am, I think doctoring is pretty darn wide-spread. Sad face. peter |
For my book, I did a case study research on ancient American Indian artifacts. Many of the artifacts on the market have similarly been altered and for similarly various reasons-- from a century old farmer innocently cleaning up a chipped age of an arrowhead he found in his field to a modern dealer deceptively reshaping a broken artifacts into a whole or even better shape.
Luckily, in this area the authentic artifacts are centuries old with centuries old wear, patina and mineral deposits from the earth, so you can identify when and where an arrowhead or such has been altered in modern times. Unlike with baseball cards, a razor sharp edge or corner is not a desirable quality. |
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PS One reason the very early grades might be more reliable even if more lax numerically is that there were so many more raw cards to send in for the first time. So many submissions now are stuff being recycled. But again I don't really know. |
1. Any foreign substance removed from any card is an improvement and need not be mentioned to a buyer.
I don't consider this restoration, such as removing glue residue on the back, but it should at least be pointed out to the buyer. Most buyers IMO are OK with this. 2. Anything added to (like color) a card is fraudulent. Or building up corners. Horrors! Agreed. How the hell do they rebuild corners? That is FREAKY! 3. Nobody should trim cards. It's not the same card. Agreed. 4) If ironing out creases is successful, fine. Hell no! :eek: Sometimes these creases or wrinkles can reappear many months or years down the line (when the card is sitting inside a PSA 8 case!) |
You're handcuffed in a way. The internet has brought accessibility to cards you probably wouldn't be able to find otherwise. The ability to identify alterations, prior to purchase, is impossible without having the card in hand. It doesn't matter if it's encapsulated or raw; Your chances of getting duped certainly go up if you buy raw from an unknown source. But, some of the more respected names still make mistakes. They turn an awful lot of cards in a short period time and, like many, also trust the grade without further examination. Does it make sense for sellers to break out the eye loupe for every graded card they sell? I don't like the doctoring any more than anyone else. But, it's hard to make a case against someone without firsthand proof, as Leon pointed out. It would be irresponsible to "out" someone and ruin a good reputation, simply because a single card graded by a respected grader ended up being altered. Just my two centavos.
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Friendly bump
Perhaps we should discuss the impact of card nursing on the hobby as well.
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If restoration is no big deal then it should be no big deal to disclose it either.
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Another thing is that there are standard advanced scientific tests that are used elsewhere, but not with trading cards. That doesn't mean that ten or twenty years down the road, someone won't do the tests on today's cards to identify which have been altered. I don't consider this whole discussion a big issue for collectors of mid to low grade cards-- which I assume is most people on this board. However, I think many collectors of highest grade graded cards are rubes. There's another area (not cards) that I bet will be a matter of rude awakening for collectors in the future, but that's a topic for another discussion. |
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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...cff41b300c.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...f88789b6eb.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2b22615864.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...35c1921cfb.jpg Can someone smarter than me tell me where the color has been added just by the eBay photos? The first card is mine and the second is a graded version currently for sale. I didn't pay a ton for mine so I'm not that upset. To be fair when I received the card I didn't examine it for color being added. I'm still trying to figure out how to find these types of issues. If it really difficult when buying online. Not trying to hijack the thread but figured this was relevant. I'd be happy to delete at the OP's request. Thanks - Steve Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
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Borders
Over the years there have been many posts in the BST that tout the card as having "wide" borders. When I see posts like that, my first thought is - Maybe the seller of the card is possibly suggesting that this would be a great card to trim. Otherwise, I don't see any extra value in cards with wide borders.
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http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...ictureid=21947 |
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/1962-TOPPS-...p2047675.l2557 Edited to add two things: 1) It looks to me like color has been added to all 4 corners. 2) Forget the recolor for just a minute. The seller describes the card as VG/EX. It looks VG/EX to me as well, but off center. If the card were submitted to PSA, it would probably grade a PSA 4 OC (assuming it wasn't recolored). I'm sure a PSA 4 OC Brock RC can be purchased for about $25 or less. If it's a must that your cards be graded, it might be better to buy them already graded, that way you know what you're getting. |
[QUOTE=DeanH3;1739835]I definitely see your point. For me, I love wide borders because it gives me some confidence that the card hasn't been trimmed. I know it's not a guarantee, but it helps.
I definitely look for T206s that fit in the PSA/SGC holder w/ very little gap. |
Thanks
The last two posts are very helpful. I don't need to have a Brock RC graded. I do a submission once or twice a year. Some cards that are higher end and others to see, how am I doing, in the raw card world. Up until this latest submission I have received numerical grades for all my purchases. This time I got color added on two of them. Better deals can be had in the raw market but there are more risks with a novice collector so I'm trying to learn (I also know from this post and others that grading services aren't perfect, but better than me). I recent got a Yaz RC for $25 as well that got an SGC 60. That's a $75 plus card and more likely $100 or so. These are good cheap lessons to learn. I still haven't left feedback for the seller and he hasn't offered much sympathy in response. Does a recoloring warrant a negative. Seller says he bought it off someone who came in his shop. Also David one question for you. Would you have picked up on the color added by the scan if you didn't know about it originally? I'm sure most would have realized after receiving the card. Steve |
How would soaking fit into this discussion? Removing glue or tobacco stains from PBs for example. Just curious how this is looked upon.
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Does anybody have an estimation of what percentage of cards presently residing in TPG cases have been altered? Or has a sample ever been taken?
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Au contraire, I just made nurses better.;) |
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If you learned that a percentage of TPA LOAs for autographs were incorrect, how would that affect your collecting of autographs? Would you still accept them as 100% accurate and cross your fingers? Or would you educate yourself about autograph authentication, take more care in picking autographs? What would you think of an industry that uses TPA LOAs as the final arbiter? Duly note it is not the autograph and game used experts who take TPA LOAs as infallible and the final arbiters as what is authentic and not (go to the autograph section or the game used universe form to see this). It is collectors who lack knowledge, auction houses who want "insurance" and resellers who want something to move their product. You will find that expert collectors in these areas are DIY types. My collecting personal advice on cards would to stick to mid to lower grades. Don't get price enamored by the grade on the label. There are a lot of great looking cards in lower grade, many presentable even good to poor grade. You skip all that Gem Mint, resubmit a card 10 times until you raise the grade by 0.5 crapola. If there's a missed flaw, saw a small wrinkle, on a 'Gem Mint' card that's a travesty; on a low grade card its no big deal. If you want to buy raw cards, that's great, but find reputable and trustworthy dealers to buy them from. Some people look for the cards, then see who is the seller. As a collector, I would find my favorite sellers and see what they were selling. Just my opinion-- everyone will have his own take and advice. |
Provenance will never matter when it comes to something like baseball cards. They were collected by children and rarely does a 100 plus year old card stay in one collection for the life of the card. So what provenance could there possibly be on a high grade T206? A notarized statement from an 8 year old in 1909? It'll never work.
My advice to anyone would be to avoid high grade pre-war cards entirely. I'd pay the same amount of money for a PSA 9 T206 that I would an Auth because I highly doubt there's any difference between them. But to each their own. |
My advice to a new collector on a budget would be to stick to low/mid grade pre-war cards with nice eye appeal. My personal sweet spot is in the VG-VG/EX range. Chances are if you do this you will be able to find nice presentable cards at relative bargain prices and the likelihood of alterations is also presumably decreased.
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Sorry, but I disagree with the advice to stick to mid grade cards. That's like putting a Band-Aid on cancer - it only covers up the problem. As the case with the Lou Brock card in this thread, it was a mid-grade card and off center at that, but it was still recolored.
My advice would be to educate yourself - learn what to look for. If you like mid-grade cards, fine then buy them. I'm not saying don't buy mid-grade cards. What I am saying is don't limit yourself to mid-grade cards just because you're afraid of buying something that's been altered. Education, Knowledge - again, learn what to look for. |
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Considering that it's done by people, that percentage would mean they're doing a pretty good job. |
I've said this before, but I think it bears some repeating.
The entire process for authentication and grading is backwards. Sure, there are a lot of cards that can be done by pretty much anyone. Stuff that's not particularly prone to recoloring, and is in pretty worn condition. I'd say that cards with colored borders are more likely to be recolored even in lower grades - we've seen a great example right here. But to take the cards, and push them through faster based on value is not what makes any sense. I suspect that actually only means the cards that are expensive get their limited inspection sooner, probably to make the insurance company happy. Even if you can't accept a system that handles higher value cards more slowly, maybe a system that triaged where effort was spent? Send in a box of VG anything, and it goes to the new guy. Send in a bunch of cards that might be in higher grades, send them to more experienced people. Possible high grade cards with fairly high value if they are high grade should get much more scrutiny. And I mean actually taking time to be sure everything is "right" with the card. And if something isn't "right" put the opinion of that in writing so it's clear. No "questionable" authenticity, No "we won't slab it because it's been tampered with" none of that nonsense. It wouldn't work for less expensive cards, but ultimately all card graded should have the flaws explained, and in writing. Steve B |
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Again thanks everyone for the feedback. |
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My advice was just for a single new collector if he asked.
Just one thing that I would do hobby wide is to estimate is the margin of error just in assigning the grade, for example as exemplified as through all those resubmissions to get a different grade, and put that margin of error on the label. In science, identifying and expressing the margin of error is integral and essential when communicating results. If a label said "ExMt 6 with margin of error of 5%" that would change things quite a bit. If with numbers people, this margin of error is well known and talked about, if indirectly. There are those who resubmit to get a different grade, people who say "Do you this could get a bump?" and people who say one card looks better than another though in the same number grade. All I'm saying this margin of error should be explicitly expressed on the product for everyone to see, and for this margin of error be expressed in all calculations and considerations. Everything-- in science, life and grading-- has a margin of error. There is nothing wrong with that. The problem is when people, and a system, act as if there is no margin of error. And would that margin of error have to be reflected in the registry numbers? Of course. Would it change pricing on many cards and all that? Probably, but so be it. But much of the hobby is based on bad math and statistics. Do I think this will happen? Of course not. The collectors would fight this more than the graders. PSA registry people would probably have a stroke. Another practical and specific fix would be there should be formal grades for photographs. And I don't say that as some vague, generalized rule, but for specific reason. |
Personally I would prefer that TPA's simply authentic cards and let the buyer decide what grade the card is to them. Assigning numbers is foolish to me because every collector should be able to determine what a card is worth to themselves without some phony number getting involved. And we've seen time and time again that a card can be "Good" one day, returned for another look, and come out "Very Good" the next despite nothing changing. In that scenario authentic cards that have been trimmed will sell for the same price as high grade cards and I think that price will be closer to what authentic cards sell for now than it would to the PSA 9 price. And cards that are in lower "collector" grades will likely balloon in value under that system.
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If you get an artifact carbon dated or thermoluminesciently tested (another method for dating), the result will include the carefully calculated margin of error with the result. Why do they do this? Because they are scientists (one of the main carbon dating places is at the University of Arizona physics department) and care about accuracy in their results.
What does this margin of error in the result force you to do? It forces for you to not just rely on that result, but look at the items from different aspects. For example, thermoluminescence testing, which is a highly advanced atomic testing of the material, often has a large margin of error. The margin of error means it doesn't pinpoint a year or decade or even century, but tells you that the material is either centuries old or new, which is very important information for identifying an item as authentic or a fake. But the authenticator has to consider other aspects in pinpointing the item and its date, such as the style, history, etc. In fact, what often happens with expensive and rare ancient relics and artifacts, the art historian or whomever looks at all the other stuff-- look, style, research-- to judge the identity and age, then the thermoluminescence test is done as the final check, or piece in the puzzle. The historian says this vase appears to be a 14th century Chines, and the thermoluminescence test says "We can't tell you the century, but it is indeed centuries old and not new." Similarly, if the graded card label includes a margin of error with the grade, that will force the collector to consider other things-- usually how the item looks. This, of course, is what many people on this board already do. But I would like this margin of error to be explicitly be expressed and calculated throughout the entire hobby. Would this approach blow up, or at least significantly alter, the baseball card hobby calculations that don't express and incorporate the margin of error? Yes, but this just says those numbers are bad. That physics professor at the University of Arizona would say you have to include the margin of error in the carbon dating result, and subsequent consideration of that result. He would say you can't not do it, and not doing it would be scientific malpractice. So, as I said, if it were up to me, a grading margin of error would be estimated and placed right on the front of the label with the grade, and the margin or error be integrated into all hobby number calculations. Would this significantly alter present calculations such as the registry and some price guides, and alter much hobby perception/consideration of grades? Yes, but that's because those current calculations are perceptions/considerations of grades are currently off. An example of a change in consideration would be a collector saying "The label says NmtMt 8 +/- 18%. I guess I'd better look at the card itself and see what I think." Oh, the horror, the horror. How would the baseball card industrial complex survive such thinking? |
A major difference between "collecting" today and before the TPGs was the old right of passage. We use to go to shows, hold cards, smell cards and talk to people about said card. This was the education you got, the more people you conversed with = the more you learned. Even with TPGs this is still possible even with far less shows to do this.
Some people want specifics on what to look for and that is a great first question. But every issue is different, judging a 1956T is far different than a Cracker Jack. I have collected CJs, PCs, e107s, t205s, t206s, e120s, e121, 33G, 34G, 40PB, n172s, n28s, Topps, Bowman, n300s etc...they all differ. On every single issue I have talked to more experienced people on what to look for, tips, giveaways and anything I could learn...and to me, that is all part of the hobby. This networking is all part of the foundation on what we did and some continue to do. TPGs have allowed people to skip educating yourself and relying on the flip...the flip has become the commodity in many instances instead of the card. I don't care if its raw or graded, I will analyze it myself and make an informed decision based on many different factors including seller, past experiences and if I do not know or feel comfortable I will contact someone. Take the time to reach out, 99% of the time you will get an answer with details that you could have never known w/o reaching out. It becomes about being self-sufficient and realizing when someone is trying to get one over on you whether they know it or not. Pick a grade, who cares, just EDUCATE YOURSELF! Take that time, make those connections, REACH OUT! If anyone wants to know what to look for in CJs, write me, any time, I will respond. Just b/c its slabbed doesn't mean its any good or perfect, don't make the flip the commodity...collect the cards. Sorry if any of this comes off as condescending or arrogant, its not intended and this is how it was done pre-1991. EDUCATE YOURSELF BROTHERS! |
A margin of error doesn't really have a place in card collecting. You would have to take it upon yourself to decide that a grade is subjective. I don't need a guy to tell me my card is in "Fair" condition with a margin of error between "Poor" and "Very Good".
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How can you have a margin of error on an opinion (which all that a grade is, ultimately). How would that work - "I believe the grade is a 6, but my opinion may be wrong" ?
I could see the authentic vs non-authentic determination having a margin of error, but not the grade. |
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However, doing such things as registry numbers charts and rankings are, quite simply, a joke. There's nothing wrong with it as a game, but people actually take it as serious and it effects values and prices. |
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I agree about the registry. That's why I'd love to see TPG's simply authenticate cards and leave it at that. The numbering system, as discussed, is so flawed that it's become nothing more than a marketing scheme when it was supposed to standardize the hobby. There is no standard though because cards get different grades on different days. I say do away with them entirely and simply authenticate.
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The registry system is also the "tide that lifts all boats" and is the reason the card market is booming, in my opinion +/- 4 points.
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"Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked." - Warren Buffett
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The registry is artificial though. A 10 could be a 7 tomorrow because there's no consistency day to day. Collectors should decide what cards are worth paying for.
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Some collectors apparently do that
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My math is bad, but the right math makes the margin of error a lot smaller.:D I'm really sure more then 30 items have made it through PSA that really shouldn't have. |
I know you did. But as they say, technically correct is the best kind of correct.
I'm not sure what he meant by we would be in deep **** valuewise if it was proven that 30 cards got through undetected. I'm pretty sure that NM/Mint collectors would have over 10% altered cards in their collections. |
I have no idea about percentage, but with the number of people I know to be card doctors, and the number of years they have been doing it, and some sense of how many cards they work on, it adds up.
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May your collecting bring you joy in any event, Larry PS: I believe it was Mastro that said that any pre-war card graded higher than a "7" had been tampered with. Buyers of TPG "8's" and "9's" from that era--caveat emptor! |
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Good luck in you collecting, and hopefully Michigan will eventually give the Spartans and Oh how we hate Ohio State better competition in the future! Larry |
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I believe grading is extremely valuable for exposing those hard to see flaws. When you see a sharp lower graded card, you know there is something lurking. Now if the flaws of the card were also included on the flip, then maybe just an "A" grade would work. However those flips would need to be pretty big to accommodate that and slabs would increase in size as a result. |
I find this thread troubling on a personal level, for some of you might consider me both a “card” and a “doctor”. It is amusing though to expand the concepts related to the hobby into other fields. The proposal of listing flaws on the flips instead of a numerical grade, I find interesting for two reasons.
First consider if you will old people instead of old cards. As a group we would be spared the humiliation of being graded 1, 2 or 3 with nary a 10 in sight in our retirement enclaves. Our flips would be too large to lug around though and too long to read for practical social events. I suppose we could carry credit cards with embedded chips and have access to ubiquitous chip readers though. Second consider the field of Plastic Surgery, the true “villains” of medicine. Restoration, augmentation and flaw ablation is their bailiwick. In the world of “people flips”, their work is judged by third party graders, spouses and mirrors. If your wife was a 4 pre-operatively before the face lift or boob job, and considers herself a 6 after the procedure, the plastic surgeon is successful and rewarded. Maybe it should just be called “Grade Bump Surgery”. The same type of analogy could be applied to your automobile susceptible to both fender benders or a total loss as the result of an accident. The total loss or “beater” ends up in the collection at a junk yard. The fender bender though is rewarded with a trip to the Body Shop, where the goal is the ultimate grade bump to 10. Corners are restored, centering or at least symmetry is achieved and inevitably a little color is added, before delivery. So, whether graded or not, fear not for your cardboard collection. Just remember that when purchasing cards, always remember to utter the following. SHOW ME THE CARDFAX But don’t ask the ladies about their plastic surgery or look for their scars, just compliment them on their beauty.;) |
Where's Wonkaticket when you need him? 😃 I know there could be a great photoshop image that could be inserted here. 👍
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"SHOW ME THE CARDFAX
But don’t ask the ladies about their plastic surgery or look for their scars, just compliment them on their beauty." Sage advice, Frank! |
Frank you’re hilarious!!
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Great writing there, Frank!
I'm sure some slabbed cards out there in both low grades and high grades have been "improved." End of the day, for this collector, it comes down to the old saying, "It's a foolish dog that barks at a flying bird." If I like a card, I'll buy it, then enjoy it. Nice, happy, and simple. No point in wondering, let alone fretting, over where she was before meeting me ;) She'll never tell me the truth anyway! |
Look at it this way...
Before third party graders, perhaps the amount of doctored cards that were purchased by unsuspecting souls was even higher.
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