Posted By:
barrysloateI know there will be inconsistencies with grading- it's an art, not a science, and it is clearly subjective- but that is not a satisfying answer for me.
We've all seen some extraordinary prices realized for high grade cards, especially those with low pops. So please explain how these astronomical prices can be paid when nobody really knows the history of a given card.
A Mint 9 is put in an auction and sells for $50,000. Maybe the same card in an 8 would have trouble reaching $10,000. Yet that very 9 may have been yesterday's 8. So really money is being created out of thin air. Nothing has changed, it's the same card, yet the person willing to spend that much on the card is putting tremendous faith in the veracity of that 9. Like I've said many times, I don't get it.
For cards to achieve all the record prices we see on a regular basis, there has to be incredible accuracy and consistency. If that doesn't exist, then an 8 should sell for only a tiny premium above a 7, and a 9 for a small one over an 8, because frankly, nobody really knows what is going on.
When Mr Freddy Mercury eventually sells that card, how much of its history will the buyer know?