[Spike]

As a low-grade collector, I see the prestige appeal of joining PSA's registry, even if I live at the far left end of its spectrum. Might have a registry

I have one hoped-for-benefit of graded registries and one concern. My own collecting's esoteric, so the benefit's related to personal research about a specific set or range of cards. Researching, say, a group of variations and having them listed by a grading company provides a stamp of authority in the hobby. The flip side (the concern) is anyone buying and holding cards not yet recognized, as I'm sure some do, have strong incentives not to help bring them to light, so research doesn't move ahead as fast as it could -- at least until they're ready to sell. :-)