Quote:
Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy
If you don't think the hobby has become a bigger cesspool of greed and fraud as a result of grading, you've got your head buried in the sand. I would absolutely love to debate this with you on the open forum.
Let me give you one example. The whole PSA half grade implementation was a result of greed - PSA wanting the Kool Aid drinkers to resubmit their cards so they could be charged again. Not only was it greed on PSA's part, but also greed on the part of the collector in thinking their PSA 8 could become a PSA 8.5 and magically increase the value...even though it's the same card.
If it weren't greed, why did Joe Orlando flip flop his stance of half point grades? Here are two quotes from him (about four and a half years apart) regarding half point grades.
"From the start, I have been against .5 grades" 7/10/2003
"I stand behind it 100%" (referring to the implementation of half point grades" 1/17/2008
So, what changed? Greed! Again, if you don't think greed has increased with grading, you've been hiding under a rock or something. I have many, many more examples.
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I have a stack of signed 8x10's with old scoreboard COAs if you're interested. Third party authenticators have done more to clean up this hobby than any single person, auction house or entity.
PSA introduced half grades out of greed, but there is nothing inherently deceptive about the practice. You're complaining about half grades as if they're bad - who cares? SGC has them, GAI did, BVG does. I am more concerned about fraud.
Would you buy a 1952 Topps Mantle ungraded? How about a Wagner? Would you spend more than $100 on a raw card sight unseen?
But yes, I would debate that a hobby without third party authenticators is a hobby with more greed and fraud.