Old vs. New Condition Standards

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Posted By: petecld

NOTE: This is not to be considered as me making excuses any one seller. Just some thoughts. . .

The Fritsch comments on over grading got me to thinking and I'd like everyone's opinion. Note that the main complaints of over grading are directed at long time dealers who are use to a different and dare I say a little more common sense approach to grading?

Am I saying we should excuse the veteran dealer? NO! When a card is described as Ex and you receive a card with very rounded corners and multiple creases (Festberg!) there is no excuse, but, I digress. Is it time to admit though that the pendulum has swung too far to the other side.

I've been collecting for 20 years and the times have changed. Cards I bought years ago as Mint are now considered ExMt or even Ex+. Off-centered? Who cared! As long as the whole image was on the card, wonderful? Slight edge wear NEVER brought a card's grade down a whole grade or even 2. I have cards that I consider to be NrMt condition. I fellow collector who uses grading companies heavily got me to grade them and they came back EX. (Bleeping) nicest EX cards you'll EVER see.

I feel the heaviest and worst effect the grading companies have had on collectors is the mental hairline approach to grading. I have even caught myself recently being so critical on a card that I had to stop myself and ask myself what the heck am I doing? Honestly, should an imperfection that con only be seen with a microscope really be taken into consideration at all? Considering the hairline thin differences in condition that exist between a PSA 7, PSA 8, PSA 9 card but look at the $$$ differences who can really tell the difference?

Don't even get me going on the difference between "Mint" and "Gem Mint"!!!! Puleeeeeze.

He**, I heard a dealer at a show say that a card in a PSA 9 holder isn't really Mint anymore because it was an "old" PSA grade. Huh?

What I'm seeing is younger/newer collectors pick up a card and say "Nm? No, PSA or SGC would only give this is a (number) or a (number)." Collectors are mentally using a grading company's standards and I wonder if they even realize it. What happened to using your own judgement! Is it a case that since newer collectors have been so soaked with talk of money and "value" that that is really all they care about? Hairline differences don't matter to collectors, they matter only to investors.

Thank you for reading my latest ranting.