Dihigo card submitted to SGC by third party

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Posted By: Nate

Hello fellow vintage baseball cards enthusiasts! What follows is an inguiry as to whether or not I should contact a third party to submit a very nice 1945-46 Caramelo Deportivo Martin Dihigo for me to SGC. I trust the knowledge and expertise of fellow board members, so all your opinions would be generously welcomed and greatly appreciated!

Now, we all know the discrepency between the grading companies' supposed "unbiased" policy with grading, and the truth of the matter that they do, indeed, play favorites. No one in their right mind would ever refute this fact.

My question is whether or not I should have another collector (preferrably another board member), submit this card for me to SGC. The story on this card is that I believe it to be the finest example of the 1945-46 Caramelo Deportivo Martin Dihigo in existence. It is nearly flawless- great centering, great surface and photo registry, four razor-sharp corners, no wrinkles or creases to speak of, and an altogether very attractive card of this desirable HOFer from a very condition-sensitive set.

Although grades mean next to nothing to me, I still would like to see it slabbed in a nice SGC holder and finally be able to say, once and for all, that I own the FINEST example of a very desirable card (as opposed to just being content with owning beaters of well-known cards).

Right now I'm in New York City going to college, and the card in question is back home in California, so I cannot provide a scan to assist you in making your judgement. I'm planning on returning home for Christmas in a few weeks, and I would dearly love to pick up the card and take care of this as promptly as possible, that is to say, if it can be done, in the first place.

Now, since I've never done something like this before, what, exactly is the procedure? Have any of you out there ever done this before, and if so, what were the results (was it worth your time, energy and money)? Would I pay the person the equivalent of my total expenses, or possibly even pay for him to get a card or two of his also graded? In addition, are there any upstanding board members here who genuinely feel that they would receive a better grade on the card than I, and, more importantly, are willing to work something out? If you, yourself, are unable to help me out, do you have anyone else in mind who would be a good candidate to confront with such a proposal?

Obviously, I am very unclear about undertaking such an endeavor, and, as mentioned above, I would greatly appreciate any help or advice that anyone has to offer. Thanks in advance, and happy collecting!

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Posted By: David Vargha

Now, we all know the discrepency between the grading companies' supposed "unbiased" policy with grading, and the truth of the matter that they do, indeed, play favorites. No one in their right mind would ever refute this fact.

Call me crazy, but send it in yourself. I really don't believe that SGC will grade it any differently.

DavidVargha@hotmail.com

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Posted By: Nate

I hear ya, David...I just want to be assured that the card gets the highest grade possible, that's all. I'm not a big time collector, or anything, so opportunities like this rarely come along my way.

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Posted By: Greg Ecklund

Favoritism in submission seems to be much more of a problem for PSA than SGC...I don't think you will have a problem with sending it in yourself.

That said, I would definitely wait for a big show in your area where SGC will be present in order to submit the card personally. The post office has always been super reliable for me with only one or two exceptions, but I wouldn't want to trust a card like that to any carrier, be it USPS, UPS, or FedEx. Whenever I have a card that is very special to me, I wait for shows like SportsFest (I live in the Chicago suburbs) in order to submit in person.

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Posted By: David Vargha

SGC is rarely at shows other than Fort Washington. If DeBeers trusts USPS Registered (lockbox) insured mail, then you can trust sending Dihigo that way as well. I send everything valued above $800 that way. Your cost would be about twelve bucks.

DavidVargha@hotmail.com

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Posted By: FYS

The National Show is in Aneheim this year and SGC will certainly be there. If you can wait until August 06 and you are back in CA for the summer, I would personally take it in to get graded. I think a walk through grade is around $50. Not so bad for potentially the finest example in existence.

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Posted By: Ray

Nate,

SGC is located in Parsippany, NJ... 5 minutes off Route 287. I live in Bergen County, NJ and always drive to the building to drop off and pick up my cards. From NYC, take the GWB to Route 80 to 287 South. It would be less than an hour, barring rush hour traffic.

This way, you can talk to the people there in person when you submit it and again when you pick it up. The guys there are top notch, very professional, and very friendly.

Their phone numbers are:
800-SGC-9212 or 973-984-0018

They can give you directions from 287... I only know the way using landmarks.

My opinion... bring the card back to NYC with you after your break and submit it in person.


Good luck!
Ray

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Posted By: Greg Ecklund

SGC has been in Chicago several times in the past year, and I would assume that since they are located so close to New York that they would make a few appearances there as well.

I have no doubt about the security of the USPS Registered insured, but to me it feels way better for the card to go directly from me to them.

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Posted By: Ryan Christoff

Hi Nate,

If all you want to know is whether or not you have the finest 1945-46 Dihigo in existence, just post front and back scans when you get back to California and I can tell you where your card ranks. I can probably make a pretty accurate guess as to what it well grade at SGC as well.

It sounds like you have a great card, but I suspect you won't be thrilled about what the technical grade will wind up being. I'll be surprised if it winds up being the finest example in existence, but you never know.

Also, be sure it is from the 1945-46 issue and not the 1946-47 issue. Many nice examples of Dihigo from the 1946-47 issue were actually cut from sheets. These sheets were never cut up because they were pulled from production due to a flaw with the printing on the back which is very light. The text is printed in a faint, almost invisible grey, instead of black.

If you have scans that are too large to post here you can always e-mail them to me.

-Ryan