One idea, likely heavily flawed, for fixing some of the ills in our hobby

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Posted By: E, Daniel

Reading and listening as much as nature allows (I clearly like to talk and write down my thoughts), these are just some of the bigger hurdles I feel hurt the hobby:

1. Altered cards passed as original, most problematically when slabbed.
2. Material graded that quite obviously, and sometimes less obviously, has been incorrectly graded, and or labelled.
3. People feeling incentivized to continue to alter cards (in the ways agreed as unreasonable by majority hobbyists - whatever that conclusion may be) because detection is difficult, or so profitable, or a sense that a history of those practices and such widespread effect weaken the stomach of any who would really take them on.
4. Pop. reports no longer have any real meaning, and thus valuing individual cards and or sets monetarily is a shaky practice, and understanding true type scarcity merely blowing hot air.


Soooo, while i really like the idea of a code of ethics, signed on to voluntarily and which begets prestige in the hobby and trust amongst collectors as well as being overseen by some sort of board, and believe it extremely important.....
To mean anything, i suspect there needs to be a trigger, an action which sets forth a new day and gives reason for all to participate and feel positive about the outcomes and possibilities.

This is what I came up with (while showering 20 minutes ago, better than the crapper in my opinion for inspiration ).


The big four grading companies, SGC, PSA, GAI and Beckett, announce that in 6 months time (an arbitrary time period which gives opportunity for the following to take place) ALL registries and pop. reports will be wiped.
At that point, a new holder that has been developed at each grading company which is superior in UV protection and in holdering all issues safely, will be available for re-holdering existing slabbed, and new/raw, cards. No crossovers, just cards already slabbed by that particular company, and raw cards. A set period, say 12 months, will be given to allow for this proces to take place and all collectors will need to act within that period to have their cards so taken care of (for the smaller special fee - see below). After that 12 months, cards will either need to be sent in raw, or be paid for in full for a complete re-grade (which could result in changes of grade downward..).
In performing this act, the companies will undertake to re-examine all cards being moved into new holders for alterations previously missed, and egregious errors in grading. That is, not undertaking the whole grading process anew, but making sure that a PSA5 doesn't have a large paper peel on the front, or an SGC40 be missing the entire corner of a card. In checking for alterations, the companies will employ all methods of detection available at that time - and share that knowledge and equipment between themselves. This could be done through a lead in phase (in the six months leading up) in which the grading co.'s get together and co-devise/explore/develop the very best such detecting methods possible. All the companies will use the new 'industry standard' methods of detection, and continue to work together in the future to keep as much altered material out of slabs.
The cost of the re-slabbing could be set at $5 per card, $1 of which should be set aside to re-compense anyone whose card no longer meets grading requirements, and was thus incorrectly graded originally.
As each card is slabbed anew, pop. reports would begin anew and accurately reflect current populations of cards. With luck, much of the crossing over fad has been exhausted, cards pumped up to their highest likely grade with any one company, and people hopefully happy to keep their cards in the new holders. At least for a while. The new holders could be made to be much harder to crack open, and therefore future crossovers could be accurately recorded and information shared between the companies so that registries are updated.
The new holders could remain relatively the same, but perhaps the flip changed dramatically enough to signify the change in grading era.
Inordinate labelling errors (see PSA mostly) could be corrected, large errors in grades fixed, and the re-birth of a sense of belief in the hobbys ability to maintain an honest playing field for collectors to enjoy.
This done in conjunction with the code of ethics concept, I believe, could perhaps put alot more optimism back into the hobby for both seasoned-but-jaded collectors, and newbies alike.
Of course, the macro-bi-ephemeric collectors - or raw card lovers, could continue to dine leisurely on their favourite players sans plastic, but perhaps would feel a little less contemptuous of those who grade because of the cleaner and more just environment.
Accurate pop. reports would be appreciated by all as well, no doubt.


So, waddya all think.
Feel free to tear it to pieces, maybe a good idea will spring from that process


Daniel