How Would You Change The Hobby
 

Posted By: <b>steve</b><p>Most feel a PSA review is a wasted effort. I have never heard of a collector who props PSA reviews and regularly sends in cards for this service.<br /><br />You do not get a specifically detailed written explanation of the flaw(s) holding it back from a higher grade.<br /><br />Change: Now you would get a personalized written explanation of the flaw(s) holding it back from a higher grade. <br /><br />It doesn't have to be much, just some verbage like, "hairline on back, upper right otherwise would be 5", or "light residue spot left border otherwise would be 6."<br /><br />If PSA would include this on PSA reviews, I would be giving them some business - doesn't PSA want more busines ?<br /><br />steve

How Would You Change The Hobby
 

Posted By: <b>JimB</b><p>Sometimes I think people mix up the registry with simple population reports (Believe me, I know they are often not accurate.). Pop reports have given collectors a sense of the relative scarcity of items and this has propelled prices in many instances. Often the prices have nothing to do with buyers having sets on the registry or not. But increased information on relative scarcity can impact prices realized.<br />JimB

How Would You Change The Hobby
 

Posted By: <b>Jon Hardgrove</b><p>Petition Major League Baseball to be more responsible in the fees and license agreements for those who print cards. Better let, let MLB print the cards themselves. One product, sold at a price that kids can afford to buy.<br /><br />We can discuss forever issues of third party grading (any slabbed cards I buy are immediately unslabbed!), policing dealers, policing ebay, grading standards, etc.; but lets face it - if you price the kids out of the hobby (which has been done) the hobby has NO future!<br /><br />Does MLB and the players REALLY need royalties from card production???<br /><br />My 0.02 (inflated to 14.95).<br /><br />Jon.

How Would You Change The Hobby
 

Posted By: <b>Jerry Spillman</b><p><br /><br />The AU/AA grading is good for buying and selling in person.<br /><br />Not online. Scans are just not good enough to grade cards accurately - especially high grades. Many times the scans are not very sharp. Even on better scans you don't see printer wrinkles - light creases - stains - gloss - or imperfections especially when the scan is not large enough.<br /><br />The other disadvantage of the AU/AA grading is reselling. Disagreements to grade as years ago will be back. But that is minor compared to a collector that has a modest one hundred mix of nice (excellent to near mint+) cards all graded AU.<br /><br />Tragedy: He dies. The family knows nothing about cards. They answer a couple of newspaper ads by individuals to buy baseball card collections. These potential buyers determine the grade of each card and therefore the offering price. The possibility that many cards may be graded by the potential buyers as one grade lower than should be then offering 50%-70% of book on the estimated of value. They chose the higher of the two bidders. Doubt that that family was paid nearly close to the real value of that collection. Had the cards been graded with a number they likely would have had a better advantage and a more favorable deal.<br /><br />homo homini lupus<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

How Would You Change The Hobby
 

Posted By: <b>Bruce Babcock</b><p>We all have different reasons as to why we collect. The urge to "compete" is not among my top 100. <br /><br />Collecting images of dead ballplayers on cardboard provides, for me, a refuge from the tailgating idiot who has to get to the next red light before I do, the guy with the most expensive watch and smallest phone, and the couple with the most pretentious house.<br /><br />Each to his own.