What Is the Last Frontier of Professional Grading?
 

What is the last frontier of professional grading? Cards, ticket stubs, autographs, photographs, racks, wax packs, unopened boxes, display boxes, premiums and baseballs have been slabbed. What about wax wrappers? Has anybody ever seen or heard of wrappers being professionally graded? If that is possible, I think they could be fine display pieces. Thoughts? Any other items which could feasibly be slabbed?

James

I don't see why small pennants couldn't be slabbed.

Tattooing the word "Poor" on bad graders' foreheads and then encasing them in plastic.

The last frontier will be slabbing slabs.

Beckett has a jumbo holder designed for photos and comics, but I think they'll holder any paper collectible that fits in it, assuming they can identify/date it and it's suitable (i.e. they would holder your Houston Oilers Fan Magazine, but not your toilet paper roll even if you can prove its authenticity).

GAI is actually grading regular sticks of chewing gum now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1916-BEECH-NUT-C...item27ae450f98

Based on the level of credibility they currently have, I'd be careful with that stick of gum.

:)

That's just silly. I'd also question their "epertise" in dating gum.

Collect the gum, not the holder.

another possibility
 

As a former coin collector, I am aware of a company in that hobby, who is essentially a "fourth party" grader, who evaluates the coin in the holder, and if they believe it is an accurate assigned grade, affix their holographic sticker which shows that they agree with the grade. Could that be next for our hobby?

How about simply grading and encapsulating cards which have not been trimmed? Would be nice to some of those in holders.

If I understand the point of the thread correctly, one possible frontier would be setting up standards and a methodology for authenticating what is actually depicted in collectable baseball photos - especially the claimed identity of the persons depicted (and whether it is even a baseball photo). Not an easy task.

Grading companines no longer certify a card with a numerical grade. They only indicate that the card is AUTHENTIC. If there is paper loss, creases or other defects then the person selling the card would be responsible for disclosing the defect,

If the card has been altered then the grading company would certify it as ALTERED. Perhaps the grading companies could assign a list of codes that indicate the type of atleration.

Th grading companies would begin actually certifying OJs (N172) with the designations provided in the OJ Book that was released last year.

Lets get rid of the numerical grades and go with "buying the card, not the holder".

I can already here the pro-slab collectors indicating that this won't happen because of the set registries and people wanting to have "the best". It's hard to imagine someone having the best set when the subjectivity of grading leaves the interpretation of quality up to people/companies that are inconsistent in the assignment of these numbers.

Believe I had this done in 2005 or so. A PSA graded card that was autographed on the slab, that was then authenticated and encapsulated by GAI.


http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/7227/71garvey.jpg


Kevin Saucier
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last frontier
 

Jon Canfield and I have commiserated on a number of occasions regarding poorly graded vintage cigarette packs and misinformation, particularly the erroneous dates for the packs noted on the slabs of GAI.
Accuracy would be a great new frontier in this arena.
best,
barry

Uncut sheets. The holder would have to be huge, especially for the double topps sheets.

Steve B

hysterical

next frontier
 

I am thinking the next frontier is either ethics or consistency.

I have always enjoyed making somewhat elaborate holders for my cards and slabbing them ruins them for my purposes.

I agree with the above ethics comment, including for auction houses. Ethics, including as a way to make $$, could be a focus for some places. I've more than once said that cheating will hurt your business in the long run, and being honest and ethical will help you over the long run. It may be that the last place standing is the most ethical.

Mark (bmarlow1), I think your area is a great service in many areas, including being baseball. The question on the order of "Is this really Abe Lincoln?" is asked in many areas, and having an impartial and learned party to give an opinion will always be in demand ... My focus has always been the physical photo itself, but your work has sparked an interest in me in your work. As I've said before, "It can't be an original Johnny Weissmueller photo if it ain't Johnny Weissmueller."