Auction Card Quality - General Question
 

Let me start by saying I'm a new (old) collector so my online auction experience is virtually none.

I won an raw card auction lot online not to long ago and was a little disappointed on the overall quality of cards in the lot. Please understand I didn't break the bank and this wasn't a huge focus. I thought at the time I got a pretty good deal. I just wanted to test the auction waters for prices, quality, and get the adrenaline rush.

If an auction gives and approximate grade on ungraded cards, how do you perceive that grade? Do you knock it down a notch and bid accordingly? Do you expect the couple quality cards in that lot to be the approximate grade and write of the rest as maybe you'll get lucky?

I usually buy cards with clear scans. On ebay you can return it for item not as described. next time, ask the auctionhouse for clearer scans sent to your email.

Hi Tony,

First off welcome to the board! As you can imagine, everyone judges condition differently and all auction houses are not created equally. Personally, I find some auction houses are spot on and exactly how I would grade, others are "generous" with their grading standards. So it really depends on the individual auction house and how much you are willing to trust them and their grading standards.

DJ

Hey Tony,
Perhaps you don't want to 'out' anybody, but it would be helpful to most people reading this thread if you provided us with a link to the auction and then stated what the card actually ended up looking like (what the 'problems' were), so we could get a better feel of whether or not there were deceptive practices at work in that particular auction.

I was actually thinking about posting the very same thing. For someone like REA, when they say 18-21% Ex or better, 25-32% VG to VG-EX, 12-16% G, the rest worse with some trimmed, how spot on do you think they are. I know scans would help but I tend to buy larger lots where this is impractical.

That's for the reponses. Not trying to call attention to anything yet. I don't think there are deceptive practices going on and I don't feel cheated so this is more for my own knowledge and hopefully for others as well. But...
If, for example you won an early 60's "Ex 5" lot, would you expect obvious wrinkles, spider lines, and or wax on the face of the card(s)? Things not visible by scan but very obvious in hand.

I would expect soft corners, off centering and some small dings overall.

Just want to make sure I'm looking at things the right way.

To be clear this is auction house stuff not eBay. I assume eBay as a crap shoot and buyer beware. As far as auction houses go I guess it can be hit or miss also.

I've had good luck with Auction houses - but all are certainly not created equal


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Is this auction house one that deals mostly with ball cards or one that deals in all kind of items? If it is just a regular auction house that deals in a lot of different items they usually don't have anyone on staff that knows much about cards.
James

After years of being disappointed on trying to purchase raw NRMT cards and have them come back from a TPG with the same opinion - I am pretty much positive that it is not possible to tell the difference between an EXMT card and NRMT card by simply looking at a scan. Sometimes you get lucky - most times not.

Having said that - I also believe that most collectors - even with card in hand - have a tuff time in evaluating that EXMT/NRMT condition.

I have a real hard time between 9 and the elusive Gem Mint 10.

That is because there isn't a difference. :)

Sure there is, 1

Except for the price...:eek: