GAI, PSA, SGC - GAI ahead of their time
 

I can remember when the three best TPGs were PSA, SGC and GAI. GAI was an upstart and moving up the grading company ladder as a favorite. Then something happened and GAI started slabbing trimmed cards and assigning the cards a numerical grade, which we all know is a no-no for grading companies. GAI then folded because of mismanagement and nobody trusted them. At the beginning, they were great!

Now I look at it and GAI have determined that GAI was just ahead of their time because now it just seems to be the "norm". More and more trimmed/altered cards are getting numerical grades by PSA and SGC. Now look at the top two TPGs, they're really sucking and slabbing all kinds of altered and trimmed cards and assigning numerical grades.

I hate to say this but SGC seems to be slabbing more trimmed/altered cards than PSA when you consider the number of cards graded. PSA has a higher volume of graded cards so you'd think they'd have more slabbed trimmed cards, but I'm going to go out on a limb and guess SGC has more slabbed/altered cards than PSA by graded volume.

When I see some of the crud they're grading, it just makes me cringe. The sad part is the collecting public just turns a blind eye and seems to accept it.

Anybody else have thoughts on this?

I don't trust a single GAI slab, the last four I have tried to get into SGC came back altered.


Recently acquired this one (very tough combo) knowing that likely it would not cross over. For now it stays as the highest graded :rolleyes:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b1914d4e_z.jpg

But SGC has a faster turnaround. That's all that matters, ask their see/hear no evil fans here.

If GAI was accurate when they began, about up to which serial number was their grading considered to be correct?

Phil aka Tere1071

Complete 1953 Bowman Color, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, and 1975 Topps Baseball sets under revision as the budget and wife allows

Under construction:
1967 Topps Baseball - 330/533: Overall p-g, missing all of the bigger name stars and many commons, no high numbers or posters

1968 Topps Baseball - 420/598: Overall good, missing all of the bigger name stars and many commons from 1-375; no game cards

1969 Topps Baseball - 320-664: Overall good, missing all of the stars and many cards after #217; no deckle edged cards

1969 Topps Baseball Team Stamps- Dodgers, Royals, A’s, Phillies; missing everything else

1970 Topps Baseball Insert sets:
Booklets- missing 7; 9; 11; 13; 14; 15; 17; and 23.
Posters # 1; 8; 14; 17; and 19
I do not have any 1970 scratch offs yet.

1971 Topps Coins- 120/153
I do not have any 1971 scratch offs yet.

1974 Topps Baseball Washington variations- 32; 53; 77; 102; 125; 226; 241; 309; 364; and 599

Made me laugh with that comment, so true!

I also wouldn't trust a single GAI graded card but I believe the same about PSA.:eek::D

The one thing GAI nailed for me was their holder. I absolutely love the design and still consider it to be the best designed holder we have seen in the hobby.

I never really tracked GAI by serial numbers. I can remember that a couple years after GAI opened for business that the encapsulated cards were not graded as stringently as in the past and that it appeared cards with numerical grades were trimmed.

At that time SGC and PSA were a bit more on top of things and trimmed cards were the exception rather than the rule. That's not saying SGC and PSA will grade anything trimmed and assign a numerical grade, it's just my opinion that "at the present time" I can see a greater percentage of cards appearing to be trimmed or otherwise altered that have been assigned numerical grades.

The GAI holders were nice because they mimicked the black insert from SGC and they also added a label at the top so that you could determine what the card is without pulling it out of the box.

Attachment 593467


Ha - now that's funny (and sadly true). I see more crap graded by SGC in the new holders than in the past. I don't mind calling them out on this. They're basically PRO graders now.

I also liked GAI in the beginning, then it went the way of the dodo.

Not going to speculate on how many trimmed cards get by grading services, but does it matter anymore? Many collectors just care about getting a card in a certain grade in a holder, no matter what it is or how it looks.

GAI etc
 

Fred- it’s funny, I like GAI at the beginning as well. I’ve sent a few GAIs to SGC and all have graded numerically- less than their GAI grade but still a grade. Just lucky I guess…Out of curiosity, do you have specific SGC examples you think are trimmed, etc? I’ve noted SGC are hard on vintage but not noticed obviously altered cards getting numerical grades, in my small sample size anyway. Trent “see no evil, hear no evil” King