Heritage Auctions offering new "Best-in-Class" certification
 

Heritage Auctions is now offering a best-in-class certification, sort of like PWCC's eye appeal levels (except there appears to be only one-level) or the MBA (Mike Baker Authenticated) certifications.

Makes sense for a large auction house to do this, as it may bring in more high quality consignments.

Also, not sure if Fanatics is carrying on the eye appeal certifications that PWCC had, so there may be an opening in the market.

It's all subjective of course, but I do see the point of these designations, given that 3rd party graders aren't always concerned with eye appeal, even if I find the idea of yet another certification kind of annoying

yay...stickers rule!

I don’t need a sticker to tell me if a card is wonky
I see enough women out there to know eye appeal

These high-end designations with the stickers have always seemed silly to me; and just another money grab. I can see with my own eyes if a card looks nicer than the given grade, and I don't need a sticker to tell me it is. I feel like our hobby churns out one gimmick after another just trying to see how much collectors will swallow. I'm involved in lots of other collecting hobbies (vintage shotguns, coin-op, movie posters, fine art, slot cars, etc.) and no one's putting little stickers on these items for a fee.

This would be a hard pass for me but I'm sure some will undoubtedly participate to get a new sticker.

Like a lot of things in the hobby it's something no one asked for and no one wanted, but if you put 2 cards side-by-side and one has something that potentially adds value...well, we know which will be purchased 9 times out of 10.

If it manages to gain a foothold, then it becomes part of the hobby.

The difference in the amount of money paid for a graded 10 over a graded 9 was something people would have laughed you out of the room over 30 years ago. Now it's accepted and the norm even if some of us don't care to pay the difference or participate in graded cards at all.

Everything gets a sticker! :)

I never bought into those. Eye appeal is so subjective.

“Buy the sticker, not the holder.”

They are awesome for sure. I miss the Purple Sticker guy as his stickers looked the best. Maybe we need a new company for grading all these different stickers. Make it a graded card sleeve with a sticker on it grading the sticker on the slab. The card sleeve would have to have a tamper resistant seal so scammers would switch the sleeves. It would be horrible if the sticker giving a high grade to the sticker on the slab was switched to a slab with a low grade sticker. WOW I am getting dizzy from all the stickers.:eek::D

Stickering for eye appeal may have value to blind investors or market pumpers. It’s pretty stupid for the rest of us. I think I can tell if a card looks nice by using my eyeballs instead of an appeal to authority.

Agree 100%

Dammit, I need confirmation of my card's greatness from an authority!

Wow - it seems to always be something. How do you think they would rank my 49 Campanella rookie?

The presence of the "sticker" just increases the odds that the card is altered. Bad idea.

TPG grading should be going the exact opposite direction. Would love to see the emergence of a grading company that simply determines whether the card is authentic and unaltered. Forget the arbitrary contrived number... the card's owner can determine that for himself.

+1000! I wish this was a choice offered by the current TPGs.

Pretty sure you can tell them to just authenticate the piece, and not give it a grade. Of course, while it’s an option, it’s not a particularly attractive option for most pieces that you expect to garner a grade above 1.

Yeah, here is an article about how MBA (Mike Baker Authenticated) will just authenticate if you want them too:
https://sportscollectorsdigest.com/n...cc-marketplace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFRSawe33sA

I wonder how many of these "best in class" cards are altered?

How do they get to be best in class without a little assistance??!!

+1. I've got your sticker right here. Sticker this.

Imagine if there was ever a widespread revelation of the extent of card alteration.

I thought that's what AI was supposed to figure out?

That and then make undetectable fakes, so that everyone can have a 311 Mantle in PSA 10 for peanuts.

Why not just grade cards to 11????

10 is good but if it goes to 11!!!! Well then, you now have my attention.

I find it strange that someone would need to tell you if a card has eye appeal or not when the auction already relies heavily on clear photos of the item for sale.

Maybe I'll just start collecting stickers.

Zero chance the designation is influenced by money and/or politics.:rolleyes:

Do they take back your sticker when a nicer example is found?

Just another way for the seller to gouge the buyer. So, who's going to authenticate the AH authentication that the AH says it's Best In Class? Then who authenticates that?

Fanatics is also rolling out their new eye appeal stickers to take the place of the PWCC designations.

So many stickers. Someone should get all of them on one card.

Plus descriptions. But nobody reads, so I guess a sticker is worth a thousand words?

Easily “best-in-class” for the part of the card that is intact!

I find the PWCC auction listing descriptions laughable, every card “looks nicer” than its grade. So EVERYTHING they auction is undergraded?!

Then someone with start putting stickers on your stickers, for a small fee of course.;)

To me, it would signal what cards not to buy, given the likelihood that either the cards deemed deserving are doctored, and/or that there is favoritism involved and the recipients are more likely high volume card doctor consignors. Either way, certainly not worth a major premium.

No doubt there’s a sticker’d PSA 10 1986 Fleer Sticker Michael Jordan out there somewhere.

Yep.

Needing stickers for one's stickers reminds me of a Mr Show (Bob Odenkirk and Dave Cross) sketch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gdAJefPME4

There it is! Close enough!

And yet, at least during the PWCC heyday, my experience was that their stickers often brought premiums of 50-100%, which always boggled my mind.

When they added the .5 I thought it was for the higher end cards of a grade ,
I was naïve 😐

1.5 vs 1 can be night and day...the rest seems to be noise. I have some awesome looking 1.5's in my collection.

My favorite thing about the .5's is they're often either ignored in people's searches and less bid on or some people have an issue with .5's. I've picked up more than a few on par with or cheaper than the flat number grade.

But really, does it?

Opinions about opinions.

For a nominal fee, I am willing to offer my opinion of the Heritage opinion of the opinion seller's opinion, IF you are of the opinion that such an opinion would interest you, feel free to contact me. Please title your message "opinion of opinion of opinion needed" so as to help me differentiate it from all the other messages I receive.

Thank you,
Doug "is my last name just somebody's (possibly wrong) opinion?" Goodman

Thanks for not including the whole sentence.

The actual sentence, was "Makes sense for a large auction house to do this, as it may bring in more high quality consignments."

I'm not saying I would ever participate in the process of getting a sticker or chasing cards/memorabilia that have stickers.

I am simply saying that there are people that do (as evidenced by the premiums PWCC got for cards with their stickers). And Heritage may get consignments from people for the reason that the consigners think they will get more money if their consignment gets the sticker. Heritage is in the business of making money.

If the program is a failure and they don't make more money, they may ultimately drop the program.

I just edited my original post to include the entire sentence because it does not change my point in any way.

Agreed :
 

http://imagehost.vendio.com/a/204295...BGS-1S_NEW.JPG

Eye appeal over-rules those annoying little numbers up top over in the corner.

..And for Crawford fans , this is the other Wahoo ( football and wrassling )

..

That is best in class, where the class is comprised of Campanella rookies with masking tape on them.

If you have eyes you don't need a sticker to tell you about something's eye appeal.

A grade for an autograph is similarly ridiculous. If you need someone to tell you if an autograph is mint, you shouldn't be collecting autographs.

My first thought was that they hired one of the judges from the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and needed a position that would utilize his talents.

Am I to understand that these stickers are given by HA to consigned pieces that they deem to be “Best in Class”? If so, to maintain an even playing field does LOTG, REA, etc also need their own “Best in Class” award? If not, who is making this determination?

Best in Class
 

Heritage has some experts on staff as well as a lot of other auction houses that will make determinations. It seems subjective but, if I see Best In Class, I am expecting great eye appeal for the item.

And an example of Best in Class (not in any auction)
.

well
 

when SGC first started I had some N43's graded and I asked Brian D. the head grader (now running REA) if I could just get the cards entombed and given an authentic and unaltered notice. He actually laughed and told me no-one would want something like that. They probably didn't and don't - but I'm a sort of different person......

I'm always aware that the standards and practices of all the TPG's are subject to changes over time - the morphing of which must at some point alter the collectors perception of a grade.

(Perez Fan) "TPG grading should be going the exact opposite direction. Would love to see the emergence of a grading company that simply determines whether the card is authentic and unaltered. Forget the arbitrary contrived number... the card's owner can determine that for himself."

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...deanwormer.jpg

Dean Wormer: This year is going to be different. This year we are going to grab the bull by the balls and assign our own jacked-up grades to cards.
Greg: What do you intend to do sir? The cards are already graded.
Dean Wormer: They are?
Greg: Yes, sir.
Dean Wormer: Oh. Then as of this moment, we will label them "Best-In-Class"!
Greg: Best-In-Class, sir?
Dean Wormer: There is a little-known codicil in the Heritage Auction rules which gives the director unlimited power to make up any nonsense he wants whenever it might make money off of suckers, er, bidders. Like phoney-baloney words: "extant", "ducat", "obverse", and so on, that make our auctions sound more important than they are. Collectors love stickers. They pay money for flips. They'll pay even more for flips AND stickers. Find me a sticker maker and a free graphics program and make a Best-In-Class sticker. Put Neidermeyer on it. He's a sneaky little shit, just like you, right? [Greg nods] The time has come for someone to make up some really stupid marketing nonsense. And that marketer is me!