I stopped buying PSA product of any value when I started getting trimmed cards back in holders. About 10 years ago I sent 40 PSA T206 cards graded 4-6 to be crossed over by SGC. SGC graded 30 of them, but refused to grade 10, because of minimum grade or trimming. That was a huge eye opener for me.
I live close to Parsippany, and since then I have met the good folks at SGC, including the graders, many many times. I think I would have more reservation about them if I didn't know them a little and how their process works. Correct me if I'm wrong, but they have had the same 2-3 graders behind the curtain for the past decade or more. One of those guys is Bob Luce. I have had countless conversations with him at shows and at their shop about grading standards, and my concerns. These kinds of conversations go a long way toward providing confidence in their product.
My view is if you have doubts and concerns, pick up the phone. Ask to speak to someone at SGC. They will talk to you. Their customer service is excellent. Go to a show and meet the graders. It goes a long way toward providing the comfort so many are seeking.
One of my very first posts on the original Net54 about 10 years ago was about how it didn't matter what a card's actual grade was, but instead it was just what PSA said it was. The holder makes the card a liquid asset. People treat PSA graded cards like stock or currency. You know in the back of your head that the system has all sorts of issues, but it's like a pyramid scheme. Everyone is happy to be in the scheme when they're making money, but you had better have some independent confidence about your collectible if the system ever crashes.
We're going on 20ish years of this system and none of these complaints are new. Heck, it is accepted fact that the most valuable card in the world is a PSA slabbed trim job. But as long as people treat the holder as a liquid asset, then it doesn't matter if your collectible isn't what you think it is. And as long as PSA is the perceived industry standard, the system will live on.
Collectors, particularly in the internet age, will always need a third party to certify to the buyer that what the seller is selling is pretty close to what he says it is. Like buying a house, you will want to have an inspection. But the inspector may miss something. Or the inspector may be a criminal. In the end, you do the best you can do with the information that is available and make as informed a choice as possible. It's pretty much like anything in life.
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