sorry sarcasm, should've added

. i'm the last to tell anybody how to spend their money, i just found it funny how stuck on "only 8 graded higher" the OP was he needed to remind us in every post. but if the whole experience makes him happy then money well spent.
personally i think the grading game for cards/autographs is great for flipping. many people won't buy a raw card or autograph, and would often pay 3x-5x for the flip. other than that i don't need PSA or SGC to tell me how real or nice my cards/autos are.