Can't live with them; can't live without them.
The whole 'subjective' grading process leaves way too much room for:
- Business model flaws related to impartiality (submitter favoritism; high grade implies high price to encapsulate, etc.)
- Poorly trained graders who are undoubtedly pressured to work as quickly as possible
- Fuzzy grade distinctions and no transparency
I live on the 'buy' side, usually. I am a long-time collector - not really an investor. Therefore, I am more often a buyer of graded material than a 'submitter' for a grade. When I obtain 'classic' cards, I'm afraid to buy 'raw' cards. I have the scars to justify that fear. So, I must purchase based on a trustworthy service.
I guess I'm looking for what amounts to a reliable service that:
- Encapsulates indicating as 'Authentic, UN-altered', and either eliminates numeric grades, or has far fewer like 'High, Avg, Poor'. I would love to apply the good advice: 'Buy the card not the grade...' Fewer arguable boundaries and beauty left to the beholder's eye.
- I might even be OK with 'Authentic' for such purchases if I knew why a numeric grade was withheld - reason(s). Seems like all of the prominent services love to be vague and opaque.
I know. I'm spitting into the wind, but this hobby is headed to a club of billionaires or angry collectors. The grading companies have us over a barrel and it hurts. High prices, questionable grading standards, poor service, and almost zero transparency.
It seems to me that if judging authenticity/alterations were the principle goal of the authenticator, rather than how pretty in nano-increments, their efficiency would improve greatly; they could grade more quickly, with less ambiguity, for less time and cost to them. Sounds like a business model.
Let hi-resolution images, auction reserves, and a fair return policy drive the fuzzy end of the price spectrum. If you have what you think is an investment caliber Cobb/Tolstoi, or a special Trout Refractor, take a chance on getting a numeric grade if you must.
Spleen vented.