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Originally Posted by Kco
For those saying "I only collect for me so I don't need it", my counter would be if you were to drop dead tomorrow, would your loved ones know what to do, what is worth what, or would they be the ones trying to fly blind to figure out how to sell your belongings after you're gone. It is for that reason almost entirely, that everything I have also has either PSA, JSA or both (for non first party items). There is also a valuation spreadsheet that I update regularly and instructions on which friends, auction houses and colleagues to contact should something happen to me.
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I have heard this rationale about flying blind so many times, yet Imo it means nothing. First off, as you have done, is very easy to provide your family with the names and contact information for a handful of friends, dealers, and auction houses they can call to sell your collection, with or without TPAs. It took me virtually no time to contact on of the big auction houses, negotiate a rate for items of mine they sell, and give my wife one number she can call where they will haul it all away and send her a check. They will authenticate stuff that is worth it and not waste on stuff that isn't. Anyone could do the same and I have not had to spend a single dollar on a tpa. For me, it's better to take the extra money and buy more items that can appreciate rather than sinking into opinions that don't.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kco
The other component is WHICH TPA to use for what items, generally each has their strong suit and weaker areas. I tend to find JSA the best of the bunch for vintage baseball, followed by PSA and then Beckett. As vintage baseball is my primary collection focus, I tend to weight the opinions of these companies in that order.
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This is a great point and is huge reason to NOT authenticate until right before sale. Suppose 10yrs from now PSA or JSA has a huge scandal and their opinions are worth nothing. It has happened before and could happen again to any of them.
To me, if you see TPAs as a business practice used to maximize sale price, then it's best to certify right before you sell.
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