[ValKehl]

I submitted 17 items for grading plus 1 graded card for a label correction to SGC on the evening of Friday, June 21st, at the Chantilly Show. My cards were shipped from FL on Monday, July 1st, and I received them this afternoon. This was a 6-business-day turnaround, including the day SGC shipped them. Many kudos to SGC for the FAST turnaround, especially as my cards are "unusual" cards, not run-of-the-mill Topps and Bowmans.

The label correction was for a W501-2 of WaJo that SGC wrongly labeled a W575-1. A few months earlier, I had subbed W501-2s of both WaJo and Sam Rice together with W575-1s of both WaJo and Sam Rice. SGC labeled both Sam Rice cards correctly, but labeled both WaJos as W575-1s. Kudos to SGC for making this correction. But, I am taking away these kudos because the SGC order document that accompanied this re-labeled card shows a $40 service fee, after I was given the understanding by a SGC rep that there would be no charge for this error correction. I will convey my displeasure re this in an email tomorrow.

SGC did not slab one of my 17 items, a 1924 WS Game 7 ticket stub, and they credited my account. The SGC order document that accompanied my cards says, "SGC does not grade." Before I subbed this ticket stub, I checked eBay, and I saw SGC-slabbed WS ticket stubs, so this surprised me. And, I would have thought that the SGC rep who accepted my submission at Chantilly and immediately changed this ticket stub from the top loader it was in to a card saver would have known this and not accepted it.

Another surprise and disappointment pertains to the 1923 Fleer card of Dutch Ruether I subbed. SGC merely labeled it as a 1923 W515-1 card, with no mention of Fleer. I'm guessing that when I inquire, a SGC rep will tell me that SGC no longer puts "Fleer" on the labels for these, despite there being 11 1923 Fleer cards listed in SGC's pop report. I'm guessing this because SGC recently told me they no longer put "Wool's Bread" on the labels of W551 cards that have this ad back, after I inquired as to why SGC didn't note "Wool's Bread" on the label of the WaJo card I subbed. I even have in my collection a W551 Wool's Bread of Wally Pipp with this noted on the SGC label! Sigh!

A fast turnaround is great, so long as it doesn't lead to "haste makes waste." Or maybe this is just a case of SGC incompetence. Two of the 17 cards in my sub are a 1955 Topps Hocus Focus card #3 of Dick Groat and a 1956 Topps Hocus Focus card #1 of Dick Groat. Guess what, SGC labeled both of these cards identically as being 1956 cards! And, the label on the 1955 card says "Authentic - Minimum Size Not Met." Duh, anyone who knows anything about these scarce Topps issues knows that the 1955 cards are smaller in size than the 1956 cards! See pics below.