Posted By:
MWMarc –
I very strongly disagree with several of your statements.
First, I don't think it would be at all difficult to imagine buyers over-paying for "authentic only" cards. Just look at how many 1923 Spalding Babe Ruths or 1938 Goudey Joe DiMaggio Rookies "libertyforall" has sold in the past year. Like it or not, there will always be willing buyers for this type of stuff. The common denominator is that if it's in a holder, there's a much greater chance it's going to sell. The result? Many first time buyers will be turned off to the hobby and others will lose confidence in encapsulated cards. If you don't think that buying an "authentic only" card from one of perhaps thousands of eBay sellers is analogous to gambling, then I don't think you understand how this hobby functions. Why create such an amorphous, hype-your-card-to-the-moon environment?
"Authentic-trimmed?" Isn't that analogous to "Authentic-not exactly authentic?" My feeling is if one wants to thoroughly confuse new hobbyists and many buyers of vintage, graded cards, all that is necessary is for an established grading service to encapsulate altered cards. And I'm sure it would work wonders for their reputation.