Posted By:
TBobThanks to Leon who listened to my rants today and calmed me down. I was understandably pretty upset. On reflection, I would state the following:
1)I agree with the comments above that SGC does not employ anyone as a grader ignorant or careless enough to have designated an area which had been erased by placing an "E" there. I agree that does seem pretty strange. I once had a T207 set consigned to Mastro and received a phone call from Bill himself apologizing but letting me know that apparently someone had apparently thrown away the EXMT Lowdermilk, one of the keys. Bill and I worked out an amicable agreement on value and the rest of the set went in the auction. I had some problem believing that someone could have simply thrown away or lost the card, but I accepted it, and Bill Mastro has always been straight with me. The reason I mention this is that weird things happen sometimes.
2) I spoke with 2 collector friends about this, both had seen the card previous to submission, albeit a couple of years ago. One emphatically said there was no mark, the other couldn't rule out that it might have existed. Since I can not be 100% sure and have no scan in my possession, I can not say with total conviction that I am absolutely 100% positive the mark did not exist based on what my friends have told me. I do not believe the mark was there but I can not 100% rule it out. I do not understand why the card was initialy graded and then determined to be not gradable 2 years later if the mark were there in the first place.
3)I appreciate the support of all my collector friends, guys I have never personally met except on line or talked with on the telephone. I have learned a valuable lesson, always make scans before submitting any cards for grading and always make scans of any card, for that matter, which is going out of your possession to someone else.
It's been a long day. a long grinding day. I am going to end this thread now.
Thanks again to everyone who emailed me and especially Leon for lending a sympathetic ear on the phone this afternoon. I think Neitsche (sp) said, "that which does not kill us makes us stronger." I'll survive....