Posted By:
SteveI should probably not do this but I also agree with the old-timers. The grading services have changed the business and is not all negative. Of course people overgraded cards (and continue) to as grading is inherently subjective and an art and not a science. My request is simply for consistency, which is of course a regular board topic about the different grading companies. I think the grading companies have encouraged the collecting of some unusual issues, especially by ebay buyers, as people would be afraid to buy more obscure and advaned issues on their own.
On the other hand..
In the past, almost no one cared about writing, especially minor writing, on a blank back card. Apparently now this makes the card Poor or Fair. A tiny scrape on the back of a card makes it Good or Fair or VG when in the past it may have been Ex or even higher. Good or bad, cannot make that judgment...
I should also acknowledge some level of hypocrisy as I (like everyone else) do submit cards for grading. I do not alter my cards and nothing I submit has been doctored. My big problem is when I see graded card dealers buy Ex 5 1933 Goudey Ruths for $10,000 or centered 7s for 1 1/2 to 3x SMR. It seems like the pre-war cards literally become sharper every six months. I would like the fellow old timers to comment on whether they think a large number of doctored vintage cards are being graded on a fairly regular basis by all of the major companies. I am not trying to stir up any trouble here just stimulated by this very lively thread - Steve