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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

Barry, that particular example is an extreme one, perhaps I didn't articulate it well. It did happen to me, just recently actually, but that's the only yime I've submitted a card four times with four different results. I can't for the life of me see how this happened; the card was a sure-fire 4 and looked better than the 5 I had, so I resubmitted the 4 looking for a 5, and the grade has gotten worse with each submission. There's a big picture of it on my blog: http://www.swingbattaswing.com/page13/page13.html

More often, I'll get a card that I think, for example, is a 6. I submit it and it grades a 5. The first thing I assume is that I missed something - maybe a wrinkle or a corner ding, or some sort of surface flaw. So I'll examine the card closely in the holder and see what I can find. If I can't find anything, I'll crack it out and examine it again, then resubmit it. I'll usually resubmit a card only once, unless I'm absolutely certain it's not getting the right grade.

I should also note that 1938 Goudey is the only set I collect where I'm particularly conscious about the actual number on the flip. I already have the set, but I love it so much that I consistently buy new ones if they look better than the ones I have. But that makes me conscious of the grade, there's nothing more frustrating to me than seeing a 7 that's not as nice as my 6.

-Al