Posted By:
T206Collector"Therefore, I will pursure other avenues that hopefully have a strong moral integrity and a hobby that has less contriversy around every corner and people that have the same moral values that I think I possess."
You will have to go where there is no money involved, and even there you are likely to run into people with character flaws. But the more that you involve a monetary value in your hobby, the greater the incentive will be to take advantage of people. PSA and SGC were founded upon, and reap the rewards of, the underbelly of the card industry.
I left the hobby because of this in the 1980's; but returned with my confidence in PSA and now SGC. I now only make big purchases if SGC holders the card; not only do I like the holders and their grading consistency, but they have a buyback guarantee. Everything else is the Wild West to me, and out there you take your chances, without expecting too much from people.
There is a real sentiment on this Board to clean up the hobby and it is certainly an honorable goal. But let us not forget that we are dealing with money and real people, with incentives that can bring out the worst in people -- many different kinds of people, from all walks of life today, and over the course of the past 100 years, since these little cardboard treasures were created.