Unfortunately, this hobby has been completely impacted by the grading frenzy. The lunacy of a numerical grade making one piece of cardboard in the same condition (but with a different numerical grade) worth thousands of more dollars is really quite STUPID.
The end loser in this is the pure hobbyist that just wants to collect and complete sets. The price of the cards are driven to insane and sometimes unattainable (to many) valuations. It was a much more simple hobby before the grading frenzy took over. Some people will argue that the grading brought more interest to the hobby but, I for one, don't care for the end result.
I'd rather see the companies provide authentication services and if they "subjectively" feel the card is altered then they could include their findings on the label. Let the eye appeal of the card be the main selling point, not some subjectively derived number.
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fr3d c0wl3s - always looking for OJs and other 19th century stuff. PM or email me if you have something
cool you're looking to find a new home for.
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