I agree that third party grading provides a useful service in giving a prospective purchaser more assurance both as to the authenticity of the card and its overall condtiion. The problem is that many collectors put too much stock in what the grading company says. To me a graded card means there is less likelihood the card is altered than if it was raw, and that the card's true condition does not materially differ from the grade on the slab. But there is still always the chance the grading company got it wrong, and that a subsequent resubmission could result in a different outcome. So I guess it's a matter of perception. I choose to look at third party grading as an overall improvement over relying exclusively on the seller's assessment of the condition. But it is and always will be far from perfect and riddled with subjectivity, and any grading company, if presented a card anew, is very apt the second time to give it a different grade. I wonder if the day will come when the market recognizes this and stops putting such disparate values on essentially identically-looking cards but with different grades. And, collectors should understand that in regard to issues of authenticity/alteration, third party grading can never be a complete substitute for the card's provenance.
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