[nodgrass]

As I mentioned above, I tend to agree that POP reports have their drawbacks when using as a sole source to analyze the scarcity of a particular card. Especially now that they have become tainted with constant resubmissions. However, I feel it is a valuable tool or at the very least a starting point. When I collected T206's heavily and PSA first started posting the POP report, I used it as a valuable reference to put me ahead of the curve in identifying tough cards and commons. Most often it was right on and I benefited later when everybody else was paying big money for the same cards. When Joe Doyle NY became an expensive "common", I already had two PSA 4's and a PSA 5 w/ Sovereign back and paid less than $40 for all of them.

I will argue the skewed data from resubmissions point as it applies directly to this particular case. I would think this would affect the more expensive and scarce cards the most. However, the Dolly Gray with stats still has less than 40 examples graded. How can that be explained?

Lastly, to touch on the point of POP records being inaccurate. I would think the only substitute would be painstakingly watching and charting the sale of particular cards as they appear on the market over a long period of time. How would this be any more accurate? Reselling the same card, raw cards purchased and later graded, graded cards purchased and broken out, crossovers, resubmissions. How can any card be accurately tracked in this method?

I really don't mean to turn this into a POP report debate and I apologize for getting off-track. I really would like to hear about real world experiences and/or data.... theories as to why the Gray or other cards in T205 are rare or not rare.

Is the Gray with stats only available with certain backs? I don't have access to it at this moment to confirm my memory is correct, but I beleive in Lipset's encylcopedia he states that the Gray w/stats is only available in Sovereign back. The examples I have seen have a Piedmont back.