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E, DanielI think your premise that you have repeated (as have Frank, as have Ted) about handling the cards, getting to know them personally over years and years of collecting, in order to then be entitled to collect them (or complain about ineptitude of others when juding the condition third hand) - is unfair.
Firstly, I believe those whose collecting past goes back more than 10 years had an extreme advantage in that much of the material then WAS ungraded, and therefore available to be handled, that prices for obscure and less collected sets made buying them and playing with them a much more possible past time, and that the very obtaining of them often happened at shows, or privately, where collectors who knew eachother enabled one another to enjoy the cards in such manner.....wow, long sentence!
To constantly have a go at collectors who collect in a different way than you have is incredibly grating. I would also have you consider that while you regularly claim some great majority (as do the Republican party about the nature of this country - OVERWHELMINGLY conservative they try to convince us) as non-graded specialists, I would disagree vociferously.
I think the split, at the very least, would be 50-50 amongst those whose majority collections are being converted into graded and those who are steadfastly keeping their cards raw.
To be so condescending and superior in your opinions when large numbers of collectors feel differently to yourself, does little to gain your thoughts much respect.
Sincerely
Daniel