I guess what bugs me about the whole thing is the idea that a third party is needed for even rather ordinary items. Items that aren't hard to authenticate.
Photos are pretty easy and only the semi-crazy type system really causes a need for any help. It's not like figuring out if a painting is Picasso or just some kid with no supervision.
I get why someone who makes enough to spend huge money on a photo won't take the time to learn the little bit it takes to tell if it's old or not. But I think they do themselves a disservice if they don't learn that stuff. And yes, that applies to pretty much ALL collectibles, I'll take my chances with inexpensive items but if I was going to spend upwards of $10,000 I'd be really sure I knew enough about whatever it is.
And I also wonder how well any TPA will do when they end up getting pushed for time.
The worst aspect to the whole TPA business when it comes to cards is how little time they spend on an item and how as "experts" they've backed off on providing an opinion on items they find difficult. If they can't manage to get the difficult stuff, or even mildly difficult stuff like 62 green tints, to the point where they won't do that anymore... why would I use them for the really easy stuff.
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