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Chris S.I just got my issue today and found this nice little bit on page 14...It's from Wayne Grove's "Market Report" column:
"We found a few low pop, high-grade cards on internet auction sites. We'll take a look at what someone was willing to pay for them this past month. First is a 1957 Topps #1 Ted Williams graded Mint 9 by PSA...One sold for $6,600 on eBay this past month.
"It's also important to note that not all 9's are created equal. The same week, a 1957 Topps #1 Ted Williams PRO Mint 9 sold for $909. This is only one example, but it shows that consumers have yet to embrace some of the lower-tier grading companies.For whatever reason, some of these companies haven't been able to establish consumer confidence, and their cards don't demand the same prices even though they may have recieved a high grade. Part of the problem may be that these companies don't have a readily accessible pop report to inform consumers what's available. We won't speculate on other reasons for this trend"
I love that last sentence...perhaps it was placed there by the editor to keep some of Beckett Vintage's readers from writing in to explain their own reasons why a PRO Williams won't fetch six grand...
My take on this whole discussion about graded cards: if a company isn't going to be 100 percent certain that I'm going to be satisfied (i.e. the mention in another thread that grading companies are stating as much in their disclaimers), and many sellers are refusing to take returns on graded material, then there is absolutely no reason for me to give a single dollar of my hard-earned money to any of them.
Some time ago, in my local card shop, I was shown a 1956 Topps Luis Aparicio card, which was graded a PSA6. So, I went to see its Low Beckett price (because that's what the seller should be selling a NrMT card for), and was told by the dealer that the low Beckett price wouldn't be the guideline...I had to take into consideration that he had to spend some money to have PSA grade it.
"So what you're telling me is...even though this card says it's in NrMT condition, I can't expect to buy it at its NrMT price because you had to PAY some so-called "expert" at PSA to deem the freakin' card a 6?"
His response: "Chris, I know you're an old school collector. I know you can remember when we could grade a card by simply looking at it and making an educated guess. But that's not the way it's done now."
So, I did what any responsible collector should do...I refused to buy the card. BTW, it's still in that display case today. I still don't own any graded cards.
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My vintage cards site:
http://www.geocities.com/chrisstufflestreet/