Posted By:
TBobFirst off, I HAVE dealt with Dan in the past and know him to be soldily reputable and trustworthy. If Dan tells me he sent a T206 Magie and even has the image of the card, I believe him, whether or not he had the Pope personally witness the card being sealed in the package and submitted or not. Second, who the hell thinks a 6k card is not a "high dollar card????" What universe are you living in?
I have had my own run-in with a grading card company, though not PSA. The slabbers of the world are quick to point the finger and deny liability. Cards come back in lesser condition or marked or mangled or worse yet don't come back at all and somehow it is the veracity of the submitter which is called in to question. It is a damn shame that Dan is out 6k because of a mistake (maybe) by an employee which borders on fraud and is at least extreme negligence. We have given too much importance in our hobby to the all-powerful slabbed grading system. I would personally take the opinion of a Pete Calderon or a Leon Luckey or any of the other hobbyists on this board as to the legitimacy or aletration of a vintage card over some twinkie eater who is busy thinking about his date with Tiffany that night and has better things to think about and do then carefully and accurately grade a card from someone who doesn't fit the profile of a frequent submitter or high rolling company.
Sorry if I am ticked and sound a little peeved but Dan is a good guy and if I had just experienced the loss of a card worth $6,000.00 and was impliedly (or overtly) called a liar, I would be on the edge. The bottom line is I will never again submit a card for grading by mail to any card grading service. If you want to buy a "raw" card from me on ebay, I'll happily provide unretouched and detailed scans, but I will never submit any cards to a grading company even though I know the net result will be a higher yield on ebay for the card. Losing my business will be just a drop in the bucket to the slabbists, but Dennis Purdy was right on the money so long ago when he published his article in VCBC condemning the grading companies. I will still buy cards which have been slabbed (if they appear to MY eye to be o.k.) but never again will I submit one.
Just my 2 cents, fire away...