Quote:
Originally Posted by Leon
Matt,
How many times do we see a 19th century (shadow) of a player, with a high grade, and shake our heads? I understand that folks should buy the card and not the holder but doesn't it diminish the effectiveness of grading when we see a piece of cardboard with what looks like a stain on it, and it's really the player? I don't know the answer but think it's a darned good discussion to have.
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Absolutely a good discussion to have. If the TPGs want to downgrade cards for being washed out, just as they do for having a crease I don't object in principle, so long as they do so for all issues equally. Practically, I think there might be two problems with it. One is it would render all grades given up to now suspect as the grading standard would be changing - it would be like the PSA half point adoption on steroids, as there your PSA 4 might be a 4.5, but there's no way it would become a 1. The second is that fading is something that can occur even once the card is slabbed, which means a card slabbed as a 7 might technically be a 3 next week if left out in the sun, though still residing in a 7 slab.
Also, as far as shaking our heads when seeing a faded card graded as a 3, IMO that's because there is a subtle mistake people are making that the grade translates into the value of the card - that two cards of the same player, one being graded a 2 and one a 4, there 4 should be worth more. As I explained above, I don't believe grading to be the only factor in determining a cards desirability, so I don't have an issue with a non-faded 2 being worth more then a faded 4.