Sgc 11 / psa !!

[Fred]

In the past I would support SGC over PSA because I thought they did a better job and I liked the aesthetics of the holders more. Now I just look at both with the same amount of contempt.

SGC and PSA are equals in ineptitude in subjectivity. They’re both equally clued into the fact that the “collectors” will spend lots of ca$h for cards with a higher number on the flip. They’ve also figured out that people will pay more to have a card graded/assigned a higher number. In my mind, that just means that the grading companies are incentivized to assign higher numbers if the consumer is willing to pay the price for it.

There doesn't seem to be any accountability for doing a poor job of grading. TPGs can do what ever they want, collect the fees and not worry about any repercussions. What’s sad is that the collecting public seems to be addicted to this crap and will continue to eat it up.

I purchased a few cards recently and I’m fairly certain the cards were altered yet they received numerical grades.

I looked at the SGC web site and see they have two levels (PRI and GM) of 10’s. SGC should just come up with a new gimmick, the SGC 11. Then PSA can counter with their PSA !! grade and have everyone trampling over each other to get the 11 or !!

What would be nice if the auction houses started refusing consignments if they suspect something is wrong with an assigned grade or it’s obvious the card in a holder is not what the flip indicates. We know that won’t happen.

The TPGs should stick to authenticating the cards and not assign numerical grades. If a card is authentic but altered, then have that indicated on the flip. That won’t happen because that doesn’t allow collectors to say look at that number on the flip.

You gotta protect yourselves. Like the saying goes – buy the card not the flip.

Sorry for the semi-rant. If you’re going to say “well just get out of the hobby”, save your virtual breath – I do this because it’s something I’ve been doing well before the TPGs screwed things up. I still get enjoyment from it, but not quite as much as in the days when it was more of a hobby than a means for deceitful minded people to screw others to make a buck.