Slab damage?

[jchcollins]

Am I the only one who finds it unbearable when a graded card comes in the mail and the slab is somehow busted-up? I get that they are intended to protect the card as well as tell the story of it's authenticity and grade, but I can't stand it when I get a card that is in NM condition and the plastic protector that tells me that is scratched-up or busted somewhere. I've been know to turn a graded card back into a raw card just because the holder was ugly.

Anyway. First world problems, I guess. But just got another one in the mail today that fits this description. Get some graded card bags and take care of your slabs, people!

-John


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[Bestdj777]

I don't care about scratching, but would be upset if it was cracked. The most annoying thing to me (limited to baseball cards) is when I get a card that has been graded by a certain company and it has slipped out of its internal gasket. I bought a four figure card from a reputable auction house that was boxed well and arrived that way. Nothing worse than having to tap it back in to the holder. The funny thing is, I ended up slamming it in my safe door on accident one day and broke the slab. It's my only graded card that has since been freed.

[jchcollins]

The situation that led me to write this post involves a BVG slab that is still intact, but has a booger at the very top where something hit it and there is a very small circular area that has some small starburst cracks radiating out of it. It's not huge, and it's certainly not cracked all the way through, but when the light hits it just right it looks awful. Not sure if it's worth it trying to crack Beckett / BVG, which I know is a thicker and more difficult slab to crack (I can liberate PSA cards in my sleep...) Guess we'll see.

[the 'stache]

John, you're not alone. It would bother me, too. While the slabs exist predominantly to protect the card, and to provide authentication/opinion as to the card's quality, aesthetics always come into play with something you're going to display, or even just take out once in a while to look at. After all, baseball card collecting is a visual hobby. If it weren't, we could all just get bye with listing the cards we've purchased. We might as well just all exchange registry names, and hand out polite little applause when a new card is added. No, we share our treasures, with their little quirks and imperfections, and I, personally, drool all over my laptop screen when I see something really nice. And a slab with a big crack at the top is an eye sore that can somewhat detract from the viewing experience, especially if it were to interfere with our viewing of the card.

I would say proceed with caution. If it were a PSA or SGC slab, the card, as you know, could be liberated with ease. But those Beckett slabs are like Fort Knox. I know some people know how to open them, but the degree of difficulty makes me very nervous. Any BGS slabbed card will have that protective mylar sleeve for the card, but that wouldn't protect it if the case shattered.

My advice would be to hold off on doing anything, and keep your eyes peeled for any local shows that Beckett might do in your area. I don't know if they'd do reslabbing on site (whether or not they offer that service, in addition to on site grading, escape me), but you could always submit it to have it re-slabbed, and then just pick it up, or mailed back to you. Doing it that way would cut your shipping and insurance costs down by at least half.

I'm lucky enough to live within driving distance of Beckett's HQ in Dallas. I could always hop in my car to get a card graded on site, thereby eliminating any costs besides the actual service I'd be requesting.

Let us know what you decide.

Originally Posted by jchcollins

The situation that led me to write this post involves a BVG slab that is still intact, but has a booger at the very top where something hit it and there is a very small circular area that has some small starburst cracks radiating out of it. It's not huge, and it's certainly not cracked all the way through, but when the light hits it just right it looks awful. Not sure if it's worth it trying to crack Beckett / BVG, which I know is a thicker and more difficult slab to crack (I can liberate PSA cards in my sleep...) Guess we'll see.

[jchcollins]

I decided before I read your post Bill. And the verdict is...well, turns out a BVG slab isn't that much harder to open than PSA after all:

The lip that extends further out to cover up what are essentially two thicker slabs pushed together is the tricky part. Neither PSA or SGC has anything like that. But once you use wire cutters to get a corner of that lip off, the rest works pretty much the same with a flathead screwdriver, except you have to pry up the rest of that much thicker and more resistant lip around the edge. I'll give Beckett credit, theirs is the most difficult slab bar none - but I still got it open.

Below is a picture of the card in question now. I'm much happier.

-John

[irv]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

I decided before I read your post Bill. And the verdict is...well, turns out a BVG slab isn't that much harder to open than PSA after all:

The lip that extends further out to cover up what are essentially two thicker slabs pushed together is the tricky part. Neither PSA or SGC has anything like that. But once you use wire cutters to get a corner of that lip off, the rest works pretty much the same with a flathead screwdriver, except you have to pry up the rest of that much thicker and more resistant lip around the edge. I'll give Beckett credit, theirs is the most difficult slab bar none - but I still got it open.

Below is a picture of the card in question now. I'm much happier.

-John

I have heard that numerous times as well, which is one of the reasons I am leaning towards them to grade my cards.

Question, however. In order to remove your card like you did, would it be impossible not to damage the slab in order to do so?

I have read about PSA being fairly easy to crack and the only noticeable, but not always, is the frosting you get when you do so.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by irv

Question, however. In order to remove your card like you did, would it be impossible not to damage the slab in order to do so?

Yeah it totally destroys the slab when I bust cards out - Beckett in particular. I can occasionally get a PSA case open with "only" frosting the edges, but usually it cracks and splinters in other places too. I'm sure there are others who can liberate a card without doing as much damage to the slab as I do, but my purpose is never to save the slab so I'm probably less careful with that on the whole except when it gets close to the card.

The BVG slab I cracked last night wound up in about 6 pieces...

[irv]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

Yeah it totally destroys the slab when I bust cards out - Beckett in particular. I can occasionally get a PSA case open with "only" frosting the edges, but usually it cracks and splinters in other places too. I'm sure there are others who can liberate a card without doing as much damage to the slab as I do, but my purpose is never to save the slab so I'm probably less careful with that on the whole except when it gets close to the card.

The BVG slab I cracked last night wound up in about 6 pieces...

Thanks for the info.

[deeg23]

I know I broke out a Jerry West RC in a PSA slab to get it autographed and it was incredibly easy without damaging the slab! Just used a mini flathead screwdriver and it popped right open. I was surprised and very pleased as I put it right back in the slab and I can't even notice I popped it open (: Going to be trying it on some BVG slabs tonight though for the first time so hoping it's not TOO difficult! haha

[irv]

Originally Posted by deeg23

I know I broke out a Jerry West RC in a PSA slab to get it autographed and it was incredibly easy without damaging the slab! Just used a mini flathead screwdriver and it popped right open. I was surprised and very pleased as I put it right back in the slab and I can't even notice I popped it open (: Going to be trying it on some BVG slabs tonight though for the first time so hoping it's not TOO difficult! haha

Looking forward to hearing/seeing the results.

[glynparson]

The newer PSA slabs are far more difficult to pop open than the old slabs. BVG/BGS still the hardest to crack open but they also have the least amount of collectors and the lowest resale (On vintage cards).

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by glynparson

The newer PSA slabs are far more difficult to pop open than the old slabs.

Just in my experience, I would have to disagree. I've busted a few of the new (with hologram) slabs, and well more than a few of the older ones. They all seem the same to me. Snip off a corner with a pair of players or some other tool. Then gently work a flathead screwdriver around the rest of the case to break the seal. At first I thought that the newer slabs had some kind of different technology within the recessed area...but I don't think they do.



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[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by glynparson

BVG/BGS still the hardest to crack open but they also have the least amount of collectors and the lowest resale (On vintage cards).

This has always been a bit of a mystery to me. As far as the quality of the physical product, I have always thought Beckett did the best job. The slabs are thicker and sturdier, and yes - busting one open is somewhat akin to breaking into Ft. Knox. Then there is the inner sleeve that really does do a good job - cards in BVG slabs don't slide around in the holder like you see even frequently with PSA. Why Beckett don't have a better following is beyond me. Maybe just because PSA was first to market and had more big name cards graded earlier? Possibly. Beckett did do at least one stupid thing with that BCCG or whatever their lower-tier service is. That's designed to give a card in worse condition a higher numerical grade just so people have an easier time getting 8's and above. Then in the fine print it insinuates "oh, well this is a different club with a different scale." This many years on I think people can see that for the scam it is. But with regular Beckett grading and BVG, I really do think the quality is there. I don't collect enough pure graded to speak to any personal problems with their grading standards - be they high or low - per se. I've got a few BVG cards in my collection right now and I agree with their grades.

[deeg23]

Took me a little while to post as I was at the national, but here's what my BVG and PSA (new) slabs look like post breaking! BVG there is no way those things are being resealed haha and the new PSA slabs show a little frosting, but nothing terrible (pardon the crappy cell phone pics... No scanner!)

[deeg23]

BVG slab 2... Okay for some reason the photos keep failing when I try to upload now, but the PSA one you can tell around the inside "card placeholders" it was popped due to frosting on the ends. Maybe where it was "sonically" sealed??

[jchcollins]

I think it's interesting that if the HOF gets a donation of a graded card, they will bust it out. They don't trust any slabs for "archival" purposes. Meaning not that any slabs are inherently bad, there's just no way to tell how they will decompose over the next 100+ years.

[irv]

Originally Posted by deeg23

Took me a little while to post as I was at the national, but here's what my BVG and PSA (new) slabs look like post breaking! BVG there is no way those things are being resealed haha and the new PSA slabs show a little frosting, but nothing terrible (pardon the crappy cell phone pics... No scanner!)

Originally Posted by deeg23

BVG slab 2... Okay for some reason the photos keep failing when I try to upload now, but the PSA one you can tell around the inside "card placeholders" it was popped due to frosting on the ends. Maybe where it was "sonically" sealed??

Thanks for posting those up. That is good to know!

Originally Posted by jchcollins

I think it's interesting that if the HOF gets a donation of a graded card, they will bust it out. They don't trust any slabs for "archival" purposes. Meaning not that any slabs are inherently bad, there's just no way to tell how they will decompose over the next 100+ years.

I remember reading about that, and it does make one wonder, doesn't it?

[swarmee]

The PSA/SGC/BVG/BGS debate has happened over and over again, but the gist of the reason that BGS/BVG sells for less is:
1) People aren't competing their registry sets there. (SGC gets bit here as well.)
2) People don't trust BVG to detect trimming, since they will grade sheet-cut cards (like O-Pee-Chees Gretzy rookies with all straight cuts) and cards shorter than spec (1993 SP Jeter).
3) First mover advantage by PSA.
4) PSA's bulk submission pricing.
5) Higher PSA realized pricing begets more submissions to PSA.

[ahjo_7]

Hi all - new to Net54 so apologies if this has been addressed elsewhere. Collector since childhood but new to the whole graded card game. I've noticed some of my PSA slabs, both on new and old holders, getting what looks like some plastic particles or abrasion in that space between the PAS label and card. Attached pic here that hopefully gives this some context. Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, anything that can be done outside of getting re-holdered?

Thank you!

[Tere1071]

Rather than using clippers, I thought about using a Dremel tool to break open some of my slabs. I would have it held steady in a vice while I cut. Has anyone else used a Dremel to separate a slab?

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by ahjo_7

Attached pic here that hopefully gives this some context. Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, anything that can be done outside of getting re-holdered?

Picture didn't upload properly. Try again or host it somewhere else and then put the link here.

[ahjo_7]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Picture didn't upload properly. Try again or host it somewhere else and then put the link here.

My bad - lemme know if this dropbox link works. It's that area there in between the label and card that looks like plastic crumbs.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jhs43sv4wysi2mi/1.jpg?dl=0

[swarmee]

I think that's just the textured surface of the slab. Nothing to worry about.

[jchcollins]

I know exactly what you are talking about. I think it's some type of defect, but it's common enough. I have a few slabs that have it. If it really bothers you, you can either send for a re-holder or bust out of the slab and enjoy a nice raw card. I usually opt for the latter when my OCD gets the best of me and I don't like a slab for whatever reason. Good luck with whatever you decide!