PSA Autograph Rarity Scale

[tazdmb]

Just curious of what some of you think of the scale, does PSA have it right?
http://www.psacard.com/dnasetregistr...tion.aspx?c=37

I think some of it is way off, I think all of the below should not even be included in the General Set (IE-Nearly impossible to find/Bonus Points Category)

Jesse Burkett is a 9 (IE-As rare as Lazzeri and McGraw)
Jack Chesbro, Tommy McCarthy are 10s

Since I have been collecting, I have seen a total of 0 Burkett and McCarthy (legit) autographs offered for sale. Halper had to even steal McCarthy's will to get one in his collection. I know Joshua Tree had a Burkett, but most true collectors believed it to be fake. As for Chesbro, I know of the 1 check that was offered recently as well as the reunion balls in private hands, but it is still an extreme rarity.

Additionally, I would bump Barney Dreyfuss up from the Bonus Points to a 10 or 9 category.

Thoughts?

[packs]

Theoretically Anson and Bulkeley shouldn't be rare at all. Both held public office posts and must have signed a ton of documents. However I realize they may be hard to come by if they're part of public record. Anson was also on Vaudeville for years and toured everywhere.

Wanted to add maybe I'm not understanding the rating system. Ruth and Gehrig are rated 10s too and their signatures aren't rare at all.

[Mr. Zipper]

Originally Posted by packs

Ruth and Gehrig are rated 10s too and their signatures aren't rare at all.

Right. And Cobb an 8 which is "rarer" than Campanella? I doubt it.

Is this truly a rarity scale or a scoring scale for the registry? That is, it is higher on the scale due to COST as well as rarity.

[HexsHeroes]

.

. . . on account that for many of the team specific groupings,
the weight = 1 regardless of whether that ballplayer died in 1901
or is still alive. Perhaps PSA put more effort in HOF grouping because
the sheer number of ballplayers is much more manageable. I don't know.

[Klrdds]

It is both a rarity scale and a scoring scale. It does not take into account the condition ,the medium, or the type of writing implement, only the basic fact of the autograph alone... nothing else matters.
The Campanella is for a pre accident signature I have been told.
The scale in my opinion is way off on the rarity side.
I long suspected that it is somewhat based on their opinion based indirectly how many they have graded , as well as their perceived idea of a number of autographs out there.

[RichardSimon]

An autograph registry, just another marketing ploy by PSA, just what the autograph hobby needs. "My ---- is better and bigger then yours."
This is a gimmick by PSA, something to increase the interest in the registry.
They looked around the office one day, pointed to an intern and said draw up a rarity scale. After he said "huh?" they explained to him what they wanted.
So he put a number next to every name.

[Mr. Zipper]

Originally Posted by RichardSimon

An autograph registry, just another marketing ploy by PSA, just what the autograph hobby needs. "My ---- is better and bigger then yours."

Yep. "Registry Sets" based on a weighted scale is the same thing that was done for coins and comic books. It also helps create brand loyalty because to participate in the registry, the item has to obviously be slabbed and graded by the company running the registry.

Registries need a grading component to work, and I am sure this is why autograph grading has been introduced in addition to basic authentication.

What the hobby really needs is rich guys bragging on chat boards... "My Babe Ruth ball graded an 8 and yours is only a 7! Get a life, LOSER!!"

[tazdmb]

Originally Posted by packs

Theoretically Anson and Bulkeley shouldn't be rare at all. Both held public office posts and must have signed a ton of documents. However I realize they may be hard to come by if they're part of public record. Anson was also on Vaudeville for years and toured everywhere.

Anson only held public office for 2 years and most of the stuff during that time and his vaudeville days have be determined to be secretarial signed.

[packs]

I would think that even with a 2 year stint there would have been hundreds of documents that required his signature. He also wrote books, ran for sheriff and owned a semi-pro baseball team. Still, even with the amount of exposure and fame he had, for whatever reason there aren't many of his autographs around. Seems odd.