If you were to start a NEW grading service...

[ksabet]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

That's a great question Pete. First, I would do away with numerical grades, since baseball cards cannot be graded with the accuracy that the numbers suggest. I know this would not be popular with collectors, but since your question was theoretical only I will stick to it. All of the pretended accuracy of half grades, for example, is just a sham. Graders can't differentiate an 8 from a 8.5 with any sense of consistency. I would just use terms such as Poor, Good, Very Good, Excellent, etc. That would at least presume that the given card was not altered, and would tell the submitter all he needs to know about its condition.

I would also strive to be incredibly consistent and careful with grading, so that resubmissions would be almost entirely unnecessary. If a card was Very Good the first time, it would be Very Good the next ten times too. I believe the regrading game is nothing more than the TPG doing favors for certain customers, not to mention minting money. If you can't get it right the first time and every time, then find a new job.

I realize of course I would go belly up with this business model, but it is nevertheless what I would like to see.

I like this idea very much.


Another terrible business model would be to just have every card scrutinized to the nth degree giving it an authentic/unauthentic plus any indications of trimming etc. To me "buy the card not the holder" is the best philosophy. To let the buyer be the judge of the grade, but alas the general public (including most dealers) and their egos would not let the number thing go.