FS: 1948 Leaf Jackie Robinson PSA 4.5

[benjulmag]

No surprise to me at least that PSA would not accept evidence of trimming by Blowout. What would be the implications if they did? IMO PSA's contingent liabilities grossly exceed their net worth given the amount of altered cards that have received grades. The problem is proving that such as to be legally able to invoke their guarantee. So if PSA were to concede that evidence of trimming by Blowout in and of itself requires it to make good on their guarantee, that concession could have significant adverse financial consequences.

EDITED TO ADD that regardless what Blowout did or did not find, the notion that a company will objectively evaluate whether it needs to make good on a guarantee is unrealistic. The entire concept behind the legitimacy of TPG is based on the principle that the grading company has no economic stake in the outcome. So we are to believe that a TPG will objectively evaluate that it made a mistake, the consequences of which will be to trigger a significant financial liability? Your Kool-Aid better be pretty strong to swallow that one.

[AGuinness]

Thanks for the update, AJ.
Sad to see it go this way, but not at all unexpected. Remember that "interview" of Brent at PWCC a couple years ago when he argued that if alterations couldn't be detected then there shouldn't be a problem (I'm certainly paraphrasing)? I think he called it "restoration" rather than alteration. Seems like the hobby has clearly hit that unfortunate target. I don't believe that PSA is involved in a conspiracy about this, just that they actually cannot detect the alterations of this card and so many many more.
Does anyone know of a serial numbered card that BODA has outed and then was reviewed by the TPG that graded it and revised it's assessment to acknowledge the alteration(s), or standing by the assessment? I know BODA has found a number of serial numbered cards like this and it would be tougher to question their discoveries as it is iron clad going to be the same card.

[Peter_Spaeth]

This is really a new low the more I think about it == to be clear, PSA and the giant middle finger it just gave the hobby.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

This is really a new low the more I think about it == to be clear, PSA and the giant middle finger it just gave the hobby.

Not a new low, just another day at the orifice, I mean office.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by benjulmag

No surprise to me at least that PSA would not accept evidence of trimming by Blowout. What would be the implications if they did? IMO PSA's contingent liabilities grossly exceed their net worth given the amount of altered cards that have received grades. The problem is proving that such as to be legally able to invoke their guarantee. So if PSA were to concede that evidence of trimming by Blowout in and of itself requires it to make good on their guarantee, that concession could have significant adverse financial consequences.

EDITED TO ADD that regardless what Blowout did or did not find, the notion that a company will objectively evaluate whether it needs to make good on a guarantee is unrealistic. The entire concept behind the legitimacy of TPG is based on the principle that the grading company has no economic stake in the outcome. So we are to believe that a TPG will objectively evaluate that it made a mistake, the consequences of which will be to trigger a significant financial liability? Your Kool-Aid better be pretty strong to swallow that one.

Yup. When it costs you 20K to admit you were wrong, and there are no consequences to insisting you were right even if you were wrong, which do you pick?

I would guess this was not really left to the judgment of a grader. Or the grader was smart enough to know what he was supposed to conclude.