Blast from the past...

[Archive]

Posted By: runscott

those blasted commas...

I always read the "Shoebox" catalog because of all the fantastic items it has, but of course at 2X book value for most vintage cards, I have never purchased from Wayne. In the last catalog, I noticed that he had loads of GAI and SGC cards, and that GAI cards with the same grade had a slightly higher price tag. My initial conclusion was that GAI cards are doing better than SGC. Wrong conclusion. I couldn't tell from the b&w newsprint photos if the cards were actually in the same condition, but I doubt it.

The day after receiving the Shoebox catalog I received my first GAI card, a t206 green portrait Cobb. It was graded "G-VG" and would probably have drawn a VG from any other grading company. But if you are buying the card (which you should be) instead of the holder, being one half grade tougher than the competition doesn't mean a damned thing - a GAI 2.5 Cobb has the same value as a PSA 3. So what? By doing this, GAI can present the illusion that Bob just described. Hobbyists see that a GAI 3 has a higher value than an SGC or PSA 3 - duh, of course, it's a better card! Also, I'm not convinced that GAI is consistent about their grading - sometimes a GAI 3 appears to mean the same thing as a PSA or SGC 3. Personally, I will stick with SGC cards - consistent and few mistakes. But GAI is OKAY.

Sidenote - to buy from Shoebox, do you call up and offer 1/2 of his catalog price? I can't imagine he sells anything at those prices.