PSA vs. SCG -- Discount Valuation

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

PSA has always had a guarantee. It used to be on their website in several different places with a simple explanation. It was also footnoted in their financial statements. I am not sure if the guarantee is still in either of those places. However, present or not, I am very confident that Joe's claim as to a warranty, is nothing more than empty words.

Does anyone actually believe that Joe would actually put in writing that they did not have a guarantee or warranty? Or that upon resubmission for the 1/2 grade that they will not look for altered cards and remove them from circulation? PSA is a business and no different than SGC and they will buy back cards when they have to or are made to.

On several instances I have submitted the same card multiple times to GAI, SGC and PSA and all too frequently results in completely inconsistent grading results. Not only do the grading companies not agree with one another but upon resubmission to the grading company the card was originally slabbed by, the card comes back a different grade or is then rejected. Grading companies are merely issuing an opinion which is not the same as an absolute. That gives them a lot of wiggle room for making "judgment errors" which may not be able to be proved. And certainly not easily proved while a card is sealed.

Bottom line is the buy back policy for any company for altered or over graded cards is employed ONLY when one of the two scenarios exist (1)not buying it back is not economically feasible or (2)not buying the card back had certain and sudden adverse effects on public opinion.

I don't see any grading company actively looking to buy back cards, expensive or not, in order to clean up the hobby. If it makes all of you more comfortable to think that a real guarantee is in place because it is printed someplace, great. With the sheer number of cards I see floating around that appear altered or at best significantly over graded, my guarantee is that more than 99% of them would never be reacquired by the grading company who graded them.

Greg