Two things you love about the hobby & Two things you hate

[Jaybird]

Some could argue that grading has brought prospectors into the hobby in higher numbers than before. It also encourages submitting and resubmitting for higher grades (bringing higher dollars) and therefore card doctoring to sophisticated levels enough to pass these TPGs.

So, with grading and more "security" come doctors who can pass that security. What you are left with is more people in the hobby trusting a system which is inherently as flawed as it was in the past. I suppose it's great that more people are entering the hobby with trust but in the end, the only defense against getting taken is knowledge and experience.

[ullmandds]

Thanks Jason...what he said!!!!!!

Likes:
Net 54
Great friends I have made in the hobby

Dislikes:

PSA( and really any other grading company)
Dishonest dealers.

[zljones]

Love:

1. The beauty of some of the issues of cards and being able to indulge in such a fun hobby.

2. fulfilling my dream card wants from my childhood.

Dislike:

1. super high overinflated prices from greedy dealers wanting 2x-4x the value.

2. My credit card debt from buying cards LOL

[Tobacco&Gum]

You make great points, and I agree with you guys to a degree. I think any system that is in place will have it's flaws. I also think the system that we have now is better than no system at all IMO.

There is good money involved in the hobby, and that will always bring out the scammers. Some of them will be good enough at their craft to fool even the most seasoned graders. Doctored cards will sometimes slip through (any grading company), but I think the overwhelming amount of time they will be caught, and rejected. At least by the major companies.

I don't use grading as a security blanket, and I certainly would never buy a card just because of the PSA or SGC label. I think too many collectors do buy the label not the card, and unfortunately (for them) always will. I look at the graded cards as just a guide, not the end all be all.

I don't collect with intention of resale value, but there is no denying what getting my cards slabbed has done for the value of my collection when and if I do decide to let some stuff go.

[RUSH2112]

Likes:

The old days when cards were graded to Charleton standards and ungraded cards were plentiful. Those days are long gone.

The Charleton standard catalog of hockey cards.

Dislikes:

Graded cards.

Letters like "OC" on a slab to tell a buyer that the card has 90 / 10 centering.

[Edwolf1963]

Like:

1. Friends I have made in the hobby
2. Getting a card back graded at or above what I hoped for (rare)

Dislike:

1. PSA's Customer Service (DMV lines are friendlier and more helpful)
2. Qualifiers and/or BCCG cards

[dstraate]

+

I've liked cards since I was a kid. Seeing a card of one of the greats that I hadn't yet seen is always a great moment.

-

Crooks.

[tachyonbb]

1. Today I received a bunch of cards from a fellow Net54 member. When I opened the package I could smell the bubble gum. Not really as the cards are 52 years old but just seeing them set my olfactory senses off.

2. Sharing my collection with my daughters who enjoy baseball cards and looking forward to sharing this hobby with my grandson.


bad
1. The incredible amount of fraud in the hobby.

2. The fact that cards produced today are never going to have real value. I watched kids opening packs the other day and they just threw away the cards looking for the inserts.

[ethicsprof]

I do love the camaraderie of friends in the hobby and the scholarly research
offered by quite a few.
I do not like the erratic ad hominem comments which are hurtful, sometimes unmercifully so.

all the best,
barry

[WWGjohn]

Likes:

All the great friends in the hobby I've made over the past 25 years.

Getting into antique bats as well as vintage cards.

Dislikes:

Slabbing and what it has done to how we view cards and slabs.

The demise of the local card shows and the pleasure of looking for that hidden treasure, as well as the periodic get togethers with the nice people involved with the shows.

[Bicem]

Originally Posted by Jaybird

Some could argue that grading has brought prospectors into the hobby in higher numbers than before. It also encourages submitting and resubmitting for higher grades (bringing higher dollars) and therefore card doctoring to sophisticated levels enough to pass these TPGs.

So, with grading and more "security" come doctors who can pass that security. What you are left with is more people in the hobby trusting a system which is inherently as flawed as it was in the past. I suppose it's great that more people are entering the hobby with trust but in the end, the only defense against getting taken is knowledge and experience.

well said Jason. This is exactly why I don't care for grading. It's not some sense of being old school, or hating change, or longing for the good old days of the hobby - it's simply because so many collectors put so much faith into a severely flawed system.

[brickyardkennedy]

Originally Posted by Jaybird

Some could argue that grading has brought prospectors into the hobby in higher numbers than before. It also encourages submitting and resubmitting for higher grades (bringing higher dollars) and therefore card doctoring to sophisticated levels enough to pass these TPGs.

So, with grading and more "security" come doctors who can pass that security. What you are left with is more people in the hobby trusting a system which is inherently as flawed as it was in the past. I suppose it's great that more people are entering the hobby with trust but in the end, the only defense against getting taken is knowledge and experience.

Well said!

[sox1903wschamp]

Originally Posted by Jaybird

Some could argue that grading has brought prospectors into the hobby in higher numbers than before.

"Prospectors" That's a good way to put it.

[Tao_Moko]

Likes:
1. This Forum - one of the few mental escapes I have from work
2. The fact that I can still enjoy a hobby 30 years after I started and will be able to continue doing so

Dislikes:
1. The sometimes condescending attitude about a question or statement
2. Collecting a team that a gazillion other guys collect - Cubs

[alanu]

Likes:
The cards
The chase to acquire the cards

Dislikes:
Having to inquire about the condition of the back of a card.
Scams of all kinds

[glynparson]

Likes: Cards and the history they reveal
friends I've made

Dislikes: People being ignorant of the dark side of the hobby and wishing to stay that way.
The RAMPANT corruption

[glynparson]

Well Said Jason and Jeff concerning the doctoring. I honesty feel though, that there were far more "investors" in the 1986-1992 period then any other. Thir may be a few whales willing to spend more money now, then they were back then. However the pool of people considering themselves baseball card investors was MUCH larger back then.

[3-2-count]

Likes:
The artwork and history associated with the cardboard we collect
The release card collecting gives me to lifes everyday grind

Dislikes:
Collectors who have placed cardboard above relationships (sadly there have been a few)
Dishonesty - Shilling, card doctoring, etc