PSA-A Cautionary Tale!

[WhenItWasAHobby]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Here is my take on this: The grading services started with the mission to grade and authenticate baseball cards. That's a good thing. But a whole other cottage industry has evolved, and that's what most of us call the grading game. There is such an incredible amount of money to be made by simply getting a half grade bump on high grade cards, that there are any number of people whose entire business model is simply looking for cards that are ever so slightly undergrded, since the half grade bump will put perhaps thousands of dollars in their pocket. And since we all agree the difference between say an 8.5 and 9 is virtually imperceptible and entirely arbirtrary, there is a feeling among many that these bumps may be given gratis to their best customers who are simply willing to play the game. It's a system clearly stacked in favor of the big guys, and as many have said TPG are in the business of minting money. This is a really bad sign for the future of this hobby, and with all the attention paid to auction house shilling, I think there is another very big issue that the hobby will soon have to come to terms with. The grading game comes with some serious repercussions.

Excellent analysis Barry. The best (or worst) example was the 1973 Topps Art Shell card going from an 8 to a 10.

In keeping with the topic at hand, I also see serious repercussions when a company president continues to alienate his customer base. It is inevitable that those collectors will sell off their collections which adds to the supply on the open market which will drive the values of the cards downward which in turn devalues other hobbyist's collections. If I had a lot of money tied up in PSA cards - which I did at one time, but don't anymore - I would be demanding changes in Collector Universe's management.