Buying Slabbed cards...security...or the contrary?

[botn]

If by the system you mean the grading/encapsulating process, I would say it has no failed us, though I do believe there are some serious inherent flaws with 3rd party grading today. I think the internet, for the obvious reasons, has done away with card shows. If we relied more on buying cards at shows or in person I doubt there would be as many potential victims. It has never been more important than it is now to really know the reputation of the person you are buying from if you are going to conduct business over the internet.

[Exhibitman]

Greg's right.

I'd ratchet back the overall the sky is falling stuff. For the average items worrying about counterfeit slabbing is pretty much a non-issue. There just aren't counterfeiters going to the trouble of creating a fake that would only sell for $50.

A far more worrisome issue are the artists who can trim a card and get it past the TPGs into a high end holder. I don't collect that market but I do like to purchase nice raw Topps cards from the 1970s at shows, and I've noticed that certain issues have an increased incidence of trimmed cards in otherwise solid dealer inventories. I bought some at the National that looked good at the show but that were subtly trimmed. I figured it out only when I got home. I also weeded out a lot of questionable items at the show just comparing one card to others in the inventory. I suspect that the card trimmers out there are perfecting their techniques on low value cards and then selling their experiments to dealers as part of bulk lots.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by botn

If by the system you mean the grading/encapsulating process, I would say it has no failed us, though I do believe there are some serious inherent flaws with 3rd party grading today. I think the internet, for the obvious reasons, has done away with card shows. If we relied more on buying cards at shows or in person I doubt there would be as many potential victims. It has never been more important than it is now to really know the reputation of the person you are buying from if you are going to conduct business over the internet.

Good point

Just like Insider Trading for the Stock Market, can very well happen for the Card Grading Companies Insider Grading