Top Graders' Compensation

[Dpeck100]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

They grade their buddy's cards, and then take a cut of the final auction price...

JK

That's a pretty bold accusation.

[glynparson]

are making far more than 45-65,000 a year unless salaries have been cut in half (or more) over the last decade/decade and a half.

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by Dpeck100

That's a pretty bold accusation.

Or a joke, but who the hell can tell these days?

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

Or a joke, but who the hell can tell these days?

I read less as an accusation (my position definitely not accusatory), but more an acknowledgement that the ingredients are in place for some really lucrative potential corruption.

I think one of the main reasons there have not been major sports/pro athlete gambling controversies of late is that these guys are clearly very well compensated, and have everything to lose.

The 1919 White Sox were not. College players have never been. NBA refs are not (at least relative to players). I think that these scams and corruption are more likely to occur when the proper ingredients are there--- underpaid individual, having great personal influence over something worth a lot of money to others, as well as difficult to enforce.

[drcy]

You don't need AI as a grader, you need AI as foreman.

HAL 9000 scene

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by drcy

You don't need AI as a grader, you need AI as foreman:

HAL 9000 scene

I do love me some HAL.

[Dpeck100]

Originally Posted by itjclarke

I read less as an accusation (my position definitely not accusatory), but more an acknowledgement that the ingredients are in place for some really lucrative potential corruption.

I think one of the main reasons there have not been major sports/pro athlete gambling controversies of late is that these guys are clearly very well compensated, and have everything to lose.

The 1919 White Sox were not. College players have never been. NBA refs are not (at least relative to players). I think that these scams and corruption are more likely to occur when the proper ingredients are there--- underpaid individual, having great personal influence over something worth a lot of money to others, as well as difficult to enforce.

It may be a joke or it may not be but in the bigger picture suggesting card graders or card grading companies are bought off with back door payoffs is a bold accusation. PSA is obviously a public company and you would be looking at serious jail time and a total destruction of their business.

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by Dpeck100

It may be a joke or it may not be but in the bigger picture suggesting card graders or card grading companies are bought off with back door payoffs is a bold accusation. PSA is obviously a public company and you would be looking at serious jail time and a total destruction of their business.

It's not an accusation or even a suggestion (from me at least). It's just an observation that the opinions of several people who make relatively modest wages can have a mulitmillion dollar impact one way or another on these products. This is not directed at any TPG, but is a general comment. Again, I'm mainly commenting on a set of circumstances, which can lead to temptation.

This in no way unique to collecting, and clearly similar applies in many other fields, including for example the public sector. I remember reading a story a few years ago in SF where a few city building inspectors would block proposed home improvements (adding a floor, a garage, a deck, etc). When those houses would eventually sell, the inspectors were in cahoots with buyers, and would then approve these improvements which increased home values. On a broader scale, the City of Bell, CA. Too many scams there to begin listing.

[Dpeck100]

Originally Posted by itjclarke

It's not an accusation or even a suggestion (from me at least). It's just an observation that the opinions of several people who make relatively modest wages can have a mulitmillion dollar impact one way or another on these products. This is not directed at any TPG, but is a general comment. Again, I'm mainly commenting on a set of circumstances, which can lead to temptation.

This in no way unique to collecting, and clearly similar applies in many other fields, including for example the public sector. I remember reading a story a few years ago in SF where a few city building inspectors would block proposed home improvements (adding a floor, a garage, a deck, etc). When those houses would eventually sell, the inspectors were in cahoots with buyers, and would then approve these improvements which increased home values. On a larger scale, the City of Bell, CA. Too many scams there to begin listing.

When money is involved crazy things can happen. No doubt. I remember a few years ago at the bank I work for a branch manager downstairs got busted stealing funds from an elderly clients line of credit and it was shocking. She ran out of the bank but was quickly caught and is sitting in jail. Apparently she had a gambling problem and was covering her losses with their money.

That said because of the nature of their business, a third party graders business model is based on objectivity and the entire thing comes crashing down if collusion exists and they know that and I feel very confident there are safe guards in place to insure this doesn't happen.

The only whiff of this I have ever read about was when the Doug Allen case busted wide open and the owner of SGC was potentially implicated. Nothing ever came of it from what I have read.


****Notice their used correctly. Haha

[Peter_Spaeth]

No, it comes crashing down only if collusion exists and someone proves it. BIG difference. And I doubt it even comes crashing down, we are all too addicted to stuff and slabs.

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by Dpeck100

When money is involved crazy things can happen. No doubt. I remember a few years ago at the bank I work for a branch manager downstairs got busted stealing funds from an elderly clients line of credit and it was shocking. She ran out of the bank but was quickly caught and is sitting in jail. Apparently she had a gambling problem and was covering her losses with their money.

That said because of the nature of their business, a third party graders business model is based on objectivity and the entire thing comes crashing down if collusion exists and they know that and I feel very confident there are safe guards in place to insure this doesn't happen.

The only whiff of this I have ever read about was when the Doug Allen case busted wide open and the owner of SGC was potentially implicated. Nothing ever came of it from what I have read.


****Notice their used correctly. Haha

Totally agree. One of my two BST incidents involved a guy who had worked at a bank, and presume knew intimately how their deposit systems worked. Nothing provable bit it was all very suspicious. If it was indeed a scam, then i'd expect it was just another example of someone who knew how things worked from the inside, and knew well how to game the system. All ended well enough for me, in that my bank's fraud services eventually (1.5-2 yrs later) reimbursed my prior loss. I presume the allaged, or whomever the scammer made out with his money, though nothing was provable.

Re- TPG, I'd very much hate for any of these scenarios to come true, as it would have a huge impact on my collection's value. Though I don't really ever submit to TPGs, I (like many here) own a lot of graded stuff. Hope that horror story never plays out.

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by Dpeck100

That's a pretty bold accusation.

FYI, JK means "Just Kidding".

FYI, FYI means "For Your Information".

JK

[Dpeck100]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

FYI, JK means "Just Kidding".

FYI, FYI means "For Your Information".

JK