The illusion of an objective standard psa, sgc, bvg

[PowderedH2O]

My father collected coins for over 60 years. When I showed him a number of my PSA graded cards, I asked him why almost all of his coins were ungraded. He told me a story of how Q David Bowers, a premier authority on coin collecting submitted a particular coin and the grade was significantly lower than Bowers expected. He told me "if Bowers with a loupe says a coin is a particular grade, should I trust him, or some $10 per hour guy working at the coin place?"... And, he had a point. If I took the 25 most knowledgeable collectors on this board, I would trust their opinions over ANY grading company.

[robkas68]

My argument certainly is not that psa was correct in each instance. I presume that if I sent sgc 15 psa cards, some may come up short. And if you sent a card to psa 3 times you may get 3 different grades. Rather, it is the false sense of security associated with the grading process. Some of those trimmed cards are only a bad factory cut and some of the psa, sgc or bvg "9"s are altered as hell. I am amusing myself with the irony that after 40 years of collecting, I may be submitting my stuff to a 23 year old to tell me if it is "legit" and then taking his word as gospel.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by robkas68

My argument certainly is not that psa was correct in each instance. I presume that if I sent sgc 15 psa cards, some may come up short. And if you sent a card to psa 3 times you may get 3 different grades. Rather, it is the false sense of security associated with the grading process. Some of those trimmed cards are only a bad factory cut and some of the psa, sgc or bvg "9"s are altered as hell. I am amusing myself with the irony that after 40 years of collecting, I may be submitting my stuff to a 23 year old to tell me if it is "legit" and then taking his word as gospel.

I will agree will this entire statement.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by robkas68

My argument certainly is not that psa was correct in each instance. I presume that if I sent sgc 15 psa cards, some may come up short. And if you sent a card to psa 3 times you may get 3 different grades. Rather, it is the false sense of security associated with the grading process. Some of those trimmed cards are only a bad factory cut and some of the psa, sgc or bvg "9"s are altered as hell. I am amusing myself with the irony that after 40 years of collecting, I may be submitting my stuff to a 23 year old to tell me if it is "legit" and then taking his word as gospel.

I agree!

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[glynparson]

I have not seen a 23 year old grader at PSA, all the ones i know are in their late 40's to early 50's. Because customer service may have some younger guys in it doesn't mean the graders are young. SGC has no young graders either not sure where this information comes from. Second PSA BVG and SGC are three different companies the fact that they would not all grade the card the exact same grade is completely irrelevant. Is grading an exact science NO WAY but it is far less random than many of the criticisms want to pretend. Third point I was 23 in 1995 and more than qualified to be a grader so if there is someone grading at PSA that is 23 I wouldn't just automatically dismiss them as unqualified. Some of the most respected people as far as knowledge on this board have missed wrinkles and or modifications to cards. Having a great knowledge of a set may help greatly in knowing rarities and would obviously help in identifying counterfeits but it is not necessarily much help in detecting alterations or technical grade which are some of the key components and most important areas of grading.

[mark evans]

I think the issue of expertise is less significant than the inherent subjectivity in grading. That said, I think TPG is a positive resource, especially with regard to issues of authenticity and alterations. What escapes me, given the subjectivity in grading, is the large disparity in values especially at the high end (8 v. 8.5 v. 9 for example).

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by glynparson

I have not seen a 23 year old grader at PSA, all the ones i know are in their late 40's to early 50's. Because customer service may have some younger guys in it doesn't mean the graders are young. SGC has no young graders either not sure where this information comes from. Second PSA BVG and SGC are three different companies the fact that they would not all grade the card the exact same grade is completely irrelevant. Is grading an exact science NO WAY but it is far less random than many of the criticisms want to pretend. Third point I was 23 in 1995 and more than qualified to be a grader so if there is someone grading at PSA that is 23 I wouldn't just automatically dismiss them as unqualified. Some of the most respected people as far as knowledge on this board have missed wrinkles and or modifications to cards. Having a great knowledge of a set may help greatly in knowing rarities and would obviously help in identifying counterfeits but it is not necessarily much help in detecting alterations or technical grade which are some of the key components and most important areas of grading.

"I am amusing myself with the irony that after 40 years of collecting, I may be submitting my stuff to a 23 year old to tell me if it is "legit" and then taking his word as gospel."

I don't think Roberts statement says that he knows a 23 year old is grading his cards. He's stating it's subjective and maybe somewhat reliable at best. Until the subjectivity and human element is removed, it's just a tool and nothing more. There is very little science involved, especially with the time committed by the grader.

[Jersey City Giants]

I posted this in its own thread but I had the opposite experience. My crossovers did better with PSA! Mind you they were old BVG ones and they
had a reputation early on of being far to harsh on grades. The KSA was a big surprise too (I thought it was a 4 or 4.5).

C46 Parent PSA 5 (KSA 5)
T209 Bourquise PSA 3.5 (BVG 1)
T209 McGeehan PSA 4 (BVG 2)
T209 Hoffman PSA1 (BVG 1)
T209 Pope PSA 5 (BVG 3)
T209 Stubbe PSA 3 (BVG 2.5)
T209 Walsh PSA 3 (BVG 2.5)

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by JustinD

"I am amusing myself with the irony that after 40 years of collecting, I may be submitting my stuff to a 23 year old to tell me if it is "legit" and then taking his word as gospel."

I don't think Roberts statement says that he knows a 23 year old is grading his cards. He's stating it's subjective and maybe somewhat reliable at best. Until the subjectivity and human element is removed, it's just a tool and nothing more. There is very little science involved, especially with the time committed by the grader.

Justin, I tend to agree with your initial statement and the general spirit of what you have said here. To each his own, however. It makes me zero difference how or what someone else collects. I am currently vacationing in Ireland, and it strikes me what a small niche we ball card collectors in America (and Canada) really are. Most people would say we are all off a bit! Have fun, and collect how/what makes you happy.



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[barrysloate]

Originally Posted by glynparson

I have not seen a 23 year old grader at PSA, all the ones i know are in their late 40's to early 50's. Because customer service may have some younger guys in it doesn't mean the graders are young. SGC has no young graders either not sure where this information comes from. Second PSA BVG and SGC are three different companies the fact that they would not all grade the card the exact same grade is completely irrelevant. Is grading an exact science NO WAY but it is far less random than many of the criticisms want to pretend. Third point I was 23 in 1995 and more than qualified to be a grader so if there is someone grading at PSA that is 23 I wouldn't just automatically dismiss them as unqualified. Some of the most respected people as far as knowledge on this board have missed wrinkles and or modifications to cards. Having a great knowledge of a set may help greatly in knowing rarities and would obviously help in identifying counterfeits but it is not necessarily much help in detecting alterations or technical grade which are some of the key components and most important areas of grading.

Glyn- do you know what tools the TPG's use to detect altered cards? I know paper restorers can be extremely skilled, and are always trying to get doctored cards slabbed with numerical grades. And how successful do you think the graders are in catching and rejecting them?

[AGuinness]

The whole TPG thing raises some questions, and forgive me if they are rudimentary and/or been asked elsewhere. But I'm curious if these answers are public knowledge or not...

I've often read people noting the brief amount of time graders spend looking at a card, but do we know how long a grader averages per card? Do graders spend more time on certain sets/cards?

What would the ideal amount of time be on a card?

Do graders go over every aspect of grading (centering, corners, edges, surface, etc.), or do different graders specialize in a limited number?

At what threshold does a card merit multiple graders, or does every card get multiple looks?

I would assume that not all graders get to grade all cards, but that some graders focus on certain sports, eras or sets, is that right?

Are graders ever publicly identified (I don't think I've ever read of one being named)?

I would assume that qualifications vary, depending on how the grader would fit into the company, but is there a test for employment?

How are graders evaluated by their employers?

Just a few thoughts that run through my mind on the topic. If anybody has solid answers, I'd appreciate sharing the knowledge!

[glchen]

One of the main points of grading isn't that they are always correct as they are human too, but that they are an objective third party. For example, when you have dealers selling their own raw cards, they will often more likely "overgrade" their cards because they are trying to sell them for more money. I'm not saying all dealers are dishonest. There are plenty of very honest dealers who accurately self-grade their raw cards. However, they may also have different standards on what is EX, what is Near Mint and so forth. With TPG's they are all supposed to grade according to the same standards and do not take a % of the sale when the cards transact.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by glynparson

I have not seen a 23 year old grader at PSA, all the ones i know are in their late 40's to early 50's. Because customer service may have some younger guys in it doesn't mean the graders are young. SGC has no young graders either not sure where this information comes from. Second PSA BVG and SGC are three different companies the fact that they would not all grade the card the exact same grade is completely irrelevant. Is grading an exact science NO WAY but it is far less random than many of the criticisms want to pretend. Third point I was 23 in 1995 and more than qualified to be a grader so if there is someone grading at PSA that is 23 I wouldn't just automatically dismiss them as unqualified. Some of the most respected people as far as knowledge on this board have missed wrinkles and or modifications to cards. Having a great knowledge of a set may help greatly in knowing rarities and would obviously help in identifying counterfeits but it is not necessarily much help in detecting alterations or technical grade which are some of the key components and most important areas of grading.

BIG, BIG +1. TPG's have eliminated a significant portion of dealers specializing in altered cards. I can think of one in my area who had virtually nothing but cards that were put through a paper press, then cut back to size, with razor sharp edges and one who advertised almost weekly in Sports Collector's Digest back in the early '90's. The cards appeared to the naked eye as NrMt-Mt, but would virtually always come back from PSA as trimmed. Upon inquiry to PSA, I learned to look at the edges of raw cards with a 16X loupe before buying (original cards should have rough edges; pressed and trimmed will have quite clean, sharp edges) The latter dealer seems to have vanished entirely from the scene and the other, while still apparently in business (and will go unnamed) appears to have cleaned up his act.

Best wishes,

Larry