But seriously. . . .

[MattyC]

Originally Posted by Dpeck100

A lot of these top sets don't offer scans not because they are concerned with someone like you not thinking their cards merit the grade they were assigned but to simply keep everyone who is chasing the set from knowing exactly what they own.

I posted the 1952 Topps set and only one of the top ten have photos available for viewing and I have to assume in many cases they also don't want to spend that much time scanning the cards.

I feel confident that Charles Merkel rests his head easy at night knowing he has the best 1952 Topps set out there regardless of what any of us think.

Just out of curiosity I picked another actively collected set and only four out of the top fifteen in the 1975 Topps set has pics available.

I'm not saying anyone should necessarily care what anyone else thinks. I just feel confident that I can't say Merkel's or any high ranked set is the best or nicest unless I can see the actual cards that back that up.

Unless the cards merit the grades, all someone is actually showing is that they have accumulated cards with sticker grades that PSA's formula ranks as the top.

One interesting related anecdote, I know one "PSA HOF" collector who used to have several top Registry sets, and he freely admitted to me that several of the key cards in his Registry sets were not the ones he would call the best quality; he would just keep them for his rankings as he liked the competition aspect— yet he would retain another specimen of the card that was a half or full grade lower, which he thought was the better card.

We can't say in all cases why scans aren't provided, but when a set's contents are already viewable, the cat is already out of the bag, in terms of what someone owns. In such cases, scans of a key card or three wouldn't be divulging any further information in terms of what grade was in that slot of the set. Rather, the scans could be offered as a sampling/indicator of the eye appeal of the set's contents, since all cards in a grade aren't necessarily the same quality.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by MattyC

I'm not saying anyone should necessarily care what anyone else thinks. I just feel confident that I can't say Merkel or any high ranked set is the best or nicest unless I can see the cards that back that up.

Unless the cards merit the grades, all someone is actually showing is that they have accumulated cards with sticker grades that PSA's site ranks as the top.

I would bet a dime to a dollar most of the top rated sets have many very poor quality cards for the grade.

.

[Peter_Spaeth]

There was a time relatively early on in the registry competition when the top guys were paying astronomical numbers for "low pop" commons and many of the ones I saw (ebay, auctions, etc.) were either sliders at best, or possibly had been worked on to improve the centering.

[Dpeck100]

Plenty of top sets are available for viewing and plenty aren't. In the case of the 1952 Topps the top two aren't.

In the case of the 1915 Cracker Jack once more the top two aren't available. I think as you go down the list it is less important because as the grades go lower it is harder to hold someone hostage over a card as they are more readily available.

[swarmee]

I'd say the biggest reason the vast majority of sets don't have photos added is because they added that functionality within the last few years (and the album addition three years ago) and that many of these sets may be static: basically unchanged for 10 years. People are lazy. I think it's more that they don't want to waste the time scanning and uploading cards rather than they want to protect insider information.

It's actually pretty easy to be #1 in a set in order to get the "award". Just have PSA create one for you. I've had them create about 10, not for the award. Enter the first card, and you're the #1 in the set. You just have to have five cards to qualify.

[Dpeck100]

Originally Posted by swarmee

I'd say the biggest reason the vast majority of sets don't have photos added is because they added that functionality within the last few years (and the album addition three years ago) and that many of these sets may be static: basically unchanged for 10 years. People are lazy. I think it's more that they don't want to waste the time scanning and uploading cards rather than they want to protect insider information.

It's actually pretty easy to be #1 in a set in order to get the "award". Just have PSA create one for you. I've had them create about 10, not for the award. Enter the first card, and you're the #1 in the set. You just have to have five cards to qualify.

I don't disagree but if your set is private you obviously can't post pics and I believe most that are private are trying to protect themselves from others knowing what they own.

I am someone who has built high grade registry sets and can speak from experience that there could be some rational to keeping them private I just choose to share mine and add pics because I enjoy it.

As far as anyone loosing sleep over what their registry count is I think it is doubtful and probably more people took it seriously to get the prizes. I zoomed mine up to 2,000 an hour or so after they launched it and that was it.

I just was indicating that one of the medals that is part of it is being number one in a set and I certainly take that seriously for the sets I focus on. Having one of my wrestling sets win an award in 2013 was a big deal to me and some may think it's stupid and others may think it's cool but if no one took it seriously the registry would have died along time ago and it is stronger than ever.

This gentlemen Charles Merkel is in many ways responsible for collectors changing their focus and actually collecting the bums in high grade. I don't know one person growing up that would have given two sh++'s about a common just because it looked perfect.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Charlie along with a couple of other guys was certainly a pioneer of the registry sets and built an incredible collection. I sold him a card here and there, very classy guy especially for a plaintiff's lawyer.

[Dpeck100]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Charlie along with a couple of other guys was certainly a pioneer of the registry sets and built an incredible collection. I sold him a card here and there, very classy guy especially for a plaintiff's lawyer.

It is awesome that there are some pioneers out there like him that have incredible collections that are worth a fortune. He sounds like a good dude in the articles I have read about him and his cards.

His sets are like works of art and extremely impressive.

[MattyC]

Originally Posted by Dpeck100

I think as you go down the list it is less important because as the grades go lower it is harder to hold someone hostage over a card as they are more readily available.

Totally agree. In terms of a card such a set builder needs, it can be very good for the wallet to keep a set un-viewable.