Are We Slaves To The Registry?

[brian1961]

"Are we slaves to the Registry?"

Ebay sellers certainly price their items as if we are shackled to the PSA Registry, as if we are all involved in it. I prefer my item professionally graded by one of the main firms, but the Registry has made it a rich man's game that I fear will price the far majority of active collectors out of that ball game. Maybe I am wrong; there's actually more and more collectors jumping into the fray with deep pockets. Yes? No?

Early on I sized up the matter of working towards collecting an entire Topps or Bowman regular issue set. In the end I'm sure there would be some gratification, particularly if you were in the top 10 of the finest of that given set. Be that as it may, you start to think about how to store all those slabs? How to display them? It just left me empty, and questioning the sanity of all this. Yeah, we really do need reputable professional grading; I wouldn't want to go back to "it's a screamer" or "so sharp you could shave with it" garbage, but all that hassle and expense to collect a 600-card Topps set, just to have boxes of slabs that you're too afraid to display out in the open for fear of ultra violet ray damage, etc. ...... distills to "THIS IS FOR THE BIRDS---FORGET IT!"

I was more attracted to smaller, tougher sets, and player registries. However, even that gets overwhelming.


In the end, I discovered that I just enjoyed collecting items I found particularly attractive and well-designed, that had a terrific player photo, and PSA-graded. If someone wants to collect the entire 1967 Topps set, they better think it through. Six hundred-plus cards is a lot of work and expense. The pre-war guys have split the T-206 into all the tobacco companies, but they're happy as a clam, and that's fine if they're content. We collectors often find ourselves parsing and dissecting things, so we can one-up our fellow collectors I suppose.

I better stop the ramblin', but I seriously wonder if many collectors have just given up on the Registry, and unlocked their shackles from it?

"The Show Must Go On" say those who sell.... What if it's just become .... too expensive? As has been written by many, top-of-the-line creme de la creme cards and items seem not only to retain their value, but continue to appreciate. That is healthy for our hobby. Let's face it, when a card reaches 4, 5, or 6 figures, it MUST be graded!

Back to the OP however, methinks the compulsion to doggedly pursue the task of completing huge regular issue GRADED sets has lost its luster and appeal, and going back to hunting down centered raw cards with great eye appeal is becoming more appealing again.

--- Brian Powell