PSA Response from President Steve Sloan

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Corey's analogy to an auto recall is quite relevant here. PSA should offer a recall to anybody who wants one or all of their cards reviewed, at no charge. And if they find an altered card during the review, they should work out an amicable settlement with the owner. If the number of altered cards is indeed small, then it won't cost them much, and the amount of good will and product trust they will garner will be enormous.

Of course there are problems with this business model- they could choose to avoid seeing an alteration in an expensive card- but the idea of a recall is a pretty damn good plan.

They need to be even more proactive in my view, tell us which cards were submitted by known or strongly suspected card doctors because how the hell do we know. Of course it will never happen because of the pressure it would put on the reserve. So we're left to fend for ourselves. And even worse, they then push it off onto the sellers many or most of whom are innocents.

[barrysloate]

Agreed Peter. This whole issue is very convoluted and I really have no idea how it will all pan out.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Agreed Peter. This whole issue is very convoluted and I really have no idea how it will all pan out.

There's at least an opportunity for it to end up in a better place, but I don't know. This industry has been operating in a set way for a long time and lots of that needs to change, through some combination of punishment, deterrence, and voluntary proactive steps. Unfortunately as in so many human endeavors, all the money in it has just corrupted it.

[steve B]

I'm really not so sure PSA doesn't have an internal problem where they or someone there is involved.

Just how many times can you fall back on "oops I missed that one" Or the eventual "I really have no idea what I'm doing" before it really looks deliberate?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by steve B

I'm really not so sure PSA doesn't have an internal problem where they or someone there is involved.

Just how many times can you fall back on "oops I missed that one" Or the eventual "I really have no idea what I'm doing" before it really looks deliberate?

PSA has been in business for 25 plus years. If that were the case, someone who left would have spilled by now, in my opinion. As I recently told someone writing a story, in my opinion, it's a combination of the extreme sophistication and talent of card doctors, the lesser sophistication of some (probably junior) graders, and in some cases insufficient time spent. Just my opinion. If I'm proven wrong, so be it.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

PSA has been in business for 25 plus years. If that were the case, someone who left would have spilled by now, in my opinion. As I recently told someone writing a story, in my opinion, it's a combination of the extreme sophistication and talent of card doctors, the lesser sophistication of some (probably junior) graders, and in some cases insufficient time spent. Just my opinion. If I'm proven wrong, so be it.

That's a great point. And pretty much the same one I make to conspiracy theory guys.

I'd love to have a look at one of the proven trimmed cards to see just how good the trim is.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by steve B

That's a great point. And pretty much the same one I make to conspiracy theory guys.

I'd love to have a look at one of the proven trimmed cards to see just how good the trim is.

It's probably not hard to buy one.

[Frank A]

I don't know that PSA was not grading altered cards intentionally. No one else on here knows either. That statement has no fact. As far as I'm concerned this is a very major hit in the card market. The fact that these cards were graded is a disgrace to PSA. Why would anyone ever purchase a PSA card for big money again. They have totally destroyed their product.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Frank A

I don't know that PSA was not grading altered cards intentionally. No one else on here knows either. That statement has no fact. As far as I'm concerned this is a very major hit in the card market. The fact that these cards were graded is a disgrace to PSA. Why would anyone ever purchase a PSA card for big money again. They have totally destroyed their product.

Look at ebay and see what PWCC cards are selling for in their current auction. I don't think the broader market perceives it as you do or even knows. We are up against a huge mountain here, those that want to see change.

[Fuddjcal]

Originally Posted by Frank A

I don't know that PSA was not grading altered cards intentionally. No one else on here knows either. That statement has no fact. As far as I'm concerned this is a very major hit in the card market. The fact that these cards were graded is a disgrace to PSA. Why would anyone ever purchase a PSA card for big money again. They have totally destroyed their product.

could not agree more but just look around you'll see just how moronic people really are. There are idiots everywhere that can't make it through High school. it will be business as usual until it's not.

[barrysloate]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

There's at least an opportunity for it to end up in a better place, but I don't know. This industry has been operating in a set way for a long time and lots of that needs to change, through some combination of punishment, deterrence, and voluntary proactive steps. Unfortunately as in so many human endeavors, all the money in it has just corrupted it.

The one thing TPG's did that I believe hurt the hobby was to make cards exponentially more valuable based on criteria so minuscule that to the average collector was imperceptible. 7.5 looks like an 8, 8 is identical to an 8.5, 9's and 10's are interchangeable, yet the difference in price among these cards is enormous. That put way too much power in the hands of the grader, and took it away from the collector. And as you said, the hobby to a great extent has put too much emphasis on monetary value.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

The one thing TPG's did that I believe hurt the hobby was to make cards exponentially more valuable based on criteria so miniscule that to the average collector was imperceptible. 7.5 looks like an 8, 8 is identical to an 8.5, 9's and 10's are interchangeable, yet the difference in price among these cards is enormous. That put way too much power in the hands of the grader, and took it away from the collector. And as you said, the hobby to a great extent has put too much emphasis on monetary value.

I personally think the distinctions are silly but the market can decide that for itself, nobody forced anyone to pay those premiums. Whereas most people can't detect alteration particularly within slabs, so there people really do depend on the competence of the TPGs. After all, the core mission of PSA when it started was to AUTHENTICATE.

[Fuddjcal]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

They need to be even more proactive in my view, tell us which cards were submitted by known or strongly suspected card doctors because how the hell do we know. Of course it will never happen because of the pressure it would put on the reserve. So we're left to fend for ourselves. And even worse, they then push it off onto the sellers many or most of whom are innocents.

what a legitimate company who puts their customers first with integrity would certainly do something proactive like that or what Swarmee suggests. That's what WE would do with our business's. PSA and PWCC are rotten at the core and I don't even think there is an argument there.

They will give verbal blow jobs to everyone and anyone for as long as they can, because that's the kind of companies THEY run. They are both on MY DEAD list and they should be on your's too of companies you will never do business with again under any circumstances. But people are real stupid and that's the one thing you can always count on as well as what PSA & Brent Mastro count on.