Nat Turner bought PSA

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Mark17

Nobody has to be a "registry queen." It isn't like needing food, health care, electricity, internet connectivity, and so on.

That's like saying you need Topps baseball cards and therefore Topps has a monopoly over you.

That's not a credible counter-argument. No one "needs" more than food, clothing, shelter and medical care, but necessities of life are not the only place where monopolistic economic behavior takes place or causes damage.

No one "has to" be a PSA customer at all. i quit a few years ago and haven't missed it a bit.

[Econteachert205]

Psa operates in a market that is an oligopoly. They offer a similar set of service to competitors with some differentiation such as the registry. PSA is displaying price leadership as they are the alpha of the group. With an oligopoly what needs to be closely examined is evidence of collusion between the entities which is normally discussed in context of price but could also be relevant to the structure of fees, wait times and services rendered.

[scottglevy]

But at some point extreme price increases drive the very customers you’re trying to attract - registry set builders away. And this begins to erode price advantage - not immediately, but over time.

Dad and I like collecting 52T and 33G signed cards. We started to put together a 52T registry set. When we began I think it was $20 to get the “red label” - autograph authenticated, card graded. Recently that became $50 ... and very recently $100. We are right in the mix for a #1 registry spot and have many raw autographed cards that would likely put us there. At $20 a pop all these cards are getting submitted. At $50 per mayyybe I swallow hard and send them in but a $100 a shot - no freakin’ way. I now don’t care nearly as much if a card that we are missing is PSA or any other reputable firm, even including raw with some certification. Furthermore, we are now NOT going to do a 33G registry set even though we have more than half the set signed. If enough people begin to have the same thought process and take similar actions then the premium will shrink.

[FrankWakefield]

Cohen Capital Ventures, D1 Capital Partners, and Nat Turner teamed up to make an offer to Collector's Universe, Inc (PSA) to buy all stock and take the company private. And the board of directors voted to accept the deal.

I think this was about the money. The board could cash out their stock options and holdings, the shareholders would be able to sell their shares for more than they'd been valued before... and I think the buyers were doing this for the money. It's their work. They might have bought a company having shopping malls, or a golf cart manufacturer, or a greeting card company. It's about the money. And those 'buyers' are buying because they think that Collector's Universe will make 'more money' in the future.

I don't think Mr. Turner is gonna get all of his submissions graded as 10's.

It's not about getting cards graded. It is about two things: first, 'the money', and then secondly, 'more money.'

And how they make money is by having rabid collectors thinking all of their collectables need grading. Those collectors think it's about two things; first, getting a collectable graded; and secondly, getting it regraded. Think about the change to half grades, and then the change in label styles... that increased regrading.

It's about the money.

[Jewish-collector]

Cyndi Lauper was right, but at the wrong time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMVuRGw_a5A

[Republicaninmass]

Thankfully I have 91 cards in for dual auto grading, I'll do beckett from now on. I'm close, I mean REALLY close, just 002% from the #1 signed 52 set, but at $100 a card it is financial suicide. Many of the easier names struggle to get back the grading fee plus the cost of the raw card. At some point any prestige is just thrown out the window!

Also, I have a hard time believing they will upcharge me $100 per card as was mentioned somewhere.


As soon as the backlog is completed, prices will come back down.


It's like a popular nightclub, keep raising the cover until nobody comes, then roll it back to get a happy medium. Pulling psa 10s from packs and getting a 1000% return could only last so long. It's a self fulfilling prophecy. Make it all about the money, and money it will cost. Now having the comfort of a grade and protection of a slab for something worthwhile at $100 really isnt so terrible.

[bigtrain]

I have purchased PSA graded cards but I have never
submitted a card for grading. That doesn’t mean I don’t recognize
the value of the company. I am a card collector and
a stock investor. Very happy to have made a 25% return since
purchasing their stock a few months ago. Now I have to decide whether
to buy a PSA 10 Whitey Ford I’ve had my eye on or a few hundred shares of Ford Motor Company.