Grading Technical vs. Overall Appeal

[Delray Vintage]

Originally Posted by CobbSpikedMe

I don't agree that grading companies are supposed to line up grades based on secondary market value for the collector. They are supposed to authenticate and grade based on certain stated parameters. The collector then actually looks at the card and decides for themselves if they like the appearance, centering, registration, etc. and sets the market price with their bids. Some sets/cards have issues with centering, some with registration, but not all cards are the same. OJs can be high grade and look terrible where you can't even see the image, while a Jim Brown RC (I know, football and not prewar) can be low grade but command a higher price if it's centered because it's a tough card to find centered. The eye appeal should be left to the collector while technicalities can be the job of the grader.

I agree mostly, but the whole grading industry was based on making prices more standard. That is why we have the PSA SMR which always shows what is supposed to be a higher value for each grade. While we all know in reality the price is in the eye of the beholder the stated parameters should reflect how collectors evaluate cards rather than technical corner wear. If we pay more for centering and less interested in corner wear the grading companies should adjust those parameters.

[CobbSpikedMe]

Originally Posted by Delray Vintage

I agree mostly, but the whole grading industry was based on making prices more standard. That is why we have the PSA SMR which always shows what is supposed to be a higher value for each grade. While we all know in reality the price is in the eye of the beholder the stated parameters should reflect how collectors evaluate cards rather than technical corner wear. If we pay more for centering and less interested in corner wear the grading companies should adjust those parameters.

I'm not sure the grading industry was based on making prices standard. They are supposed to grade the technical condition of the carboard and authenticate the card. The values are different for each card in any given grade for different collectors and I don't think there is a way to assign a grade based on value. They would have to constantly be changing the parameters based on market and then the grades become useless from one period to another.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by Delray Vintage

I agree mostly, but the whole grading industry was based on making prices more standard. That is why we have the PSA SMR which always shows what is supposed to be a higher value for each grade. While we all know in reality the price is in the eye of the beholder the stated parameters should reflect how collectors evaluate cards rather than technical corner wear. If we pay more for centering and less interested in corner wear the grading companies should adjust those parameters.

I disagree the grading industry was based on making GRADING more standard, not prices.