Will the grotesque rise in grading costs eventually translate to higher prices?

[packs]

The new most annoying phrase in the hobby will become “it cost me X to get this graded” which will replace the dreaded “I’m into it for X. I can’t do less than Y”

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by packs

The new most annoying phrase in the hobby will become “it cost me X to get this graded” which will replace the dreaded “I’m into it for X. I can’t do less than Y”

LOL. When's the last time you heard, I am only into it for X, so you can have it for Y even though market is much higher.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

LOL. When's the last time you heard, I am only into it for X, so you can have it for Y even though market is much higher.

That's usually reserved for mutual friend collectors helping each other out.

[Mark17]

When I buy GU flannels, they sometimes come with a LOA from a TPG like SGC or MEARS or Bill Henderson. But sometimes they just come with a letter from the AH. For example, I recently got several jerseys from Hunt and they came with their letter. I trust Hunt, so that's good enough for me.

I think the same could be done with cards. Reputable auction houses, of which there are at least a dozen well-known ones, could slab the cards they sell with their own guarantee of authenticity. They might not want to absolutely guarantee no alterations, as they can be very difficult to identify sometimes, and they may or may not want to assign grades. But they could at least assure the buyer they are genuine.

If I'm buying a card that Hunt, or LOTG, or REA, or Lelands, etc., etc. says is real, I would have the comfort level required to bid strongly. Same goes with Greg Morris, Chandy Greenholt, and many other dealers.

So, just as an AH will give me their letter on a GU jersey, I'd love to see them do their own card slabbing on higher end cardboard.

[Mike D.]

I think they bring back the value and quarterly specials at some point, for the set collectors and registry junkies.

Actually, I think they’ve said they’re extending collectors club memberships until not only value is back, but that you get as money months of “value” as you’d have had if they hadn’t shut it down.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Mark17

When I buy GU flannels, they sometimes come with a LOA from a TPG like SGC or MEARS or Bill Henderson. But sometimes they just come with a letter from the AH. For example, I recently got several jerseys from Hunt and they came with their letter. I trust Hunt, so that's good enough for me.

I think the same could be done with cards. Reputable auction houses, of which there are at least a dozen well-known ones, could slab the cards they sell with their own guarantee of authenticity. They might not want to absolutely guarantee no alterations, as they can be very difficult to identify sometimes, and they may or may not want to assign grades. But they could at least assure the buyer they are genuine.

If I'm buying a card that Hunt, or LOTG, or REA, or Lelands, etc., etc. says is real, I would have the comfort level required to bid strongly. Same goes with Greg Morris, Chandy Greenholt, and many other dealers.

So, just as an AH will give me their letter on a GU jersey, I'd love to see them do their own card slabbing on higher end cardboard.

Problem is that cards are so much more dependent on condition in determing value, and almost everything is sold online anymore so you can't always get the sense of what a card's condition and worth is from a scan. If not for the internet and Ebay, not so sure grading would be as important as it is today.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by BobC

Problem is that cards are so much more dependent on condition in determing value, and almost everything is sold online anymore so you can't always get the sense of what a card's condition and worth is from a scan. If not for the internet and Ebay, not so sure grading would be as important as it is today.

Good point. So if a reputable AH or seller offers a card and describes it as VG-EX or whatever, they could slab it with their own label and put the grade on it.

I'd pay higher for a card graded by any one of the many reputable people in this hobby/business, but buying raw online makes me somewhat nervous. And I would trust many of those sellers to do as good a job of grading as PSA.

[Exhibitman]

Most of what I buy now is unslabbed. The key, as is often repeated here, is to find a reputable dealer whose eye you trust and establish a relationship. if something gets missed, as happens, you know they'll stand behind it. I'd buy without hesitation from someone like Brian Marcy at Scottsdale, for example.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Mark17

…just as an AH will give me their letter on a GU jersey, I'd love to see them do their own card slabbing on higher end cardboard.

Doesn’t Goldin do this now?

[packs]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

LOL. When's the last time you heard, I am only into it for X, so you can have it for Y even though market is much higher.

I just hate hearing what you paid for it at all. Not something I take into consideration when buying.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by packs

The new most annoying phrase in the hobby will become “it cost me X to get this graded” which will replace the dreaded “I’m into it for X. I can’t do less than Y”

But true. What you are into a card for always is irrelevant because the comparison is with what is available on the market. In this situation I could see a rising premium for graded vintage HOFers who aren't 10s or Mantles simply because the inventory cannot be replaced cheaply, even if the set thing goes by the wayside.

Johnny is right about this thing of ours losing its blue collar echelon, though. I would even suggest that it is going beyond white collar into the professional or entrepreneurial or financial classes when it comes to an increasing number of cards and sets.

[jingram058]

Johnny is right about this thing of ours losing its blue collar echelon, though. I would even suggest that it is going beyond white collar into the professional or entrepreneurial or financial classes when it comes to an increasing number of cards and sets.

I could not agree more.