What is Your Opinion About Grading?

[barrysloate]

You know Fred, I thought about what would happen to the registry people if grading did away with those numbers. And I concluded that those guys would still be collecting and they would be enjoying it just as much. Before third party grading there were plenty of people with huge collections. And if third party grading somehow stopped the practice of assigning those poppycock numbers there would still be many big collectors out there. In that respect nothing would change. If you love it you love it.

[Leon]

Alan- I removed your double posts. No worries...


For the record BVG Does offer an authentication ONLY service for cards that are not altered in any way and they don't receive a number. The only problem is that AUT cards now have a black mark against them because of perception and a lot/most folks don't know of their service, so if you get it done folks might think something is wrong with the card when it isn't. regards

[barrysloate]

With 58 votes in roughly 60% of the voters like grading a lot or somewhat; and about 40% don't care for it or hate it. Do these numbers tell us anything we didn't already know?

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

With 58 votes in roughly 60% of the voters like grading a lot or somewhat; and about 40% don't care for it or hate it. Do these numbers tell us anything we didn't already know?

Actually, I read the votes as only about 10% of people really have a problem with it as a fundamental principle. The other 90% accept it, in either this or another format.

[Tcards-Please]

Originally Posted by Leon

Alan- I removed your double posts. No worries...


For the record BVG Does offer an authentication ONLY service for cards that are not altered in any way and they don't receive a number. The only problem is that AUT cards now have a black mark against them because of perception and a lot/most folks don't know of their service, so if you get it done folks might think something is wrong with the card when it isn't. regards

Leon,
It would be great if BVG could distinguish between an Altered Authentic and an Authentic that would normally warrant a numerical grade. I think the easiest way to do that since they have numerous altered cards already encased is to list the ones that could receive a numerical grade as "AUT -No Alteration".

Just my .02 cents

r/
Frank

[Leon]

Originally Posted by T's please

Leon,
It would be great if BVG could distinguish between an Altered Authentic and an Authentic that would normally warrant a numerical grade. I think the easiest way to do that since they have numerous altered cards already encased is to list the ones that could receive a numerical grade as "AUT -No Alteration".

Just my .02 cents

r/
Frank

Hey Frank
Since their Director of Grading is a good board member maybe he will take it to their committee and make that happen. I see no downside and ALL updside. Next time he and I go to lunch (we go every now and then) I will ask him, and a few of their other graders, about it. Great idea...

[ChiefBenderForever]

I think many traditional collectors had a hard time accepting the whole grading thing and some never will. I know I did, but after getting screwed on many overgraded raw cards and even a few fake ones I started to pick up graded examples. At first I cracked them all out, and many people still do. Atleast if you buy a graded card and crack it out you have a pretty good idea of what the card is supposed to be. It's sad you have to buy a graded card to crack it out because you can't trust a sellers description because everyones opinion varies and all the cheeseballs out there. Now it's gotten to the point where if you don't know the seller, and the card isn't graded you have to really wonder if there is something wrong with it, esp with pre war stuff. It is what it is.

[tedzan]

Nicely done, however, your 2nd Q....."I think TPG is important but it definitely needs an overhaul".....is somewhat ambiguous.
Although, it has garnered the highest response (36%), I would not view this response as a totally affirmative support for TPG.
Due to the operative wording in this question...."definitely needs overhaul".

If all those that responded to this one were further queried, I can bet you that a certain percentage of them would revise their
vote in favor of your #3 question.

Therefore, it is incorrect (and unrepresentative) to combine the current results of Q's #1 and #2 to suggest that 53% favor TPG.

At best, this poll indicates that there is a 50-50 split of those who favor TPG versus those who have serious problems with TPG,
or downright dislike TPG.


TED Z

[ChrisStufflestreet]

I can't vote. I don't collect TPG cards and would likely free any cards I do pick up from their plastic tombs, but I don't really hate the concept. Which could mean that I've learned to live with them, but that's not an entirely accurate assessment either.

It is what it is.

[tbob]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

You know Fred, I thought about what would happen to the registry people if grading did away with those numbers. And I concluded that those guys would still be collecting and they would be enjoying it just as much.

Barry, I agree with you almost all the time but do you really believe this? I think many of the registry guys are investors or guys dedicated to the "who has the biggest one" school and they would be lost without it. Not all, but many. I have some sets on the registry myself but if registries disappeared tomorrow I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep.

[barrysloate]

I don't know Bob, but I am under the assumption that all these guys love collecting baseball cards on some level. Look, most of these whales bail out anyway; the attrition rate among these guys is huge. So some will cash in sooner or later. But for the many who genuinely enjoy collecting I think they would still stick around. Of course I can only guess.

[barrysloate]

Paul- I'm reading it as the top two categories are in favor of grading, and the bottom two have issues with it. As I said earlier, maybe I could have found a way to state that third choice more clearly.

[barrysloate]

So with more than 100 votes in what does the poll tell us? That collectors have a wide range of opinions regarding third party grading. Each of the four choices got quite a bit of support. If there is a plurality feeling about it it is that grading does many good things but could certainly use some improvement. What I would ask for is greater accuracy so that the grade a card receives the first time will in nearly every situation get the same grade if it is resubmitted. Everyone, thanks for playing.