Announcing "Collectors Forensics Register" - Revolutionizing the Hobby

[D. Bergin]

I don't know. It seems whoever started this thought it out pretty well, came up with a decent plan, spent quite a bit of money and actually pushed out a pretty decent looking website.

That said, I hate the jump on the bandwagon, but what next? You will basically pay to have your cards/memorabilia graded twice. I also have a hard time believing it's going to prevent fraud, as the fraudsters, along with most other people, are not going to be sending their cards in for a CarFax report to be written up on it.

What it might do is accelerate arguments about some higher grade, more important cards in the hobby, if this does ever catch on.

I can just see it now. Somebody starts a thread to tell us PSA/Beckett/SGC sucks, because under ultra-intense UV negative light magnified at 50 times, you can most obviously see a crease starting to form inside the top left corner of this T206 Ty Cobb PSA 7. This is obviously a PSA 6 and a multiple thousand dollar mistake. What can I do to be reimbursed by PSA/Beckett/SGC?

[RobertGT]

It's very difficult to discern how this service will provide any layer of additional protection or security not already provided by the TPG companies. If I am reading the company's mission statement correctly, and it's possible I'm not as it pretty vague, the service provided is basically a microscopic video of the card and its properties inside the holder. Also recorded is the flip/grade/company etc. The company takes no position on the authenticity of the card or whether it appears the holder has been tampered with.

So what's to stop "Fraudster A" from cracking a PSA 8 holder, replacing it with an inferior copy of the same card, resealing it inside the PSA 8 holder and then sending it off to this service to be registered forensically? The company says it doesn't evaluate the cards for tampering - just what the fibers, etc. look like in a holder.

So this company then records/registers the properties of a fraudulent PSA 8 card with let's say an EX card inside. Everything appears to be on the up-and-up, according to the registry. Doesn't this compound the problem by adding a false layer of security?

Can someone explain how this helps anyone?

[oldjudge]

Excuse my negativity, but this is a horrible business model. As I understand the product, all it does is effectively verify that a slabbed card has not been tampered with. This is only an issue with high dollar cards where it may be worth it for some low life to break open a slab and replace the original card with a lower grade copy, or a forgery. However, this service could be more cheaply provided by the grading companies by offering to scan the cards(when they grade them), for some minimal fee, into a permanent data base. Since there is no extra shipping involved, and they are working on the card already, the grading companies can always beat this service on price. Even the llamas are laughing at this one.

[ChiefBenderForever]

It seems redundant to me, also what happens if someone drops a card and the case is cracked or gets all scratched up, plastic is not a fingerprint. The website does look dope but I just don't see anyone paying for this service but wish you the best of luck.

[barrysloate]

Generally when we have a thread about a product or service, or some hobby event that elicits opinions from the board, we find ourselves split for and against. I don't recall any discussion- not even one about the grading services- that has been so universally panned by everyone. If I were about to launch this business I would have some serious concerns at this moment.

There very well might be an audience for this, perhaps as cited earlier newbies who have a lot of money to spend but have heard too many horror stories about fraud. But I think nearly everyone on this board collects because they have fun doing so. For whatever benefits are offered here, this concept certainly sucks all the fun out of collecting.

[Collectors Forensics Reg]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Generally when we have a thread about a product or service, or some hobby event that elicits opinions from the board, we find ourselves split for and against. I don't recall any discussion- not even one about the grading services- that has been so universally panned by everyone. If I were about to launch this business I would have some serious concerns at this moment.

There very well might be an audience for this, perhaps as cited earlier newbies who have a lot of money to spend but have heard too many horror stories about fraud. But I think nearly everyone on this board collects because they have fun doing so. For whatever benefits are offered here, this concept certainly sucks all the fun out of collecting.

Thanks for your post, Barry... stated very eloquently. You summed everything up very nicely. When looking at this service in the context of the fun and / or the love of hobby, we can certainly understand why this would be the initial reaction of hobby purists and we respect that.

It will take a little time for the service to express its benefits to the hobby at large, vis-a-vis fraud deterrence and grading standard improvement. Our team understood this fact in formulating the plan. But it will happen in the natural course of its growth and acceptance.

We thank you for your time and we wish all of you the best of luck (and fun) in the hobby. If you have any questions, please feel free to send us a message or an e-mail any time.

[illini805]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

I don't know. It seems whoever started this thought it out pretty well, came up with a decent plan, spent quite a bit of money and actually pushed out a pretty decent looking website.

That said, I hate the jump on the bandwagon, but what next? You will basically pay to have your cards/memorabilia graded twice. I also have a hard time believing it's going to prevent fraud, as the fraudsters, along with most other people, are not going to be sending their cards in for a CarFax report to be written up on it.

What it might do is accelerate arguments about some higher grade, more important cards in the hobby, if this does ever catch on.

I can just see it now. Somebody starts a thread to tell us PSA/Beckett/SGC sucks, because under ultra-intense UV negative light magnified at 50 times, you can most obviously see a crease starting to form inside the top left corner of this T206 Ty Cobb PSA 7. This is obviously a PSA 6 and a multiple thousand dollar mistake. What can I do to be reimbursed by PSA/Beckett/SGC?

I think the site was probably done in a couple hours. It's not a very professional looking site in my opinion.

[Orioles1954]

Originally Posted by illini805

I think the site was probably done in a couple hours. It's not a very professional looking site in my opinion.

I don't agree with that sentiment. I think the site looks clean and user friendly. I also think they have approached this idea with a good deal of professionalism. However, I wonder if they focus tested this concept in some way?