OJs, SGC & Ethics

[chlankf]

So after over 40 years of collecting, i finally submitted a group of Old Judges, 14, to SGC. While i was not expecting high grades, knowing fully that some will be slabbed as Authentic. The cards i chose all have full borders while a few had been skinned or rebacked. Four of the cards were returned NO CANNOT/DO NOT GRADE. All four cards we skinned.

My main goal of starting to grade my OJs is for preservation. I also want to make it easier for my sons to liquidate once I'm gone. I don't care what they grade, i own many Des Moines and Sioux City OJs that are severely trimmed and/or skinned. For me it's all about having the desired pose

Here's where my dilemma begins. Since i know that they have graded OJs that have been rebacked, do i remove a few layers of an OJ actress card and affix it to my skinned card hoping to get it encapsulated in a Tux? Now im not wanting to deceive anyone now or in the future. I would just like to have these few that i have, in this condition, In a similarly authenticated case.

I guess my issues are, I dont like the idea of; 1. altering a card by adding a back, 2. skinning an old actress card that would practically destroy it, and more important than anything else, 3. possibly damaging my reputation in this hobby.

Im curious to what other collectors might think.

Cheers and thanks
Craig

[bnorth]

I would ask SGC directly what your best option is.

If not trying to deceive I would just put them on modern card stock that would get them close to original thickness. Again ask SGC directly if they would grade those as Authentic Altered or whatever they currently put on their flip.

[BobbyStrawberry]

I wonder if CSG would grade them as is.

[Fred]

Craig,

Back in the previous ownership days, I submitted several OJs to SGC that were either pretty trashed, skinned or rebacked. I knew the cards were altered or in such bad shape they wouldn't receive numerical grades so I requested them be slabbed a "A" (authentic) and that it would be understood that a numerical grade was not possible for the card. My request included the same reason you mention, preservation. They were good about it and slabbed them with an A grade.

And yet they still provide numerical grades to cards that have had part of the bottom portion of the card removed

[Johnny630]

Is it a necessity to grade these?

[G1911]

If you collect cards, you don’t need to pay so much for a holder that will keep them safe. They are fine as is.

If you collect and sell slabs, sell the skinned cards and buy slabbable cards, or alter them to try and get into a slab. Bonus points if the rebacking is snuck by and you hit a number grade instead of an A.