I think I am going to give these guys a try. In my opinion and I could be way off the mark but if you are not a big time customer you do not get honest grades. I know this for a fact as I sold a certain company a 1979 PSA 7 Pete Rose that was immaculate. Well, I kept an eye out on their site and low and behold about 3 weeks later a PSA 10 popped up on their site for around 1200.00. I sold it to their buyer for 9.00. Pretty easy to figure out their buyers when they are in the Boston area. I think it is pretty easy to figure out what seller I am talking about. There is no doubt in my mind certain auctions, companies and sellers get "favor" grades as I have been burnt as has a good friend of mine. This is my story as to why I am trying GMA out.
I decided to jump in after being a lurker after having this discussion with several guys (buying/selling) graded cards on eBay about regular, ordinary collectors like myself and most of the other posters who just do not get the grades that customers who are sending in thousands of cards a month get as either favors or some shady business deals going on. A grade is a grade, no matter what you send in, what kind of business you give them, who you are or what kind of cards you send them . I am not mentioning names but there is a collection of PSA high dollar cards with (D. Y*&NG Collection); I know the person personally who sold this person their PSA collection of more or less 8 and 9's with a few 10's. The 8 and 9 grades were resubmitted and came back as PSA 10's. This Rose deal did it for me with PSA; I have one order still out but I have heard a few former graders from PSA work for GMA. I could be wrong but don't be surprised within 2 to 3 years these guys are the top grading company. Hopefully if they do get the business I see them getting, they do not drink the Kool-Aid and start what I call "Favor Grading." I am never selling the cards I make player sets of so if they are a point off so be it but everything I have seen from them on eBay is pretty much spot on. I just wish they would make their label a bit for tamper proof but for what they charge you sure cannot complain about that. As for pricing, I have seen a few Maris cards go higher than PSA slabbed Maris issues. I think this sort of thinking will soon go by the wayside as I think we are going to start seeing more and more graded stuff from GMA pop on sites like eBay and others.
I hate to come across negative on my first post. I am really not! LOL! I think I have talked to enough people in the Graded Card market that all share about the same opinion that I do so I myswell share mine as well. Anyways, I am gonna try these guys out. You cannot beat their prices and their slab is no different than a PSA slab from just handling the few a collecting buddy sent them as he sent PSA a '66 Clemente that was without a doubt the nicest '66 Topps I have ever seen. It came back a 5! He sold his to a buyer from the Boston area and low and behold 3 weeks to the day a PSA 9 showed up on a certain site.
I still have one order out to PSA. I sent them two '61 Topps World Series cards with Maz heading home after hitting the walk-off in the '60 WS, two '62 Maris #1 regular issue, 2 #313 Hitting 61) and 3 AL HR Leaders; you just have to see them to believe it. As for the Maz WS cards; I have never seen this card centered with all four sides of the white border, rarely you will come across a 7 but these two I picked up literally came out of an empty '61 Topps wax box. The sellers found them in their uncle's house after he passed and my friend who owns and operates an antique mall bought the entire collection. It appears that he bought them (the uncle), sorted them and put a paper towel over the tops, no rubber bands, nothing. They kind of gave me an uneasy feeling as if this gentlemen knew these cards would be valuable as he even took padding and put the padding in the front and back ends of the cards to avoid damagng the end cards. I will post pics of the Maris' and WS cards when I get them back. Luckily, for me they were '61 & '62's. The Maris '62 Topps regular issue, #313 of him hitting '61 as well as the AL HR Leaders are my favorite all time cards. Maris is before my time but I like to collect player sets of guys my dad collected but unfortunately when he went to Vietnam a neighbor kid my grandparents felt sorry for and fed stole them all. My dad used to write to the teams when he was a kid and luckily he stil has it and gave it to me but he wrote the Indians when Maris was a rookie as my dad was a big Rocky Colavito fan and the Indians sent him back something that resembles a score card with Maris, Colavito, Hank Greenberg (GM at the time), Vic Wertz, Bob Lemon, Herb Score, Don Mossi, etc all signed it. My most treasured collectible.
Off topic but I am desperately trying to complete my Joe Niekro player set; the 82-88 stuff is kicking my butt. The Niekro boys grew up about 15 miles from me and both my boys were born in the same hospital they were. Mazeroski grew up in this are too so I am just starting his player set. I am glad I finally posted, never was a big forum fan as there is always one but for the most part I have seen pretty respectful people. Thanks!!!!
(09-01-2016, 07:50 PM)gentlevader Wrote: This is exact discussion I was looking for when I googled GMA.
Thank you very much.
Me too; I Googled GMA Grading after discussing them with a lot of guys I buy from on eBay who are in the same mindset about PSA as I am. You can read the above post. I am giving them a try. I posted I was going to send them my Maris cards that I need to complete this Topps Master Set but I only need to send in a '63 Yankees Team, '68 Cardinals Team and a '69 WS card that just shows Maris greeting Tim McCarver at the plate. I will finish the Maris set with PSA and my Colavito set I am about to start, I am going with GMA. With their prices and the reviews I have read and heard I am going to give them a shot.
I second that; Thank you all very much!
