[jbissell]

Hello,
Ive been reading in this forum as well as the Box Breaks forum about some questionable dealings involving PSA. I recently opened a pack of 1980 Topps and pulled a Nolan Ryan that looked like an excellent card to get graded.

Do I have reason to be concerned about the legitimacy of whatever grade I get from this company? This is my first ever attempt at grading, and if I have a good experience, I have a few other cards I may grade as well.

Thanks,
John

[flamethrower]

You will get a mixed bag of answers on here, thats for sure. It really depends on you reasoning for grading and how easy/difficult it is for you to get done. In some cases graded cards don't necessarily bring more value or ensure "book value." In my personal circumstance, it's extremely cheap and easy for me to have cards graded by PSA as opposed to BVG. And, in my case, I choose to grade my decent condition vintage just so that is encapsulated and there is no question about what "grade" it is, most of which, I will never get rid of. My other reason is that since I will most likely pass all of these on to my kids or grandkids, and because I what I spend, it puts a serial number on the card, and condition. For insurance companies, that makes them easy to insure in case of fire, flood, robbery, etc... I personally wouldn't grade an '80 Ryan but, if that card means a lot to you, then by all means. Just an opinion, hope it helps.

[rjcj2017]

Personally, I think they're all BS, for several reasons.

One, they're subjective, so two different graders may give it two different grades.

Two, you hear all the stories about fraud and what not. I used to know the LCS owner in my neighborhood pretty well, and he said that some grading companies will grade cards higher if they're submitted in bigger lots. So a 9 might become a 9.5 if it is included, with, say a hundred other cards to grade in the same order.

Three, I've often suspected these "authentication" services for autographs were pretty shady.

Case in point, a few years ago I did some extensive research on Mike Trout autos before I bought an in-person auto online, and then I sent it in to get authenticated.

It came back unslabbed as "questionable authenticity" despite the fact that I had looked at dozens of certified examples of Trout autos with the same slant, streaking, etc., that you look for when authenticating an auto.

And after I got it back unslabbed, I looked at some examples of obviously fake Trout IP autos that had been slabbed as authentic, and realized that a lot of it is simply who you know at these grading companies.

But, no problem, I sent it to a different company and it came back slabbed as authentic.

So what I'm saying is, best case scenario it's a highly subjective business, worst case it is potentially fraudulent in some cases.

Full disclosure ... I have used two grading companies for a total of three cards - two autos and one graded card - and have gotten either "authentic" or "9.5" on three of the four, so by and large the grading system has worked in my favor.

But the reasons above are why I've only dealt with them four times overall.

To me, if you can look at a scan of a raw card and you're happy with the condition at the price you're paying for it, that should be sufficient.

[jbissell]

Thanks for the quick responses! Really, the only reason Im taking the plunge on grading this card is because the graded value of the card rises a lot once you're in "9" territory. There are even a couple of cards on eBay selling for ridiculous sums of money graded as a 9. My LCS owner offered to have it shipped in with a bunch of cards he was submitting for grading so it only cost me like $20.00, so I figured it was worth a shot.

[rjcj2017]

Thanks for the quick responses! Really, the only reason Im taking the plunge on grading this card is because the graded value of the card rises a lot once you're in "9" territory. There are even a couple of cards on eBay selling for ridiculous sums of money graded as a 9. My LCS owner offered to have it shipped in with a bunch of cards he was submitting for grading so it only cost me like $20.00, so I figured it was worth a shot.

You should definitely go for it if that's what you want to do - don't listen to us grouchy guys!

And besides, the condition grading process doesn't seem to be nearly as shady as the autograph authentication process ... I should have been more clear there.

If you get the card graded, post a scan when you get it back.

We had a longtime collector/member on here that only collected graded Nolan Ryan cards ... he passed away a while back, so it would be fun to see a new one again, for Jason's sake.

[jumper4d8]

There are things that affect a cards grade even though it is straight out of a pack. Not having seen the card use your judgement and check the four sections that affect a cards grading: edges, corners, surface and centering.

My suggestion, I wouldn't grade the card. It isn't a major card and grading would probably cost more than you would see in price increase if you were to sell it. If you are concerned about keeping it in good condition you can use a rigid top loader or a one-touch magnetic holder.

[bengalsandreds]

[quote='rjcj2017' pid='2653199' dateline=

And besides, the condition grading process doesn't seem to be nearly as shady as the autograph authentication process ... I should have been more clear there.


Same here. The grading of a card is what it is. A third party telling you on a ten point scale how good the card looks, so it's all just a matter of their opinion. It's the autograph authentication that doesn't seem to always be correct. I say get it graded, if it means something to you. And post a picture if you do!