Best Of

@Harnessracing said:

@ReggieCleveland said:

@Harnessracing said:

@ReggieCleveland said:

@Harnessracing said:

@ReggieCleveland said:

@Harnessracing said:

@ReggieCleveland said:

@Harnessracing said:

@craig44 said:

@Harnessracing said:

@craig44 said:

@Harnessracing said:
It’s the company that Steve runs that the faith is on. His company is not made up of one person. He has several people who are just as qualified. If you don’t think so then my suggestion is sell.

I disagree. public perception is that it is Steve. all the faith and goodwill is Steves and what he built.

for all intents and purposes, BBCE=Steve Hart in the publics view.

I agree that there are other authenticators just as qualified as steve, but i do not believe that is public perception.

That’s just your opinion. We don’t live forever. When and if Steve retires or sells the company or however he is no longer affiliated with BBCE does that mean everything after that is not credible?
Are PSA graded cards more credible from the beginning, middle or now?
Everyone has an opinion. Follow yours but don’t expect others to agree.

it is not just MY opinon, it is widely agreed upon...

I have no idea how things will shake out when steve sells or retires. there will be a shift. Someone will rise to the top, the hope is that it will be someone credible.

Steve Hart is the perfect storm. He has the knowledge/experience, but most importantly, he is WIDELY respected as an honorable person. The whole unopened market is, to a large extent, based on trust. if that trust is ever broken, so will be the unopened market.

Widely agreed upon by whom? The posters here? Cmon 98% of the submitters only what the items wrapped and that’s my opinion.
Not buying your statement. Steve is trusted by most but whether he retires or sells out to someone else no one will care

If Steve retires or sells out there will be a tectonic shift in the unopened market. BBCE will take a major hit, both in their pockets and in the hobby's view of them. And there isn't a vendor in the market that could fill his shoes.

Arthur

Maybe not but it’s still just your opinion.
My bet would be no one notices.
Everyone can be replaced.
So by your logic, everyone who has a major unopened collection will take a hit. Sorry don’t buy it.
So if PSA buys out BBCE and Steve retires, the unopened market will take a hit??? Doubt it.

I meant BBCE's pockets will take a hit if they stay in business sans Steve. This isn't the only niche in the hobby that is almost entirely held together by one person -- Taube for bats and Yee for photos. They are irreplaceable in the sense that their eventual replacement will be much lower in quality and trust.

Can you recommend someone that could fill Steve's shoes if he packed it up? Because no one is in position to take on the services he provides with integrity and trust. But if you know of someone that would be good to know.

Arthur

Again your OPINION, you have no idea what will happen, no one does. My opinion is nothing will change.
As for irreplaceable people, everyone is replaceable, everyone. If you don’t believe that then you’re only kidding yourself. It may be inconvenient for a short period but that always goes away.
Just like any job you may have had or have now, if you leave it, you will be replaced, sometimes it takes awhile for someone to get up to speed but eventually it all works out

We're not talking about some cubicle job where there's 25 people that can be trained to fill one's absence in a week.I'll ask again, who do you see filling the void left by Steve's retirement? Feel free to throw out names. We're talking about people that have spent most, if not all, of their adult lives accruing experience that no one else has. Who replaces Taube? Who replaces Yee?

If all you've got is "everyone is replaceable" then you're missing the point. These guys are the glue that keep their niches held together. I have no doubt that bad actors will step forward and try to fill the hole that Steve leaves but that's not a replacement, it's a loose band-aid.

Arthur

I really don’t care who replaces him but if you think the sky will fall when and if he does then you’re in for a rude awakening. It won’t skip a beat except
maybe get more expensive

I can tell you exactly how it will go. PSA will find a new "Steve" and it will be like when Ryan Rutter took over pack grading at GAI. The older, Steve cert numbers will be considered good and the new certs will have their value suppressed.

I trust RVP because all they do is wrap FASC boxes. I can't speak to Kurt's ability to authenticate vintage wax and he's probably best served staying in his lane. But familiarity breeds trust, unfortunately, and there are other people that folks on the board will step up to vouch for without much knowledge of their actual abilities. We won't have an honest actor in the game.

I think prices on Steve BBCE wraps will increase in price. I think all the new "experts" will find a suppressed market for their product. Although it's just as likely they're met with complete trust and prices stabilize. I'd hate to see that happen but, like I said, familiarity breeds trust.

Arthur

AGAIN you’re OPINION and a lofty one in my OPINION. It may have a difference for you but you are a grain of sand in the collecting world as am I.
Most people will not care, if they did, they wouldn’t buy a PSA 10 instead of a 9 because 99% of the time there is zero difference

It's a message board. Everything here is an opinion. There are educated opinions and then those of people who can't tell the difference between a PSA 9 and PSA 10.

Arthur

Bill Frehan comes to mind.

also Luis Tiant.

Sort of interesting that condition rarity continues to be a driving force among HOF players. I see the ‘55 Robinson in PSA 9 at $232K as the biggest surprise.

I suspect that there might be a handful of card collectors that have second thoughts about vintage cards mainly due to valuations. Just to gently remind folks here, there are many many affordable cards that can be bought without breaking the bank that are representative of MLB history.