PSA and graded wax
jerster
Posts: 830 ✭✭✭
You would think that PSA would venture into the grading of wax packs in order to compete with GAI.
In fact, I hazard to guess that even though GAI has the market right now, the tide would surely switch if PSA began grading packs. With the following that PSA enjoys in the marketplace, it would probably be shorter than one year after introduction and they would overtake GAI in grades per month/quarter/year or whatever metric you would want to use.
Only problems would be finding the appropriate graders to actually grade the stuff and developing a suitable container to house the pack.
This has got to be more lucrative than grading tickets wouldn't you think? They could continue the cross over deal and probably get packs that way as well.
What do you think?
In fact, I hazard to guess that even though GAI has the market right now, the tide would surely switch if PSA began grading packs. With the following that PSA enjoys in the marketplace, it would probably be shorter than one year after introduction and they would overtake GAI in grades per month/quarter/year or whatever metric you would want to use.
Only problems would be finding the appropriate graders to actually grade the stuff and developing a suitable container to house the pack.
This has got to be more lucrative than grading tickets wouldn't you think? They could continue the cross over deal and probably get packs that way as well.
What do you think?
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Comments
I truly believe that PSA should and will stay out of pack grading. I also think that it may not be a good idea for GAI to be doing it either.
In the broad market, I do not believe that even the experts can accurately tell whether a pack has been resealed or not. There have been some very, very good reseals over the years that could not be detected. Also many of the current detection techniques regularly will not certify valid packs. People complain that there is the "occasional" card they suspect that is trimmed in a PSA holder. The rate of packs I would guess would be ten times or more that rate. And let us not forget, it would be the high end stuff, not the lower end common stuff that would be more prevalent to these problems.
I know the people that have graded for GAI. One of the guys that is still doing it is clearly. absolutley the best pack guy that is out there, ever. I worked with him for many years developing some of the techniques that they use today. He is the best, he is not perfect. There are too many times that even he could not tell for sure. There is a specific type of packaging that is very easy to reseal and there is no real easy way to tell. I suspect that this area in particular has a higher proportion of fakes than others. I bought a pack once from a promenient national dealer that was fake. Did the dealer know? I have no idea. I wasn't sure either, until I opened it (A VG- card with heavily rounded corners in a wrapper with without a scratch). The dealer sold it to me for less than the wrapper was worth and all I wanted was the wrapper so in my case, no harm no foul. But with what people are paying now days ????? If this grader says it is good then it probably is and his opinion is worth paying for. However, if you were paying a large amount for a rare pack, I would careful in some cases. (By, the way, I do believe that the Mastronet 52's and 53's are just fine and they are not the kind of packs I would worry about.)
Lastly from the broader stand point, the few people that actually know enough to grade packs also deal in packs. This level of conflict of interest has never been allowed to fly long term anywhere else. I am amazed that it has lasted this long. When all your graders are major pack dealers as well some will find a sense of impropriety. I do not know that any of the graders have ever done anything wrong this way, but if David Hall had to sell his graded cards, this is clearly a double standard.
In the specific of PSA, they are lacking everything that it would take to start this business. Getting a holder should be trival but patents and copyrights have a funny way of sneaking up on you. They heartburn is, who teachs the graders??? They would need truly independent graders with a knowledge that very few are able to teach and they don't want to give away that knowledge for free. I don't not a believe that a high confidence level set of criteria could be developed and taught. Remember that PSA "insures" these in a way through certifying them as authentic. It would take only one public mistake to ruin a company and a brand name. While you are right about it being more lucritive, it is also much, much more risky.
They would be ahead with wrappers.
Fuzz