Does anyone take GAI 9.5's seriously ?

TimeMachine

The market sure doesn't seem to, the same premiums people pay for PSA 10's just aren't being paid for GAI 9.5's. From what I have read and seen, some here suspect that some GAI 9.5's may in fact be altered or doctored cards, not to mention the less stringent standards GAI seems to employ that may account for some of the loftier grades... I would say that nearly all PSA 10's would probably end up in either a GAI 9.5 or 10 holder, but merely a fraction of GAI 9.5's would ever find their way into PSA 10 holders...

feel free to comment...

kuntryboy

<< <i>Does anyone take GAI 9.5's seriously ? >>



I don't take any GAI cards seriously.


Edited to add: Ditto with SGC and BVG cards

TMc

You should. They are here to stay. They own the market on unopened material. Well respected in that arena.

WinPitcher

as long as they do not lose the submission..............ask mantlefan

SGC does a decent job.

ctsoxfan

<< <i>You should. They are here to stay. They own the market on unopened material. Well respected in that arena. >>



Boy, where to start on this one...

There are many, many threads here about GAI. A search would turn up a lot of good reading. But, as far as them being here to stay - who knows? They are the only company grading unopened material, which is why they "own" that market. They are also considered by most knowledgeable collectors to be very dealer-friendly. Which means, a lot of those 9.5's could very well be friendly "bumps" up from straight 9's from other companies. And, the horror stories about their customer service will sure scare you (lost cards, lost packs, long turnaround times). They are trying very hard to be a grading alternative, but only dealers with vested interests in their success seem to be taking to them - the collective yawn you hear is from the collector market as a whole.

Stick with PSA (go ahead, DBH)...

julen23

I also agree to respect them (at least). The last Memory Lane Auction was ~80% PSA and ~20% GAI, however GAI was 100% on unopened material (which was 4 separate pages worth of stuff).

Leland's Auctions auctions vintage GAI graded cards and very high dollar vintage wax packs, cellos and rack packs (all GAI) graded too.

Perhaps a question to ponder is PSA venturing into the pack-grading arena any time soon?

Julen
______
Collecting:

1980 Topps: Over 4,000 cards from vending and wax boxes awaiting a giant bonfire
1969 Topps Master: # 1 1
1987 Kraft Dinners Home Plate Heroes

ctsoxfan

I believe Joe Orlando said no to PSA grading packs at the last National.

A761506

I am a firm believer that pack grading is an insignificant source of revenue, if it were as viable as many board members think it is, I cannot imagine why PSA or SGC also did not get into it.

I would not buy a valuable card in a GAI holder, nor would I want one of my valuable cards in a GAI holder after realizing that they are extremely difficult to sell. I do not think GAI has a business plan that will allow them to stay in business for much longer. If PSA or SGC were to rely solely on the grading of cards for all their revenue, I don't see how they could ever have become anything more than a small-time shop. GAI has attempted to become more than that, but I just don't see how they can sustain at that level in the future. They have no share-holders to give them working capital if they need it, they have no coin-grading business which is a bigger revenue producer than cards, and how many vintage packs are left out there that are going to be submitted?

koby

GAI does a good job with grading.

kuntryboy

<< <i>GAI does a good job with grading. >>

lawnmowerman

<< <i>

<< <i>Does anyone take GAI 9.5's seriously ? >>

>>



NO! With the amount of horror stories of "lost" cards, packs and entire orders how can anyone take them seriously? If one department in any company fails to do their job it shows the company as a whole in a bad light. Thats just how it is.

Matt

DaBigHurt

You can't take GAI seriously because they've lost cards before! When you think about the MILLIONS and MILLIONS of cards that PSA has graded over the years and how they've never even lost or mishandled one single order, it makes you wonder what kind of rinky dink set up they have over there "across the street."

RipublicaninMass

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>Does anyone take GAI 9.5's seriously ? >>

>>



NO! With the amount of horror stories of "lost" cards, packs and entire orders how can anyone take them seriously? If one department in any company fails to do their job it shows the company as a whole in a bad light. Thats just how it is.

Matt >>



Yeah LOST PACKS that end up in wvshoebox's catalog!

yankeeno7

I personally would never submit to GAI but I did recently buy a 1975 Topps Mini Yount for a decent price. I took the best look I could, measured the card, etc...They graded it a 7 but the card is awesome and looks better. Maybe I just got lucky.

TimeMachine

All good input and discussion.

Being a hobbyist and a vintage graded sportscard "investor" first and foremost, I am a lot more confident in the practices of PSA and SGC (even the OLD red CSA holdered cards) and am yet to purchase a GAI graded card. Something just doesn't smell right in GAI-land, and I am not in the business of attempting to cross GAI graded cards into PSA holders. I have had success cracking SGC 92's, CSA 9's (old red flip), and even BGS 8's and having them slabbed into PSA 9 holders however. SCD looks like they did a pretty good job too, but a wee bit too tough on centering.

The jury is still out on GAI I suppose, but I won't be buying cards in their slabs any time soon.

Knuckles

I don't take anything in a GAI holder seriously.. Only PSA and SGC.

TimeMachine

word, knuckles...

jackstraw

Come on GAI also does Autographs

Knuckles

Yet another horribly autographed card in a GAI slab. I hardly ever see nice auto's in their holders, probably because PSA/DNA rejected them first.

jrdolan

Certain dealers take GAI 9.5's very seriously. The ones who scour eBay looking for solid PSA 9's to give a bump.

TimeMachine

Anything to make a buck I suppose... as long as some are willing to buy the holder and not the card, there will be $$$ to be made, no question about it.

Fletch1750

It is merely a matter of time before GAI 9.5s sell for a fraction of what a PSA 9 sells for. They simply use the half grade as a means to inflate grades. The market will recognize this and the above will become reality if it is not already.

jrdolan

I tend to agree, and I think the dealers who were persuaded by GAI to convert their PSA inventory will be sorry at some point, if they're not already. I don't have anything against GAI grading in general. But their customer service is slow and sometimes non-existent, they "lose" customers' valuable cards and memorabilia, and their unspoken "Join Us And Get A Free Half-Point Bump" courtship of dealers is going to backfire in the end. We'll know when that's happening when we see a certain monthly mail catalog start to contain more PSA material again.

As an example of the poor customer service, I bought a GAI-authenticated bat last summer, and as of June 1 it still was not part of their database. I asked them why not, and on June 28 they informed me it was now entered in the system. Only because I b*tched about it, no doubt. That and the other stories we've heard give the impression that the company is woefully understaffed.

1960toppsguy

seems to me in the early days of GAI, they were pretty solid, but what has happened recently is unexplainable. They have gone down the drain fasted than a pile of %$#@ in a turbo toilet that splashes water all over the place.

TMc

Interesting posts. I tend to agree with most. However...a hypothetical situation. You are in the market for a cello pack from the 50s. Two are up on ebay. One graded by GAI, the other raw. Which one do you take a shot at? Which one do you look at more seriously? Its a slam dunk decision if you know anything about the resealing scambuckets smegmas out there. I would rather have PSA cards, but would never buy a raw wax or cello.

TimeMachine

I am not an unopened pack investor, I enjoy actually looking at my cards and appreciating them rather than wondering what exactly is in a pack I paid so much for... at least 1-2 damaged cards per pack in old wax be it gum or the wax seal. GAI does not play into my hobby at all, and never will I suspect...

onlychild

As a collector I use GAI as much as PSA and respect their place in our hobby. They are not going away and should only grow stronger as the company matures. There are bound to be bumps along the way but as I recall even PSA had some difficulties at times.

I have talked with them at great lengths and enjoy their friendly attitudes. They really share our compassion about the hobby. I would encourage all collectors to add GAI cards to their collection or at least give them a call before jumping to conclusions. The registry is fun but a good mix will also compliment a well rounded collection.


Kevin

yankeeno7

What you talkin bout, Willis?