The grading game
lawnmowerman
Posts: 19,477 ✭✭✭✭
I dont know if anyone read this article from 2000. So here it is:
story by caesar contreras
sports editor
A piece of cardboard, a motor for a bicycle; a smart investment.
During the years sports cards have served as many things, mainly a hobby to millions of children and adults across the nation. But an innovation has taken place, something that has not only struck a new pulse with hobbyists, but may change it forever.
The new innovation is card grading, a service in which a collector sends various sports cards to a company to have several people examine the card and assign a number grade to it. Aided by the Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa home run race of 1997, card grading has taken the sports card hobby by storm.
“It’s taking over the hobby,” said Joe Sandigo, a 10-year collector of sports cards. “Card grading is definitely what’s hot.”
But while many collectors and card dealers are thriving in the card grading market, the argument that has come up among the card hobbyists is, how good is this for the hobby?
Sandigo notes that it could work both ways.
“Card grading has worked wonders for the hobby, it has added interest to cards, increased their value and basically has just sparked a new interest in the hobby unlike anything else.”
“I could understand why some people are critical of it, it has made it harder to purchase singles and also to have your cards graded is pretty expensive,” Sandigo said.
Professional Sports Authenticator, Beckett Grading Services and Sportscard Guaranty are the three companies that offer grading services.
Based in Newport Beach, PSA, is considered by many as the leading card grading service.
“We are the most trusted name in the business when it comes to card grading,” said Johnny Moe, PSA customer service representative.
David Lin, a Cal State Fullerton marketing major who deals in graded cards said, “They’ve been around the longest and have a pretty good reputation, a sense of trust.”
Started in June of 1991, PSA grades between 200,000-250,000 cards a month and employs over 250 people.
The company is the sister company with PSA DNA [autograph authentication], PCGS [coin grading] and PSE [stamp grading].
Their prices of grading vary anywhere from $10 to $40, per card depending on the type of service.
“Some people think the prices are expensive, and they are, but grading your cards is a risk and you should only do it if you feel that you have a 9 or 10,” Sandigo said.
In referring to the numbers, Sandigo is acknowledging the specific PSA grades, with 10 being the highest and so on to number one.
For example, a 1998-99 Vince Carter Upper Deck SPx Finite rookie card priced in the latest issue of Beckett Basketball Card Monthly is worth $500, ungraded.
With a grade of 10, a Gem Mint grade of the same Carter card is worth over $3000.
“Everybody wants mint cards, those are the hard to find cards,” Lin said.
A widely circulated report was that a PSA graded Gem Mint 10 Michael Jordan 1986-87 Fleer rookie card, worth $1500 in Beckett, was sold for close to $20,000 at a card show last year. The graded 10 card is now worth $28,000 in the newest Beckett issue.
“That’s the reason people grade cards, the profit margin is unbelievable, a twenty dollar investment can make you a couple of hundred dollars in some cases” Sandigo said.
But to receive top money, one has to get top grades and while PSA cards go for top dollar, Beckett Grading Services [BGS] based in Dallas, Texas, has earned a reputation to be the toughest graders of all.
“Beckett’s tough, they grade on four factors,” Lin said.
The company which also produces the “bible” of hobby price guides in Beckett Monthly, just got started into the grading business last year, but have differed from PSA, grading on centering, corners, edges and surface.
The four-factor grading has not only set BGS apart from other grading services, but has also set themselves apart from some collectors.
“They grade too hard, I’d rather send my cards to PSA and get the better grade,” Sandigo said.
Proving themselves right, out of a population reports posted on their web site [Beckett.com], only 0.03 percent of their cards have been graded a 10, known as Pristine and only 2.46 percent have grades of 9.5 gem mint.
It’s even been rumored that less then 100 Pristine cards even exist.
Sportscard Guaranty, another grading service in New Jersey, is also known for tough grades, but rather then give out numbers, SCG gives out percentages.
“They give out percentages, I’ve seen some high 90’s, but I don’t think I’ve seen any 100’s,” Sandigo said.
Lin said that dealers or collectors rarely go to SCG, opting for the more popular BGS or PSA services.
So one may wonder with grading services becoming fully formed businesses, what happens when a customer is not satisfied?
“We do not receive complaints that often, most of the time it regards the grade the card received, we offer a review service for $10 a card, so if a customer really feels a card was misgraded, they can re-submit the card for review,” Moe said.
If cards come back damaged, which has happened from time-to- time according to Sandigo, the companies may offer a full refund of what the card is worth or may offer credit for grading services in the future.
“I’ve usually had good experience with card grading, but I have heard some bad cases of misgraded cards or damaged cards,” Sandego said.
With the card hobby changing by the grading system, reaction is mixed to what may become of this new wonder.
“Some feel it’s a fad, I think it’s here to stay for good,” Lin said.
Moe projects that card submissions could possibly double in the future.
PSA, which mainly grades sports cards, has also started grading non-sports cards as well.
“I’ve seen some really strange stuff,” said Nick Kean, a PSA employee.
“Pokemon cards, Wrestling cards...... even Garbage Pail Kids.”
© 2000 Daily Titan
Matt
story by caesar contreras
sports editor
A piece of cardboard, a motor for a bicycle; a smart investment.
During the years sports cards have served as many things, mainly a hobby to millions of children and adults across the nation. But an innovation has taken place, something that has not only struck a new pulse with hobbyists, but may change it forever.
The new innovation is card grading, a service in which a collector sends various sports cards to a company to have several people examine the card and assign a number grade to it. Aided by the Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa home run race of 1997, card grading has taken the sports card hobby by storm.
“It’s taking over the hobby,” said Joe Sandigo, a 10-year collector of sports cards. “Card grading is definitely what’s hot.”
But while many collectors and card dealers are thriving in the card grading market, the argument that has come up among the card hobbyists is, how good is this for the hobby?
Sandigo notes that it could work both ways.
“Card grading has worked wonders for the hobby, it has added interest to cards, increased their value and basically has just sparked a new interest in the hobby unlike anything else.”
“I could understand why some people are critical of it, it has made it harder to purchase singles and also to have your cards graded is pretty expensive,” Sandigo said.
Professional Sports Authenticator, Beckett Grading Services and Sportscard Guaranty are the three companies that offer grading services.
Based in Newport Beach, PSA, is considered by many as the leading card grading service.
“We are the most trusted name in the business when it comes to card grading,” said Johnny Moe, PSA customer service representative.
David Lin, a Cal State Fullerton marketing major who deals in graded cards said, “They’ve been around the longest and have a pretty good reputation, a sense of trust.”
Started in June of 1991, PSA grades between 200,000-250,000 cards a month and employs over 250 people.
The company is the sister company with PSA DNA [autograph authentication], PCGS [coin grading] and PSE [stamp grading].
Their prices of grading vary anywhere from $10 to $40, per card depending on the type of service.
“Some people think the prices are expensive, and they are, but grading your cards is a risk and you should only do it if you feel that you have a 9 or 10,” Sandigo said.
In referring to the numbers, Sandigo is acknowledging the specific PSA grades, with 10 being the highest and so on to number one.
For example, a 1998-99 Vince Carter Upper Deck SPx Finite rookie card priced in the latest issue of Beckett Basketball Card Monthly is worth $500, ungraded.
With a grade of 10, a Gem Mint grade of the same Carter card is worth over $3000.
“Everybody wants mint cards, those are the hard to find cards,” Lin said.
A widely circulated report was that a PSA graded Gem Mint 10 Michael Jordan 1986-87 Fleer rookie card, worth $1500 in Beckett, was sold for close to $20,000 at a card show last year. The graded 10 card is now worth $28,000 in the newest Beckett issue.
“That’s the reason people grade cards, the profit margin is unbelievable, a twenty dollar investment can make you a couple of hundred dollars in some cases” Sandigo said.
But to receive top money, one has to get top grades and while PSA cards go for top dollar, Beckett Grading Services [BGS] based in Dallas, Texas, has earned a reputation to be the toughest graders of all.
“Beckett’s tough, they grade on four factors,” Lin said.
The company which also produces the “bible” of hobby price guides in Beckett Monthly, just got started into the grading business last year, but have differed from PSA, grading on centering, corners, edges and surface.
The four-factor grading has not only set BGS apart from other grading services, but has also set themselves apart from some collectors.
“They grade too hard, I’d rather send my cards to PSA and get the better grade,” Sandigo said.
Proving themselves right, out of a population reports posted on their web site [Beckett.com], only 0.03 percent of their cards have been graded a 10, known as Pristine and only 2.46 percent have grades of 9.5 gem mint.
It’s even been rumored that less then 100 Pristine cards even exist.
Sportscard Guaranty, another grading service in New Jersey, is also known for tough grades, but rather then give out numbers, SCG gives out percentages.
“They give out percentages, I’ve seen some high 90’s, but I don’t think I’ve seen any 100’s,” Sandigo said.
Lin said that dealers or collectors rarely go to SCG, opting for the more popular BGS or PSA services.
So one may wonder with grading services becoming fully formed businesses, what happens when a customer is not satisfied?
“We do not receive complaints that often, most of the time it regards the grade the card received, we offer a review service for $10 a card, so if a customer really feels a card was misgraded, they can re-submit the card for review,” Moe said.
If cards come back damaged, which has happened from time-to- time according to Sandigo, the companies may offer a full refund of what the card is worth or may offer credit for grading services in the future.
“I’ve usually had good experience with card grading, but I have heard some bad cases of misgraded cards or damaged cards,” Sandego said.
With the card hobby changing by the grading system, reaction is mixed to what may become of this new wonder.
“Some feel it’s a fad, I think it’s here to stay for good,” Lin said.
Moe projects that card submissions could possibly double in the future.
PSA, which mainly grades sports cards, has also started grading non-sports cards as well.
“I’ve seen some really strange stuff,” said Nick Kean, a PSA employee.
“Pokemon cards, Wrestling cards...... even Garbage Pail Kids.”
© 2000 Daily Titan
Matt
0