@NachoNeil said:
Anyone looking for a Green Cobb MBA Gold that's missing two corners? There's currently one up for auction at Heritage
that is the exact card they were talking about on the card clubhouse channel that does not even meet MBA's own descriptors for an MBA 1as part of the card is missing
@bgr said:
Perhaps that’s an error, but not all errors are equal. What is the concern with the Cobb?
the gold sticker now no longer represents an "eye appeal" of top 5% of the population, the MBA website states that it will grade at least 0.5 grades higher in an MBA holder. that would mean that this Cobb would grade at least an MBA 1 as it currently sits in an authentic holder. However, according to MBA's own grading standards, this card cannot meet the requirement of grading a 1 because it is missing a part of the card.
MBA's own sticker cannot meet its own grading standard.
even if the gold sticker still represented "eye appeal" under whos "eye" would that green background Cobb ever (in a million years) represent great eye appeal?
there is no standard for "eye appeal" even when it was MBA's claim to fame, they had no written standard for anyone to even know which cards to send in.
we all have a different standard for eye appeal. some people prefer perfectly centered cards. others like great color and registration. others may like razor sharp corners. it is all personal preference. with no actual standard from MBA, how would anyone know what they are apprasing?
we all have eyes. we can all judge whether a particular BGS 8 or PSA 7 look particularly good to us.
@bgr said:
Perhaps that’s an error, but not all errors are equal. What is the concern with the Cobb?
the gold sticker now no longer represents an "eye appeal" of top 5% of the population, the MBA website states that it will grade at least 0.5 grades higher in an MBA holder. that would mean that this Cobb would grade at least an MBA 1 as it currently sits in an authentic holder. However, according to MBA's own grading standards, this card cannot meet the requirement of grading a 1 because it is missing a part of the card.
MBA's own sticker cannot meet its own grading standard.
I guess then I would want to see the standards they are setting for a 1. is an Auth a zero or a 0.5 or is it unrelated to scale? I think you said they changed the meaning. what did the sticker mean when it was stuck? and lastly. what color is the bear?
@bgr said:
I still don’t know what Auth + 0.5 is and I’m not sure you guys are the right scientists for the job.
it means if you have a PSA 3 with a gold sticker, MBA guarantees that if you submit the card to them for crossover, the card will come back in at least an MBA 3.5
@bgr said:
Ok. So not as reported. Here’s MBA PR FR grade.
what is "not as reported?" i copied/pasted that descriptor line directly from the MBA website
"To attain a Fair grade, the card must remain fully intact, even if heavily worn"
is that Cobb card "fully intact?"
it is not. it is missing part of its upper left boarder/edge/corner.
MBA continues to add: "it cannot achieve this grade (MBA 1) if it is missing...an entire corner.
that cobb card is missing the top left corner, no?
so per MBA's own grade descriptors, the cobb cannot achieve the grade of MBA 1, though they have given that authentic graded card a gold sticker saying they would. confusing, no?
You’re thinking of VG 3 as MBA 1 (FR) ?? What am I missing?
I think you’re splitting hairs at best. I also don’t think it’s a good 1. I still don’t really know what the sticker means when it’s on an auth. Is an auth a 0? Could an auth be subjectively better to become a 0.5? What does it mean and why do I care?
@bgr said:
You’re thinking of VG 3 as MBA 1 (FR) ?? What am I missing?
I think you’re splitting hairs at best. I also don’t think it’s a good 1. I still don’t really know what the sticker means when it’s on an auth. Is an auth a 0? Could an auth be subjectively better to become a 0.5? What does it mean and why do I care?
i gave VG3 as an example only. meaning if, for example, you have a card graded PSA 3 with an MBA gold sticker that means that you can do a cross over with MBA and they will guarantee you at least an MBA 3.5. If you had a PSA 8 with a gold sticker, MBA would guarantee you at least an MBA 8.5 on a cross over.
yes, "authentic" grade equals a 0. so if you have a card slabbed "authentic" with a gold sticker, MBA will guarantee you at least a MBA 1 on a crossover as there is no MBA 0.5 slab as of yet.
@bgr said:
You’re thinking of VG 3 as MBA 1 (FR) ?? What am I missing?
I think you’re splitting hairs at best. I also don’t think it’s a good 1. I still don’t really know what the sticker means when it’s on an auth. Is an auth a 0? Could an auth be subjectively better to become a 0.5? What does it mean and why do I care?
i gave VG3 as an example only. meaning if, for example, you have a card graded PSA 3 with an MBA gold sticker that means that you can do a cross over with MBA and they will guarantee you at least an MBA 3.5. If you had a PSA 8 with a gold sticker, MBA would guarantee you at least an MBA 8.5 on a cross over.
yes, "authentic" grade equals a 0. so if you have a card slabbed "authentic" with a gold sticker, MBA will guarantee you at least a MBA 1 on a crossover as there is no MBA 0.5 slab as of yet.
Where does it say that? Where does it say what it means for an Authentic?
If MBA is saying that they would give that card a number grade then I wouldn’t agree with that opinion. That’s what I’m wondering about. Also, if the meaning of the sticker has changed what did it mean when that sticker was applied? Are the stickers the same? I thought you could look it up on their site and it would give you Bakers thoughts.
Is this the case where a customer was upset that his ‘52 Topps Mantle did not receive the PSA grade he thought it deserved. If so, dismissed! 💩Next case up!
@mintonlypls said:
Is this the case where a customer was upset that his ‘52 Topps Mantle did not receive the PSA grade he thought it deserved. If so, dismissed! 💩Next case up!
It’s not. It’s absolutely not that. I’m really not sure what to think about it. The argument is going to land for unjust enrichment.
He embellishes a bit. The rico is a stretch but it’s what people here have been saying as they’ve bought the loop. I wonder if I’ve been naive about a company that grew from the good ole boy days into a giant and whether they have adopted proper controls. Whether that’s true or not that opens with a slice of pain for PSA. The whole cert 1 story is a problem for them. We’ve discussed it here often.
The Honus Wagner story. The lawsuit opens symbolically with the very first certificate PSA ever issued, back in 1991: Cert #00000001, a T206 Honus Wagner — the most famous baseball card in the world. That this card was trimmed has been documented for years: former auctioneer Bill Mastro admitted the trimming in 2013 as part of a guilty plea. The lawsuit now further claims that PSA knowingly graded the card despite its own rules ("altered cards are not graded") — and that the certificate remains active to this day, even though the card later changed hands for $2.8 million.
00000001 having been trimmed prior to 1991 has been USA Public record for nearly 14 years, yet PSA still considers it an 8. Now that is the type of shenanigans that will hurt them in court room
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972) Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
My guess is PSA will fear discovery phase so much they will settle and the suit will go away which is not good long term for at least for the average person in the hobby
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972) Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
@1982FootballWax said:
My guess is PSA will fear discovery phase so much they will settle and the suit will go away which is not good long term for at least for the average person in the hobby
Long ways from discovery. The next step is motion to dismiss or to compel arbitration.
So I like tricks in the law. It’s a fun alternate universe. So what Funk did was to submit through a group submission to avoid the PSA arb clause. So anyone who has had someone else submit their cards can join the class action. That it’s taken a month is all about that. What an absolute mess up That lawyer has probably already been fired. If this case gains class action status which is a double edged sword with the 4th district then it’s going to fall into two issues. I just enrichment and the Maryland CPA claims. And that’s a billion dollar problem for CU. But not a huge deal and it’s still kind of a long shot to class action status. Rico is still a fun parade.
Looking past all that. PSA trust is at an all time low. So don’t worry so much about MBA.
@bgr said:
You’re thinking of VG 3 as MBA 1 (FR) ?? What am I missing?
I think you’re splitting hairs at best. I also don’t think it’s a good 1. I still don’t really know what the sticker means when it’s on an auth. Is an auth a 0? Could an auth be subjectively better to become a 0.5? What does it mean and why do I care?
i gave VG3 as an example only. meaning if, for example, you have a card graded PSA 3 with an MBA gold sticker that means that you can do a cross over with MBA and they will guarantee you at least an MBA 3.5. If you had a PSA 8 with a gold sticker, MBA would guarantee you at least an MBA 8.5 on a cross over.
yes, "authentic" grade equals a 0. so if you have a card slabbed "authentic" with a gold sticker, MBA will guarantee you at least a MBA 1 on a crossover as there is no MBA 0.5 slab as of yet.
Where does it say that? Where does it say what it means for an Authentic?
If MBA is saying that they would give that card a number grade then I wouldn’t agree with that opinion. That’s what I’m wondering about. Also, if the meaning of the sticker has changed what did it mean when that sticker was applied? Are the stickers the same? I thought you could look it up on their site and it would give you Bakers thoughts.
that is exactly one of the issues i am bringing up in this thread. baker has changed what some of the stickers mean. gold went from "eye appeal" to a 0.5+ MBA grade on a crossover. it is not only confusing, but i think intentionally so. I think Baker has had some pushback over his false claims of being able to tell the top % of a pop report and is trying to change definitions on the sly without people noticing.
and yes, the gold MBA sticker is saying they would give that authentic cobb a number grade
@1982FootballWax said:
My guess is PSA will fear discovery phase so much they will settle and the suit will go away which is not good long term for at least for the average person in the hobby
there is no way PSA will want to go to discovery. they will try very hard to settle
@bgr said:
I still don’t know what Auth + 0.5 is and I’m not sure you guys are the right scientists for the job.
You guys ever need a good hunchback let me know I’m kind of looking for some part time work. Reference Dr. FrankenSTEEN please if you have any concerns.
@bgr said:
I also don’t think it’s a good 1. I still don’t really know what the sticker means when it’s on an auth. Is an auth a 0? Could an auth be subjectively better to become a 0.5? What does it mean and why do I care?
Also, if the meaning of the sticker has changed what did it mean when that sticker was applied?
Yes, PSA Authentic = 0.
I figure the Cobb was stickered before the definition change and MBA started grading services.
So the sticker meant at the time, Top 5% and is an exceptional example within the assigned technical grade from the third party grading company.
NOW, Gold stickers mean they must be at least a +.5 technical grade bump in MBA slabs, so given there is no .5 grade, it is now the equivalent to an MBA 1. This new definition seems to basically force MBA's hand to give it a 1 grading, even though that was not really the meaning behind the sticker when it was originally stickered.
I posted this earlier. In the Cobbs case, PSA Authentic Gold = MBA 1.
And I don't know why you care.
@bgr said:
I also don’t think it’s a good 1. I still don’t really know what the sticker means when it’s on an auth. Is an auth a 0? Could an auth be subjectively better to become a 0.5? What does it mean and why do I care?
Also, if the meaning of the sticker has changed what did it mean when that sticker was applied?
Yes, PSA Authentic = 0.
I figure the Cobb was stickered before the definition change and MBA started grading services.
So the sticker meant at the time, Top 5% and is an exceptional example within the assigned technical grade from the third party grading company.
NOW, Gold stickers mean they must be at least a +.5 technical grade bump in MBA slabs, so given there is no .5 grade, it is now the equivalent to an MBA 1. This new definition seems to basically force MBA's hand to give it a 1 grading, even though that was not really the meaning behind the sticker when it was originally stickered.
I posted this earlier. In the Cobbs case, PSA Authentic Gold = MBA 1.
And I don't know why you care.
With different categories of Authentic I think it's tricky. In that particular case of the Cobb there I'm fine with it being borderline. It gets a little weird with cards that are authentic for another reason. Perhaps something like this could never get a sticker because it wouldn't make sense. Why is the Cobb PSA Authentic? Was it below PSA standards, was it requested by the submitter? PSA just shows it as N0.
The one thing I did see as a positive is they had people at their booth who would answer questions, and when I had a question about a card Mike Baker himself came over and looked and reviewed it with me to tell me why it did or did not get the sticker I though it should get. IMO that kind of service and attention should be called out in a positive light. The heat map, the willingness to interact with customers, and their prompt attention to issues no matter what you think about some of their “people” (ahem PWCC) cannot be discredited. Now Brent being associated with them, which I did not know at the time I had subbed cards, is another matter as well.>
I'd quibble with their heat map.
That heat map should be lit up like a Christmas tree wrapped three times with extra-watt bulbs.
@craig44 said:
I think Baker has had some pushback over his false claims of being able to tell the top % of a pop report and is trying to change definitions on the sly without people noticing.
MBA is still using Top 5% in their descriptions of Gold....
And in the Cobb card's case....
It was always understood or inferred that a Gold meant a bump in grade.
They just never had the means to actually bump it.
Only now that MBA has a grading and encapsulation services, they can say, yes, we'll bump the grade if you crossover to an MBA slab.
I don't think it was "on the sly" as it was announced on social media and it's laid out on their website.
With different categories of Authentic I think it's tricky. In that particular case of the Cobb there I'm fine with it being borderline. It gets a little weird with cards that are authentic for another reason. Perhaps something like this could never get a sticker because it wouldn't make sense. Why is the Cobb PSA Authentic? Was it below PSA standards, was it requested by the submitter? PSA just shows it as N0.
Oh, I see what you mean. PSA being less transparent for the reason the card is Authentic is definitely tricky.
PSA not printing the reason on the slab for the Authentic grade because it's altered, for example, and MBA gives it a Gold, then you crossover and the altered card in now in an MBA slab with a number grade. Yeah, that's not good.
@craig44 said:
I think Baker has had some pushback over his false claims of being able to tell the top % of a pop report and is trying to change definitions on the sly without people noticing.
MBA is still using Top 5% in their descriptions of Gold....
And in the Cobb card's case....
It was always understood or inferred that a Gold meant a bump in grade.
They just never had the means to actually bump it.
Only now that MBA has a grading and encapsulation services, they can say, yes, we'll bump the grade if you crossover to an MBA slab.
I don't think it was "on the sly" as it was announced on social media and it's laid out on their website.
that is interesting, because on the MBA website it no longer mentions anything about a top 5% of the population. that is confusing. sounds like MBA itself is confused.
as far as MBA being able to bump a grade on a cross over, they have had that ability for quite a while. they have been grading cards for over a year, at least. perhaps two. the change in their website going from top 5% to 0.5 grade bump just happened only a month or 2 ago.
i dont believe the change had anything to do with them not having the ability to bump into their own holder as it does not fit the timeline.
@craig44 said:
as far as MBA being able to bump a grade on a cross over, they have had that ability for quite a while. they have been grading cards for over a year, at least. perhaps two. the change in their website going from top 5% to 0.5 grade bump just happened only a month or 2 ago.
i dont believe the change had anything to do with them not having the ability to bump into their own holder as it does not fit the timeline.
Grading raw cards has been going on for over a year.
The MBA Provenance Crossover service is more recent, as I understand it.
You can say PSA had the ability for half grades since day 1, but the service was added in years later.
@craig44 said:
the change in their website going from top 5% to 0.5 grade bump just happened only a month or 2 ago.
The change in their website may very well happened 1 or 2 months ago (I can't say), but the .5 grade bump and provenance crossover was discussed in an interview with Baker back in Nov 2025. So again, it wasn't on the sly.
(Not everything he does is nefarious. LOL)
In part:
"Yeah, it's, it's tying it to what we do with the diamond certification currently. Because if you submit a PSA card and it's a 9 and I gold it, it's. We're saying it's 9.5."
"You know, and if it's a 10 and I gold it, we're saying it's pristine..."
"One of the things we're kind of doing uniquely too is any crossover that comes, we're taking the images the front and back of that third party grade service and tying it to the cert number. So let's say you, that card that you had came from a previous third party service. It would show that image once you did the cert, check online so there'll be a nice provenance or legacy attachment so that you can see that, hey, I had it in a PSA SGC holder. I wanted the heat map. I wanted the MBA experience, whatever it may be. You can see what you had it in before cracked out in the NBA holder. So it's all nice and packaged. So I think that's kind of another differentiator, first to market type deal too."
"Yeah, it's, it's tying it to what we do with the diamond certification currently. Because if you submit a PSA card and it's a 9 and I gold it, it's. We're saying it's 9.5."
"You know, and if it's a 10 and I gold it, we're saying it's pristine..."
until it is in writing (like on their website or on their submission form) it isnt a thing.
Seems this is the former GAI grading people. Maybe these people should restart that GAI business?. Seems all this discussion is leading to another defunct system? Oh lordy...
Well, as we finish up Page 2, here's the Cliff's Notes version of the last 50 posts.
The original question was whether MBA is beginning to move away from eye-appeal stickers.
What seems to have emerged is that the meaning of at least some MBA stickers has changed over time—particularly Gold, which appears to have gone from an eye-appeal designation to representing a potential grading bump in an MBA holder.
The Green Cobb became a good example of why that can get confusing, especially when an older sticker is judged under a newer definition.
Along the way we also managed to discuss PSA, the Funk lawsuit, the Wagner, grading costs, the Registry and probably several things I've forgotten. 😵💫
So after two pages and 100 posts, the unanswered question still seems pretty simple:
What exactly does an MBA sticker mean today—and how should older stickers issued under a different definition be interpreted?
Comments
Accepted.
We’re both passionate about cards. Passion gets the best of people and it got the better of me.
I’ll do better.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
that is the exact card they were talking about on the card clubhouse channel that does not even meet MBA's own descriptors for an MBA 1as part of the card is missing
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Group hug!
Perhaps that’s an error, but not all errors are equal. What is the concern with the Cobb?
The back of the Cobb is especially bad, but missing part of the card is not an automatic Authentic grade apparently.
The concern is too much of his hairline still remains on the card. For my money, I'd prefer a more complete scalping.
Huh. I wouldn’t pay $50 for that card. The sticker is the only thing that makes it appear to have value. Is that the complaint?
the gold sticker now no longer represents an "eye appeal" of top 5% of the population, the MBA website states that it will grade at least 0.5 grades higher in an MBA holder. that would mean that this Cobb would grade at least an MBA 1 as it currently sits in an authentic holder. However, according to MBA's own grading standards, this card cannot meet the requirement of grading a 1 because it is missing a part of the card.
MBA's own sticker cannot meet its own grading standard.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
even if the gold sticker still represented "eye appeal" under whos "eye" would that green background Cobb ever (in a million years) represent great eye appeal?
there is no standard for "eye appeal" even when it was MBA's claim to fame, they had no written standard for anyone to even know which cards to send in.
we all have a different standard for eye appeal. some people prefer perfectly centered cards. others like great color and registration. others may like razor sharp corners. it is all personal preference. with no actual standard from MBA, how would anyone know what they are apprasing?
we all have eyes. we can all judge whether a particular BGS 8 or PSA 7 look particularly good to us.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I guess then I would want to see the standards they are setting for a 1. is an Auth a zero or a 0.5 or is it unrelated to scale? I think you said they changed the meaning. what did the sticker mean when it was stuck? and lastly. what color is the bear?
according to MBA's own website it does:
"To attain a Fair grade, the card must remain fully intact, even if heavily worn"
the gold sticker simply means a card will grade at least 0.5 grades better in an MBA holder.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
They admit their grading is WEAK! They are truly Total Bullocks
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
Ok. So not as reported. Here’s MBA PR FR grade.
I still don’t know what Auth + 0.5 is and I’m not sure you guys are the right scientists for the job.
it means if you have a PSA 3 with a gold sticker, MBA guarantees that if you submit the card to them for crossover, the card will come back in at least an MBA 3.5
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
what is "not as reported?" i copied/pasted that descriptor line directly from the MBA website
"To attain a Fair grade, the card must remain fully intact, even if heavily worn"
is that Cobb card "fully intact?"
it is not. it is missing part of its upper left boarder/edge/corner.
MBA continues to add: "it cannot achieve this grade (MBA 1) if it is missing...an entire corner.
that cobb card is missing the top left corner, no?
so per MBA's own grade descriptors, the cobb cannot achieve the grade of MBA 1, though they have given that authentic graded card a gold sticker saying they would. confusing, no?
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
You’re thinking of VG 3 as MBA 1 (FR) ?? What am I missing?
I think you’re splitting hairs at best. I also don’t think it’s a good 1. I still don’t really know what the sticker means when it’s on an auth. Is an auth a 0? Could an auth be subjectively better to become a 0.5? What does it mean and why do I care?
i gave VG3 as an example only. meaning if, for example, you have a card graded PSA 3 with an MBA gold sticker that means that you can do a cross over with MBA and they will guarantee you at least an MBA 3.5. If you had a PSA 8 with a gold sticker, MBA would guarantee you at least an MBA 8.5 on a cross over.
yes, "authentic" grade equals a 0. so if you have a card slabbed "authentic" with a gold sticker, MBA will guarantee you at least a MBA 1 on a crossover as there is no MBA 0.5 slab as of yet.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Where does it say that? Where does it say what it means for an Authentic?
If MBA is saying that they would give that card a number grade then I wouldn’t agree with that opinion. That’s what I’m wondering about. Also, if the meaning of the sticker has changed what did it mean when that sticker was applied? Are the stickers the same? I thought you could look it up on their site and it would give you Bakers thoughts.
Here’s a case that might interest you guys. I’m not sure if this is good for the hobby.
No joke they’re trying to make it a R.I.C.O. It’s a good argument and PSA is in rough shape here.
Funk v. Collectors Universe Inc. et al., No. 1:26-cv-02933 (D. Md.)
IMHO if, big if, Fumk prevails, it will very good for the Hobby in the long run
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
Is this the case where a customer was upset that his ‘52 Topps Mantle did not receive the PSA grade he thought it deserved. If so, dismissed! 💩Next case up!
It’s a class action that they’re asking for. Here’s a video I found. He embellishes a little but it’s pretty accurate to what I read.
https://youtu.be/4e64MMv8agI?si=2YNcoIKUI8XfkWsV
It’s not. It’s absolutely not that. I’m really not sure what to think about it. The argument is going to land for unjust enrichment.
Grading monopoly?
He embellishes a bit. The rico is a stretch but it’s what people here have been saying as they’ve bought the loop. I wonder if I’ve been naive about a company that grew from the good ole boy days into a giant and whether they have adopted proper controls. Whether that’s true or not that opens with a slice of pain for PSA. The whole cert 1 story is a problem for them. We’ve discussed it here often.
https://rippr.ch/blog/psa-sammelklage-2026-was-sie-fuer-europa-bedeutet/
The Honus Wagner story. The lawsuit opens symbolically with the very first certificate PSA ever issued, back in 1991: Cert #00000001, a T206 Honus Wagner — the most famous baseball card in the world. That this card was trimmed has been documented for years: former auctioneer Bill Mastro admitted the trimming in 2013 as part of a guilty plea. The lawsuit now further claims that PSA knowingly graded the card despite its own rules ("altered cards are not graded") — and that the certificate remains active to this day, even though the card later changed hands for $2.8 million.
00000001 having been trimmed prior to 1991 has been USA Public record for nearly 14 years, yet PSA still considers it an 8. Now that is the type of shenanigans that will hurt them in court room
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
My guess is PSA will fear discovery phase so much they will settle and the suit will go away which is not good long term for at least for the average person in the hobby
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
The owner of the Diamondbacks now owns that Honus Wagner…correct? Good luck having that changed to authentic…
Long ways from discovery. The next step is motion to dismiss or to compel arbitration.
So I like tricks in the law. It’s a fun alternate universe. So what Funk did was to submit through a group submission to avoid the PSA arb clause. So anyone who has had someone else submit their cards can join the class action. That it’s taken a month is all about that. What an absolute mess up That lawyer has probably already been fired. If this case gains class action status which is a double edged sword with the 4th district then it’s going to fall into two issues. I just enrichment and the Maryland CPA claims. And that’s a billion dollar problem for CU. But not a huge deal and it’s still kind of a long shot to class action status. Rico is still a fun parade.
Looking past all that. PSA trust is at an all time low. So don’t worry so much about MBA.
that is exactly one of the issues i am bringing up in this thread. baker has changed what some of the stickers mean. gold went from "eye appeal" to a 0.5+ MBA grade on a crossover. it is not only confusing, but i think intentionally so. I think Baker has had some pushback over his false claims of being able to tell the top % of a pop report and is trying to change definitions on the sly without people noticing.
and yes, the gold MBA sticker is saying they would give that authentic cobb a number grade
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
there is no way PSA will want to go to discovery. they will try very hard to settle
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I would settle if they would slab my cards. Keep that in mind PSA as I’ve subbed with others. You can email me at slut4vouchers@gmail.com.
You guys ever need a good hunchback let me know I’m kind of looking for some part time work. Reference Dr. FrankenSTEEN please if you have any concerns.
Yes, PSA Authentic = 0.
I figure the Cobb was stickered before the definition change and MBA started grading services.
So the sticker meant at the time, Top 5% and is an exceptional example within the assigned technical grade from the third party grading company.
NOW, Gold stickers mean they must be at least a +.5 technical grade bump in MBA slabs, so given there is no .5 grade, it is now the equivalent to an MBA 1. This new definition seems to basically force MBA's hand to give it a 1 grading, even though that was not really the meaning behind the sticker when it was originally stickered.
I posted this earlier. In the Cobbs case, PSA Authentic Gold = MBA 1.
And I don't know why you care.
I’m not adding commentary just a bit of knowledge to hopefully help people out:
For registry purposes, PSA Authentic and PSA 1 exactly the same thing.
(Most people aren’t aware of that and the registry is still a major driver for collector competition and prices paid.)
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
At current price levels current registry collectors must be wealthy.
How much would it cost to grade a raw 660 card set now? About 50k at 75.00 per...seems like purview of those with great wealth!
Even at $30 its 20000 dollars plus shipping.
Seems as if 5 figure grading sums for most are better spent elsewhere.
As registry collectors dwindle the importance of the registry will decline and decline.
Registry collecting not dead yet but its starting to smell horrible
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
agreed about set registries. I think that player set registries will continue to be popular as the barrier to entry is so much lower.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
With different categories of Authentic I think it's tricky. In that particular case of the Cobb there I'm fine with it being borderline. It gets a little weird with cards that are authentic for another reason. Perhaps something like this could never get a sticker because it wouldn't make sense. Why is the Cobb PSA Authentic? Was it below PSA standards, was it requested by the submitter? PSA just shows it as N0.
Imma sure that 53 Mantle will be a gold stckered MBA 7.
They loves thems trimmed , color altered cards and so does their proponents
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
That card is mine. It has some paper loss on the corner. I bought it because it looked really nice and I didn't really care about the grade.
The one thing I did see as a positive is they had people at their booth who would answer questions, and when I had a question about a card Mike Baker himself came over and looked and reviewed it with me to tell me why it did or did not get the sticker I though it should get. IMO that kind of service and attention should be called out in a positive light. The heat map, the willingness to interact with customers, and their prompt attention to issues no matter what you think about some of their “people” (ahem PWCC) cannot be discredited. Now Brent being associated with them, which I did not know at the time I had subbed cards, is another matter as well.>
I'd quibble with their heat map.
That heat map should be lit up like a Christmas tree wrapped three times with extra-watt bulbs.
MBA is still using Top 5% in their descriptions of Gold....
And in the Cobb card's case....
It was always understood or inferred that a Gold meant a bump in grade.
They just never had the means to actually bump it.
Only now that MBA has a grading and encapsulation services, they can say, yes, we'll bump the grade if you crossover to an MBA slab.
I don't think it was "on the sly" as it was announced on social media and it's laid out on their website.
Oh, I see what you mean. PSA being less transparent for the reason the card is Authentic is definitely tricky.
PSA not printing the reason on the slab for the Authentic grade because it's altered, for example, and MBA gives it a Gold, then you crossover and the altered card in now in an MBA slab with a number grade. Yeah, that's not good.
that is interesting, because on the MBA website it no longer mentions anything about a top 5% of the population. that is confusing. sounds like MBA itself is confused.
as far as MBA being able to bump a grade on a cross over, they have had that ability for quite a while. they have been grading cards for over a year, at least. perhaps two. the change in their website going from top 5% to 0.5 grade bump just happened only a month or 2 ago.
i dont believe the change had anything to do with them not having the ability to bump into their own holder as it does not fit the timeline.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Grading raw cards has been going on for over a year.
The MBA Provenance Crossover service is more recent, as I understand it.
You can say PSA had the ability for half grades since day 1, but the service was added in years later.
The change in their website may very well happened 1 or 2 months ago (I can't say), but the .5 grade bump and provenance crossover was discussed in an interview with Baker back in Nov 2025. So again, it wasn't on the sly.
(Not everything he does is nefarious. LOL)
In part:
"Yeah, it's, it's tying it to what we do with the diamond certification currently. Because if you submit a PSA card and it's a 9 and I gold it, it's. We're saying it's 9.5."
"You know, and if it's a 10 and I gold it, we're saying it's pristine..."
"One of the things we're kind of doing uniquely too is any crossover that comes, we're taking the images the front and back of that third party grade service and tying it to the cert number. So let's say you, that card that you had came from a previous third party service. It would show that image once you did the cert, check online so there'll be a nice provenance or legacy attachment so that you can see that, hey, I had it in a PSA SGC holder. I wanted the heat map. I wanted the MBA experience, whatever it may be. You can see what you had it in before cracked out in the NBA holder. So it's all nice and packaged. So I think that's kind of another differentiator, first to market type deal too."
"Yeah, it's, it's tying it to what we do with the diamond certification currently. Because if you submit a PSA card and it's a 9 and I gold it, it's. We're saying it's 9.5."
"You know, and if it's a 10 and I gold it, we're saying it's pristine..."
until it is in writing (like on their website or on their submission form) it isnt a thing.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Seems this is the former GAI grading people. Maybe these people should restart that GAI business?. Seems all this discussion is leading to another defunct system? Oh lordy...
Well, as we finish up Page 2, here's the Cliff's Notes version of the last 50 posts.
The original question was whether MBA is beginning to move away from eye-appeal stickers.
What seems to have emerged is that the meaning of at least some MBA stickers has changed over time—particularly Gold, which appears to have gone from an eye-appeal designation to representing a potential grading bump in an MBA holder.
The Green Cobb became a good example of why that can get confusing, especially when an older sticker is judged under a newer definition.
Along the way we also managed to discuss PSA, the Funk lawsuit, the Wagner, grading costs, the Registry and probably several things I've forgotten. 😵💫
So after two pages and 100 posts, the unanswered question still seems pretty simple:
What exactly does an MBA sticker mean today—and how should older stickers issued under a different definition be interpreted?
Hope I got this right? 😎