SGC slabbing as authentic? Question...
 

I posed a similar question a few months ago on a different thread, but didn't get the detail I was looking for - so indulge me, here goes again:

I'm considering sending the '56 Mantle I've had since I was about 14 off to SGC to get put in a slab. Forget PSA, I have nothing against them - but I'm not waiting 6 months plus to get it back. The card has some paper loss on a corner and has already been deemed "altered" (or their equivalent of it, anyway...) by SGC once, probably 10 years ago. My questions if I send it in again:

* I would just be looking to get it in the slab for preservation purposes. Can I tell them to just not grade and slab as authentic? If so and they notice something about that one corner again, would they say it's "Authentic Altered" on the slab? Or just "Authentic"?

* What would ballpark cost to slab just this one card and turnaround time be, do you think? I don't have any kind of account with SGC, and would probably insure this for $500 if I were going to mail it otherwise. The card is not perfect, but would probably be a 3 or 4 without the corner isssue and has a lot of eye appeal, no creases.

Thanks
-John

I wonder if no suggestions are forthcoming simply because the questions could be asked directly to SGC for answers? Or, maybe you have concerns that they would not respond or would not handle the card as promised once it was submitted?

You may want to wait until they do an appearance in your area and go ask them in person while you and they have the card present to examine. I did that last month with a card I had submitted to be slabbed and it was returned as altered and unslabbed. The card had trimming and tape - I just wanted it authenticated. They said they had a problem with the tape and suggested that I resubmit it and I haven't done that yet. I'm wondering if there is something going on with it besides the paper loss. Is there possibly trimming or re coloring or some other alteration that kept them from stabbing the first time?

I didn't respond because I don't know SGC's policies as well as I know PSAs. And the OP's claim that it would take 6 months to get his card back is a ridiculous overstatement; only bulk orders over 100 cards are taking more than 1-2 months to complete. His 1-card order would get back to him in about a month for $34 at PSA ($20 grading, $14 return shipping).

But yes, you can normally ask either company to "SLAB IF AUTHENTIC" if you want it graded no matter what. I do this for cards I want graded/slabbed for my registry sets even if they've been considered MINSIZREQ (factory cut short), Factory Miscut (not rectangular), or Altered (trimmed, erasures, recoloring, etc). PSA will give them a grade if they are not altered, and slab as Authentic if they are.

I didn’t ask SGC directly because my account with them is locked out for some reason, and the password reset email I requested never arrived. I may just setup a new account. I figured folks here could provide a quicker response.

Thanks for the info on PSA, I don’t submit cards myself, and have just been aware of the horror stories about turn times that I have heard lately. That may also be an option.


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I can empathize: some accounts I had used for years suddenly locked me out for inscrutable reasons and their tech support could give me no answers until one guy admitted that they should have just told me that my equipment and browser were no longer supported by their system. Seems that "planned obsolescence" is still alive and well in the tech world.:mad:

First off, 100% agree with the first statement. $34 and one month.
Next, I had always believed this to be the case with PSA slabbing a card as "authentic" but it is not true. I submitted a 1961 Topps mid grade Mantle to them. Someone thought The Mick would look better with a moustache then reconsidered because it was erased. Thought it might come back with a numerical grade and MK qualifier. It came back as "altered". I sent it back in asking for it only to be slabbed "authentic" and once again, it came back as altered and not in a slab. Not really sure how to get it into it's rightful tomb but probably going to take it to the next show I'm at where PSA is there.

That's weird Tim. I've never had an issue even with factory miscuts and damaged cards getting slabbed as Authentic/Altered.

I did see someone post on Blowout that PSA currently has 400,000 cards in the queue to be graded. I think it's because they are still working through all the bulk specials from the fall when they raised their bulk rate from $7/card to $8/card. I know I sent in 100 cards and figured that hundreds of others did too.

Thanks all for indulging me on this. I finally pulled the trigger and sent my Mantle in today. Kind of like ripping a band-aid off with one of your prized posessions, but I packed it correctly and insured it correctly so there should be no problems. Kind of a freeing feeling now that I've actually done it...

Assuming that (unlike PSA) turn-times at SGC actually are fairly reasonably accurate to what you paid for, I should have Mickey back in hand sometime next week!

-John