Posted By:
Al Crisafulli"The real reason cards get slabbed is because they sell better, because uneducated buyers don't have faith in truly knowing what they're buying, they need validation from someone else. If collectors would learn their stuff and buy unslabbed cards just as willingly as the slabbed, then the grading companies would go away."
I realize you're stating your opinion, but without noting that, this seems like an awfully presumptuous statement to make.
I slab many of my cards because I like the way they look, because I like the way they display, because I like the protection the slab offers, and because I like an expert opinion on grade.
Oddly enough, I also buy unslabbed cards - and then I have them slabbed. MOST of what I buy is unslabbed. I am by no means as knowledgeable about cards as most of the people on this board, but I'm not uneducated, either.
Unfortunately, I think the idea that uneducated collectors being the reason why grading companies exist is an off-base statement to make. I think the reason grading companies exist has more to do with unscrupulous SELLERS and their 1980s grading methods (i.e. if it has four corners, it must be "mint").
I'll say it, even thought it makes me a heretic here - I like prewar cards, and I prefer them in slabs.
To get back to the original point of the thread, my impression is that the mislabeling is not the fault of the grader, but the fault of the data entry that happens when your submission is recorded. It's unfortunate, yes. Particularly if you had the information accurate on your submission form.
-Al