Like some others on the board, I collect low end, thrashed cards. I subscribe to PSA grading more for the encapsulation than the validation of the grades. I have done well on some purchases that by "market value" standards I have turned a profit, not that I would sell. I finished 3 sets that have taken me a good couple of years to acquire, all low grade, and now I am focused on 1940 Superman cards, because I love the artwork on them. I don't spend big money on cards, and I buy what catches my eye, all vintage, mostly raw.
When I was putting together my leaf set, I remember several times wondering how PWCC was getting all of those high grade cards, as I was buying my pin hole, dog chewed, trimmed by a 4 year old cards. There are crooked people looking to make a profit, off everything, not just cards, it is in every aspect of the world we live in. I see it for what it is, and continue to buy the things that bring me joy.
All that being said, a couple of years back, damn near 10 years ago, I put together a 1914 and 1915 cracker jack set with my father in law. A lot of the footwork was done on this board, and it is a bummer to hear that there are a bunch of collectors who have been turned off by the actions of a couple of crooks aka the state of the industry. I always enjoyed working with, and putting deals together with the members of this community, and hope that if you are gone now, you aren't gone for good. The people, and their stories, are just as valuable as the cards and in many ways make the hobby stronger, this too shall pass.
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