GAI AND PEN MARKS?

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Posted By: CHRIS

HAS ANYONE HEARD OF GAI GRADING A CARD WITH A MARK? I JUST PICKED UP A 33 GOUDY OF RABBIT MARANVILLE G-VG 2.5 . THE SELLER DID NOT DISCLOSE THERE WAS A MARK AND GAI'S LABLE DOES NOT EITHER. I HAVE SEEN PSA LABLES WITH THE (MK) NOTATION BUT GAI 2.5? IS THIS CORRECT? IN CASE ANYONE IS WONDERING THE MARK IS ON THE BACK OF THE CARD AND CANNOT BE MISSED.

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Posted By: Eric B

Some time back, I bought a 33 Goudey, Owen Carrol off of ebay that was a GAI 2. The card had a small punch hole in the upper right hand corner. Seller did not disclose, however, I thought it was strange that GAI would even grade the card.

Eric

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Posted By: dennis

psa is the only one with the mk qualifier....kind of deceptive on the sellers part to not list this or show bk of card IMO.

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Posted By: pete

lately, i've been requesting a scan of the back of cards to see why the card was graded a 1.5 or 2.0 when the front looks better....starting to think its my own fault if i dont ask, but then i never did claim to be smarter than Ine-stine....
pete-

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Posted By: Julie

can receive a grade of 2.5? Please forgive my ignorance--I don't hardly ever buy graded cards, and when I do, they don't stay that way for long.

Actually I DO sometimes buy graded cards, because nice ones tend to come that way, and I'm often surprised by how high the grades they get are...

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Posted By: David Vargha

SGC doesn't have qualifiers either. I have a card up on eBay that is an SGC 10. But I have disclosed the pencil writing on the back. A good reputation in the hobby is hard to maintain, but a bad one is easy. Less than full disclosure (unless unintentional) is a bad way to do business.

DavidVargha@hotmail.com

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Posted By: tbob

I agree that of the Big 3, only PSA mentions markings. This is one of the things I like about PSA, that they WILL grade cards fairly and then give a qualifier if there is a marking on the back. I don't agree with a lot of things PSA does but I like their practice in this regard. When I send off really nice cards which happen to have a little pen marking on the back and get a PSA 5 or 6 MK grade, it beats the heck out of an SGC 20 which is the same grade they give beaters.

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Posted By: Chris

The seller of the card offered a full refund and what iI believe to be a sincere apology. I wrote back and told him that although I was unhappy about him not disclosing the pen mark or providing a scan of the back i was happy to have the card. I feel the card front is acuurate as far as the grade goes,there is no crease and no paper loss, worn borders, rounded corners and some fading, but the (two) marks on the back, a L in the upper left corner and a G on the upper right corner ,well this brings me back to a grading question, with these two marks and the description I have given, does this card deserve the grade of 2.5 g-vg?
Thanks all, Chris

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Posted By: dennis

i think the grade is fair. this is up to the individaul to decide upon inspection if they can live with the mark on the card.i hate writing/pen marks on a card frt. or back. but i can live with stamping and pencil erasings on the back of a card(not the frt). here is an ebay completed listing of a mk 3. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=86843&item=5201935982&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW

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Posted By: Paul

The only problem I have with PSA's MK qualifier, is sometimes I just dont see the mark or anything that should cause that qualifier.

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Posted By: qualitycards.com

PAUL - PSA will still give the "MK" qualifier is a pen/pencil mark has been erased. So no mark may be visable at first, but usually you can see the area that was erased. I think its a good idea that they still give it the qualifier. If not, it just encourages everyone who has a vintage card to erase it so they won't get the qualifier. And you could be buying a card thinking it never had a mark on it...jay

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Posted By: tbob

I just purchased a nice Cracker Jack high number card which was described as "clean back." When I received it, the front was great but there was a "6-" partially erased on the back along with other pencil markings erased in the bottom border. I offered to split the difference on the card but the seller said he could sell it for the same amount again so I am returning it. I think sellers need to fully disclose markings on otherwise nice cards when the cards are ungraded and the scans are murky, if the scans are shown at all.

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Posted By: Paul

Thanks for the reply, & that makes perfect sense. I was only going by scans that I've seen, & I've never had one of those mystery MK cards in hand.