You're not alone on the eyes thing, that was what happened with mine. Fine, then one day I'm fixing a bike at the shop and can't see the bearinf tracks on the cone.

Told dad when I saw him a few weeks later, and pretty much the same read the paper fine one day, next day couldn't find a good place to hold it where he could see clearly.

I remember there being sleepers in my eyes that morning. I NEVER get sleepers. I could barely see the monitor. I rubbed my eyes and thought that I just slept hard and wasn't fully awake yet.

It was in my mid 40s for me. I just noticed one day I could no longer read the stats on the back of a card.

It has made a huge difference in my collecting habits. I loved the cards with several variations like the 89 Fleer Bill Ripken and Randy Johnson cards. Now that my vision isn't as good I just don't have the passion for them that I used to have.

Same happened to me in my mid-40’s. Now 63, I have a pair of glasses in each room of my house.

And, at 61, I thought I was the only one that did that!
.

Yeah, that was me. I'm embarrassed a tad to admit - that as we speak, that particular card is back at SGC right now - being totally re-evaluated, since I popped it.

This happened before Christmas, and yes - I was royally pissed. Total lack of QC, someone should have seen that on the scan if not in hand if any QC had been done at all. I emailed Brent at SGC in a tizzy and told him to refund me (which he did) because I was popping the card. I spent the next few days being pissy on social media and generally disavowing everything about TPG's. (The fact that they also sent me back a '54 Jackie as trimmed did nothing to improve my mood).

What's the moral here? I really don't know. At the end of the day, though I am increasingly more into raw lower grade vintage - there are a few cards like that Mantle that I want in a slab. SGC despite their all too human faults - still does this kind of thing less often and has better customer service in general than PSA does. So yeah, I'm trying to be more patient and forgiving here in the new year - and obviously, I'm eating my words right now on my pubed up, Peter Griffin-worthy '63 Mantle.

Sorry to the OP that this happened to you on what looks like an otherwise very nice Red Man Mays. To me, that looks like what I see even more often floating around in SGC slabs - it's like a piece of the molding that is used in the inserts? That is hands down the hugest one I've ever seen that got encapsulated and somehow made it past them, if that is what it is. Sad yes, and no excuse. But they are human. And I'm trying to look at things like my own patience, etc. a bit different here in the new year. I have no idea how long it will last, but I'm hopeful...

And PS - yeah, you can bang on and rattle SGC slabs all day long if there is something sealed up in there you don't like. It doesn't work. I've never been able to get lint or the black insert shards that you sometimes see to move even a fraction by doing that. The only alternatives seem to be to pop the slab or send back to them for a re-holder.

Perhaps the grader was enjoying some licorice at work and got distracted?

If I pay a company to do a service, and they “screw up… routinely”, why would I continue to pay them to do that service they screw up? How does that make any sense? You don’t have to pay these companies for a job they routinely screw up. How is the problem here that people observe the incompetence?

This is the only business type I’ve encountered where people have truly 0 expectations and get an instant free pass no matter what. It’s strange.

I was certainly not giving him flack just joking around. As far as TPG errors and indiscretions, etc etc, this one by SGC does not even make the top 100 list.

Well....at least the Red Man card is right side up, if that's what you mean.

I have been terribly nearsighted my whole life to the point that I can't see the E on an eye chart without my glasses but I can see things up close pretty good although that changed too at around 50 to where I have to actually take my glasses off to see tiny imperfections.

Have you contacted SGC yet Bobby?

Yes...unfortunately. Each month that passes I grade fewer and fewer cards.

+1

i agree! It doesn't make sense. But if one wants to sell cards and maximize their returns...there is no choice really.

You must play the game by "their" rules.

So . . . . . on the subject of detritus in the slab . . .

Maybe 3 years ago I bid on the card below. I could tell from the auction house picture that there was something on the slab, either a stray hair or maybe a scratch on the case. Worst case, I figured, was detritus in the slab, and I thought in that event I could then send the card in for re-holdering. The card got a clean grade from PSA (as you can see) so I wasn't worried the card was actually defaced.

Well, I won the card, and when it arrived it was not detritus, but pencil scribbles on the card. (It loops around the K in MICKEY and down through the f in outfield.) I contacted PSA, sent them pictures of the scribbles and then sent the actual card in for review.

Amazingly enough, they confirmed the unqualified grade. Their reasoning was that it was "the grader's judgement" whether to qualify the card. I pushed back, saying their written policy required a qualified grade in the event a card is marked, it is not a judgement call.

Their written response, which the customer service rep said came from their "head grader" was that the pencil scribbles were "not in the nature of a mark" and that even if they were, were "not significant enough to warrant a qualified grade".

I called the CS rep to make sure I understood what she was saying and she told me she had gotten that specific language from Reza for her response.

These are the facts and only the facts. I leave it up to you to decide what is and is not a mark, because I cannot make sense of it.

Yes....the card went back today.

Yep. At the end of the day, you play by their rules no matter how inconsistent the decision or even against their stated policy - or you hit the highway. As others have alluded to, until we as a collector base stop putting up with this type of crap en masse, it will continue to happen. I've always had such a love hate relationship with TPG's due to this type of thing. I love a properly graded card in a nice slab, but when they screw up whether with the slab physically, or on stuff that is just obvious even to a novice collector based on grade assigned - I question any faith I ever had in them.

The worst thing that has ever happened to me personally with a slab probably was a '55 Topps Jackie Robinson in a BVG slab. There was a hunk of wood, almost like a splinter - sealed up inside the inner bag on top of the card. I cracked it almost immediately. Miraculously the wood detritus just slid right off, and the card inside - though not high grade to begin with - was no worse for the wear.

Yes..that is a mark and should have been graded as such. They missed it, and didn't feel like dealing with it, so they came up with a kokamamie (sp?) excuse and threw that out there. Hopefully you didn't pay full price for it.

One makes you wonder how that got in there to begin with. Same with the pubic hair. I bet if these cards could talk, they could tell us some stories.

To be fully transparent, I'm part of the problem. I stand for it. I signed up to be slapped in the face one more time when I mailed SGC cards yet again a few days ago. Guess we'll see what happens.

LOL, you are far from the only one. I like to talk smack about PSA but am in the current modern group submission with Bobby.:o:D

Ha, no. In fact, I paid a premium. If that was a stray hair instead of a mark, it would be a nice 4. Detritus is your friend Bobby. It brushes away.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

Hello detritus my old friend
You're inside my slab again
TPGs grading without QC
Plastic's what it's all about, you see
And no one bothers asking why
If the grades are high
It's the sound... of silence

Another theory ……….
 

…and a nightmare for TPGs and the formal wear industry.

The ends of the “detritus” appear perfectly square. What makes an end square?
A paper cutter.

We rant endlessly on the board about “trimmed” cards, but no one has yet implicated SGC for possibly “trimming” their tuxedos.

Perhaps Willie wanted his tuxedo pant legs shortened a bit.
Don’t send it back.

Save the evidence by all means.

Too late Ethel.......done got mooned. lol......she went back today. I'm OCD big time. I always tell my fellow collectors to save mistake cards because they are worth so much more due to the manufactured error, and here I am not heeding my own advice.

LOL that was a riot!

My top 5 Net54 cards this year:
5) The Moldy WaJo
4) The Headless LaJoie
3) The Hairy Mantle
2) The Armless Cobb
and... wait for it...

1) The Detritus Mays!!

If they are indeed cutting / otherwise altering the black insert, this (could possibly) be due to some of my loud complaining in 2020/21 that the corner cutouts on a lot of SGC inserts had sharp black plastic facing down, toward the edges of the cards. As most cards in SGC slabs (unlike PSA) don't move / rattle much anyway, it seemed like less of an issue - but then in 2022 I did notice newer slabs that seem to have some of those sharp edges blunted by design, and others where it look like someone went behind the mold cutout with a pair of scissors and removed any remaining truly sharp edges. Could this "snip detritus" be some of what sometimes seems to still be falling into slabs before they are sealed?

I give up - really, I've already thought about all of this way too much.

Agreed......hopefully things get rectified soon. I wonder how much the currently are paying for a decent Quality Control man??? I might fill out the application.

Not sure what is going on with SGC quality control. Recieved my Sanella Ruth with the bottom coming apart like they only pressed close the top half of the slab

I just sent my first submission to csg.

The conclusion? We are all just mere steps away from each of us becoming a Mr. Magoo.

"iT" has a shadow ~

It looks like some kind of thin, rubber gasket seal.

Now that I have looked at it longer and harder and with a cooler head, I concur with you.

Heard.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

Cringing to see the results of my order that is with them currently. I've had at least 3 separate discussions with one of their reps on the QC problems and my expectations going forward.

I'm just floored that conversations are even necessary. They have no customer service line anyway. Everyone knows what a slabbed product should look like. Why is this even an issue? I know...I am just rambling on and talking to myself.

I know of at least one person in customer service that is responsive via email. Right, I'm not sure they are answering the phones. Agree, not sure why it's even an issue. But clearly they are going through orders so fast the appropriate people at that step are just missing quite a lot.

:o Haha. Like others I could tell that wasn't marker at first glance! :D

Marker or no marker....it is inexcusable. Even I caught it by simply looking at my scans.

For any still paying attention who might still care - as you know I sent the "Pube Mantle" back in for a re-grade. I'm happy to report that it again got a 5. I have the thumbnail scan, and at this point there would not appear to be any further "hairy" situations. But will let you all know for sure when I get the card back hopefully later this week.

Thanks for playing,

-John

Pity. Would have been a nice relic card to pair with Mantle’s bawdy questionnaire…

https://nypost.com/2022/11/21/mickey...r-auction/amp/

All is well that ends well.

Very nice!!! Damn beautiful

Oils well that ends well, is right.

Maybe PSA needs to rework their "gaskets" so their cards arent crooked and swimming in the cases? If they don't have the proper case, they just use what they do have and put it sideways if they have to.;)

On a side note, SGC sent the card back 1-day Priority Mail Express. I DID NOT get the card back on their scheduled delivery date. SGC is entitled to a refund due to the missed delivery window, but wouldn't that be a hoot if the card was now lost???? Wouldn't surprise me in the least.

USPS is rarely on time and please don't mention lost cards till I get mine back from you.:D

Did you get my tracking number?? I forgot if I gave it to you or not. You should sign up for INFORMED DELIVERY. It is free....and really nice.

I always sign up for the text alerts. No you didn't send tracking. When ever you have time, no hurry.

I'm convinced Priority Express isn't any faster then regular Priority. I had a buyer request it around Christmas to ship a package to them in Minnesota. I think they paid more for the shipping then they paid for the item, and it took 5 days on a 2 day Guarantee.

Granted, there was some bad weather sweeping the country at the time, but I think a regular Priority Box would have got there in the exact same time frame.

I DID get a pretty prompt refund on the shipping, which I then sent back to the customer.

I don't use that service a lot, but when I have it doesn't seem to be much more then a different label on the box.