Inconsistancies with grading
 

Please take a look at the the three cards shown, my Ruth blows away both, yet it got the lowest grade. Do grading companies seem to give better grades to stiffs or lesser known stars?

While the other two aren't necessarily impressive cards by any means, I think the grades look somewhat fair. The Ruth appears to have two bad surface spots.. I can't tell if it's paperloss, inkloss or just bad scrapes/scratches..

Still looks like a great card though..

Those scrapes or whatever they are are why the grade is low. It's a really great looking 35, and should bring more than a typical one.

The common that's a 50 seems like a really weak 50 to me. That happens sometimes. The scan of the 40 is just too small to really tell much.

Steve B

Welcome to the site.

"Most" of us buy the card and not the grade. All in all, I believe TPG's do a good job and they serve their purpose. BUT, things slip through every now and then, and humans do make mistakes. In this era of internet buying/selling it is VERY difficult to get an idea of condition from just a couple scans or pictures.

Having a strong understanding of the grading system can help with confusion as well. It's not just a grade based on "initial eye appeal". A tiny crease or a tiny bit of paper loss will kill the grade even if the card looks spectacular (your Ruth is a good example).

http://www.sgccard.com/grading_scale.htm

Obviously your Ruth is offcenter, seems to have some scratches or paper loss, and we haven't seen the back either.

grading
 

It is all a scam

Grading companies are businesses. They pay bills. That being said, they also influence the hobby and the card market. Obviously, the Ruth is better. (given the back is similar to the front). The Ruth probably belonged to some guy, who inherited it from his dad or grandfather, and wanted to sell it. Probably sent it in to SCG to give his card authenticity for a decent sale. SCG does not recognize this man's name, and probably knows what he's up to, and slaps a ridiculously low grade on it. The owner need not care, as he will fetch a pretty penny anyways, plus, he probably doesn't know any better.

Now, a dealer or company, on the other hand, probably spends a great portion of their revenue on sending old cards in to the grading companies. Obviously, when SGC or PSA has a 5 star client, they now can "pay the bills" and may not shy away from leaning towards higher grades, in general.... Problem with this, is that one grade higher or lower can mean the difference in somebody making a mortgage payment with that card, or losing their total investment.

You say, pay for the card, not the grade. That's only easy to do when you've already got 3 or 4 of that particular example. For the average Tom, Dick, or Harry collector, a $1,000 card means their chips are "all in" and can't afford any mulligans. Some would say to take your Ruth out, send it in again, or just leave it out. Either way, the grade disgraces the card. ( again, given the back is ok. )

So I guess what I'm saying is, I think if you take care of the grading companies, they will take care of you. Just my thoughts. Thanks!

Uhmmm! Did you look at the card? It has stains and paperloss/scrapes of some sort. I think the grade is fairly accurate...

The other two may be a hair strong. But the Ruth, while still VERY good looking despite it's flaws, got what it deserved..

I can't say wether they take care of larger customers, but I can say that as a very small customer -average of one submission a year during a special and usually around 10 cards- my results have been very evenly split between ones I feel are right, over graded and under graded.

It really does come down to the individual graders, and maybe their mood that day. I know I have days where I look at cards and think they're all awful, and days where I like them better.

And I think that technically the Ruth is graded correctly.

Enjoy it, and don't worry so much about the grade. It's really nice for the grade, and if/when you sell it will do better than a typical 35.

Steve B