GAI holder 33G Pennock
 

Went to East Coast National in NY today and did not want to leave with nothing. Picked up this 33 Goudey Herb Pennock in a GAI holder. This card seems over-graded - maybe a 2.5 or 3? Particularly check reverse on top of card. Also check out the mat - jagged edges. Looks hand-ripped not even cut with a knife. Never had a card graded by this company before - is this the norm? Are they still around? It seemed priced appropriate to actual condition so no complaints there.

GAI was started by the well respected former head grader at PSA, Mike Baker, I think in 2002 or so but perhaps a little before. For a while they were highly regarded. Any card designated first graded is probably from their good era. Eventually, by most accounts, they started doing too many favors for people and became unreliable and declined. Long since out of business. Mike is still around running his own gold label service or whatever one would call it.

Generally, cards graded back then were judged by more relaxed standards than today.

First graded can be misleading since they had a first graded for every card for each grade level. In the early days, when they were considered reliable, they saw much fewer cards than they did after they were considered less reliable. The lack of submissions is what caused them to become less reliable.

If a card is still in a GAI holder, after all of this time, it suggests it is at the very least over graded but possibly altered.

I think Peter nailed it.

And I think that card is a 3 at best these days...

This was not really a 4 even then. 2.5 would be fair.

Why not break it out, carefully clean the soiled portions with distilled water and submit to SGC?

+1.....
There is usually a reason GAI cards are still in GAI holders..
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