Future of grading...

[swarmee]

Would anyone give credence to a registry site that permitted other TPG grades? What graders would those registry sets accept? PSA, SGC, BVG/BGS, KSA?, ISA? PRO?, all of them?

I can see the SGC and maybe Beckett people getting behind a better registry site, but the PSA people will thumb their nose at sheet cut Gretzky rookies and short BGS Jeter rookies, and not go through all the work to import their cards to another competitor site.

People are loyal to their grading company of choice like smokers are to their brand. PSA is still Marlboro. Or Microsoft. Or Coca Cola. They are the vast majority of the market, and once a company gets to that position, it is rare to give it up.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Would anyone give credence to a registry site that permitted other TPG grades? What graders would those registry sets accept? PSA, SGC, BVG/BGS, KSA?, ISA? PRO?, all of them?

I can see the SGC and maybe Beckett people getting behind a better registry site, but the PSA people will thumb their nose at sheet cut Gretzky rookies and short BGS Jeter rookies, and not go through all the work to import their cards to another competitor site.

People are loyal to their grading company of choice like smokers are to their brand. PSA is still Marlboro. Or Microsoft. Or Coca Cola. They are the vast majority of the market, and once a company gets to that position, it is rare to give it up.

well if you have a registry company that claims they are re-grading all known grading company submissions when they enter it into a super master registry..they are halfway there to being a new grading company. They could also have sub grades to psa 8s (for database purposes) and call them 8.2s etc for owner registry purposes to beat out an offcentered psa 8. Dont need to make up new flips, its just what would be entered into the database. So if one guy has a psa 8 set..he may now be behind someone else's psa 8 set as a third party determined who had a better set etc

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

well if you have a registry company that claims they are re-grading all known grading company submissions when they enter it into a super master registry.

Best you guys can hope for is that someone buys out PSA. Nobody is going to send all their PSA graded cards to a currently unknown TPG to get regraded for a currently unbuilt registry website. As I've said before in these recurring threads, the only way another company comes in is if they DRASTICALLY UNDERCUT the price of PSA's $6/card bulk submission specials.

Nothing else will make a dent, IMO. Maybe Beckett buys out SGC, and loads their black gaskets into the BVG holders? And takes over SGC's lousy website and integrates it with Becketts?

Hearing the reports at the National of PSA grading being slammed all week and the SGC employees either "twiddling their thumbs" or "looking like sad puppies" make me think the battle has already been lost.

[Bigdaddy]

I believe that there is room for a new company to come out of nowhere and bring a computer based grading service to the table. I know this has been discussed before, but with all the talk of inconsistency, 'eye appeal' and changing standards, I could see a 'software weenie' developing some code that would put today's graders to shame. There are so many optical recognition codes out there now including facial recognition - Facebook can tell me who's in a photo before I can tag it, it seems like it would be low-hanging fruit to optically measure borders, color, registration, corner wear, etc and give them numerical grades and then combine those grades into an overall grade that is more in line with what we call 'eye appeal'. And then also to bring some innovation into the registry.

[rhettyeakley]

Honestly, if SGC and BVG weren't the worst run companies of all time I think they would have a shot at cutting into the PSA market share.

In all reality for years SGC was the preferred company for many of the folks here and still were a major player in the vintage market, that foothold has weakened over the past few years. Some of the most significant vintage collections in the world are graded by SGC--- market the heck out of THAT! All that being said, why they have never embraced a truly usable pop report and why they haven't embraced the registry aspect is beyond me! They had an opportunity for years to do something but they painted themselves into a corner through lack of marketing and overall indifference to the registry, now I fear it is too late. From a business aspect they have been run VERY POORLY.

BVG has a lot of good guys that work for them but like all things with the Beckett name attached to it they become a jack of literally ALL TRADES and a master of NONE. The fact they own a auction house and also grade is a major problem, but then as if to prove how little they value their own grading service they have nearly all cards in their own auctions graded by PSA or SGC!!!

Also, I may be in the minority but I HATE the subgrades with Beckett, way to convoluted, I have a feeling I'm not alone? Their holders also suck to remove the cards from (as a habitual freer of vintage cardboard!)

[1952boyntoncollector]

There is also some room for PSA to make even more money

If they had mid grade level sets on the registry. Like the best PSA 5 1952 topps, suddenly there could be more of a demand of PSA 5s and a more affordable option to be key of the registry. Thats just one example

[basesareempty]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

There is also some room for PSA to make even more money

If they had mid grade level sets on the registry. Like the best PSA 5 1952 topps, suddenly there could be more of a demand of PSA 5s and a more affordable option to be key of the registry. Thats just one example

I know on the PCGS Coin Registry they have what is called Everyman's Registry Sets. These are coins that are circulated graded coins that are graded up to AU58 which is the highest a circulated coin can grade. I think the idea of Everyman Card Registry sets would be a great idea and like you said would generate interest in cards in the 3-6 range. Then collectors on a limited budget would not have to go up against the well heeled/ deep pocket collectors on the Registry.

[basesareempty]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Best you guys can hope for is that someone buys out PSA. Nobody is going to send all their PSA graded cards to a currently unknown TPG to get regraded for a currently unbuilt registry website. As I've said before in these recurring threads, the only way another company comes in is if they DRASTICALLY UNDERCUT the price of PSA's $6/card bulk submission specials.

Nothing else will make a dent, IMO. Maybe Beckett buys out SGC, and loads their black gaskets into the BVG holders? And takes over SGC's lousy website and integrates it with Becketts?

Hearing the reports at the National of PSA grading being slammed all week and the SGC employees either "twiddling their thumbs" or "looking like sad puppies" make me think the battle has already been lost.

I stood in that PSA line Saturday for 2 hours to have about 100 cards submitted for grading and was told by the customer service rep that they had already received more submissions to take back to CA then they ever had at any show. When I walked by the SGC booth there were a few people filling out submissions, but there was no line at all.
Also while looking through dealers booths the number of PSA slabbed cards vs. SGC slabbed cards was also noticeable. For years people said Pre war to SGC and Topps/Bowman era to PSA but I have been seeing a trend of more Pre War era cards in PSA slabs with the set registry/ higher prices fueling this trend.
My only complaint with PSA is their turnaround times with bulk submissions taking up to 3 months to grade but a recent thread over on their board looks like they are addressing this issue with a posting for jobs looking for graders at their Newport Beach location.

[pbspelly]

Originally Posted by basesareempty

For years people said Pre war to SGC and Topps/Bowman era to PSA but I have been seeing a trend of more Pre War era cards in PSA slabs with the set registry/ higher prices fueling this trend.

Purely as an observer, I've noticed this as well. PSA seems to have reached a tipping point, and I would be surprised if SGC is still around and under its same ownership 5 years from now. It's unfortunate, in my opinion, since I kind of prefer the way SGC looks, but I see SGC as kind of like Betamax to PSA's VHS. Beta was actually much better quality than VHS, but we all know who won that battle (at least at the consumer level, news stations and professional videographers used Beta right up until digital video cameras came along a few years ago)

[CrackaJackKid]

Couldn't agree more!

[ALR-bishop]

I have a fairly large collection but do not collect graded cards. I do not think grading is all about competition. I know collectors who are either in the hobby for solely investment purposes, or for hobby and investment purposes. They see grading as a neccessary component of today's hobby from an investment standpoint. Some even view it as a neccessary evil in today's hobby.

I get that Registry competition drives some collectors, but do not think grading is solely a function of competition. Likewise, I know a lot of collectors who collect for enjoyment and not competition. I think you can enjoy and be proud of your own collection without comparing it to or competing with other collectors....and admire the collections put together by others.

[iwantitiwinit]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Best you guys can hope for is that someone buys out PSA. Nobody is going to send all their PSA graded cards to a currently unknown TPG to get regraded for a currently unbuilt registry website. As I've said before in these recurring threads, the only way another company comes in is if they DRASTICALLY UNDERCUT the price of PSA's $6/card bulk submission specials.

Nothing else will make a dent, IMO. Maybe Beckett buys out SGC, and loads their black gaskets into the BVG holders? And takes over SGC's lousy website and integrates it with Becketts?

Hearing the reports at the National of PSA grading being slammed all week and the SGC employees either "twiddling their thumbs" or "looking like sad puppies" make me think the battle has already been lost.

Agree.