Mike Baker Authenticated

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Also nobody has mentioned it yet, but wtf is the difference between a high end and a low end PSA 10???

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Also nobody has mentioned it yet, but wtf is the difference between a high end and a low end PSA 10???

A cool sticker.

[icollectDCsports]

Originally Posted by bnorth

A cool sticker.

Yes, but wait for the low high-end and the high low-end variations.

[Fred]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Also nobody has mentioned it yet, but wtf is the difference between a high end and a low end PSA 10???

9.98 - 9.99 - 10.0 - 10.01 - 10.02.... it's subjective! That .02 difference could mean 10's of thousands of $$$ to two people that want to pay for that .02 difference.

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Also nobody has mentioned it yet, but wtf is the difference between a high end and a low end PSA 10???

Normally it would be centering, as a PSA 10 can technically be centered 60/40 and most collectors consider centering the most important sub grade for eye appeal. It's also the easiest to measure and/or determine it without an expert.

[drcy]

There's nothing "wrong" with it, but I don't see the point of paying for a service that one can do one one's own: examine the image of the card.

Same goes for grades on autographs. If you can't tell an sharpie signature is Mint you should probably not be collecting autographs.

But I know, I know. These are "investments."

[Snowman]

Digging up this old thread because I'm about to send off some cards to MBA that I think are under-graded. I realize that it sounds ridiculous to pay someone to "grade the graders", but this does address/solve some of the problems with grading today. So many cards are now being criminally under graded by PSA; as well as SGC, although I would argue less so. I have recently graded cards in PSA 6 slabs that look like they belong in an 8 holder. Also, centering and overall eye appeal are extremely important with vintage cards. And while, yes, you can see the centering on a scan, you often can't see other minor flaws that greatly affect the eye appeal of a card in hand. How many times have we all bought that nicely centered VG-EX 4 card thinking we found a diamond in the rough only to have it show up with a surface crease/wrinkle that you couldn't see from the scans? That's just the limitations of buying and selling cards online, which is where the vast majority of cards trade hands nowadays.

I think this service addresses some of these challenges, and the market clearly agrees. The data is in on MBA Diamond stickered cards, and they sell for a significant premium, often bringing the price of a full grade bump higher for the Gold stickers. And no, it's not just the premium that a well-centered card would have otherwise gotten. It definitely adds value (I ran an ANCOVA model with the data and the stickers are statistically significant even after accounting for cards being well-centered). Sure, you could risk cracking your "under-graded" cards out and sending them back in for grading again, hoping to get a bump, but with grading fees as high as they are today, and with PSA and with how ridiculously harsh they're being with many of their grades now, it's often just not worth it. Plus, I think the Gold Diamond stickers look nice. They're subtle and classy looking. Especially on the newer SGC tuxedo slabs.

Here's an example of one of the cards I'm planning to send off to MBA. This Gretzky RC is laughably under-graded. This is not an EX-MT card. Anyone selling this card raw would describe it as NM or NM-MT and no buyers would ever question that description upon receiving it. I could crack it and send it back to PSA. Maybe they give me a 7? Perhaps an 8? Who knows. But perfectly centered, under-graded cards with great eye appeal are very difficult to find in this hobby. I say they deserve an award, and I plan on giving mine little gold diamond stickers because I like how they look. It's like the trophy shelf of my collection. And they display nicely too. Plus, now I can tell that clown who says, "comps for a PSA 5 are about $5k" to take a hike just that much more easily without having to defend why I'm asking above "comps" if I ever decide to sell.

Don't get me wrong, I fully realize why many collectors have no interest in this service. But this is why I like them and why I plan to send off many of my favorite cards to MBA. Sometimes the grading companies just get it wrong. And if Mike Baker agrees that they "got it wrong" or that it's a premium card of that grade, then I'm definitely willing to pay a significant premium as a buyer over some random eBay listing where the seller writes "LOOKS BETTER" in the title only to have it show up with a crease and 7 indents on it.

[1880nonsports]

I'm about to send off some cards to MBA that I think are under-graded.
You lost me with the first sentence. It got worse all the way to the end.........

So you'll send it in. Mike will LYK and everyone else who examines the card and looks on the back that it's under graded and give you a sticker. You now display some other companies "INCORRECTLY" graded card with a sticker from someone else who says it's better than that.
Who exactly is Mike Baker and what are the credentials other people would find impressive?

If it's about wanting to resell an incorrectly labeled graded card for an amount commensurate with it's "real(?)" grade you would need people to care about what Mike says (Mikey likes it cereal).

If it's about confirming what your keen mind and eyes have told you - you seem to do that pretty well on your own :-)

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by 1880nonsports

I'm about to send off some cards to MBA that I think are under-graded.
You lost me with the first sentence. It got worse all the way to the end.........

So you'll send it in. Mike will LYK and everyone else who examines the card and looks on the back that it's under graded and give you a sticker. You now display some other companies "INCORRECTLY" graded card with a sticker from someone else who says it's better than that.
Who exactly is Mike Baker and what are the credentials other people would find impressive?

If it's about wanting to resell an incorrectly labeled graded card for an amount commensurate with it's "real(?)" grade you would need people to care about what Mike says (Mikey likes it cereal).

If it's about confirming what your keen mind and eyes have told you - you seem to do that pretty well on your own :-)

So, just to clarify. Should I put you down in the 'nay' column?

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by Snowman

So, just to clarify. Should I put you down in the 'nay' column?

You can add me too.

Sounds like another feel good service for "Card Karens" (I'll let you have that one Darren, lol) that just can't accept what is technically already an opinion and want it supplemented with a better one.

I saw this on a YouTube card show review a few weeks ago and laughed it off. Let's be straight here, the biggest selling point for PSAs success is the registry. I feel for them that someone is now going to call (everyone knows this likely already happened but heck, I'll make the story future state.) and demand that based on this yellow piece of paper they want a higher level in their Mike Trout registry. I bet they will just jump on that.

My eyes are the determiner of what is nice... I do not care, will not care, and will not do anything but walk away from someone trying to sell me one of these flim-flam scams at a higher price. These yellow cards would be circular filed and stickers peeled off the second I unpack it.

I will immediately give credit to the first service that does not simply just not grant an upgrade to the sucker on the line, but rather downgrades the card below the assigned grade. If you take your task that seriously you don't have my business, but you have my respect.

[Dead-Ball-Hitter]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Digging up this old thread because I'm about to send off some cards to MBA that I think are under-graded. I realize that it sounds ridiculous to pay someone to "grade the graders", but this does address/solve some of the problems with grading today. So many cards are now being criminally under graded by PSA; as well as SGC, although I would argue less so. I have recently graded cards in PSA 6 slabs that look like they belong in an 8 holder. Also, centering and overall eye appeal are extremely important with vintage cards. And while, yes, you can see the centering on a scan, you often can't see other minor flaws that greatly affect the eye appeal of a card in hand. How many times have we all bought that nicely centered VG-EX 4 card thinking we found a diamond in the rough only to have it show up with a surface crease/wrinkle that you couldn't see from the scans? That's just the limitations of buying and selling cards online, which is where the vast majority of cards trade hands nowadays.

I think this service addresses some of these challenges, and the market clearly agrees. The data is in on MBA Diamond stickered cards, and they sell for a significant premium, often bringing the price of a full grade bump higher for the Gold stickers. And no, it's not just the premium that a well-centered card would have otherwise gotten. It definitely adds value (I ran an ANCOVA model with the data and the stickers are statistically significant even after accounting for cards being well-centered). Sure, you could risk cracking your "under-graded" cards out and sending them back in for grading again, hoping to get a bump, but with grading fees as high as they are today, and with PSA and with how ridiculously harsh they're being with many of their grades now, it's often just not worth it. Plus, I think the Gold Diamond stickers look nice. They're subtle and classy looking. Especially on the newer SGC tuxedo slabs.

Well, I hate to say it, but I fear you’ll be wasting your money. Honestly, stickers don’t mean much to collectors; most view them as a gimmick to sell cards. In the coin arena, stickers have a little cache, but all the ridiculous PWCC stickers are viewed as scams to increase the sales price. I have personally pealed these off of slabs.

Mike Baker was always a nice guy, I talked with him at length back in the day, but his name carries absolutely no weight today, and his GAI business ventures ruined his once fairly good name. I don’t mean to put the guy down, but this is just a poor marketing ploy used by folks dissatisfied by their card’s actual grade.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Dead-Ball-Hitter

Well, I hate to say it, but I fear you’ll be wasting your money. Honestly, stickers don’t mean much to collectors; most view them as a gimmick to sell cards. In the coin arena, stickers have a little cache, but all the ridiculous PWCC stickers are viewed as scams to increase the sales price. I have personally pealed these off of slabs.

I'm not getting the stickers because I want to flip them. They're for me. This is for my PC cards. That said, I agree that the stickers don't mean much to at least a plurality of collectors. There is no shortage of venom spewed at those who prefer and value cards with such stickers on them by the internet forum heroes this hobby so desperately needs. You're free to think of it as a "gimmick to sell cards", but if you look at the population of cards that have been awarded these stickers, you'll quickly realize that they are far superior copies of those cards when it comes to eye appeal, and centering in particular. I would take a perfectly centered 4 over any 9 that isn't perfectly centered all day for any card. It's just that important to me. The grading scales used by PSA, SGC, et al are borderline meaningless to me as a collector. Literally, the only thing I care about is eye appeal. I couldn't give a shit how sharp some corners are or if there's chipping along the edges of a card. Cards that get awarded "gold diamonds" or "PWCC-S" stickers always stand out to me. I've never seen a single one that wasn't an absolute stunner. The same isn't true though of cards with a number grade. Even PSA 10s often look like trash to me because they are violently off-centered.

I don't think of the stickers as a way to "get more money out of people". I think of it as an awards ceremony for my PC. What are the best of the best cards I own as far as eye-appeal goes? I'm giving them little awards that I find aesthetically pleasing.

As far as the broader market goes, the stickers do command a premium. The market indeed values Mike Baker's opinion. Certainly, there are many who don't value it at all, but they aren't the people paying premiums for these cards. His grading experience and expertise is very highly regarded and respected by a lot of people in this hobby. Cards that he places Gold Diamond stickers on sell for huge premiums at auction. I know this because I've been tracking the data and I built a statistical model to measure it's impact, as I stated above. I'm not guessing here. The numbers don't lie.

Originally Posted by Dead-Ball-Hitter

Mike Baker was always a nice guy, I talked with him at length back in the day, but his name carries absolutely no weight today, and his GAI business ventures ruined his once fairly good name. I don’t mean to put the guy down, but this is just a poor marketing ploy used by folks dissatisfied by their card’s actual grade.

His name may carry no weight to you, and no weight to a plurality of the hobby, but it certainly carries quite a bit of weight to a fairly large percentage of collectors. I would much rather have a card graded by Mike Baker than I would one of these Cheetoh chomping new hires at PSA who thinks that Gretzky RC above is a 6.

Also worth pointing out is that the argument that it's stupid to send a card in to Mike Baker because anyone can just look at the card and determine it's condition for themselves can just as easily be applied to a grading services in general (PSA, SGC, etc.). If you see no value in card grading services in general, then you're welcome to that opinion. But it isn't a very popular one. If you want to see what the hobby values as a whole, just follow the money.

[Peter_Spaeth]

In light of what happened at GAI, why should we believe a reincarnated Mike Baker is honest and free from influence?

In any case to me there is a big difference between Mike Baker authenticating and grading a card and Mike Baker certifying a card is nice for the grade.

[GasHouseGang]

Originally Posted by Snowman

I don't think of the stickers as a way to "get more money out of people". I think of it as an awards ceremony for my PC. What are the best of the best cards I own as far as eye-appeal goes? I'm giving them little awards that I find aesthetically pleasing.

Then why not just buy your own stickers, have a little ceremony, and put stickers on your favorite cards. Gold stars might be a good choice.

Obviously, I don't get it.

[T205 GB]

Originally Posted by Snowman

The market indeed values Mike Baker's opinion. Certainly, there are many who don't value it at all, but they aren't the people paying premiums for these cards. His grading experience and expertise is very highly regarded and respected by a lot of people in this hobby. Cards that he places Gold Diamond stickers on sell for huge premiums at auction. I know this because I've been tracking the data and I built a statistical model to measure it's impact, as I stated above. I'm not guessing here. The numbers don't lie.



His name may carry no weight to you, and no weight to a plurality of the hobby, but it certainly carries quite a bit of weight to a fairly large percentage of collectors. I would much rather have a card graded by Mike Baker than I would one of these Cheetoh chomping new hires at PSA who thinks that Gretzky RC above is a 6.

Should have just highlighted the whole thing but its pretty easy to tell your a ******* moron and deserve to be ripped off. What a f*%^!ng tw()t w@fffle thinking that someone with that rep carries clout in this hobby and their opinion is valued. You should honestly be kicked off this board for such a stupid ass comment and support of people like this in the hobby. Seriously BRO!!!! I vote for your removal from the NET 54 chat board. Anyone second, third, ..., that notion to be brought to Leon for approval? Or keep this clown and vote me off the island so I know where peoples integrity stands

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Digging up this old thread because I'm about to send off some cards to MBA that I think are under-graded. I realize that it sounds ridiculous to pay someone to "grade the graders", but this does address/solve some of the problems with grading today. So many cards are now being criminally under graded by PSA; as well as SGC, although I would argue less so. I have recently graded cards in PSA 6 slabs that look like they belong in an 8 holder. Also, centering and overall eye appeal are extremely important with vintage cards. And while, yes, you can see the centering on a scan, you often can't see other minor flaws that greatly affect the eye appeal of a card in hand. How many times have we all bought that nicely centered VG-EX 4 card thinking we found a diamond in the rough only to have it show up with a surface crease/wrinkle that you couldn't see from the scans? That's just the limitations of buying and selling cards online, which is where the vast majority of cards trade hands nowadays.

I think this service addresses some of these challenges, and the market clearly agrees. The data is in on MBA Diamond stickered cards, and they sell for a significant premium, often bringing the price of a full grade bump higher for the Gold stickers. And no, it's not just the premium that a well-centered card would have otherwise gotten. It definitely adds value (I ran an ANCOVA model with the data and the stickers are statistically significant even after accounting for cards being well-centered). Sure, you could risk cracking your "under-graded" cards out and sending them back in for grading again, hoping to get a bump, but with grading fees as high as they are today, and with PSA and with how ridiculously harsh they're being with many of their grades now, it's often just not worth it. Plus, I think the Gold Diamond stickers look nice. They're subtle and classy looking. Especially on the newer SGC tuxedo slabs.

Here's an example of one of the cards I'm planning to send off to MBA. This Gretzky RC is laughably under-graded. This is not an EX-MT card. Anyone selling this card raw would describe it as NM or NM-MT and no buyers would ever question that description upon receiving it. I could crack it and send it back to PSA. Maybe they give me a 7? Perhaps an 8? Who knows. But perfectly centered, under-graded cards with great eye appeal are very difficult to find in this hobby. I say they deserve an award, and I plan on giving mine little gold diamond stickers because I like how they look. It's like the trophy shelf of my collection. And they display nicely too. Plus, now I can tell that clown who says, "comps for a PSA 5 are about $5k" to take a hike just that much more easily without having to defend why I'm asking above "comps" if I ever decide to sell.

Don't get me wrong, I fully realize why many collectors have no interest in this service. But this is why I like them and why I plan to send off many of my favorite cards to MBA. Sometimes the grading companies just get it wrong. And if Mike Baker agrees that they "got it wrong" or that it's a premium card of that grade, then I'm definitely willing to pay a significant premium as a buyer over some random eBay listing where the seller writes "LOOKS BETTER" in the title only to have it show up with a crease and 7 indents on it.

Wow. HBO or Netflix should add you to their comedy lineup.

[Fuddjcal]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Digging up this old thread because I'm about to send off some cards to MBA that I think are under-graded. I realize that it sounds ridiculous to pay someone to "grade the graders", but this does address/solve some of the problems with grading today. So many cards are now being criminally under graded by PSA; as well as SGC, although I would argue less so. I have recently graded cards in PSA 6 slabs that look like they belong in an 8 holder. Also, centering and overall eye appeal are extremely important with vintage cards. And while, yes, you can see the centering on a scan, you often can't see other minor flaws that greatly affect the eye appeal of a card in hand. How many times have we all bought that nicely centered VG-EX 4 card thinking we found a diamond in the rough only to have it show up with a surface crease/wrinkle that you couldn't see from the scans? That's just the limitations of buying and selling cards online, which is where the vast majority of cards trade hands nowadays.

I think this service addresses some of these challenges, and the market clearly agrees. The data is in on MBA Diamond stickered cards, and they sell for a significant premium, often bringing the price of a full grade bump higher for the Gold stickers. And no, it's not just the premium that a well-centered card would have otherwise gotten. It definitely adds value (I ran an ANCOVA model with the data and the stickers are statistically significant even after accounting for cards being well-centered). Sure, you could risk cracking your "under-graded" cards out and sending them back in for grading again, hoping to get a bump, but with grading fees as high as they are today, and with PSA and with how ridiculously harsh they're being with many of their grades now, it's often just not worth it. Plus, I think the Gold Diamond stickers look nice. They're subtle and classy looking. Especially on the newer SGC tuxedo slabs.

Here's an example of one of the cards I'm planning to send off to MBA. This Gretzky RC is laughably under-graded. This is not an EX-MT card. Anyone selling this card raw would describe it as NM or NM-MT and no buyers would ever question that description upon receiving it. I could crack it and send it back to PSA. Maybe they give me a 7? Perhaps an 8? Who knows. But perfectly centered, under-graded cards with great eye appeal are very difficult to find in this hobby. I say they deserve an award, and I plan on giving mine little gold diamond stickers because I like how they look. It's like the trophy shelf of my collection. And they display nicely too. Plus, now I can tell that clown who says, "comps for a PSA 5 are about $5k" to take a hike just that much more easily without having to defend why I'm asking above "comps" if I ever decide to sell.

Don't get me wrong, I fully realize why many collectors have no interest in this service. But this is why I like them and why I plan to send off many of my favorite cards to MBA. Sometimes the grading companies just get it wrong. And if Mike Baker agrees that they "got it wrong" or that it's a premium card of that grade, then I'm definitely willing to pay a significant premium as a buyer over some random eBay listing where the seller writes "LOOKS BETTER" in the title only to have it show up with a crease and 7 indents on it.

RE; The PSA 6 Gretsky..."Looks Like a strong SGC 4.5-5 to me". That should be in the title, IMHO. Baker is a taint.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Fuddjcal

RE; The PSA 6 Gretsky..."Looks Like a strong SGC 4.5-5 to me". That should be in the title, IMHO. Baker is a taint.

Would you like to place a side bet on that opinion? I can submit it to SGC. If they grade it a 6 or higher, I win. Any lower and you win. I'll give you 2 to 1 odds. If it gets a 7, then you owe me 2 to 1. $1000 wager. You in? This could be fun!

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Would you like to place a side bet on that opinion? I can submit it to SGC. If they grade it a 6 or higher, I win. Any lower and you win. I'll give you 2 to 1 odds. If it gets a 7, then you owe me 2 to 1. $1000 wager. You in? This could be fun!

The 79 is a nice card but at the risk of upsetting you, I think it is graded accurately. Lower right is showing quite a bit of paper loss for even a NM. I would agree it has better than EXMT eye appeal, overall, but all 4 corners have wear.

Just curious if that was a card you submitted to PSA, if you care to answer.

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Would you like to place a side bet on that opinion? I can submit it to SGC. If they grade it a 6 or higher, I win. Any lower and you win. I'll give you 2 to 1 odds. If it gets a 7, then you owe me 2 to 1. $1000 wager. You in? This could be fun!

Leon, I believe this should be taken off the board and made a private message between the two protagonists.

[glynparson]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Would you like to place a side bet on that opinion? I can submit it to SGC. If they grade it a 6 or higher, I win. Any lower and you win. I'll give you 2 to 1 odds. If it gets a 7, then you owe me 2 to 1. $1000 wager. You in? This could be fun!

As usual I agree with snowman. (Though not 100% of the time) Guy certainly has more patience than I do dealing with most of this board.

[T205 GB]

Originally Posted by Snowman

Would you like to place a side bet on that opinion? I can submit it to SGC. If they grade it a 6 or higher, I win. Any lower and you win. I'll give you 2 to 1 odds. If it gets a 7, then you owe me 2 to 1. $1000 wager. You in? This could be fun!

God this only gets dumber and dumber as I go. Did your BFF send you chap-stick for your lips with the purchase of a GOLD DIAMOND sticker? If not I bet them suckers are raw and chapped from all the **** your sucking. BTW I will personally make an anonymous call to SGC about this bet to ensure they scrutinize the f*ck out of your card just because of the type of person you are. Got the serial number handy so if anyone takes this bet just let me know. I don't want anything out of this other than seeing Travis lose his money for supporting scammers and thief's. Birds of feather flock together. Seriously you have removed all doubts about your integrity and should be banned from the board.