Will the grotesque rise in grading costs eventually translate to higher prices?

[Exhibitman]

Perhaps, and this is just a hypothetical, the buyers could make their own decisions?

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Perhaps, and this is just a hypothetical, the buyers could make their own decisions?

Sure. But not everyone is good at spotting counterfeit or trimmed raw cards on ebay or other online listings, and that holds prices down vs. cards buyers have confidence with.

I sell original seats that came out of Metropolitan Stadium in MN, which used to be where Mall of America stands now. You might be surprised how many people buy these old seats and ask for a LOA. My first thought is, "What else could it be? If it was from County Stadium (Milwaukee) or Comiskey or Wrigley it would be worth twice as much..."

But I give them a LOA and that gives them the comfort and assurance they want. I suppose it covers them for when their neighbor sees it and says, "How do you know it's real?"