News From SGC

[Jay Wolt]

Not everyone who's in the registry is doing it for the competition.
I have several sets in PSA & SGC's registry, I can quickly see what
cards I have, what I need and if I should upgrade and what fellow
collectors are doing the same set.

In one of my mid 60's sets on PSA, I'm about 40% and my ranking is #50
so there's 49 people ahead of me and probably about the same behind me.
It doesn't affect me if my set drops a few notches or if I gain a few spots.
There are probably more people using the registries that have this mind set
then the ones that are out for cut-throat competition to advance their #'s

[Robextend]

Originally Posted by Jay Wolt

Not everyone who's in the registry is doing it for the competition. I have several sets in PSA & SGC's registry, I can quickly see what cards I have, what I need and if I should upgrade and what fellow collectors are doing the same set.

+1

[barrysloate]

So some people use the registry to checklist their sets. That's a useful tool.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

So some people use the registry to checklist their sets. That's a useful tool.

It's easier than marking the checklist cards especially if they are slabbed.

[mark evans]

I have only a handful of graded cards but believe third-party grading facilitates long-distance transactions, especially of more valuable cards. Internet photos are nice but no substitute for in-person review. Third-party grading, while imperfect, provides some assurance to buyers who might otherwise have honest disagreements with sellers as to the appropriate grade of a raw card.

[ethicsprof]

to each his own, in the area of collecting, makes perfect sense to me, particularly when we add the qualifier---as long as we treat each other well in the midst of our collecting.
i know of a curmudgeonly professor type(quite handsome it is told) who actually frames every single
type card which he collects and then displays them on wall after wall.

To each his own--with qualifier.
all the best,
barry

[bijoem]

If this has become a grading vs. raw thread.....

put my vote in for 'grading' 100%.

Its not that I care about a grade. Its not that I care about a registry.


It is completely about taking the arrogance and power away from individual dealers. My recollection of the hobby before TPG.... card dealers at shows were somewhat arrogant (all of their cards were 'mint' even if they were EX) - and they all were individual 'authorities'.

Since those days I have met many wonderful, honorable, and trustworthy hobby dealers.

But - I think it is important for a properly functioning hobby to separate the 'grading' from the dealers.

For the same reason - this is why I never like hearing that a grading company is actively involved in selling cards.


As far as SGC.....
it looks like way too many inside people are running for the exit in a short period of time. An eyebrow raiser at least.

[Al C.risafulli]

Interesting perspective, Leon. I've got some sets on various registries, but I've never thought of myself as not being a card collector before.

To me, there are lots of different ways to collect. I could be a team collector, a player collector, a type collector, a set collector, a HOF collector, a graded card collector, a raw collector, a high-grade collector, a low-grade collector, a registry collector. It's all card collecting to me.

Registries have some cool components that have injected a lot of new enjoyment into the hobby for me. I'm not sure where my sets rank - probably pretty low - but I know I like having them on the net in a well-displayed sort of way. I also like the fact that by being on registries, I wind up meeting other people who collect the same sets I do - that's helped me fill in some spaces in my collection, and make a few good friends along the way. I like being able to track my progress when completing a set, and - thanks to mobile technology - to be able to access my sets remotely to see which cards I need. I like being able to scroll through scans on the SGC registry, and I like being able to see pop report data on the PSA registry.

I guess I never understood the desire on the part of some people to disparage ways of collecting that are different from their own. THAT is the only piece of this hobby that I don't get.

Sorry to hijack.

-Al

[Tcards-Please]

Well said Al.

One other thing I like is in the event of fire/theft, there is a way to quickly identify what I had.

It's amazing how some are quick to slam or criticize someone for having slabbed cards, but it seems those same people have some in plastic.

r/
Frank

Originally Posted by Al C.risafulli

Interesting perspective, Leon. I've got some sets on various registries, but I've never thought of myself as not being a card collector before.

To me, there are lots of different ways to collect. I could be a team collector, a player collector, a type collector, a set collector, a HOF collector, a graded card collector, a raw collector, a high-grade collector, a low-grade collector, a registry collector. It's all card collecting to me.

Registries have some cool components that have injected a lot of new enjoyment into the hobby for me. I'm not sure where my sets rank - probably pretty low - but I know I like having them on the net in a well-displayed sort of way. I also like the fact that by being on registries, I wind up meeting other people who collect the same sets I do - that's helped me fill in some spaces in my collection, and make a few good friends along the way. I like being able to track my progress when completing a set, and - thanks to mobile technology - to be able to access my sets remotely to see which cards I need. I like being able to scroll through scans on the SGC registry, and I like being able to see pop report data on the PSA registry.

I guess I never understood the desire on the part of some people to disparage ways of collecting that are different from their own. THAT is the only piece of this hobby that I don't get.

Sorry to hijack.

-Al

[Leon]

For the record I was not trying to disparage folks collecting on the registry, even though it could be taken that way. I just think it's a different kind of collecting, and at the top, doesn't seem to be about the cards as much as the plastic. Sorry if I offended anyone.

For the record too, most of my valuable cards are slabbed.....I have nothing against slabbing and authentication.

[Al C.risafulli]

All due respect, Leon, I think you're mixing registry collecting with high-grade card investing, and I think those are two very, very different things.

There are cert buyers out there, for sure, and I agree that with those people, they sometimes seem to be as concerned with the number and the GPA than the cards in their set. When I encounter people like that, it makes me think of those guys with showrooms full of classic automobiles that they'll never drive.

But the overwhelming majority of people I've met who use the registries to supplement their collecting are passionate, knowledgeable card collectors.

For the record, I don't see anything inherently "wrong" with either approach, BTW. I have a collection of vinyl records. It numbers about 4000-5000. I am a terrible record collector. I have no idea what I am doing. When I buy used records, I want them to be in great condition - so that I can go home and play them. I don't care about their rarity, I'm not trying to complete anything, I have no focus, I'm just buying stuff I think I'd like. I have 1970s punk records and 1960s opera records, rare 7" vinyl and mass-produced Readers Digest compilations. "True" record collectors would cringe if they saw my records, mostly because I don't know how to collect like they do. When I spin them on the turntable, though, I'd suspect that the music moves me in the same way as it does the "true" collector.

-Al

[E93]

Originally Posted by Al C.risafulli

I have a collection of vinyl records. It numbers about 4000-5000. I am a terrible record collector. I have no idea what I am doing. When I buy used records, I want them to be in great condition - so that I can go home and play them. I don't care about their rarity, I'm not trying to complete anything, I have no focus, I'm just buying stuff I think I'd like. I have 1970s punk records and 1960s opera records, rare 7" vinyl and mass-produced Readers Digest compilations. "True" record collectors would cringe if they saw my records, mostly because I don't know how to collect like they do. When I spin them on the turntable, though, I'd suspect that the music moves me in the same way as it does the "true" collector.

-Al

I have a vinyl collection too that sounds similar to yours, though not as big. I also just buy what I like and am very unsophisticated as a collector. The most I have spent on a vinyl album was $100 for a rare 1st edition of John Coltrane's outside-LSD induced-big band experiment, Ascension. It is transcendent!
JimB
P.S. Well preserved vinyl sounds better than any digital format too.

[Davalillo]

I don't think most graded card collectors collect for the competition. I have 500 or so sets in the PSA set registry and there is not one of these I am actually competing to have the best set. Its fun to see where I stand on the registry but I just like to have all my sets in psa 8 or better and look sharp....and I am a passionate as anyone about collecting. There is really no difference in the pssion that graded card collectors and raw card collectors bring to the hobby...its just that graded card collectors are smarter(just kidding on that last statement).

Jim

[sox1903wschamp]

This thread has gone off in as many different directions as the Boston T Green Line

So I will comment on Registry collecting. I will never participate and that is a personal choice but I like to buy graded when the registry competition dries up, the price falls and then crack them out to put nice looking cards in my sets. Not 9's but nice looking 6, 7 and 8's on 50's and 60's. I think because of the number, some people will take a worse looking 8 over a 7 etc and I am there to pick up the scraps. Just a general observation.

The registry is a passion and that is always good for our hobby if used in a positive way and I agree with prior posters in this thread that it can be used in other ways besides the number on the plastic.

[Al C.risafulli]

Barry, that's such a coincidence - I know a professor who collects in very much the same way.

Can't be the same guy, though, because I understand the professor I know is quite ugly.

-Al

[ethicsprof]

when you get a chance, do put me in touch with him.
i'll make sure the two get together so they can enjoy those great pieces of
cardboard and fabulous discussions of heideggerean epistemology.
all the best, ole friend.
always great hearing from you.

barry

[Griffins]

Originally Posted by ethicsprof

when you get a chance, do put me in touch with him.
i'll make sure the two get together so they can enjoy those great pieces of
cardboard and fabulous discussions of heideggerean epistemology.
all the best, ole friend.
always great hearing from you.

barry

And here we have the birth of The Arnold Group.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by ethicsprof

fabulous discussions of heideggerean epistemology.

Who'll be in charge of the sheep dip?

[mintacular]

so I'd imagine that if they see an SGC package, it will be placed with street deliveries regardless of how it is addressed.--now that sounds reassuring....

[barrysloate]

Hi Joe- I know what you are saying and TPG does take some of that power away that less scrupulous dealers had over collectors. And I don't doubt that certain high value cards should be graded. But now that power has shifted to the graders and authenticators, and the balance is a little skewed again. I would like to see more collectors learning the nuances of grading themselves, and I would like to see more raw vintage sets, such as a T206 in Good to Very Good condition.

I for one think the graders wield an awful lot of power.

[calvindog]

I agree 100% with what Al said. I've got some Registry sets that help me to keep track of the cards, to know what my average condition of the cards in a set are, etc. And it allows me to be in touch with others who collect the cards I do. I also have the great majority of my cards not in any Registry set -- but they are slabbed for a variety of reasons. And I love my lower graded rare cards at least as much as my high graded Registry cards.

As for the argument that the guys who are looking to buy high end graded cards are not true lovers of the cards, I'd ask them if they've spoken to Don Spence about baseball. You can actually love the game, love the cards and, at the same time, want the highest graded cards possible. Really.

[glchen]

As for TPG's and the plastic, I think they'll always be necessary especially for prewar. I think I have a fairly good idea about grading, but I have a hard time authenticating cards (see my posts asking if various cards are authentic). I know the general rules for authentication, but if it's a higher value card, I sleep a lot better at night if I know a reputable TPG has authenticated the card. This is the same with altered and trimmed (and rebacked) cards, I am not good at seeing this unless it is really obvious.

Regarding registries, I think they are a really good checklist function as others have mentioned. This is really useful if you are a master player set collector, as the registry can help you figure out the wacky cards for the player you are missing.

[aro13]

I have quite a few sets on the registry and find it beneficial for the reason most have mentioned. I have been offered and made some great trades because of people contacting me through the registry. I have also found out information from those collectors that I would not have found out anywhere else.

In my experience, even the "good" dealers and auction houses tended to overgrade their cards at least that was what I found when I submitted most of my raw pre-war purchases to SGC and PSA for grading.

[E93]

Originally Posted by Al C.risafulli

Interesting perspective, Leon. I've got some sets on various registries, but I've never thought of myself as not being a card collector before.

To me, there are lots of different ways to collect. I could be a team collector, a player collector, a type collector, a set collector, a HOF collector, a graded card collector, a raw collector, a high-grade collector, a low-grade collector, a registry collector. It's all card collecting to me.

Registries have some cool components that have injected a lot of new enjoyment into the hobby for me. I'm not sure where my sets rank - probably pretty low - but I know I like having them on the net in a well-displayed sort of way. I also like the fact that by being on registries, I wind up meeting other people who collect the same sets I do - that's helped me fill in some spaces in my collection, and make a few good friends along the way. I like being able to track my progress when completing a set, and - thanks to mobile technology - to be able to access my sets remotely to see which cards I need. I like being able to scroll through scans on the SGC registry, and I like being able to see pop report data on the PSA registry.

I guess I never understood the desire on the part of some people to disparage ways of collecting that are different from their own. THAT is the only piece of this hobby that I don't get.

Sorry to hijack.

-Al

Well said Al.
JimB

[E93]

Originally Posted by Jay Wolt

Not everyone who's in the registry is doing it for the competition.
I have several sets in PSA & SGC's registry, I can quickly see what
cards I have, what I need and if I should upgrade and what fellow
collectors are doing the same set.

+1
JimB

[DJR]

.

[famousgolfers]

Just FYI, but my latest submission was mailed to the PO Box and delivered to SGC on Friday (3/25). So everything is still working from that stand point.

[spacktrack]

I know that the mail is set up to forward for one year, but the same Post Office where the PO Box was located processes deliveries to the street address, so I'd imagine that if they see an SGC package, it will be placed with street deliveries regardless of how it is addressed. There might be a one or two day delay on a few packages--which is unfortunate--but until the address update is properly implemented by being removed from the all aspects of the site and reprinted on all invoices, the delay might be unavoidable.

Brian

[ethicsprof]

many thanks!
you still offer the best of customer service even when you don't work at the
place anymore.
kudos to you again and again

all the best,
barry

[DJR]

.

[Bilko G]

Originally Posted by DJR

I am sure it will be fixed Monday!

ZING!!!