Making the Grade

Back in the day, when I first tinkered with this hobby, there was no such thing as a graded card.

There were no PSA 10s or SGC Gold labels, or BGS Black labels for that matter either.

It was just a card, and a variety of opinions on what condition a particular card was in at that moment.

I can remember arguments across dealer tables, people studying the corners and edges for minute upon minute assessing the condition.

I can remember lengthy discussions about what it means to be in mint condition, and what it means to be in near-mint condition.

Then, the occasional slab came along… and was usually chuckled at by most back then.

No one really understood the concept.

No one really could wrap their minds around someone else telling them what the condition is of a particular card.

And, of course, the encasing of the card really blew people’s minds.

The thought of never being able to actually touch the card again was ridiculous to most of us in the beginning.

Well, time passed, and we all know the path graded cards took from then until now.

That said, there are still many collectors who would rather lick the floor at PSA then allow them to grade a card.

Longtime collector, Adam Rollins, is among this contingent of collectors.

“It’s just not my thing,” Rollins said. “I don’t have any interest in someone I don’t know, or that I don’t know what they know about my card telling me what condition it is in. Much less, basing the entire value of the card on their judgment call on the condition. Just not my thing.”

Others, myself included, have taken to grading like a duck to water.

“I love it because it protects the condition of the card, and it removes a lot of the debate about the condition,” Steven Cuthbert said. “I think it has made the hobby a better experience overall for collectors.”

What to grade?

Where to grade?

And how much should it cost to grade?

Each of these are credible and important questions, but the answer is really more individual preference than anything else.

However, I’d love to hear your thoughts on grading cards?

Is it something you embrace and believe is a positive thing in the hobby, or, do you plant your flag in Rollins’ camp?

Let me know in the comments.