Is there an infliction point where a lower grade (like a 3, 4, 5) actually makes the card less valuable in the eyes of a potential buyer compared to an “Authentic” label? Obviously the lower the grade number, the more negative the perception towards the card whereas “Authentic” leaves the true condition up to the eyes of the beholder. In my opinion, the “Authentic” label makes it a much nicer display piece than a lower graded number.
Does it change if it’s a set card, vs something like a high end promo or trophy?
Does it change if the card is very clean except for a tiny crease or indents (which would auto-knock it to a 4 or 5), vs being absolutely destroyed (and getting a PSA 1 or 2)?
What are your thoughts on this? I have a Japanese non-set card I’m on the fence about getting graded vs authenticated
I think that point definitely exists, but I also think that it’s so subjective that you can’t pinpoint exactly what the grade is. Some people are happy with 3s, some won’t touch 6s.
I would never want to be shielded information, especially when it costs the same amount of money to get that further information and afaik grading vs. authenticating is the same price. Maybe it could be argued it is cheaper if it could shield you from potential upcharges with a numeric grade, but my thoughts remain the same and that is a super specific and unlikely scenario IMO. If you are sending it to them… just get the grade is my opinion on it.
I’m not saying I would never buy an “authentic” card, I am just saying if a card is “authentic” with no grade I will assume the absolute worst and I will likely pay a lot less for a hypothetical card in an “authentic” case than that identical card in a PSA case with a numeric grade.
You’ve always got the chance of getting those ridiculous low PSA half grades that shouldn’t exist for the low pop/POP 1 stonks as well.
I would never grade a set card as authentic, since they are part of a set and one anomaly does not look good if you collected them all imo. However if you have a trophy below psa 4-7 (depending on the card) I would think it would look better than a low grade. If for resell value I would always grade the card with a number.
Authentic only exists for a reason. It’s simply an option. It’s common in vintage sports cards, as many buyers just want an authentic example and couldn’t care less about condition.
You already see it with higher end cards in Pokémon. It will become more common with time.
Right now I’m looking at the Illustrator and Trophy Kang pops, and I see 4/22 of the Illustrator are authentic, and 3/45 on the Kang. I guess I’m wondering on cards of that tier, where we’re talking easy six figures does it make much difference?
I agree set cards look very odd when slapped with “Authentic”, because you naturally assume the worst for damage. But for cards where the greatest barrier is just finding a copy for sale, rather than being able to pick through condition, does it matter as much?
I could see people doing an authentic only 1st base set. Because they prefer it over mixed grades. That’s really all it is at the end of the day; a preference. It only seems foreign for most set cards because they are still readily available and affordable.
Authentic only is great for autos too. Some rarer autos are best presented without the card condition denoted. For instance when the auto is worth many times more than the card, as is the case with many Sugimori autos.
Buying authentic is the definition of buying the card and not the grade so I am not sure why so many people are against it when “buy the card and not the grade” is basically an E4 trademarked slogan.
I greatly prefer viewing raw cards to graded cards when trying to find condition because that is the only true way to see everthing. - You cannot see as much with a card in the case vs. out of the case. Same goes for seeing a card in photos/videos. vs. in hand. So if and when a card is going to enter a slab and have some layer of obfuscation I would rather get the third parties opinion on it before it enters the plastic tomb, moreso even when I am buying it based upon digital images or videos. Seeing a grainy photo of an “authentic” card how the hell am I supposed to judge condition through the screen and the slab?
I get the point about “at certain rarity it doesn’t/shouldn’t matter”, but to me personally it does and I get that the market may or may not agree. I’ve been eyeing some of these banged up keys/platinums/pearls/rings etc. and if/when I acquire any more of them I will certainly get a number put on them. Will that help or hurt the value? Who knows but I do what I prefer and what in my mind should yield higher return for when I sell down the line.
Also lol at the “slog4n” getting picked up by the wordswap.
All very good opinions, I appreciate people chiming in. I’ll likely end up getting it graded even if it is a low grade, because at least then it’s 100% transparent from a sellers perspective and the buyer can always put it in an authentic slab if they want.
LMAO i didn’t write it like that so i wont take credit for it. So either the forum automatically changes l o g a n to that or one of the mods did and based on posts in this thread im looking at you @smpratte lol.
I get what you are saying about the pics online but that can be said about any graded card. What is the point of grading a card if you are going to look at someone else’s psa 10 and go eww that’s not a 10 imo. Once you have that reaction the whole pedigree of having a third party grade a card goes away because apparently you are now better at judging a card’s condition than the third party people are paying to grade it! My point is more of a mockery at the “buy the card not the grade” sharks on here because when you are only buying the card, there is no point to get a grade on it unless you get off to the fact that you think you can grade cards better than psa.
If I’m buying a PSA 5 or lower card it’s because it’s an incredibly rare card and at that point the condition doesn’t really matter. To me value becomes a bit of a moot point the further below PSA 6 you get and the fact the card has been graded to begin with means it’s already determined to be authentic.
That said, usually for a card which is incredibly rare to have been graded it means the owner already knows of its rarity, and at that point it can become a lot cheaper to just find a raw card in higher condition.
As for cards which aren’t rare and appear somewhat frequently I wouldn’t be buying them if their grade was much lower than PSA 9. I am saying that as someone who has little interest in the WotC era cards which have skyrocketed recently, however, and I’m sure if I was in the market for one of those I’d likely be setting my sights on something more affordable.
I personally don’t like Authentic labeled holders, for the time being. As mentioned before, they will probably gain more acceptance as time goes on, but until the time comes, they just look out of place to me.
Also, I’m pretty sure PSA 1’s actually sell for a premium at times lol. It’s actually ridiculous I got a creased in half Charizard for $65, and they seem to go for above $300 in PSA 1. So if you can score a 1, I would submit for a grade. But if you somehow can predict a 2, it might be better to go for the Authentic label. Speaking from a value standpoint. I personally would just always go straight for the grade.
Take set cards out of the conversation where low grades like 1s and 2s sometimes get premiums, and just think high end promo/trophy tier stuff with true rarity. Cards with a true numbering of 50 or less copies.
I’d say Authentics definitely do the trick for “big hitters” that you don’t necessarily want to assign a grade to.
I had my childhood Ancient Mew graded with an ‘authentic’ label from PCA end of last year (got it graded for pure nostalgia). The way they present the label, with a big “A” inside a gold star looks pretty appealing, and I think if PSA etc made the presentation on those look more slick, there might be more of a market.
I think it depends on the set but it’s obviously all subjective. I wouldn’t mind an authentic first edition base set but I wouldn’t want a modern authentic set.
I like it as an option, especially if the card has a strong front but weak back. I kinda feel like a lower grade maybe 1-3 might detract from the card itself so in some specific scenarios I would prefer authentication only. But I would only do this for very valuable cards