I’ve seen some of their graded cards. I initially didn’t like seeing the label on bottom. But, after some thought, it makes more sense to me now. It’s like a trophy piece with the label design and certificate. Also, if you display on a card stand, the card is more of the focus.
There’s a few cards I’d like to grade with them purely for displaying, but I don’t really have a desire to use them as a grading company
Agreed, it depends on what your preference is as a collector in terms of how your cards are displayed. If you prefer to see the card in a slab with a nice label then the ARS design may be for you since the grade is on the back. If you prefer to see your card in a slab with the grade in full display then PSA/BGS/CGC/SGC is for you.
Another recent example:
https://twitter.com/yab_VCJ/status/1700749010867462538/photo/1
What’s the size of these slabs vs PSA/CGC? Is it wildly different (height, width)
Yup, ARS states on their website that only condition of the card is considered and that certain printing defects such as centering are not considered during grading.
That will probably hinder many collectors from using this service even if they like the presentation.
I almost don’t care for centering and print lines, but maybe they could have done something like:
10 = virtually perfect card condition, a superbly preserved item as it was pulled from the booster pack
10+ = all the above, but the card is a perfect specimen with good center and no print defects
I would have appreciated more a grading scale like that
i remember seeing this when it was first posted on reddit, and was relatively indifferent about the concept behind designing the slab.
but ngl, its been growing on me a lot. im not sure about their grading scale and how exactly it works, but the design of the slab just makes so much sense. Having the card be the top of the slab and the main focal point is almost a no brainer the more i think about it. We have basically become sheep asking grading companies “pls tell me how to feel about my card and its worth.” instead of just making that decison on our own. It makes people to take a beat to judge the card without any biases. The slab has a slick and elegant design. And if the grade matters that much to you, you can turn it around and see what it received. If I lived in Japan, I’d probably end up grading with this company exclusively. I feel like this is a great direction that more grading companies should start and maybe will start taking.
It’s also great because you can proudly display what might be a grade 6 or 7 and not feel weird about it. I guess you can still do that with other grading companies, but i think most people who display their slabs would only display their best graded cards. If youre trying to flex your collection, its kind of embarassing if you try to flex a psa 7 card. Like growing up, parents wouldnt put your C+ exam on the fridge (unless it was to shame you 
). Theres definitely some sort of analogy here that makes sense, but idk how to tie it together neatly. you get what im saying though.
They should do it like SGC with a black border. The metal plaque with clear plastic case looks cheap.
Highly disagree. It looks awesome in person. Pictures don’t do it justice. Gotta see it for yourself. I liked BGS the most for their label prior to this company - you can easily tell everything is pretty high quality with ARS. Label especially.
Would love to try one out for cheap (I like the trophy-esque aesthetic) but anything I see on eBay is way way way expensive
For Japanese cards, this is a much more beautiful aesthetic than anything. Though black labels come close imo.
