Whoah, thanks for the info! I had no clue.
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Really not sure why people freak out about everything being graded. If it’s valuable, demand to protect, authenticate and have a condition grade would make sense. Cards, comics, funko pops, legos, vinyls, sealed video games. All things that can be valuable and are being collected would make perfect sense to be ‘graded’ for the 3 main reasons stated above. Its not as if theres something inherent special about cards that make them any more deserving of being graded then any other collectible.
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Have you ever listen to a LP on wonderfully designed speakers that were created by masters of their craft, and sat still in awe at the beauty of the sound it produced, the way the music, in its full dynamic range, reverberated though your ears and your soul?
Our ears hear in analog. Records have a profound auditory purpose. Musicians, who live to bring that music to you, they created these records to be heard. Rock musicians decades ago wanted these records sold to affect and move you.
While I see you on your points, some of them solid arguments, I do see some of the things you listed as an “it depends” level of subjectivity. Stamps are fundamentally just pieces of paper with art, like cards. I can see the appeal even though they also have practical use. Watches, while especially materialistic to collect in my view, can still serve dual purposes. Wine is definitely definitely meant to be consumed. Even if aged for 100 years eventually that sucker should be opened and not encased. Video games, that’s a tough one. In my opinion I think they should be played. But I totally see how preserving and appreciated a vintage, unreproducible sealed copy has an appeal to be kept sealed. A relic of its time, intrigue of the unattainable. Never to be made the same way again.
But music is different. Records are different. They still make them, and the technology will always be there to make them. Sure, there are aesthetic changes over time, and it is always so appealing to people like myself who prefer older records for many reasons from the music on them to the old fashioned printing processes, but at the end of the day a record is a record.
There is a philosophical argument at hand about materialism, earthly possessions, yes. But we are losing our humanity every time we become more and more materialistic in this way. No one is going to care about the grade of your RL led zep 2 record when you die, but everyone will care about their memory of having heard it and appreciated it, and shared it with others. I draw the grading line at music hard stop. Music is the universal language, the language of love, the sacred, most important thing humans have ever gifted each other outside of love itself. It’s damn near a divine right. To me, records embody, in recorded form, the whole of that experience. As good as the instruments from which the waves come.
The joke to me is the emphasis on how this shapes the perception of records (and many other troubling related and unrelated things, hence my dismay). These start to make things be viewed as something they are not. Sure, people collect records. But they are a practical collection, to be listened to. Don’t compare music to money (banknotes). It isn’t merely a matter of making it exclusive or less financially feasible for music lovers, it’s a matter of taking those artifacts out of circulation for the listeners, to be hidden away by some person, for what? There is no fundamental purpose. You can look at graded cards, the whole of it. Whenever new young people realize the joy of this sonic experience, the idea that for basically money or bragging rights that some arse has his AAGS 9.5 Sgt. Pepper 1st Mono UK pressing, that these people will be denied this finite treasure brought to you from the profound creativity and dreams of musicians, is deeply upsetting to me.
It’s hard enough that most things are increasingly being viewed as collectible investments, records among everything else is on the rise, and there surely is speculation in that, but this is a symbolic act. Of “this will never be played again and only serves to discourage people from opening it”. That perception thing also includes attracting more and more of the wrong crowd. We’ve seen this with a lot, including pokemon. But as I’ve outlined, there is a dual purpose in grading a lot of visual items that I get. But not music. This is all just my opinion of course. I’m not gonna change anyone. Scarcely anyone has ever achieved that even if they tried.
I agree with a lot of your points and do find the movement towards wanting to encase everything in plastic with a numerical grade a tad ridiculous (especially for media that was meant to be experienced audio-visually). However, putting aside the obvious investor-stonker mentality that only cares about monetary value, appreciation can come in a magnitude of different forms. Preservation of something that you love and have an emotional connection with is absolutely valid and imo one the highest forms of reverence. You already said it better than I ever could here.
When I got back into collecting Pokemon cards it in a way made me realize the transience of tangible objects; what was once widespread and part of our lives will eventually be lost to the passage of time. It’s why I’ve begun collecting sealed copies of other things I love such as music CDs, films, manga and anime. I have zero intention of ever grading these nor could I care less what the future value of these items are. These are precious memories that I want to preserve.
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I checked and this LEGO Figure is for sale at 250€.
This seems like a lot. Are these graded figures actually going for that much?
It’s because a card encased in plastic can still be appreciated as intended - with the art seen.
You could argue it’s meant to be played except for the fact that sports cards can’t be played and most TCGs or maybe all of them now have lower rarities that are meant for playing and higher rarities clearly geared toward collectors.
Anything visual is therefore in a different category to the rest - stamps, artwork. Comics are meant to be read, toys and games played, vinyl listened to etc.
If you wanted to protect comics, music or games, you would make them MORE accessible not less - and that means supporting restoration, archival etc. Keeping shit in plastic cases is not protection. The comic doesn’t need any of its pages besides the cover, the disc may have rotted, the game could be unplayable.
It’s only for monetary reasons, that’s it. I wish people would stop pretending otherwise.
Ironically, wallpaper and ships in bottles actually have aesthetic reasons to be preserved since their purpose is visual/display in nature.
Grading vinyl, CDs, games etc. is like grading food or water.
Except your skipping over the authentication and grading aspect as well. Regardless, sometimes a collectible gets to a valuable enough point where you just want it protected at all cost. If I had a comic worth 50k, Im probably gonna stop flipping through it and just read a scanned copy online at that point, same for a vinyl. Are you really gonna be upset at someone with a comic worth thousands of dollars like “No! Youre supposed to be reading it, not protecting it in plastic!!” Guess that collectible isnt deserving of being protected because it has a function outside of being collected. 
What a ridiculous notion. Next youre going to tell me any vintage cars need to be driven around because thats their purpose, right?
Also this is pretty much the main reason cards are graded as well, lets not lie to ourselves.
I have listened to LPs on a great set of speakers. I actually collect records, CDs and cassettes, and while I wouldn’t personally grade any, even some of the expensive ones, I own or have owned some graded games which I think is a comparable collectible to records.
Nostalgia plays a huge part. A graded game I own is a game my mom bought me as my first game ever and I always like to remind myself of that moment through this sealed and graded copy I own. I am sure the same degree of nostalgia also plays role in music. I know people who own multiple copies and variations of their favourite records, some of which are unpacked or untouched. Grading then only ensures the safety of that item and also evaluates its condition (disregarding the fact that such evaluation isn’t always fair and objective).
This brings me to another important factor, which is condition and the items being unpacked, sealed and generally being in perfect condition and also stored to stay that way. This is why I have the game graded and not just stored in some flimsy acrylic box. I am one of those people who enjoy seeing things in nearly untouched condition, with the shrink wrap (or whatever packaging) on it, and this brings a good deal of satisfaction to me. Maybe it’s a similar joy that packaged military rations and vintage chocolate bars bring to Steve1989MREInfo 
(and although no one grades military rations yet, food is already being graded, see the pokemon cereal below). After all, collecting sealed booster boxes and packs and grading those is not a new thing to the card hobby. They were also meant to be unpacked.
Lastly, you mentioned that cards were to be looked at, but the same goes for games, and most likely for vinyl covers. I also collect original video game art and it made me appreciate box art much more, knowing what goes, or atleast what used to before digital art, into the design of each game box. This is why I display my graded items in the first place - they are in perfect condition, are protected, but most importantly, I can look at them and appreciate the way they look.
I don’t see how a card, essentially being just an ink on a cardboard, differs from a video game box, also being just ink on a cardboard. The fact that the game originally had a different purpose isn’t necessarily relevant (or I fail to see why it would). And because I can’t see the issue with grading games, I probably can’t and won’t see an issue with grading records.
Tl;dr - why grade one thing, but not the other? I’ve had a debate with people claiming MTG should only be played and never graded, which is a whole new topic on its own (why grade anything at all?). However both of us are collectors and I assume own some graded items, so why draw the line at another collectible? Why not draw it further at items that were never supposed to be collected in the first place? Why draw it at all?
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Well I am speaking to a sensible collector and person who collects graded items for emotional/sentimental reasons. It isn’t people like you for whom I have an argument against in my mind when I look contemptibly at graded LPs now that I know of their existence. You make very fair, compelling arguments for grading certain things that I’m not being very critical of in the first place.
But I did try to make my focus about music in particular. I did state that I understand grading sealed video games because of a certain characteristic that is sensible. So most of what you say works. But why I draw the line for myself at graded music I already believe I outlined as well as I can. It isn’t people like you. There are people who purely monetize graded things who’s main drive is to encase everything and see them as dollar signs. I dislike that in any hobby, but the idea of it being done with music items just grosses me out, and always will. I just emotionally and philosophically view it as the farthest you can get from the purpose of the item, like betraying someone in the process.
I don’t want to get too much into this detail, but protecting LPs is as easy of a task you can get, by just putting a sealed copy in an outer sleeve or 2, it will remain that way forever. I have handled 70 year old sealed albums that weren’t protected in any way that are totally fine. But even more so, the idea of setting a condition on most sealed items has always been a pretty big joke to me as well, since it is cellophane you are grading, which can simply be looked at. With records especially it is like cmon man. Senseless, but that’s me. I think comparing a sealed booster box and a video game is justified, since they serve that “relic in time” notion I explained prior. There is a quality, an allure to it being sealed that I just don’t share with records. The bigger allure is the wax inside and how it sounds, how great the loved album will be once thrown on the platter. Especially with original pressings where the masters they were cut from were fresh and unworn and produce the absolute best sound.
I collect video game boxes too. If I ever wanted to “trophy” them, a sensible thing to do, I would just put them in a nice display box, no need for grading.
I just won’t ever see eye to eye on the idea of grading many things. But the point I made is I get why some people would do it in some areas despite my ideas. But why do I draw a line at music? The argument that “it should be played or shared” stands stronger than it does for any other graded item in existence. And it seems the most pointless out of any other “collectible”. It’s a damn shame to take a single one out of circulation. Whereas with video games, if anything, it should be encouraged to keep a mass produced vintage game sealed because each one is identical, and you are rarely faced with the prospect that it is preventing other people from being able to play or enjoy it. Especially in a world where to most people (not me but I’m minority), it can be re-released on a different medium and enjoyed as well. The museum-appeal makes more sense. Not with records.
Also brings me back to my days working at the record shop and being exposed to the “enemy” in the record world, the audiophile. (I’m jokingly being cheeky). People who bragged about their $10,000 cartridge (stylus or needle holder for those who don’t know what that is) and how you AIN’T HEARD IT FOR REALZ UNTIL YOU ARE LISTENING TO IT PROPERLY. No, no sir, a generic audio-technica needle with some modest budget vintage speakers sounds amazing, and quit your snobbiness. It is exactly these kind of people I see in my mind that are probably pioneering the grading thing. I’ve seen articles now, it isn’t purely conjecture.
That’s about all I can say about it.
I removed that cereal! Man a bunch of memories just came flooding back
You expect min. wage graders to have more knowledge than you?
How are they gonna verify what’s inside the cartridge? What’s on the record? Oh, it doesn’t matter because it’s never opened. They are grading a box.
It’s like grading a film reel canister and calling it protection whilst the reel inside disintegrates, the film forever lost to the world - but hey, at least you have a metal canister in mint condition.
You didn’t acknowledge the differences in my first post at all which says a lot. I’m not saying you can’t grade, do whatever you want, but as I said, stop pretending it’s about the preservation of the item.
For those who are curious, here are the benefits listed for a PSA grader in California.
Benefits
Hourly Range: The hourly range for this position is $20-$32
Entry level operations positions generally start at an hourly rate of $17. Actual compensation in this range will be based on a variety of non-discriminatory factors, including location, job level, prior experience, and skill set
Health Insurance: All full-time employees are eligible to enroll in Medical, Dental, and Vision
401(K) Matching Plan: We are proud to offer a competitive 401k matching plan to our employees to support their future financial goals
Vacation: All full-time employees are eligible for paid vacation
Holiday Pay: All regular, full-time employees are eligible for ten company paid holidays
Employee Discounts: Employees receive discounts on select grading services for approved submissions
Flexible Hours: Many of our teams offer flexible schedules with varying shifts and will work with you to accommodate your needs
Fun Working Environment: Our team members are invited to participate in celebrations, holiday events, and team building activities
What’s your point?
Missing the point.
Buddy, I was just adding some fun information. Not everyone is trying to argue with you.
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To condense a grading company down to just “a minimum wage employee” is pretty funny. Something being graded is the culmination of that entire company’s knowledge as well as the equipment and technology to ascertain the legitimacy of an item such as CGC’s in depth posts about how they test the authenticity of a card. Is it perfect? No. And it’s generally not gonna beat a true expert within that certain hobby but its certainly better than a large majority of collectors in the hobby.
And your logic around something being graded for protection while the thing inside is disintegrating can apply to literally anything. I can grade a pokemon card but under the right conditions such as temperature, UV exposure, humidity, etc. still get fucked up.
Honestly for everything else though, I’m just gonna refer you to goonhoon’s post since he already wrote out my same thoughts around it pretty well. Your sentiment of something being worth grading needing to be aesthetic vs functional is ridiculous which goonhoon explained pretty well.
Agree to disagree, because there’s no way they spend an inordinate amount of time verifying every single card that passes through. I’ve seen the Cardmarket and ACE Grading equipment videos, and whilst their process seems very thorough I have a hard time believing that PSA/CGC/BGS are doing that with the amount of orders they process. That 10-15 seconds looking at your card is probably closer to the truth.
The card is the card, there’s nothing left to uncover or open. The rest are grading plastic wraps, boxes, containers. I firmly believe it’s a fad of this era which future people would look back on as ridiculous. The culture is what is inside the pages, cartridge, record or reel not the packaging.
Wow! That’s cool. Didn’t know we can send action figures for grading. 
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I doubt it. Skylanders and Infinty all reached garbage bins years ago. “Special” figures been hoarded very early on. Same with Amiibo. Only those there were pushed out as limited, are limited. The others are 13 in a dozen.