they are always like that lol
1 Like
When the market falls out, people will look back thinking āwtf was I doing spending $200 on that LimITEd EDitION graded guardā
4 Likes
Only had it happen once, admittedly. But it was disappointing enough that I started buying the plain black guards. Read in another post here that people spend premiums for ālimited editionā guards and that sounds silly to me. I canāt see myself ever doing that.
1 Like
Idk man itās like buying a character skin in a video game
1 Like
Yes and once you are done playing the game or itās no longer cool, itās just wasted money locked in a virtual world
1 Like
i used to grade there a lot and it was always something when I got a sub back. Chipped, frosted, label issues etc etc
3 Likes
Gotta love the label cocked 15 degrees or so. Probably shifted in shipping, but what a poor design to not have the label fixed in place
1 Like
They can definitely make your favorites cards pop out and provide some UV protection, so Id say its unfair to call them useless/cringe. I have four that iāve gotten through trades (via āill throw in the guard if you can do $xā) and I donāt personally use them.
I am paranoid that over time there will be unnecessary pressure applied to the borders of the slab, which might cause frostings and even cracks! If you arenāt careful or have a really cheap guard, your slabs can be chipped which can kill the value of condition rarity cards.
Below is a clip of a E4 member trying to get a shitty temu guard off his card and you can hear an audible crack
4 Likes
Itās just a money grab to bedazzle cards people like. They have limited edition guard styles going for $100, absurd. You really want to prevent scratching the slab, not protecting it from corner drops.
1 Like
Mostly this one, I have a handful and I like them. I donāt use them for protection as much but rather because I think they do a nice job of aesthetically tying the collectible together. I liken it to putting a bow on a Christmas present: the already nicely wrapped box definitely doesnāt need a bow, itās just an extra touch that looks good while itās sitting under the tree after Santa delivers it!
2 Likes
The Pokemon market always trends towards popularity and uniqueness simultaneously even though they are contradictory ideas. The reason the slab guards do so well is because they let you take an otherwise mundane item and make it more unique.
I think there are a lot of things the forum can be generally overly pessimistic on. I think this is one of them. Thereās nothing wrong with wanting to spice up your display a bit
18 Likes
I am very curious what the shelf life is on these? Usually these kind of products tend to leech plasticizer and get real sticky after two years or so.
3 Likes
+1 for UV protection for cards on display. Mainly use a variety of magnetic cases.
I would switch over to cheaper graded card sleeves if there were any that offered a real amount of UV protection (am not aware of any though - would be interested if there was a good brand that did thatā¦)
3 Likes
What have you been using for your uv protection cases?
Phantom Display looks great but they have been out of stock for ages.
My buddy ordered a bunch of cases and samples from a supplier on Alibaba. He got a UV tester and the latest samples registered 99.9%. He has a few more coming.
Iāll probably get a large batch of those tbh since they are super cheap and quality seems on par
3 Likes
I use SlabGuard Clamshells mainly to protect some of my high-value PSA slabs from UV, since PSA cases arenāt known for great UV resistance (maybe the newer ones are better, idk). There is also a small bonus, which is that they protect the slabs from physical chips (in case an accidental fall happens).
3 Likes
I donāt own any butā¦
The slab is part of the whole thing now, like a frame to a painting. I can imagine most of the art collectors value and protect the frames as well. A slab with scratches is no fun to look at, even if the card is perfectly protected.
3 Likes
Yep. I am comfortable leaving slabs out on my desk or around the house to be handled by me, environmental hazards, and visitors if they have a protector. It would be annoying for my clean slab to pick up noticeable marks that draw my attention.
3 Likes
I currently like one of these generic ones on Amazon the most ( Amazon.com: (10-Pack) SellCCG PSA Slab Case Graded Card Guard PSA, TAG & CGC Metal Magnetic UV Protection Glass Display Bumper Box Protector : Toys & Games ) - primarily because price is decent and it minimizes rattling which really annoys me. Itās also designed in a way that I can use it with a sleeved slab too (yes, yes I lose clarity but sometimes its nice to not have to resleeveā¦). Fits PSA very well, fits CGC a less perfectly but still quite well.
I have a few SlabMags (PSA and CGC ones) but they are expensive and rattle more imo - esp. on the CGC-sized onesā¦
I have a few ARS slab cases that Adorenaline in Osaka makes https://www.instagram.com/ado_renalinemax/. A bit pricier, but not many ARS options and the build-quality is good. I believe they sell a PSA version as well (have not tried yet).
3 Likes
These came in today and Iām a big fan. Ordered another 3 pack. I like the UV protection, clean metal border, strong magnets, and they arenāt so big that I need different holders to display. Thanks for the link!
3 Likes
Glad to hear! (and nice collection!)
2 Likes