Can the AUT grade ever work in the raw collector's favor?

discuss.

From what I have seen lately, the opposite of my belief is holding true with prices on Authentic cards. Nice looking "Authentic" cards are outselling their lower grade counterparts.

I have always preferred a lower grade card over one that has been trimmed or had color added. However, it seems others would rather have the nice trimmed card it seems. When I sold a couple of my Jacksons on eBay, the trimmed SGC "Authentic" outsold a GAI 1.5 that had two holes in it by $3k! The trimmed Jackson was trimmed on all four sides and I paid just a tad more for it than the 1.5 (which should have been a 1 - Poor). While the two cards were in my collection, I liked the lower graded example much better than the trimmed card.

I think the Authentic grade CAN help raw collectors in one way - sometimes one can obtain a NM/MT looking trimmed card for a fraction of the price of a PSA 8 or SGC 88. So, if a raw collector is simply putting a set together for its "looks", this is definitely an advantage I believe.

Again, I am OLD SCHOOL :farao: - I would rather have the nice unaltered example with rounded corners!

When i had my square frame graded i had a choice of taking the small piece of tape off the back or just leaving it there. Its tough to see but someone put it there to stop the corner from creasing more or to keep the corner on.

Well i thought, if i take it off and the corner comes with it then i won't have a complete card. So i just left it as is and got a SGC A grade which it does not bother me because i just wanted to keep the card safe. It looks better with the corner on.

Mark

scott elkins wrote:I think the Authentic grade CAN help raw collectors in one way - sometimes one can obtain a NM/MT looking trimmed card for a fraction of the price of a PSA 8 or SGC 88. So, if a raw collector is simply putting a set together for its "looks", this is definitely an advantage I believe.

This is kind of what I was getting at. I guess it boils down to whether you'd prefer a beater SGC 10/PSA 1 or an AUT that looks nrmt but has had 1/16 of an inch taken off a border. Often they are similarly priced, and many times, the beater will sell for much more $ than the AUT. If you're cracking it out anyways, the designation on the slab doesn't mean as much to the raw collector (as long as one remains honest if/when one decides to sell)

The extent of the alteration really matters though. I'd much prefer a nrmt looking AUT card with one slightly trimmed border over a SGC 10 that has been beat past all recognition. But for me, the same cannot be said for an AUT that has been bleached, stretched, and the corners rebuilt.

The grading companies are only suppose to grade authentic cards that have been trimmed or had color added (ie: a chip colored in to make it look like there is no chip on the card). Bleaching, stretching, adding paper, etc. are SUPPOSE to be alterations that make a card NOT eligible for an authentic grade. I do know people get these cards in Authentic holders however (and some even graded holders). However, these alterations should make a card ungradeable (even no authentic grade).

collecting lower grades now i can chime in a bit here.

i'm more accepting of Aut cards more than ever, but still draw the line at trimming. I have levels of tolerance for different types of alterations. i would place the value of A cards between hi-end psa/sgc 1s and real beaters. so i'd prefer an sgc20 over a trimmed/bleached/color added/etc over a real beater i.e. hole punches/big chunk missing/massive paper loss.

cccc wrote:... a real beater i.e. hole punches/big chunk missing/massive paper loss.

hey now, those are my cards you are talking about

Jay

An Authentic grade always works in the raw collector's favor because his raw card may not be altered, but the Aut one always is.

Looking at the cards which Jay dispolayed:
some are altered,
others are damaged,
some may be both, while others neither (I interpret "cancelled", "stamped", etc. as wear).

How do you rank the desireability of each?