I find some of the comments about slabbing perplexing:
"And besides, I like how I frame my lobby cards and window cards and that
doesn't include a half inch thick rectangular slab with bar scans stuck in
plain view."
"Why make it worse by having people obsess over the exact grading of their
items?"
"Slabbing is great for lazy sellers, ignorant sellers, and greedy sellers"
"I, personally, would rather hold that gorgeous 11" x 14" "Laura" lobby card
in my hands, frayed border and all, then something that certainly appears to
be a card, but "I can't get at it"
"Slabbing of cards would mark the turning point from collecting out of a
passion for posters and movies to "investing" solely for financial gain"
>From many of these comments it appears that many people view slabbing is
some kind of permanent casing put on a lobby card that if tampered with it
might explode like a bomb, that collectors shouldn't care about the
condition of items in their collection and perish the thought that any
collector might actually worry about the financial aspect of their hobby.
Here are some truths about slabbing that never seem to get publicized:
1 - A great majority of "X" (fill the blank in here with whatever
collectible you like that gets slabbed) will NEVER be slabbed, and there
won't be any reason to slab them. The same would be true with lobbies - most
lobbies would not ever need to be slabbed nor would there be a desire to
slab them. There are nearly 6000 closed auctions in the USA lobby card
section on eBay right now, yet less than 5% of these are at $99 or more (and
far less than that percentage even have bids).
2 - YOU CAN REMOVE A LOBBY CARD FROM IT'S SLAB!! This might be shocking
news, but the silliest thing I always hear is from the people that want to
touch them, hold them, roll on them naked or whatever they want to do with
their cards. You can still do all these things. If, god forbid, you ever
accidentally end up with a lobby card that has been slabbed, simply crack it
open and free it from it's prison. NO BIG DEAL. In fact there is a whole
thread on the CGC forums (the biggest comic/coin slabbing company) filled
with images of comics that people have purchased and then removed them from
their holders. And yes we are talking comics in the four and five figure
area. But the collectors don't mind spending the money on these books
because they have the 3rd part assurances that they've been accurately
described.
3 - Contrary to popular belief, there is actually benefit to collectors and
not just "greedy sellers" when it comes to slabbing. A restoration check
and an accurate idea of what to actually expect when you get your package.
Despite Freeman's proclamation that he doesn't see that kind of
"skullduggery" from poster sellers, Bruce just recently reported how
disappointed he was when purchasing many posters again on eBay for the first
time in years because of poor packing and GRADING DISCREPENCIES. Yes, it
still exists. Many people either don't know how to grade or don't care too,
and of course one person's Excellent is another person's very good. Why
does this matter? Shouldn't you just be happy owning something so rare as a
movie poster? Yes and no. Yes I really want to own that lobby card or I
wouldn't have purchases it - but shouldn't I be entitled to get one that was
properly described? Perhaps I would not have bid as high/paid as much if
the seller had been honest about the condition. And is Bogart's face on my
Casablanca card just an artist's rendering because it was cut out and just
drawn back in or did it always look that way?
4 - Greedy, ignorant lazy sellers are the ones hurt most by 3rd party
grading. No longer can they "cut corners" and sucker people the way they
used to, now they can't buy items in "good", post a small picture and call
it a "fine" and hope to trap an unsuspecting buyer. Now they can't do a
quick restoration job and try to flip their item as being unrestored.
Slabbing actually served the purpose of driving many of the bad eggs out of
other collectibles markets. (And no, slabbing isn't perfect and their will
always be people who try to find an angle and cheat but it's certainly
better than the check systems we have now).
5 - Some people want to get the very best condition they can afford and get
discouraged when what they bought as an upgrade turns out to be a downgrade
(and at a higher price). I have a Treasure of the Sierra Madre TC I'd like
to upgrade at some point in time, but I've about given up doing it through
online auctions because every time I purchase one it's invariably not as
nice as I was told or there were hidden defects not seen in the (usually too
small) photo. It would be great piece of mind if a seller was able to tell
me "yes it's been graded an 8" so I know that it's better than my "6" or "7"
(or that it was graded a "5" so I know it's not the copy I'm looking for).
Is slabbing the greatest thing since sliced bread? Probably not, but that
doesn't mean it should be "vigorously rejected" out of hand either. It is a
tool that most collectors in hobbies where slabbing exists (be it comics,
coins or cards) never use, but when the need arises they are glad it is
there.
Sean Linkenback
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
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