This is another thing I find interesting about the card market…it seems like the pricing is all over the place.    When I was a kid, all of these cards basically had only two values - the ‘mint’ valu

This is another thing I find interesting about the card market…it seems like the pricing is all over the place. 
 
When I was a kid, all of these cards basically had only two values - the ‘mint’ value, and the ‘not mint’ value...these prices were determined by a set of shops that were in partnership with the main price guide, which was Beckett. Back then, people used Beckett like it was the bible...it was simple.  
 
And then when the internet became more widespread, grading was introduced. I don’t know *who introduced grading, but I think it was Beckett (they were already printing the sports card bible(s) and had a LOYAL following), but grading changed the game forever. Whoever it was - they started tracking cards and their quantities through a registry and basically built a brand new market on top of an existing market...at this point, it wasn’t enough to just own a card, you had to have a GEM MINT 10. Grading (and it’s subsequent registry) contextualized everything...who knew there’d be roughly 7 million Griffey Jr. Upper Deck Rookie Cards? And who cares if you don’t have a 10/10? 
 
If you look at eBay and you’re looking for a specific card...this is what happens. You’ll see the same NON-GRADED card - selling in some kind of massive range. In this case - $7,500 to $300? Obviously, grading comes into play - but NEITHER of these cards have been graded...they’re ‘’raw’. How is it that ‘raw’ cards sometimes go for more than ‘graded’ cards...and why is it that most modern cards are pretty much worth more ‘raw’ than if they are a grade 8 or below?  
 
All of this to say...this is why I created the first sneaker grading platform…when are y’all gonna realize EVEN DEADSTOCK shoes aren’t perfect 10/10’s?  
 
Could you imagine looking for the newest pair of whatever and the price range starts at $300 and ends at $7.5k?  Wild.
 
#Kobe #kobebryant #mambaday #tss824pack #824pack #retrocards #tradingcards #shoecards #sneakercards #sportscards #whodoyoucollect #igsneakercommunity #sneakers #sneakerhead #sneakerheads #sneakeroftheday #igkicks #sneakerfiend #igsneakerheads #sneakerheat #hypebeast #kickstagram #kotd #niketalk #nt #ntdenim #thesneakersavant