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PSA Autograph Grading - Legit or Gimmick? Adds value or insignificant?

I have a Marlon Brando Autograph that graded a Gem Mint 10 - This is what PSA states regarding their Autograph Grading Service:

The Overall Approach

As a general reminder, the basis of autograph grading really comes down to the degree of strength and weakness within the signature, with an emphasis on eye-appeal and presentation.

GEM-MT 10: Gem Mint. A PSA Gem Mint 10 autograph is a virtually perfect autograph. Attributes include bold writing with the absence of skipping or retracing by the original signer or otherwise. In addition, the autograph must be strong and clear for that particular signer. For example, if a genuine Mickey Mantle autograph is bold but seems rushed or slightly uncharacteristic in formation (though genuine) it may not receive a Gem Mint 10 grade. A PSA Gem Mint 10 autograph must not only be aesthetically beautiful in terms of placement but it must also be representative of the common/traditional autograph patterns of that person.

Tags: Brando, Marlon, PSA, authentication, autograph, grading

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It's all related back to the "Plastics" comments I made a few weeks ago in the Star Wars thread. The slabbing and grading of everything in the hobby world has become so standard and collectors have been trained to want only the best.

Must have MS70 coins, and Gem Mint 10 cards/comics. It's not for me, but the new collectors have already been brainwashed by the last generation into the hobby.

Your Brando is a nice affordable piece but like PSA said...."  A PSA Gem Mint 10 autograph must not only be aesthetically beautiful in terms of placement but it must also be representative of the common/traditional autograph patterns of that person," how can they grade this piece a 10 if it is signed over and thru the writing on the program?  I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they found that signature aesthetically beautiful in the terms of placement? Really?

Do you know how much the person paid to get the LoA&G? Guess....I'll spare you. $150 for authenticating the Brando and another $50 for grading the autograph. All I can say is wow. Is my Brando worth more now?

You bought the Brando piece as it is, in a major public auction. As long as the title of the auction was without error, like a mispelled name, you have paid the market price.

Your item is worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it.

If no one was willing to pay more for it last week, with all the special grading and COA....why would they this week?  

So that's what a gem mint grading gets you....Haha
Also...don't just relate this to my particular piece...it's just an example.

Look at it this way.....maybe the bidders saw that as a $300 graph and went towards $500 because of all the fancy paperwork?

Ok fair enough. So look back up at the title of the post and answer in yes or no....I think I know your answer :)
Definitely adds value....whether or not it should is another question
Could Action Comics #1 go for 2.3 million on eBay this week if it weren't for the grade it got???? (Which was a 9 by the way).

It went for $3.2m actually and my guess is it certainly didn't go to anyone that is a fan or wants to read it.  It went to an investor that knows they can flip it in 2 or 3 years for $4m+.

Grading doesn't add value if you take the investor out of the market. Collectors used to have to do their own homework and make their own decisions about grading.

All the grading does is make it a safe investment, in the minds of people who are clueless to tell the difference between a high grade comic from 1938 and the numerous reprints issued in the last 75 years.

Hmmmm 2.3 3.2 ya get the point. It definitely meant a lot to those investors for sure. Anyway, I definitely think there are a variety of opinions on this subject. Definitely subjective but new collectors have a whole different set of what adds value than people in the past. Especially when it comes to what criminals have done to the hobby in general.

The Action Comics 1 was purchased by Metropolis Comics in NY. They will get a ton of publicity out of it for a year or two and then flip it. BTW, it was reportedly a slabbed 8.0 previously and pressed to 9.0. So, in my view, an asterisk should be next to the 9.0.

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