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I think it is time to have a long overdue discussion about the elephant in the room of the bat hobby, John Taube and his grading scale. I would like to know the opinions of other collectors. How much longer do you think it will be acceptable and/or tolerated that one man's opinion essentially dictates the market value for game used bats?
John Taube is an incredibly knowledgeable person when it comes to game used bats. He is one of the true pioneers in bringing structure to the hobby through his authenticating and grading. My personal opinion however, is that the hobby has grown too big for one man too handle. The game used bat hobby has seen tremendous growth over the past decade and even more so over the past five years. John's ability to authenticate bats with access to shipping records was a game changer for the hobby. Prior to the Louisville records becoming public information, it was a complete guessing game as to what was authentic and what was not. Now that the records, for the most part, are public and the internet is what it is today, collectors are more educated than ever.
My problem is with the grading system and it's subjective nature. The PSA/DNA grading system is essentially one man's opinion of a bat as much as they want to argue that their process is as objective as possible. Sure there is Mears, but PSA/DNA is the industry standard. Why should the quality and therefore value of a bat be dictated by a single person?
Not only is John the one grading nearly 90% of the bats in the hobby, he is a buyer, seller and collector himself. If this is not a conflict of interest, I do not know what is.
Every major auction house these days will send bats to John for grading. His "opinion" has an incredible impact on that bat's market value. I'll provide one of many examples later.
John's true value is in the vintage bat market. If I own a vintage bat, John is the guy I would want assessing that bat since he has experience in the vintage market which few can match. When it comes to modern era bats, there are many collectors whose opinion I value just as much, if not more than John's.
The system is broken and needs to be fixed. My question is, when will the hobby speak up and finally do something about it? It seems as though everybody just accepts the severely flawed system for what it is and goes with it or they are too scared to speak their mind in fear of the repercussions their opinions may have when their pieces need to be graded.
One possibility is to use a panel of three "experts" who individually evaluate a bat and the average of their three grades is the number assigned. Obviously this system would provide challenges as well. Would there be enough business to pay three people's salaries? Logistically, I would imagine all three people would have to be in the same location so bats are not being shipped all over the country. The individuals, if at the same location, would have to privately assign their grade and not discuss among themselves what their opinions are.
I attached pics of two graded Tony Gwynn bats. One graded a GU 8.5 and sold in Goldin Auctions for roughly $550. The other bat graded a GU10 and sold in Goldin Auctions for roughly $2,350. Do these bats appear to be three grades apart from one another, if at all? The grades should be flip flopped in my opinion. Not to mention, the signature on the GU10 bat is highly suspect and did not pass PSA/DNA. This further proves how much value the hobby places on a "GU10". This is one of many examples where John's opinion significantly swung the value of a bat one direction or another.
Does paying $175-$300 for a modern era bat to be graded really make any sense? As evidence by the countless "clerical errors" and typos in John's letters, I truly believe he is completely overwhelmed.
I hope the forum moderators recognize this as a healthy discussion for the hobby and let the conversation run despite any business relationships they may have with PSA/DNA. I would love to hear other opinions and suggestions, especially those who are actively involved in higher end bat collecting.
John Taube is an incredibly knowledgeable person when it comes to game used bats. He is one of the true pioneers in bringing structure to the hobby through his authenticating and grading. My personal opinion however, is that the hobby has grown too big for one man too handle. The game used bat hobby has seen tremendous growth over the past decade and even more so over the past five years. John's ability to authenticate bats with access to shipping records was a game changer for the hobby. Prior to the Louisville records becoming public information, it was a complete guessing game as to what was authentic and what was not. Now that the records, for the most part, are public and the internet is what it is today, collectors are more educated than ever.
My problem is with the grading system and it's subjective nature. The PSA/DNA grading system is essentially one man's opinion of a bat as much as they want to argue that their process is as objective as possible. Sure there is Mears, but PSA/DNA is the industry standard. Why should the quality and therefore value of a bat be dictated by a single person?
Not only is John the one grading nearly 90% of the bats in the hobby, he is a buyer, seller and collector himself. If this is not a conflict of interest, I do not know what is.
Every major auction house these days will send bats to John for grading. His "opinion" has an incredible impact on that bat's market value. I'll provide one of many examples later.
John's true value is in the vintage bat market. If I own a vintage bat, John is the guy I would want assessing that bat since he has experience in the vintage market which few can match. When it comes to modern era bats, there are many collectors whose opinion I value just as much, if not more than John's.
The system is broken and needs to be fixed. My question is, when will the hobby speak up and finally do something about it? It seems as though everybody just accepts the severely flawed system for what it is and goes with it or they are too scared to speak their mind in fear of the repercussions their opinions may have when their pieces need to be graded.
One possibility is to use a panel of three "experts" who individually evaluate a bat and the average of their three grades is the number assigned. Obviously this system would provide challenges as well. Would there be enough business to pay three people's salaries? Logistically, I would imagine all three people would have to be in the same location so bats are not being shipped all over the country. The individuals, if at the same location, would have to privately assign their grade and not discuss among themselves what their opinions are.
I attached pics of two graded Tony Gwynn bats. One graded a GU 8.5 and sold in Goldin Auctions for roughly $550. The other bat graded a GU10 and sold in Goldin Auctions for roughly $2,350. Do these bats appear to be three grades apart from one another, if at all? The grades should be flip flopped in my opinion. Not to mention, the signature on the GU10 bat is highly suspect and did not pass PSA/DNA. This further proves how much value the hobby places on a "GU10". This is one of many examples where John's opinion significantly swung the value of a bat one direction or another.
Does paying $175-$300 for a modern era bat to be graded really make any sense? As evidence by the countless "clerical errors" and typos in John's letters, I truly believe he is completely overwhelmed.
I hope the forum moderators recognize this as a healthy discussion for the hobby and let the conversation run despite any business relationships they may have with PSA/DNA. I would love to hear other opinions and suggestions, especially those who are actively involved in higher end bat collecting.
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