Mike Baker (MBA Diamond) is now doing RCR

DKsportscardsWI · 05-17-2021, 08:57 AM

I was just at the Wisconsin Dells card show this weekend and Mike Baker was there doing his MBA Diamond grading of graded cards. But he also rolled out his RCR grading service this weekend, so I gave him about 50 cards to try out. I was very happy with the service. Excited to have another person with that much grading experience (ex-grader at PSA) give me heads up on projected grades which I used to to with BGS. Here’s a picture of what I had done this weekend to test the waters

DKsportscardsWI · 05-17-2021, 09:02 AM

The picture did not attach. here it is

DKsportscardsWI · 05-17-2021, 09:04 AM

here is a bigger photo

theleica · 05-17-2021, 09:23 AM

What is the point?

Do you send these RCRs as is to PSA, BGS, SGC, etc?

Or are you using these RCRs to sell the cards then the potential buyer sends them as is to a grading company?

discodanman45 · 05-17-2021, 09:33 AM

Did he grade all 50 cards Gem Mint 10?

airforce21one · 05-17-2021, 09:34 AM

Is this something you do before sending them to a legit grading service?

DKsportscardsWI · 05-17-2021, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theleica

What is the point?

Do you send these RCRs as is to PSA, BGS, SGC, etc?

Or are you using these RCRs to sell the cards then the potential buyer sends them as is to a grading company?

People view the RCR process differently. I see it as a way to get another ex-grader's opinion on condition. Will every 10 get a 10, heck no. But will it help weed out some cards that I missed a flaw on, absolutely! Every card that he sees a flaw on that i missed, saves me $50 in grading fees.

Some i will sell as is, some i will hold for grading. this was literally the 1st weekend he has been doing this, so there is no increased value from raw to RCR 10 yet. Maybe if this becomes more popular, it might garner more value than raw.

DKsportscardsWI · 05-17-2021, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by discodanman45

Did he grade all 50 cards Gem Mint 10?

I got about a dozen 9s and two 8's or under. The rest 10'd. But i took from my grade pile so they were all decent shape. but it saved me the future grading fees of those 14 9's or less at the very least.

DKsportscardsWI · 05-17-2021, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by airforce21one

Is this something you do before sending them to a legit grading service?

you dont need to, but just like the BGS RCR service, it is a pre-look at cards before grading to give you a better idea of the grade. Basically, you are paying $10-15 per card for them to tell you if something is worth sending in.

discodanman45 · 05-17-2021, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKsportscardsWI

I got about a dozen 9s and two 8's or under. The rest 10'd. But i took from my grade pile so they were all decent shape. but it saved me the future grading fees of those 14 9's or less at the very least.

Do they have a grading rubric that they use? A grade to me is useless unless they have objective standards on how they are grading. If they gave you a pamphlet with this information I would love to see how they grade the card.

DKsportscardsWI · 05-17-2021, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by discodanman45

Do they have a grading rubric that they use? A grade to me is useless unless they have objective standards on how they are grading. If they gave you a pamphlet with this information I would love to see how they grade the card.

https://www.mbadiamond.com/grading/procedures

he was an ex-psa grader, so he uses basically the same style of grading they do...or used to do; PSA has been a lot firmer lately, so who knows on accuracy currently without sending these in.

When the cards were given an 8 or less, he did give me a little sticker on the back explaining why i received the grade i did and what was wrong with it.

discodanman45 · 05-17-2021, 10:20 AM

For a grading company they need an objective scale IMO to be taken seriously.

I think a great option would be for a company to tell you what grading company to use. They can use the standards of BGS, CSG, PSA, and SGC and tell you how to maximize your grade. Perfect corners send to PSA. Great centering and surface send to CSG. This would be very valuable to people trying to maximize their grading experience.

DKsportscardsWI · 05-17-2021, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by discodanman45

For a grading company they need an objective scale IMO to be taken seriously.

I think a great option would be for a company to tell you what grading company to use. They can use the standards of BGS, CSG, PSA, and SGC and tell you how to maximize your grade. Perfect corners send to PSA. Great centering and surface send to CSG. This would be very valuable to people trying to maximize their grading experience.

https://www.mbadiamond.com/grading/standards

discodanman45 · 05-17-2021, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKsportscardsWI

https://www.mbadiamond.com/grading/standards

I saw that, but those are their cert standards. For their grading company they need a scale for what is a Gem Mint 10 for them. That scale would work if they graded the card and put a sticker on it as well to clarify a Black diamond, Silver, or gold. That objective scale only talks about corners and centering. Did they grade on print defects, surface, or edges?

dunkindutchmen · 05-17-2021, 11:31 AM

Mike Baker is a douche cake and a half.

panamamyers · 05-17-2021, 11:36 AM

If you paid them 10 bucks each that's $500. He told you not to send in 14 of them, so that might save you $500 in the future to not send those in.
I am not seeing the huge benefit unless he charges less than $5 per card.
Even then, what if he's 90% correct and 4 of the 36 cards he reviewed as 10 come back as 9 and 2 of the ones he gave a 9 really are 10s....
I don't know.
I am not seeing the benefit.

discodanman45 · 05-17-2021, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunkindutchmen

Mike Baker is a douche cake and a half.

Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel!

IMO it is a useless service because I use my own eye appeal to distinguish between slabs and don't need someone else helping me with this. I am also very good at determining grades without a consultation service, but my vision is starting to go on me...

However, it seems like the OP definitely liked the service and felt it was worth the money to them. That is what is important. People do pay more money for BGS reviewed cards and I am sure someone out there on eBay would now pay a premium for that reviewed card.

DKsportscardsWI · 05-17-2021, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by discodanman45

Don't hold back, tell us how you really feel!

IMO it is a useless service because I use my own eye appeal to distinguish between slabs and don't need someone else helping me with this. I am also very good at determining grades without a consultation service, but my vision is starting to go on me...

However, it seems like the OP definitely liked the service and felt it was worth the money to them. That is what is important. People do pay more money for BGS reviewed cards and I am sure someone out there on eBay would now pay a premium for that reviewed card.

Thanks. That was exactly my thought. I would rather risk a "little bit" right now to be on the very front of this RCR if it becomes popular than waiting until it goes nuts. If it becomes popular like BGS RCR and get a mini premium, then i come out way ahead.

SupermanBrandon · 05-17-2021, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunkindutchmen

Mike Baker is a douche cake and a half.

This is the only posts in the thread that matters! Read it. Study it. Follow it. Live by it.

DKsportscardsWI · 05-17-2021, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by panamamyers

If you paid them 10 bucks each that's $500. He told you not to send in 14 of them, so that might save you $500 in the future to not send those in.
I am not seeing the huge benefit unless he charges less than $5 per card.
Even then, what if he's 90% correct and 4 of the 36 cards he reviewed as 10 come back as 9 and 2 of the ones he gave a 9 really are 10s....
I don't know.
I am not seeing the benefit.

I mean, I hear you, but the math is actually better than that.

Assuming at no point in the future will i get a premium on those RCR...$500 to RCR 50...14 not sending in...PSA is rumored to be $50 per card by next year...that would save me $700...if it's just the $25 per card that's $350 plus shipping, handling, insurance, time to waiting the year to get them back to be able to move them...

did i waste money? maybe, but if he is right and has a good success rate for predicting, then i would spend $10 over and over again if i'm not 100% sure about a card.

Clark · 05-17-2021, 01:46 PM

Quote:

2) Measurement:

Cards will be scanned & recorded
Measurement tolerates must be with in 1/100th of inch * All factory measurements & tolerance are available at Card Measurements

I have never seen factory documentation specifying card size and variances. Where does he get his factory specs?

discodanman45 · 05-17-2021, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKsportscardsWI

did i waste money? maybe, but if he is right and has a good success rate for predicting, then i would spend $10 over and over again if i'm not 100% sure about a card.

If you didn't know Mike Baker, who was the original director of grading for PSA I believe, has a checkered past in the grading community. To make it short he became the lead grader of GAI that was started by Steve Rocchi. Steve Rocchi afterwards started GFA (Guaranteed Forensic Authenticators) which is a questionable service at best. You can google his name and see some red flags. Under GAI and Mike Baker, trimmed cards were constantly being graded. Was it intentional or not? What I can tell you is that GAI (Global Authentication Inc.) tried to go bankrupt and then they started a new company called... GAI

Global Authority Inc.

panamamyers · 05-17-2021, 01:56 PM

How much was his review?
Was that established?

Orangejello727 · 05-17-2021, 01:59 PM

I watched the slabstox Youtube video for the Dells show. He charged $60 per card for review. Nuts

Clark · 05-17-2021, 02:26 PM

I think I am going to start my own company, Clark's Platinum Review. I will regrade the regrader, who grades the grading company. lol

$50 a card.

05-17-2021, 08:57 AM	#1
DKsportscardsWI Member Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 395	Mike Baker (MBA Diamond) is now doing RCR I was just at the Wisconsin Dells card show this weekend and Mike Baker was there doing his MBA Diamond grading of graded cards. But he also rolled out his RCR grading service this weekend, so I gave him about 50 cards to try out. I was very happy with the service. Excited to have another person with that much grading experience (ex-grader at PSA) give me heads up on projected grades which I used to to with BGS. Here’s a picture of what I had done this weekend to test the waters

05-17-2021, 09:33 AM	#5
discodanman45 Member Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: CA Posts: 9,934 danch27	Did he grade all 50 cards Gem Mint 10? __________________ Always looking for rarer Rik Smits cards and cards from the 2014-15 Spectra Global Icons set. Send me a message!

05-17-2021, 10:20 AM	#12
discodanman45 Member Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: CA Posts: 9,934 danch27	For a grading company they need an objective scale IMO to be taken seriously. I think a great option would be for a company to tell you what grading company to use. They can use the standards of BGS, CSG, PSA, and SGC and tell you how to maximize your grade. Perfect corners send to PSA. Great centering and surface send to CSG. This would be very valuable to people trying to maximize their grading experience. __________________ Always looking for rarer Rik Smits cards and cards from the 2014-15 Spectra Global Icons set. Send me a message!

05-17-2021, 09:23 AM	#4
theleica Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Posts: 4,381	What is the point? Do you send these RCRs as is to PSA, BGS, SGC, etc? Or are you using these RCRs to sell the cards then the potential buyer sends them as is to a grading company?

05-17-2021, 09:34 AM	#6
airforce21one Member Join Date: Sep 2020 Posts: 174	Is this something you do before sending them to a legit grading service?

05-17-2021, 11:31 AM	#15
dunkindutchmen Member Join Date: Sep 2020 Posts: 1,003	Mike Baker is a douche cake and a half.

05-17-2021, 11:36 AM	#16
panamamyers Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,899 panamamyers panamamyers	If you paid them 10 bucks each that's $500. He told you not to send in 14 of them, so that might save you $500 in the future to not send those in. I am not seeing the huge benefit unless he charges less than $5 per card. Even then, what if he's 90% correct and 4 of the 36 cards he reviewed as 10 come back as 9 and 2 of the ones he gave a 9 really are 10s.... I don't know. I am not seeing the benefit.

05-17-2021, 01:56 PM	#23
panamamyers Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,899 panamamyers panamamyers	How much was his review? Was that established?

05-17-2021, 01:59 PM	#24
Orangejello727 Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 19,096	I watched the slabstox Youtube video for the Dells show. He charged $60 per card for review. Nuts

05-17-2021, 02:26 PM	#25
Clark Member Join Date: Oct 2019 Location: Canuckistan, Great White North Posts: 1,009	I think I am going to start my own company, Clark's Platinum Review. I will regrade the regrader, who grades the grading company. lol $50 a card.