These are the audio tracks from Sports Cards Live (on YouTube). Host and lifelong collector Jeremy Lee is joined by passionate collectors, industry insiders, hobbypreneurs, content creators to educate, inform, entertain, and inspire hobbyists of all genres and experience. Sports Cards Live is an interactive livestream video podcast where you are part of the show as your comments and questions are in play.
All content for Sports Cards Live is the property of Cloud10 and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
These are the audio tracks from Sports Cards Live (on YouTube). Host and lifelong collector Jeremy Lee is joined by passionate collectors, industry insiders, hobbypreneurs, content creators to educate, inform, entertain, and inspire hobbyists of all genres and experience. Sports Cards Live is an interactive livestream video podcast where you are part of the show as your comments and questions are in play.
Grading Isn’t a Scam… It’s a Sham + Pop Reports Are Fake News + The “Insurance Premium” You Pay for Someone Else
Sports Cards Live
40 minutes
1 week ago
Grading Isn’t a Scam… It’s a Sham + Pop Reports Are Fake News + The “Insurance Premium” You Pay for Someone Else
Part 3 is where the conversation takes a sharp turn into the mechanics of power.
We start with Josh asking the uncomfortable question: if PSA can decertify slabs selectively, what happens when they own Beckett too? From there, it spirals into the real stuff collectors argue about behind the scenes but rarely say out loud.
This episode is part hobby debate, part reality check, and part rant. It also includes one of the most memorable analogies of the entire emergency stream: PSA upcharges as “insurance premiums” paid by someone else.
Highlights in Part 3 include:
The decertification question: what PSA can do, what they won’t do, and why it matters
The real concern: what happens to Beckett slabs if the brand is sunsetted
Why job cuts at Beckett are basically guaranteed if Collectors is building toward an IPO
Will submissions slow down, or does demand stay bulletproof no matter what happens
A blunt take on phantom POPs, resubmissions, and why pop reports mislead collectors
The PSA upcharge rant: who pays, who benefits, and why the buyer wins
Whether standardization in grading would help collectors or expose the whole system
Registry culture, resale pressure, and why many collectors chase holders over cards
The future question: machine-driven grading, consistency, and what it could do to premiums
The Black Label premium debate and why some buyers pay like the number is the card
The punchline: grading isn’t a scam, but it can still be a sham
Part 3 is where the episode stops being about “PSA bought Beckett” and becomes a broader argument about what grading has turned the hobby into.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sports Cards Live
These are the audio tracks from Sports Cards Live (on YouTube). Host and lifelong collector Jeremy Lee is joined by passionate collectors, industry insiders, hobbypreneurs, content creators to educate, inform, entertain, and inspire hobbyists of all genres and experience. Sports Cards Live is an interactive livestream video podcast where you are part of the show as your comments and questions are in play.