Ephemera collecting, raw vs graded - the future?

Hello, it has been awhile since I posted here. I've been quite active on the sports card / memorabilia forums of late. Recently there has been a lot of discussion there about the future of collecting sports cards, photos, and other ephemera in raw condition vs graded condition (PSA, etc.). The reasons why people are buying more graded sports items is rather obvious. But I was just wondering how others feel about this in relation to non- sport ephemera, raw vs graded? For instance, can I assume that most people in the future will only be buying non-sport ephemera, graded by someone like PSA or some other 3rd party grader? Except for maybe lower condition items? As an example, I have some vintage Hollywood photos I've been selling on eBay and I recently had a buyer ask me if I had any that were graded. I get this question often enough when selling sports cards, but rarely when selling non-sports photos, magazines & other ephemera. I am/was mostly a collector of raw ephemera and I sell pieces of my collection as my collecting interests change over the years. The selling helps fund my newer collecting habits. As I get older though, and begin to think about a future of selling a collection, to down size for example, I wonder what it's going to be like to try to sell raw collectibles to a crowd of collectors that want to buy graded items only. And I know the grading companies already charge some enormous grading fees. Anyway, I just thought I'd ask here how other ephemera and photo collectors feel about the future of collecting raw vs graded items? And the future of selling a raw collection when the time comes? Just wondering. Thank you.

 

is there a set of standards to grade photo's and ephemera ?
are there companies that specialize in that sort of thing..?
Comic books , well yes of course....... but other stuff as well?

 

There will have to be set industry standards before I take graded cards seriously. Until the equivalent of a GIA exists, grading doesn't. I already don't touch modern paper "collectibles" with a barge pole.

 

I believe PSA & Beckett will grade photographs for authenticity & condition. The problem with 3rd party grading historically is that there IS NO industry standard (as mentioned above). For instance, PSA grading standards historically have changed over the years, and to this day authenticity/grades given seem to differ depending on the specific employee who graded the item for PSA, and their state of mind during the day/time they graded the item. THAT is what you will often read on the sports card forums. But, that has NOT deterred people from submitting a LOT of cards, photos, etc. to these 3rd party graders anyway. Pokémon cards are a good example right now. Anyway, I believe that people will continue to send a lot of collectibles to 3rd party graders. Thus, I was wondering how that might effect collectors who have collected ephemera before 3rd party graders were even around? Collectors who may eventually want to sell a large share of their collection in a market where most people may be buying mostly items that are graded. In my original example of Hollywood photos, I might choose to have a handful of what I consider to be the best of those photos sent to a 3rd party grader. And it won't be cheap. But what about the majority of the Hollywood photos? 5-10 years from now do you think there will be a ready market for those raw photos? Not trying to be pessimistic, I was just curious to what others think about the future of trying to sell your raw collectibles to a market that has changed from say 20-25 years ago?

 

folks who only buy graded items..... will not be your customers.

 

How about in say 2030? I was just curious about the likelihood that non-sport collectible ephemera would become a much bigger market for authenticity/condition grading? There seems to be a generation of younger consumers who won't buy any sports cards/memorabilia, unless they are graded. It used to be only items in higher grade. But that seems to have changed. Right now I think PSA has stopped grading anything till they can catch up with all the Pokemon & sports cards being submitted. Anyway, perhaps none of this translates to the non-sports market. And maybe the younger generations (or anyone else for that matter) won't want any of the collectables I choose to sell in the future anyway. The world certainly feels like it's changing fast right now. Just to relax the subject, here is a lovely late 19th to early 20th century snapshot photo.

 

kids today have no need of their grand parents stuff.....

exceptions may be for the likes of say...transportation.....as your pic above demonstrates...

 

Perhaps. Here is another snapshot. She certainly seems comfortable around horse and buggies, probably normal during that era. I like her confidence.

 

I like the first one better; it has a cat.

In those days there were no cars, and Our Girl learned how to handle horses rather than depend on a man who drive her around.

 

Yes. Her name is Alma, and she and her husband loved animals. There are many photos in her family album centered around cats & dogs, circa 1895-1915. Very cool to visually see this during an era where I suspect some people weren't always so kind to their pets. Well, maybe their horses