Has anyone heard of the Mint Card Grading Company

[leafer70]

I'm fairly certain (as one poster already mentioned) MNT was born out of 1 or more former employees of C&C (not Brad) and I'm sure they have some kind of arrangement regarding referrals but this should not be seen as a detraction. As far as I'm concerned, it's one of the bigger card stores in the hobby trying to promote and grow another Canadian company in the hobby, which I'm all for! As for MNT being run out of someone's "basement", I can assure you that is not the case. They have a unit in a commercial space which I have driven by on several occasions, being from the nearby area. Their grading is tough but fair and their slabs are of very good quality. I know most dealers still prefer BGS and PSA for resale purposes purely on reputation but given time, I don't see any reason why MNT can't get there, especially if more collectors give them a shot. Can't really beat their rates/shipping costs/turnaround times right now.

[doniceage]

I would say it goes more than just a referral. As people have posted here on SCF that CNC would give out free grading coupons. I would say that more than a referral. If you want you can look at this quote here and the link:

I received 2x MNT grading coupons from a couple group breaks

https://www.sportscardforum.com/thre...-Grading-Cards

As you said there no problem two businesses helping each other out. Of course if this so called business took some cards to get graded do you think they would get the same grade as you and I?


DON

[leafer70]

I would say it goes more than just a referral. As people have posted here on SCF that CNC would give out free grading coupons. I would say that more than a referral. If you want you can look at this quote here and the link:


https://www.sportscardforum.com/thre...-Grading-Cards

As you said there no problem two businesses helping each other out. Of course if this so called business took some cards to get graded do you think they would get the same grade as you and I?


DON

Call me naive but I absolutely believe they would get the same grade. As a company that is trying to get their foot in the door, I don't believe for a second they would risk their reputation by giving preferential grading. I've also received free MNT grading coupons as either a prize or promotion and again, I see that as nothing more than trying to boost a new company. The more grading submissions they receive, the more slabs that will hit the market. And the more slabs that hit the market, the more recognizable and trustworthy the brand becomes. At the end of the day, everyone is free to grade cards where they want but it couldn't hurt to offer the consumer another choice instead of 1 or 2 companies having a monopoly.

[doniceage]

Call me naive but I absolutely believe they would get the same grade. As a company that is trying to get their foot in the door, I don't believe for a second they would risk their reputation by giving preferential grading. I've also received free MNT grading coupons as either a prize or promotion and again, I see that as nothing more than trying to boost a new company. The more grading submissions they receive, the more slabs that will hit the market. And the more slabs that hit the market, the more recognizable and trustworthy the brand becomes. At the end of the day, everyone is free to grade cards where they want but it couldn't hurt to offer the consumer another choice instead of 1 or 2 companies having a monopoly.

Being naive is when we are consumers think that every company appreciates every consumer the same way. Sorry that not the way it works in the real world nor the collectible industry. I mean you do not see CNC offering other free grading vouchers from other starts up do you? The bigger fish always gets a better deal be it grading, blogging, case breaking, etc. If you do not believe that then we can agree to disagree I just seen too many deals go down in the industry to believe otherwise.

In conclusion as you say people can grade the cards wherever they wish but most will go where the dollars are sale wise ((flippers on ebay). If PSA and BGS get the biggest dollars that will be where the folks take their money and cards to get graded.

You mention only one or two companies but there are plenty out there that I would put ahead of MNT (KSA, SGC) as they been around for many years. Yet, there are other gradings out there so let say there is other options out there not just MNT to the 1 or 2 companies you refer too.

p.s. I am sure there is a video out there if they would get the same grade and many diligent collectors have sent cards in over and over to showcase the facts how close the grading standards are or not. As they send in to get graded by company one then off to company x,y,z, and so forth showing the standards in grading. That would be the best evidence to show how fair a company is in grading compared to the so called other grading companies better than you or I saying it with words that they are fair or not.


DON

[leafer70]

Don, I'm not necessarily disagreeing with anything you've said. All I'm saying is that as a Canadian resident, I would love to see a Canadian company succeed - especially within the hobby that I love. And I will give this new-ish company the benefit of the doubt until they prove me otherwise. BGS and PSA have been rocked by recent scandals of card trimming, insider grading privileges etc., but has that caused consumers to go elsewhere? Not really. (there's a really good video on this here:

Like you said (and like I said in an earlier post), consumers will go where the best resale value lies and right now that's BGS and PSA. I know this all too well from going to local card shows on almost a weekly basis and talking to vendors at length about this. Heck, they'll buy BGS graded 9 cards at a lower cost, crack the slab and then send the card to PSA because they know they'll get a 10 and be able to flip the card for a bigger profit.

So if there's collectors out there (like me) who like to get the odd card slabbed in order to protect it and/or display it, then I think MNT is a nice alternative. And hopefully one day, they'll be right up there with the big boys in terms of recognition and value. Time will tell

[Joan P]

Don’t forget about GMA , very strict grading and 3.50 per card


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[doniceage]

@Leafer,
How come no love for KSA? Are they not owned by Canadians and offer a option just like MNT? I love giving them all praise if they fit the criteria unless there something I do not know about them then feel free to point out their flaw. As you say I seen many of the folks north of the border do this company with some nice Gretzky rc's to boot. So to me this company would seem in a. position to get some hobby love before MNT due to their tenure in the hobby longevity wise.

I have no love of grading as I have only had one card graded and it is sitting in my pc and will not be going anywhere anytime soon.

I know about the Scandals but the thing is I doubt many card companies would catch any of this stuff. I been on the show circuit since the 80's just attending shows all over and talking to players that have come and go. I believe no card company or grading companies truly cares about protecting the market imo.

If so all grading companies would catalog their patches like Gomez did with The Cup from UD. Anytime someone put one up the collectors were all over it if it had been switched out. If this would be done by the companies and put on a database to prevent fraud how much safer would the hobby be.
Grading companies have know about trimmed cards for so long but they have never come up with a criteria to detect it and put it in place while grading. Why, I ask because they do not care. There is a easy fix if they truly wanted to it just not something they care about to protect their rep. Until a new player comes into the market weighing a trimmed card, measuring the thickness, or some other way I doubt they will catch fakes either.
Cases are not uncrackable so lower graded cards can be slipped into a graded case of a higher card. There has to be a way to prevent this. Why not do something to prevent it from ever happening again.


In the end if you like a company for your PC Card go for it. As I am not going to steer you in any direction but show alternatives unless your company is better. I am all open to listening to video's about them catching fakes or even how tough their reviews are. I yet to see any video's of them having anything resubmitted by psa, bgs, etc. So there no evident to support your claim imo. If it is feel free to share how they grade to other car companies. I will watch those video's all day.

DON

[doniceage]

Don’t forget about GMA , very strict grading and 3.50 per card


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You know what is best about them is this:

Custom Sports Card Grading
You submit your cards to GMA Grading and we do the work for you. You grade your own cards and we create a logo for your company for your label. We do all the labeling for you in-house with your grades and your information on the label. This can include serial numbers, a website, card details, and grade. Because the company is yours, you will decide the grading scale that you prefer. To get started you will need to take the following steps.

Decide on a company name or logo design. (We can help you design a logo)
Once you have decided email or call us and we can email you a form to fill out for grading details.
Fill out the Excel file and send in your cards.
The minimum initial order is 500 cards. Each additional order after that has a 100 card minimum.
Pricing is $2.50 per card plus the return shipping fees. Jersey cards are $4.00 plus the return shipping fees.
Orders are normally processed within 7 business days from the day they are received.
GMA is in no way affiliated with your company or your grading standards.
If you have any questions please feel free to call. (813)926-6263 or email us at [email protected]


Wow, now anyone can start their own grading company. Talk about a company willing to do something I never seen.
@Joan P

[Joan P]

You know what is best about them is this:

Custom Sports Card Grading
You submit your cards to GMA Grading and we do the work for you. You grade your own cards and we create a logo for your company for your label. We do all the labeling for you in-house with your grades and your information on the label. This can include serial numbers, a website, card details, and grade. Because the company is yours, you will decide the grading scale that you prefer. To get started you will need to take the following steps.

Decide on a company name or logo design. (We can help you design a logo)
Once you have decided email or call us and we can email you a form to fill out for grading details.
Fill out the Excel file and send in your cards.
The minimum initial order is 500 cards. Each additional order after that has a 100 card minimum.
Pricing is $2.50 per card plus the return shipping fees. Jersey cards are $4.00 plus the return shipping fees.
Orders are normally processed within 7 business days from the day they are received.
GMA is in no way affiliated with your company or your grading standards.
If you have any questions please feel free to call. (813)926-6263 or email us at [email protected]


Wow, now anyone can start their own grading company. Talk about a company willing to do something I never seen.
@Joan P

I knew they had some crazy program like that but those cards come with a different label then the cards most people send in to get graded


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[leafer70]

I appreciate your insight Don. You've been around this game longer than I have and I value all the information I can gather from people like yourself so I too can make informed decisions going forward. To the OP's initial concerns, I just wanted to ensure them that MNT's slabs look very nice having seen them first hand and that the company has a legit storefront.

I have no issue with KSA either. But from what I've seen & heard, they can be overly generous with their grades thus leading to a lack of confidence with their resale value. I believe this is where MNT is trying to counter - by offering a stricter grading practice and so if you do receive a 9.5 or 10, you truly have something special.