This is my favorite card, my “signature card”, and a card I’ve wanted in a premium condition quality for some time.
This card is a difficult grade and many PSA 10s out there have a conspicuous flaw that breaks the illusion of prestige for me, especially when it comes to even borders. I have bought and owned several PSA 10s and have always been disappointed in them, so I have never had a slab of my signature card for very long. Becoming disillusioned with how hard it was to get a PSA 10 of this card, while also having so many of those 10s with noticeable faults, I figured only a “Black Label” card from BGS would be enough to satisfy my brain bugs.
Almost exactly one year ago, I tried to rouse up some interest in getting this card graded through BGS and made this topic. I didn’t expect results from this thread, but thought it might be a fun way to document my attempts at pursuing a high quality grade for my favorite card. But I never really got it off the ground and formally began my BGS campaign because it was so hard to find candidates.
I discussed my goal to grade a black label 10 with many friends and peers and the feedback was unanimous: this may never happen. BGS has never graded a 10 at all, let alone a black label. It would take processing hundreds of cards to potentially get back the mythical grade I’m looking for. Most people said this card could simply not be obtained in this condition. They told me to set my expectations that no such card may even exist.
I set the goal of grading 12 cards a year, aiming for one a month, with no timeline for success. Maybe I would never achieve it, but certainly I was going to be the only one trying.
Enter @cig, our resident madman.
When I asked him if he had ever graded this card and what his results were like, he had this to say:
This was demoralizing. At my ambition of 12 cards a year, it would take me 66 years to submit that many cards. I plan on being dead in 66 years. It became clear to me that I would never be grading this card in the prized condition I wanted. But CIG had gotten close.
Unfortunately for me, the card was already gone. He didn’t have the card anymore to even show me, let alone sell me. But possessed by some old school bizarro energy of collector’s charity, he set out to get it back. He asked me a simple riddle and gave me a 20% discount off my offer price. I don’t even think I got it right.
I do not have this card in a Perfect 10 like I set out to achieve a year ago. I accept that it’s unlikely this card will ever see such a certification. If it ever happens, I hope I can buy that card. But until then, I am happy to settle for the highest grade this card has yet to receive.
I am at peace.