Grading autographed games

[SilentMonkee | 16]

Can anyone tell me what happen if I send in autographed games to Wata for grading?  Would it negatively impact the grade?  I have a couple sealed Working Designs games that were autographed by Victor Ireland, I don't want to bother sending them in if they are going to get bad grades.

[DefaultGen | 5,405]

They ignore autographs in terms of grading but don't authenticate them.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Why would they ignore them? It's technically a flaw, should be graded as such.

[jonebone | 1,307]

You need to have the autos verified by a third party grader like PSA.  Then they will be ignored and not treated as damage.

[SilentMonkee | 16]

He's not exactly a celebrity PSA authenticate, or anyone would pretend to be.  I do have email from ebay that shows I brought the item from Victor Ireland @ Redding where Working Designs located.  I have email from him stating that he signed the following games, and have shipped the games to me.  I am not trying to get value out of the auto, I am just hoping to not have it treated as damage, I wouldn't bother grading them if they are going to be treated as damage to be honest.

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

I honestly suggest that you email CAS before you submit these to Wata first.

The difference between the two is that you can choose to not have them graded (-$2.50) with CAS, and also get both free photos and a certificate of authenticity. Where as you have to pay an additional $12.50 for their acrylic upgrade, which is free with Wata. Which is something I always recommend just because it'll become one less thing to worry about. Plus they will say that they have a 30-60 day turnaround, with things currently averaging around 30-40 days.

In the end you'd be paying $49.95 (per game) before any upgrades, downgrades, and insurance. Maybe a bit more for the Sega Saturn game, but that should not be too much more.

As for authentication, seeing if they will treat it as damage, etc., they can give you all the details on those things. And will generally get back to you within 24 hours (for the most part). Just note, however, they do not do the whole "Mint" (etc.) bit on their labels. And unless you ask for them to do custom work, the labels will be on the inside.

Despite that, here is their email address: info@collectorarchive.com

And for the record, I am not an official sponsor. Nor am I trying to take business away from their rivals. I am currently trying them out as an option (as I collect sealed import games), and think they are also a good option for your case. 

[SilentMonkee | 16]

Thank you for the info FenrirZero. 

I sent in the same questions to Wata, got a response back that I should submit my games with my paper documents, if they can use that info to authenticate the autograph they would.  Otherwise they will just ignore the signature, it won't be treated as damage.  So I got what I needed.  Problem solved!

[fcgamer | 4,723]

Could someone please explain to me why autographs shouldn't be viewed as damage, in this sort of situation (i.e. grading)?

[Gloves | 11,779]

1 hour ago, fcgamer said:

Could someone please explain to me why autographs shouldn't be viewed as damage, in this sort of situation (i.e. grading)?

For some reason stickers also don't seem to impact grade as much as I'd thought they would (if at all). 

[SilentMonkee | 16]

21 hours ago, fcgamer said:

Could someone please explain to me why autographs shouldn't be viewed as damage, in this sort of situation (i.e. grading)?

Maybe because the autograph is on the shrink warp not the actual game.

[kell | 102]

22 hours ago, fcgamer said:

Could someone please explain to me why autographs shouldn't be viewed as damage, in this sort of situation (i.e. grading)?

I would argue that the right signature enhancing the game, and does not detract from it. For example, I’d love an MTPO with his sig.

Edited April 1, 2021 by kell

[fcgamer | 4,723]

9 minutes ago, kell said:

I would argue that the right signature enhancing the game, and does not detract from it. For example, I’d love a MTPO with his sig.

I personally feel the same way; however, it still is and should be viewed as damage in this context.

If I drew dicks on the faces of the people on a shrink-wrapped game, it would be considered damage whether I felt it enhanced the item or not.

[kell | 102]

11 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

I personally feel the same way; however, it still is and should be viewed as damage in this context.

If I drew dicks on the faces of the people on a shrink-wrapped game, it would be considered damage whether I felt it enhanced the item or not.

Depends on how could of an artist you are.

How do other grading collectibles view autographs? (cards, comics, etc.)

 

[tidaldreams | 654]

I remember when he was selling these. He would advertise on his ebay listings that the buyer would have a choice of getting it signed by a world-famous director (or something along those lines), but would never say who it was. I was thinking about buying a Lunar 2, but they were quite expensive even back then. This was 10+ years ago I believe.