What Is Action Figure Grading And How Does It Work? EP 02

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

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[@scotthildebrand3148]

One thing for sure you should do is when having something graded is go for the upgrade. It's beyond me why anyone would have an item graded and not use the UV protective case. You're going through the same time and trouble, just pay a little bit more to have it in a premium case. It'll increase the value even more by doing that.

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

That’s a good point and I have gotten the extra protection on figures that fade or yellow easy and bubbles/windows that do the same. Excellent point

[@jasonpena2000]

still adding value to new collectors. thanks

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Thank YOU Jason for the kind words and for taking the time to watch the videos and leave comments. I really appreciate it and it makes me wanting to keep making vids. MTFBWY

[@geekstrong1]

Great video Joey, I should grade my hollow tubes Tuskin.

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

That would be a GREAT one to grade Deano!

[@UsualmikeTelevision]

Awesome info. Great Episode Joey!!!

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Thanks Mike! Honored to have you watching!

[@Deviax28]

Great video man. Definitely recommend a jewelers loupe. A small magnifying glass to see those tiny marks and paint scuffs. Get with a light and a UV light also helps to see dark spots and if the figure was ever touched up.

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

That’s honestly the best tool, and I need to get one for this run! All the things you mentioned. Super key. Thanks Deviax!

[@alongandlongtimeago]

Great video. Tonne of great info! I’m on a journey to collect the original 96 all graded myself.

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Thats awesome! How far into your journey are you? May the force be with you on your path my friend!

[@alongandlongtimeago]

@@thepadawancollectorofficial we’re documenting it on our channel in the Making the Grade series! Give it a watch if you get a chance! 😁👍🏻

[@MoparMcNeer]

Another "dynamite" episode Joey. I'm really happy that you're doing this run and taking time to fully describe the experience and how it all works. I haven't personally had anything graded so this is of great interest to me, being something I have always wondered about & considered. Looking forward to more episodes in this series. Thanks so much my friend.

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Thanks Mopar! Yes I’m new to it too, so it’s going to be interesting as I make mistakes and navigate through things I don’t know yet

[@MaSkjoKers]

Great video! Can’t wait for the next one!

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Thanks Joker!

[@ems3recombination208]

Great video Joey, really informative thanks!👍

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Thank you for watching EMS3! I’m glad you enjoyed it :)

[@obirobkenobi3599]

Quality as always Joey .

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Thanks Rob! I'm honored to have you watch, my friend!

[@jakinthebox1567]

Very informative, thank you! We've been using our past many episodes to fill our display case with loose vintage, but at the same time, I've sent a bunch of figures to AFA and CAS for grading. Once those figures are returned, we'll open them up in our episodes and see the grades! Can't wait!

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

That’s rad JAK! I’ve been following your new videos focusing on collectors, amazing content!

[@Emperorvalse]

Great video about grading. Full of history and the process. Strange that I didn't receive notification of the video but do for your shorts?🤔

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Yes that is strange? Thank you for watching Emperor!

[@jeffparent3886]

Great video. Very informative

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Thanks Jeff, I’m glad you found it useful. I hope to see you on other videos as well. Thanks for watching my friend and good luck with your grading journey if you choose to do so.

[@MoparMcNeer]

After your episode 1 for this series popped up today, I came back and watched this episode again (for the 3rd time). Definitely lots of great information in here. When I was purchasing vintage Star Wars back in the late '80s and early '90s, and even beyond, the "C" scale was "the" standard. That said, some folks C8 wasn't everyone's C8. Lol. A few eBay sellers back then definitely were loose with their "grading". Hahaha. Thankfully today, with high resolution images, and no image limits (for the most part), along with much greater reference and resource material, this is not nearly as prevalent. I'm considering picking up a few pieces that are either graded or that I can send off for grading. So I am even more invested in this series and looking forward to seeing what you end up adding to your collection.

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Yes the c scale is definitely super subjective even more than a grade scale is. But at least there have been so many data points that we can guesstimate better haha.

[@disrespectify]

I was always against grading, I felt like it tarnished the spirit of collecting. Now that I'm (much) older, I've begun to think about what happens to my collection when I'm no longer around. Without trying to sound morbid, I know my kids/family don't have the sentimental attachment that I do and selling off graded stuff is much easier than non-graded. Another upside to grading guarantees the item/accessory is original which matters to me, since there is so much reproduction in the Star Wars collectible world.

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Those are interesting thoughts David. The heirloom and ease of appraisal is the main reason why I am grading. I know that those items will be for sale when I pass.

[@acrodave9287]

Great overview, Joey! Again, I remain a grading skeptic but only as far as my own collection goes. Mine are of variable quality, the shabbier (but still good quality) are the earliest ones, the first 20 or so, having had some play wear and the quality increasing as the years pass and they are collected, not played with. Are they perfect? No. Are they Wonderful? Hell, yes! Each one has its own memory attached, and to me that's a greater provenance than any grade can give them. No dynamite was used in the composition of this comment.

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

I’m glad no dynamite was used 🙌🏼

[@ReynoldsReviews]

Great info Joey, I’m actually on the fence about grading, I like the concept and idea of grading, but I have my own issues, first of all I feel the turn around time is far too long. It still doesn’t guarantee 100% authenticity, and the score grade is still opinion based, you could get a different score if a different grader graded it. And what if a figure’s condition deteriorates once it’s in acrylic? Then the score is completely irrelevant. Yet I do like the idea of having something graded lol Thanks for the info man great watch 👍

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Hey RR! It’s a super subjective process and subjective as to when grading is good for you and your collection as well. Great points you make, and I’m glad that you can watch this video with your points of view in mind.

[@ReynoldsReviews]

@@thepadawancollectorofficial I genuinely still think I’d send things for grading if the turn around time was better, but the idea of having my items away from me for several months sends me a bit loopy lol

[@veronatragedy7016]

When buying, what threshold do you feel should be the minimum starting point to make it worthwhile? Like do you personally stay away from anything that's not gold if you are looking to buy a graded item, or, do you feel any of the higher end Silver ones are worth it, or should someone just wait and strive to just get Gold ones? Just curious what you personally feel as well as what you think the general consensus of everyone in the community is? I'm going through your entire channels videos learning. I don't know if I will actually ever become a collector like you and others but you make great videos that are easy for me to understand, and I don't know, the more I watch of your journey it kind of makes me think about getting into it too maybe, even if not, I really enjoy just the education of all of this too. The first video I saw of yours I felt totally lost like I didn't understand any of this, but now that I've watched several more of your videos this stuff is actually starting to make a lot more sense. I mean I did not even know what MOC meant before finding your videos haha! I am surprised that you don't have more views and subscribers. I may be incorrect, but your channel is the only channel I have seen that has content this detailed and organized when it comes to vintage star wars items.

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

I set my expectations to 80 graded figures to include in my collection in the past, but lately I have changed that to only want to accept 85 and above in my collection. Thanks for writing this my friend I really enjoyed reading it. I hope to get better and better at making these videos and I do this as a hobby so hopefully one day I can spent more time doing this.

[@lerajie666]

Awesome video. My main issue, with grading, is how can you trust that the toy you send in will be the one you get back? Or if you go through a shop, that they won't switch it out for one of their lower graded ones? I definitely wouldn't ship them only because I heard that they would end up "missing or lost" in the mail. Can you tell there is a theme here? I don't trust people hahaha

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Haha yes I get it! I just hope if they mix up mine it’s with ones that’s better :).

[@emmanuelserrano5477]

I have a QVC applause Star Wars collectors set that has Vader, Han in Stormtrooper armor and Boba all unopened. My question is are those gradable since they came packaged in a bag.

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

You can pretty much grade anything! You should really email them and send a picture in!

[@eddiehizo5682]

Wow Joel where did you came up with all those words you've described in the grading conditions without skiping a beat ( tearing, shuffle, lifting, etc.)?

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Haha I have great memorizing and comprehension skills lol. I almost became a lawyer. That and a teleprompter helps right?

[@37Kilo2]

No. Don't support grading companies. They manipulate the markets, and eventually the value of your favorite toys will plummet once these guys crash the collectable figure market. Speculators crashed the coin market in the 80s, comics in the 90s. Same guys are running the video game grading companies. Screw them.

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Hey Tage! Those are interesting ideals. I will have to research those more to get more clarity. Thanks for the insight my friend!

[@woncarlos7494]

I hope you release your how to cas submit at show video before it’s iccc time

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

For submitting at CAS for shows it’s easy. You show up, bring a figure, and drop it off. Seriously it’s that easy. My episode this Sunday shows you how to submit figures yourself.

[@seansimmons8897]

Can u get a figure graded after it has ben autographed?

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Yes. I got my Ahsoka action figure autographed by Ashley Eckstien then immediately got it verified before I submitted it for grading.

[@seansimmons8897]

@thepadawancollectorofficial ok thank you bc im a big autograph collector and now just starting to learn about grading

[@Miyamoto8Musashi]

I’m looking for you to just tell me how much it costs man… you legit never told me

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Grading action figures has different costs. Even if I say how much it is, the companies change it all the time. So best bet is to choose the figure you want to grade and look it up on the Grading websites. Then choose what type of grade you want, case, and shipping speed. There are so many variables in costs, thats why I just show what goes into it. I can say next time I do a grading episode, but the prices vary so much that its best to look yourself.

[@Miyamoto8Musashi]

@@thepadawancollectorofficial well I came to you because all of those sights and stuff was overwhelming I’m new to this collecting stuff and I’m not looking for the exact price, I’m just looking for a ruff estimate of how much I’d have to pay, cause I don’t even have an idea, idk if it would be 20$ or 100$

[@Miyamoto8Musashi]

@@thepadawancollectorofficial cause I may just not even bother with it entirely if it’s to much money, cause if it’s like 60$ or more I’ll just be like I could legit buy more a complete new figure with that type of price I may still do it for 1 of my prize possession figure tho

[@ScubaDiverPicker]

I prefer opening vintage figures and grading them loose. Not a Moc Fan

[@ScubaDiverPicker]

Collectors who “frown” on other collectors who like to open vintage toys are weird to me. Who cares lol. Collect what you want.

[@troypol343]

I am one of those who does not care.

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment, Troy!

[@acrodave9287]

PS: If anybody 'frowns upon' MY figures, they'll be carrying their jaw home in a bag. Just saying...

[@thepadawancollectorofficial]

😂😂😂😂