Re: [MOPO] mpgrading

[Todd Spoor]

Sean is also correct in respect to grading, however since there is no way to encapsulate (nor would anyone want this) a poster, which is why we take such a high grade picture of the poster and make it available on our website. The picture acts as a VISUAL RECORD to a prospective buyer of it's condition when it was graded and how it looks at the time of the sale even if it has changed hands 10 times. Right now if you buy a poster from ANY auction site, or dealer for that matter, the grade is only good while it is on the PREMISES. Obviously if it is damaged in transit or torn while opening the package the grade is not longer worth anything. (It is funny that this issue never seems to be thought of when people buy posters under the current system.) Which is another reason why we  will always re-grade a poster for half the original price if the current grade comes into question. The last thing to insure against (or at least address) that the grade is consistent and the poster hasn't been damaged once it has left our site, is our grading system. For instance if a poster has a 1" tear this has been noted in our computer application, if we see this poster again and it is now a 2" tear it would be noted and the grade would be adjusted if it does indeed change. Once again, EVERY SINGLE DEFECT is noted  in our Grading Application.  And we can be also called on the phone and will be happy to discuss the flaws we have on record with a potential customer so that he can check it against what is front of him if the poster isn't sent back to us. So Sean, from this prospective, the grade is as close to being INSURED as possible and I hope you would agree it is surely at least a step better then what is currently available. Hope this helps explain what we are doing. I enjoy the questions and all the positive emails, public and private. Regards Todd Spoor -----Original Message----- From: Sean Linkenback Sent: Oct 11, 2010 2:48 PM To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Subject: Re: [MOPO] mpgrading Adrian, most of the grading services will say that the increased fee for the more expensive item is to handle the increased insurance costs when keeping an item of extraordinary value at their facilities.   My question regarding a Frankenstein one-sheet that the chap in your example has - what is the point in grading a Frankenstein one-sheet?  Is this an item that the six collectors who own one are looking to upgrade if they get a chance, or is there a potential buyer who might be eyeing one but says "ohhhh, your Frankenstein one-sheet is only in 7.0 condition?  Sorry old boy, if it was a 7.5 I'd be a buyer for sure, but I just can't allow one in that condition into my collection so I'll hold out for a nicer one."   I like the concept of authenticating, but grading without some measure to insure the grade is nearly worthless (in my initial thoughts, I will reserve the right to change my mind).  This is why stamps, coins, cards, comics, etc get encapsulated so that there is some degree of preservation of the item in the condition it was graded. If I bring a graded poster to Cinevent, and then you, me, and a couple of other people look at it - there is a good chance that it already is in a different grade than what the certificate/tag says.  Or there would be enough doubt that you wouldn't care what grade the certificate says since there is no standard of care/preservation applied to the item since grading.   Sean   ----- Original Message ----- From: jboh...@aol.com To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU Sent: Monday, October 11, 2010 4:53 AM Subject: [MOPO] mpgrading Whilst I can recognise the value of a grading system and company I am not convinced this is a good thing. A/ why the price difference on grading posters? Surely a a Dark Knight one sheet is as big as a Frankenstein One Sheet, why the differnce in cost? Shouldn't all posters be charged the same and not a sliding scale. B/ Also you get one expert grading for a certain price...surely my grading is different to a whole number of poster dealers. Also a recognised body like one of the big auction houses may grade differently to how I grade or MP grade. In fact there are many of us who have looked at certain auctions and decried the high grades. The item is sold to an unsuspecting buyer and he believes he has a grade A item because that auction house says he has. However there are many of us that say no it's not grade A. It's our word against the auction house. I understand that if the poster is graded by a recognised authority and that is mentioned in the description then that is a good indicator but then the question is "should every poster be graded before auction?" If I have a rolled Dr.No Quad and do not get it graded does that diminish the value of the poster? Does invisible ink become the same as normal ink and is it then a poster marred by graffiti? C/ Many auction houses regard a linen backed poster with some restoration as grade A, near mint, excellent, fine. If it isn't graded does this lessent the integrity of the poster. I am playing devils advocate, I think a grading system is flawed, however a registration system I think is a good idea. However I am certain that six years ago if any one of the experts out there had been offerd the House of Frankenstein three sheet that was on display in Columbus yhis year would have snapped it up and not realised it was fake. I think there are chinks in this system and it isn't completely secure. I do hope it all runs smoothly but I don't like the idea that if a poster is worth more than another then the owner is being charged more to grade it. If a collector of little wealth picked up a Frankenstein one sheet forty years ago and is now retired on a low income with little financial resources he gets charged more than the chap who has just purchased a Thor advance one sheet. Surely it doesn't take any more work for one or the other. Adrian Hello MOPO,  >  >I wanted to introduce a new Authentication and Grading Service to all of MOPO since you will be seeing it in some of the Heritage listings. You can view the website at www.mpgrading.com  >  >I have been working on this technology for the last year and half with the help of Rob Borst, Todd Feiertag and most recently Dan Strebin.  >  >There are 4 things we are doing that are truly unique, 3 of which are Patent Pending. I believe all of them will help the movie poster collecting hobby tremendously. Please read on or go to the website.  >  >1. One of my initial reasons for creating this service (before the Universal Horror scandal hit) was the frustration of not knowing how many posters there are for any given title. I know this is impossible to accurately gage since there will always be new finds of posters and posters hidden in the archives of some collectors, but it would be nice to have as accurate a number as possible. Until now, there has been no way to fingerprint a poster. We have created a 9 digit DNA invisible ink stain that is placed on the bottom corner of the poster. The DNA is registered to our company and the chances of it being reproduced is 1 in 33 trillion. The DNA is so secure it is also admissible in court. Now, EACH poster has a fingerprint and can be tracked as it moves from auction to collector and back to auction. (Isn't everyone curious to really know how many posters of their favorite title are really out there... I am!!!)  >  >2. Encrypted Patented Microchip: All of the poster's information is housed in a tiny encrypted microchip that is recorded in a 1"x 3" ACID FREE tag. This tag is attached to the BACK of card stock posters, i.e. lobby cards, inserts, half sheets, 30x40's 40x60's, etc. without having to SLAB them. This tag CANNOT be removed from the poster with out it going blank, therefore it CANNOT be placed on a fake. The tag is also laced with our DNA 9 digit number which MUST MATCH the DNA stain on the front of the poster. For paper stock posters, i.e. 1 sheets, 3 sheets, 6 sheets, we are only putting the DNA ink stain on the front of the poster. The Encrypted microchip tag is placed on a Certificate of Authenticity that accompanies the poster with a MATCHING DNA ink stain that corresponds to the poster.  >  >3. Patented Grading System: I think everyone would agree that if we sent a poster to 10 different dealers or auction houses we would probably get 5 to 6 DIFFERENT grades! I have heard almost everyone complain that if you send an item to a "Grading Company" then send the SAME item back 6 months later, you will probably get a different grade. This will never happen again with this system. I worked very closely with a Computer Programming Development team to devise a computer generated grading program, called MP GradePRO. Over 1000 hours went into the testing of this program to insure that no matter WHO grades a poster, it will be done without bias. The program assigns weights to every flaw therefore reducing the grade of the poster as more flaws are recorded. For example, all the grader has to do is measure each tear, whether it is in the border or into the image, count how many of each size tear there are and then enter that info into the grading system. The program then calc!  > ulates the grade. It's that simple, in other words, NO MORE SUBJECTIVITY!!! To show you how accurate this is, Ron Borst, Todd Feieretag and myself all graded a poster independently of each other. We then had a complete novice who had never handled an original movie poster before in her life grade the same poster that we did. The grade came out the same!!! Wouldn't it be great to know that your poster's grade didn't go up or down based on if the grader is having a bad day???  >  >4. 21 megapixel image complete with color index chart: Our 4th level of security is to take the highest resolution image available that is uncorrected color-wise. The color chart is kept next to the image so that if the poster comes back to us, it can be compared for reference to make sure that fading has not occurred. The picture is also a road map to show every detail and flaw so that if the poster is ever re-graded, it can be matched to the original image to insure authenticity and record any new flaws.  >  >  >It is my hope that most of you will see this is NOT an attempt to bring another money making grading system to the hobby. What we are trying to do is BRING NEW PEOPLE into a hobby that we all love and want to see prosper. What we are giving people is a way to feel secure by:  >A. Knowing what they are buying is real.  >B. That it is graded in an unbiased and accurate manner.  >C. Can be tracked and will eventually know how many of a particular title are out there.  >D. Poster or lobby Card can still be displayed without encapsulating or slabbing the item.  >  >I welcome comments, as I know there will be many!!!  >Regards,  >Todd Spoor and the MPgrading Team. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.