How it works
Two things happen here.
Sealed product is opened on camera
Continuous, timestamped video from seal to last pack, with every card’s condition recorded as it is pulled.
The documented break, step by stepCards are appraised or authenticated with the method shown
A written opinion with the checks named, the photographs attached and the reasoning behind the number.
An appraisal engagement, step by step
Both produce a record you can hand to a buyer, an insurer or a grading company.
For card shops and collectors
A documented break, step by step
Eight stages, one chain of custody. Every card is accounted for from the moment the box is logged in to the moment it is handed back.
Step 1: Engagement
You tell us the product, the count and the dates. We reply with a written scope, a quote and an engagement letter. Nothing is opened before that is signed.
Step 2: Intake and verification
Each box or case is logged into custody, weighed against reference, and its seal and shrink pattern photographed. Anything that does not look factory-sealed is flagged before it is opened.
Step 3: Controlled opening
The product is opened on continuous, timestamped video with the seal and the packs in frame. The recording is never paused or cut.
Retention and consent policyStep 4: Condition documentation
Every hit is sleeved the moment it is pulled and its condition recorded as observed at that time: centering, surface, corners and edges, with photographs.
Step 5: Protection and storage
Documented cards go into new sleeves and holders, then into locked storage under the custody log until they are returned or shipped.
Step 6: Pre-grade and submission
We give a grade opinion and submit through the hub with the grading fee prepaid by you. Optional.
The grading submission hubStep 7: Return reconciliation
When slabs come back they are photographed and the grades logged against the pre-grade opinion. Any damage or dispute is compared with the Step 4 record.
Step 8: Delivery
You receive the video link, the hit log, the condition sheets and the pack-fresh certificates. Records are kept under the retention and consent policy.
Retention and consent policy
For collectors, insurers and attorneys
An appraisal engagement, step by step
Four steps from the first message to a signed report, with the fee and the scope in writing before anything else happens.
Step 1: Message or email
Tell us what you have and what it is for. Photographs, a count and the intended use are enough to start.
Step 2: Written scope and quote
We reply by email with what the engagement covers, the fee basis and the timeline. Fees are flat or hourly, never a percentage of value.
Step 3: Inspection
In person across the Yuma area, or remote from your photographs and video with that limitation stated in the report.
Step 4: Report and delivery
A signed written report with the method, the photographs and the certification with disclosures, delivered by email as a PDF and kept under the retention policy.
Financial transparency
- Fee stated before work. Flat per report or hourly, in writing, with the basis named. Never a percentage of value.
- Engagement letter. What we will do, what we will not do, the intended use of the report and every disclosure.
- No stake in the outcome. The practice never buys, sells, brokers or consigns cards. The fee does not change with the answer.
- Kept on file. Reports and photographs are retained for seven years and can be re-issued to an insurer or a court.
Deliverables and calibration
What the record contains
Continuous video
Timestamped, never paused, the seal and the packs in frame.
Condition sheet per card
Centering, surface, corners and edges as observed at the recorded time, with photographs.
Custody log
Who had the cards, where, and when, from intake to return.
Return report
Slabs photographed against the outbound record; grades logged against the pre-grade opinion.
How we stay calibrated
Every pre-grade opinion that goes through the hub is logged against the grade that comes back. That record is what keeps the opinions honest, and it is what we will publish once it is large enough to mean something, rather than claiming an accuracy we cannot show.
Read this firstEvery assessment is an opinion of range, never a promise. No grading company is bound by it, and no grade is predicted with certainty.
Get in touch
Questions first?
Message us on Instagram, or read what to send and how an engagement runs. Browse Sleeve Notes