Sleeve Notes

Most asked

1. What does Break Check Barragan actually do?

   I give independent, written opinions about trading cards (what they are worth, whether they are real and what condition they are in), and I record sealed product being opened so the cards carry proof. I never buy or sell cards.

2. How do I start working with you?

   Send me a message on Instagram or an email saying what you have and what it is for. I reply by email with a written scope and quote, and nothing happens until you sign the engagement letter.

3. Will you tell me what my card is worth in a message?

   No. I do not give opinions on value, authenticity or grade in messages. Those come only in a written report after an engagement letter, where the purpose, method and limits are stated.

4. How do you set your fees?

   Every fee is flat or hourly and quoted in writing before work begins. Flat fees are per report, per item, per box or per collection; hourly work has a stated minimum. Fees are never a percentage of value.

5. Why don't you charge a percentage of my card's value?

   Because a fee that grows with the value would give me a reason to push the value up. My fee is the same whatever I conclude, so the only thing the number reflects is the evidence.

6. What is an authentication opinion?

   A written opinion on whether a card is real: what I checked, what I found and what I conclude (consistent with genuine, not consistent, or inconclusive), with photographs at every step. It is a professional opinion, not a guarantee.

7. Will my card grade a 10?

   I cannot promise any grade, and nobody honestly can. I give you an opinion of the likely range and my reasoning; the grading company decides, and my record shows what I saw and when.

8. What is a documented break?

   A sealed box or case opened on continuous, timestamped video by an independent third party, with every hit sleeved the moment it is pulled and its condition recorded as observed. The shop sells the cards with a record buyers can watch.

9. How long do you keep video and photos?

   Seven years. I hold every record to the same standard as medical records: break recordings are kept seven years from the date of the break, and photographs, condition sheets and custody logs seven years with the report they belong to.

10. Why did you stop selling cards?

    My service-connected disabilities made selling cards too difficult to continue. In 2026 I stopped selling and kept the part that was always the point: the independent, documented opinion.