Who is Richard Barragan?
In short: I am a U.S. Army veteran, a 68W airborne medic paratrooper who served with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade from 2013 to 2017, and the owner of BREAKCHECKBARRAGAN LLC in Yuma, Arizona. Mine is the one name on every report, opinion sheet and recording the practice produces.
I am Richard Barragan. I run Break Check Barragan, an independent trading-card appraisal, authentication and documentation practice in Yuma, AZ 85364. It is a one-person practice: when you work with it, you work with me.
Where the habit comes from
I served in the U.S. Army from 2013 to 2017 as a 68W airborne medic, a paratrooper health care specialist with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade. The job was documentation under pressure: record exactly what you see, when you see it, as it is, and be accountable for every sensitive item that passes through your hands.
That is the core habit of this practice. A card's condition is written down as observed, with the checks named and photographed. A sealed box is opened on continuous video and every card is sleeved and recorded as it is pulled. Custody is logged from intake to return. Nothing is described from memory.
The business
I established BREAKCHECKBARRAGAN LLC in Yuma in 2024, grading, authenticating and pricing cards and, for a time, selling them. In 2026 I stopped selling and kept the part that was always the point: an independent opinion, on paper, with the method and the photographs to back it. Why I stopped selling cards explains the decision. The name itself has a story too: see why "Break Check Barragan"?.
My standing
Written appraisals are prepared to USPAP standards. ISA designation candidate. I describe my credentials exactly as they are and update them when they change; see my appraisal credentials.
How I work
- I hold no interest in any card I evaluate, and I never buy, sell, broker or consign cards.
- My fees are flat or hourly, quoted in writing, never a percentage of value.
- Every engagement starts with a written scope and a signed engagement letter.
- Records are kept under the retention and consent policy.
Where to see my work
My recordings are on YouTube and in the video library, and the articles and guides are in Resources. See where can I watch your work?. The fuller story, with the standards every engagement letter repeats, is on the about page.