Locally operated in Yuma, AZ 85364. In person by appointment; remote anywhere in the US.
How to reach us and what to send
There are two ways to reach the practice. Either one starts a conversation; the written scope, the quote and the engagement letter always follow by email.
Contact methods
Primary channel
Message on Instagram
Open a direct message to @breakcheckbarragan90. Say what you have and what it is for; photographs can follow in the same thread.
Also by email
Email the practice
Write to breakcheckbarragan@gmail.com with the same details. Email is also where every engagement is confirmed, whichever channel it started on.
Email breakcheckbarragan@gmail.com
Nothing is quoted or opined in messages.
A message or an email opens the conversation. Every conversation then moves to email for the written scope, the quote and the engagement letter, and no value, authenticity or grade opinion is given before that letter is signed.
Intake requirements
What to send, by client type
Read only the card that applies to you. A first message that carries these items is complete, and the written scope can follow the same day.
Collectors
For an appraisal, an authentication opinion or a pre-grade, the first message is complete when it has:
- Clear photographs of the front and back, flat on a matte surface, straight on
- All four corners close up, and the edges in raking light
- A ten-second video tilting the card under a light so the surface shows
- The total card count and the current graded status of each
- The purpose of the valuation: insurance, an estate, a sale decision, a donation or a dispute
Card shops
For a documented break, the first message is complete when it has:
- The specific product and how many boxes or cases
- Preferred dates, and whether the break happens at your premises or an agreed venue in the Yuma area
- Your intent for pre-grading, hub submission (grading fees prepaid by you), or concurrent staff certification
Training clients
For staff certification or a course, the first message is complete when it has:
- The number of staff attending and their current experience level
- Preferred timing for the course
- Whether you need seat licences or a site licence
Remote client protocol
Clients outside Yuma
The remote clinic works from what you send. Four rules keep the record usable and your originals safe.
- Send links, not files. Share a folder on Google Drive, iCloud or Dropbox, or an unlisted video link, holding the same photographs and video collectors send.
- Do not email originals. Email attachments are compressed and easy to lose. The shared folder keeps the full-resolution originals under your control.
- Include your city. The final report states the jurisdiction it was prepared for, and the shipping options if any card needs to travel for a physical inspection.
- The report states the limitation. A remote report says plainly that it was prepared from photographs and video supplied by the client and that no physical inspection was performed.
The engagement pipeline
Four steps, in the same order every time
Step 1: Initial contact
You send a message or an email saying what you have and what it is for.
Step 2: Written scope and quote
We reply by email with a written scope and the exact quote: flat or hourly, with the basis stated.
Step 3: Engagement letter
You sign the terms before any work begins: what we will do, what we will not do, and the disclosures.
Step 4: Work and delivery
We carry out the service and deliver the final record by email.
Before you message
Fees, and three quick answers
Can you tell me what it is worth in a message?
No. A message starts a conversation; a value, authenticity or grade opinion comes only in a written report after an engagement letter.
Do you buy cards?
No. We never buy, sell, broker or consign cards, and we do not make offers.
Where do we meet?
The practice is locally operated in Yuma, AZ 85364 and has no storefront. In person means your home, your shop or an agreed venue in the Yuma area, by appointment.
Start from who you are: collectors · card shops · insurers and attorneys · Which service is right for me?
Prefer to read first? Questions · How fees work · How it works · The Yuma area · Appraisal · About the appraiser · Policies · Privacy · Engagement terms