U Grade FAQ

jambobbyb

Jedi Master
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wow look at that it did sell for £99.99.......
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LOOSE-VINTAGE-STAR-WARS-PRINCESS-LEIA-ORGANA-AFA-U85-HK-COO-/251025093716?pt=UK_ToysGames_ActionFigures_ActionFigures_JN&hash=item3a7242f454&nma=true&si=rT1zlGrmqjN6MiNJneOjS01vWNY%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I would still have the brown belt 12 back beater though for % 60 less!
 

starwarsdan

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Oct 21, 2012
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I really don't understand the appeal of the U-grade to begin with. If you think about it, once you've sent it to afa, they open it, case it, and send it back to you, it IS circulated, isn't it? What is the point of this? You're swapping one plastic bubble for another, and the second bubble has nothing to do with the original manufacturer.

You've circulated it to a 3rd party company who opened it, and circulated it back to you with a label that says "uncirculated" when in reality you get it back fully circulated!! duh. :roll:

Just because you pay them to put it in a little plastic box doesn't mean that it's not an open toy. The whole thing seems like a fallacy to me.

I was asking a vendor on ebay recently about some baggie figures, and he said he had more and asked which ones I might be interested in. I said I was looking for a sealed baggie blue Snag, and he said he had 3 of them! And that two of them were on the way back from afa U-grading. I told him I was no longer interested in them. Why he even brought it up, knowing that I was looking for baggie figures. I didn't even know he had u grade up for sale until that moment. I asked him what the point was, and he said quite plainly "it's worth more that way". It's all about the $, and there's a sucker born every minute.

as far as I'm concerned:
U grade = ruined baggie in plastic coffin
 

Grant_C

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Right.

Kind of like taking an antique picure out of its frame and putting it in an IKEA frame with a barcode on it.

I like the idea of normal grading though. It was a great idea to bring a fresh element to collecting.
 

tiefighterboy

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Dan this is the reason most of us despise "U" grading...or better yet for myself...any AFA grading. They should have stuck with "Starting line up" figures and left the rest of it alone. :wink:
 

Snake_eyes_82

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Paul-itoy said:
An interesting read for sure.

Just looking at the numbers done in 2009 compared to 2010, it's pretty convincing that this isn't going away anytime soon.
no it certainly isnt i keep seeing lots of u grade all the time on ebay and other boards.
 

LAUGHITUPFUZZ

Youngling
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Dec 4, 2012
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Hi guys, This is my first post on the forum :eek: ... when you say mint on card, what about if you have a moc and the figure has started to develop mold/mildew due to moisture getting into the card, would you still consider this moc, and - if AFA graded it U would they take it out and clean it before putting it in to the acrylic case or would this be considered a health hazard :lol:

The reason I bring this up is because I stumbled across this video a few weeks ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7YRQgfOe2o
 

itfciain

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LAUGHITUPFUZZ said:
Hi guys, This is my first post on the forum :eek: ... when you say mint on card, what about if you have a moc and the figure has started to develop mold/mildew due to moisture getting into the card, would you still consider this moc, and - if AFA graded it U would they take it out and clean it before putting it in to the acrylic case or would this be considered a health hazard :lol:

The reason I bring this up is because I stumbled across this video a few weeks ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7YRQgfOe2o

That is just frosting - a couple of hours in the sun and it will go away - am surprised someone like Brian's Toys doesn't know this. As for whether this would be a candidate for U-Grading ? God, its a 12 back chewie on an 85 graded card, who is their right mind would decide to U-Grade it ?
 

Captainsolo1978

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U Grading I think is silly- just a way for people to make money from Newbie collectors.

If the figure is on the card, even what some describe as "beaters", it should be left there!

I see carded figures as a kind of modern work of art! The cards look amazing! I had some carded figures on my wall even after I stopped playing with them as a 12 year old!

The point is- why remove the figure from the bubble????

In my opinion grading is a waste of time. I know some think it provides a standard for the hobby, but I feel again it is a way for ebay sellers to inflate prices!

By the way GW Acrylic cases are ACE and I would recommend them for your figures!!!!
 

x-pack

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I read articles like this and think it's all collecting at the extreme end and something i can't really comprehend. I personally don't give a crap if human hands have touched my figures, but i can understand people wanting mint examples. Not sure what i think about those who take figures off the cards. If the card was in really bad condition but the figure was ok then i don't see an issue. If that's what they want to do with their card then so be it.

I am into slice bubbles and reseals at the moment, it's a cheap way of collecting otherwise VERY expensive figures. The whys and wheres of how these cards came to be cut or resealed doesn't bother me too much, although one has to wonder. At least i guess you could look on it that the cards aren't completely lost.
 

Palifan

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One thing that seems fine to me about U grading (possibly the only thing about the whole process), is if you have a mailer that's still sealed and then the baggies are taken out and graded. I don't mean open up the baggies, just leave them as they are. That way you get to see the figure on display, with the mailer and any paperwork and you're not just stuck with looking at a box telling you what's inside.

Here's an example -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Star-Wars-Emperor-Palpatine-Mailer-AFA-U85-Kenner-Vintage-1984-Bag-Baggy-Baggie-/200923079299?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec7f2e283&nma=true&si=pCTWDF10egFpIOQPvyowAywqb2A%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


I really can't see a problem with this and I'm sorry if this has already been mentioned earlier and I'm covering old ground.

One other thing is how do people feel about AFAing their unopened boxed items? I can see it's a way to keep the box in good condition and also would maybe help with displaying it (as you could stack them with no fear of damage), but I feel like I would always want to see the toy inside at some point (although that would mean breaking the seal).
 

TC-14

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As a fan returning to collecting for the first time since the 80s, and who had no idea at first about the AFA or indeed U grading, this guide has proved incredibly informative and invaluable.

I'll echo the majority of responses: why would you do it? I suspect all future collectors will look back on this period as a savage and sad time where greed got the better of sense.

I for one will not be going down the grading route, U or otherwise. Has this practice abated somewhat in the last couple of years?
 

itfciain

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If you talk to Robbie - who was one of the big U-graders of the past 3-4 years then he will tell you that there is not as much love for them anymore - however a recent sales thread on RS for practically a full set of them did generate a lot of sales so who knows
 

Wild Whiphid

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Being a "newbie" in vintage collecting, I've never heard of this kind of practice before. But it seems like a waste.
Carded figures are only getting rarer as years go by (lost, opened, U (de)graded or whatever), they aren't producing these anymore...

I am a loose collector myself, for both modern and vintage figures. I like to display figures and hold them in my hands, and collecting loose figures allows me to get more out of a budget. But I'd rather trade a carded figure for loose ones than rip it off and potentially destroying an item that another collector would love to add to his/her collection.
 

TC-14

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itfciain said:
If you talk to Robbie - who was one of the big U-graders of the past 3-4 years then he will tell you that there is not as much love for them anymore - however a recent sales thread on RS for practically a full set of them did generate a lot of sales so who knows

Thanks for that, Iain. Despite that recent RS sales thread, it sounds like the trend for this unnecessary practice is going the right way, thankfully.

And Wild Whiphid, I like your U (de)graded quip- quite right :D
 

rob71

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Seems to me that every figure ripped from a less than perfect card is another piece of history lost, which is a real shame (especially as so many of us would love to have them)... there are plenty ways for people to make money and this has got no place in the hobby
 

db94

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Reading through the wealth of information I obviously got pretty angry and the short-sightedness of the individuals destroying moc's but it's also given me a new love for beaters. I'm not planning buying many carded figures and would probably have held out for mint examples but after being made aware off the pointless destruction I feel super protective over the dog eared examples that greedy people use as an excuse to U grade. My wife says it's a bit like loving the battered old VW beetle (Herbie style) because it's got lots of history and previous owners.
 
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