There are a lot of fakes going around. That is true. That is why there is a ‘trusted third party’ in the space…. that is PSA (a company in the U.S.) they grade collectibles (baseball, NfL, you name it) and you pay for that ‘assessment’.

there are even more ‘Grading Companies’ and they compete with each other of course.

but how do you verify that 1996 Charizard Base Set is REALLY from 1996? as a noob, you can’t. that’s why bitcoin makes so much sense.

you know what’s even wilder? My close friend does this:

1. collects cards. sends in a multiple cards (like 20 charizards. he believes one should at least get a 10)

2. it gets graded. PSA sends him back a couple of 8’s and 9’s. not a single ten. PSA knows a 10 grade is the holy grail. you cannot inflate that number too much. otherwise you destroy prices.

3. he destroys the Grading Case around it cards and just sends them in again hoping it gets graded a 10 instead of a 9

4. he discovered a dude on the internet who is really good at ‘improving’/‘fixing’ the scratches the cards (like a scratch on the hologram if they are shiny). he sends them to that dude for a couple of euros and sends them back to PSA to have them grade it again until he gets a 10.

sometimes it works, often it fails.

but it tells you everything you need to know about bitcoin. 🤣