Ian
Archivist — Grading, storage & the honest math of collecting.
“The slab guy. He reads population reports for fun.”
Ian has graded, stored, or talked someone out of grading roughly six thousand cards. He writes the guides that save you from heartbreak — fake holos, humidity, and the break-even math nobody wants to do. Home region: TCG.
Skill tree
- GRADING ★★★
- AUTHENTICATION ★★★
- STORAGE ★★★
- MARKET MATH ★★☆
- SEALED PRODUCT ★☆☆
By Ian
- How to Budget a Grading Submission
- How to Build a Storage System That Scales
- How to Fix Lag Without Buying a New PC
- How to Know the Two Prices of Every Card
- How to Know What Your Binder Is Actually Worth
- How to Know When to Slab a Card
- How to Read a Population Report Without Lying to Yourself
- How to Ship a Card That Arrives a 10
- How to Spot a Fake Holo in Ten Seconds
- How to Store Cards So They Outlive You
- How to Trade Up Without Burning Friends
- How to Choose a Binder That Will Not Damage the Pages
- How to Store Cards in a Room That Gets Damp
- How to Choose Between a Penny Sleeve and a Perfect Fit
- How to Sleeve a Card Without Touching the Face
- How to Check What a Card Really Sells For
- How to Read a Price Chart Without Fooling Yourself
- How to Buy Low Without Guessing
- How to Tell What Moves a Card’s Price
- How to Sell a Card Without Losing to Fees
- How to Time a Sale You Have Already Decided to Make
- How to Choose Between PSA and CGC
- How to Decide If Beckett Is Worth It
- How to Read a CGC Label
- How to Pack It So It Survives
- How to Pick the Right PSA Tier
- How to Read a PSA Slab Label
- How to Track a PSA Submission
- How to Spot a Card That Won't Grade Well
- How to Know When Raw Beats Slabbed