[CowboysFanatic]

My friend got this from Ebay already graded. I was just wondering if "1st Graded" was a real company.

---

Thanks for the info.

Your welcome and yes its probably a real company, but likely a budding entrepreneur trying to get his feet wet in the grading business or a con man trying to make a quick buck

[RayLewisCollector]

Never heard of them, and thinking about it, he might have bought a self graded by a collector, thrown in eBay slab case, and a label printed on their computer... Yikes!!!! How much did he drop on that one???

He got it for under $7.00.

[superynaldo]

Your welcome and yes its probably a real company, but likely a budding entrepreneur trying to get his feet wet in the grading business or a con man trying to make a quick buck

+1...

[Mpboehm]

My friend got this card pictured below, but I've never seen this grading service.  The name of it is 1st Graded.  Is this a real card grading company?  Thanks for any info

[/URL]

Hmm...A grading company that sells graded cards.

https://www.1stgraded.com/shop

[jplarson]

Wow some real blast from the past names on this thread. RW34, swjrp, Naldo.

[jplarson]

Hmm...A grading company that sells graded cards.

https://www.1stgraded.com/shop

Uses a Gmail email address, "business" address is a PO Box.  They say they started 1st Graded in 2005 but according to the State of Minnesota's Office of the MN Secretary of State, they registered as an LLC on 12/23/2020.  They also branched out into "health and beauty" products with the same named agent/manager and address as 1st Graded registering "Scrub Me Good" on the same day according to the State of MN website.

So I guess buy a graded card and get wrinkle remover for free?

[rjcj2017]

Wow some real blast from the past names on this thread.  RW34, swjrp, Naldo.

Again … where do people find these threads? 12 years ago?

[ZSDOne]

Uses a Gmail email address, "business" address is a PO Box.  They say they started 1st Graded in 2005 but according to the State of Minnesota's Office of the MN Secretary of State, they registered as an LLC on 12/23/2020.  They also branched out into "health and beauty" products with the same named agent/manager and address as 1st Graded registering "Scrub Me Good" on the same day according to the State of MN website.

So I guess buy a graded card and get wrinkle remover for free?

Registration date as an LLC doesn't provide that much evidence that the company started at that date - it could have been incorporated and changed to an LLC or been operating as an unorganized business structure for years.  Several companies including large ones existed as corporations and then reregistered as LLCs or they started an unorganized entity as a sole proprietorship - by no means is the registration date conclusive evidence that a business started on that date

And there are often multiple companies in a state operating under similar names - so it might not even be the right company.   Many companies also have corporate identities that are distinct from their name (which fortunately, most states do have registration for d/b/a so you can connect the operating name with the legal name).  Locally, we have a perfect example - there are multiple businesses here named Collector's Heaven - one sells sports memorabilia items and the other sells cards - they are not related companies and do not have the same owners - and State Corporation Commission records only show one business here named Collector's Heaven which might be one of them or both or them - one of them appears to be not registered as a corporation or L.L.C. at all which isn't unusual with small businesses.

Having the same registered agent and principle address doesn't necessarily mean they are related companies - half of the Fortune 500 has its official registered legal address as the Corporation Service Center in Wilmington, Delaware.  With L.L.C. when a member is the registered agent that gives more evidence of related businesses, but it's not necessarily the case.  A person can be a member of multiple L.L.C. with different people.  Or the registered agent can be an attorney - many smaller companies that operate in just one state will use an attorney as registered agent and use the law office as the registered address.  At most you can say is "upon information and belief"