Just my 2 cents on the topic, but based on my knowledge of coin grading services, when you’re talking about a potentially $25 to $50K item like this 1st Series box, you want to know more about the topic than the guy working for the grading service if you really want to be sure you’re getting the real McCoy. To Ernie’s point, does the grader know what to look for to maximize the likelihood that the packs are genuinely originally sealed and are all “native” to this same box? There are telltale attributes to look for. If I’m going to pay an 8% commission for grading, I want a complete written report on everything the grader looked at, justification for his conclusions with photos, etc. Just returning it with a grade would not be nearly enough for a $1,600.00 fee. But at the end of the day I would probably still trust my own instincts more than the grading service. The only thing that really spooks me is outright counterfeiting, which is always improving. The most innovative thinkers are often on the wrong side of the moral fence.
The coin grading process is popular with “collectors” who have the resources to buy pricey coins but are too busy with their everyday pursuits to acquire the knowledge and experience to evaluate coins themselves. And there are many coins whose value jumps exponentially from one grade to the next. Dealers who can charge $10,000, $50,000, or more for one grade higher on a borderline coin will often remove a graded coin from the holder and resubmit repeatedly until somebody gives it the higher grade, even though the lower grade is likely the accurate one. Once that is accomplished, the profit potential from selling to an unseasoned investor/speculator becomes an easy score.