My first ever graded cards in the mail!

[journeyto407]

Lots of fun around the house today as I received back from PSA my first ever grades for cards I submitted. It was fun so I wanted to share...

Was hoping for a 5 on these two, but didn't get my expectations up too high so wasn't disappointed.

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q554/pondpublishing/photo1_zps9934247b.jpg

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q554/pondpublishing/photo2_zpsafb8554d.jpg
(getting this card back is not helping the itch I have to start a 59 topps set...they are just so cool looking)

And then this one. The card I put on layaway when I was 13 years old and spent 6 months handing over all my allowance and paper route money. In the end, it only cost me $140, so it's good to know my 'solid' investment can now be liquidated on eBay for around $80;-) Oh well, it's about the journey, right!?! I am actually thrilled with a 9(OC). Just from reading up on the grading process I kind of expected an OC, but did not expect a 9.

http://i1163.photobucket.com/albums/q554/pondpublishing/photo3_zps85519e6d.jpg

I have to say, the thrill of opening the box to see what the grades were was intense and enjoyable...tho I don't think my wallet can afford to get overly addicted to it;-)

[KingFisk]

Pretty slick....I am actually awaiting my very first PSA submissions too - a fun little pins and needles feeling, isn't it?

[journeyto407]

Pretty slick....I am actually awaiting my very first PSA submissions too - a fun little pins and needles feeling, isn't it?

Yes...it is! Make sure to put some scans up, would love to see them.

[Mark70Z]

Love the Brooksie cards; I'm a BIG Brooks fan! Thanks so much for sharing pictures of your cards. I've never submitted any cards, to any service, so possibly in the future may do so.

Keep sharing...

[Paul S]

It's interesting (to me, anyway). I'm an old geezer whose cards have remained raw. However, in the past 12 months or so I've begun to sell some, either on the BST here or through an auction house. Now, cards I've owned since the 60s -- and that would include deadball through postwar vintage -- when consigning, usually get graded by the AH. I never felt one way or the other on the issue as I understand both sides of the story: my cards stay raw until up for sale. But I do have to say I get a participatory thrill waiting to see how the cards will shake out with a TPG. And I am so personally awful at grading, especially my own stuff. For instance, for 45 years I had a T206 Cobb bat on. It came back on the low end of the "scale". It turns it had a small pinhole, which I never noticed! That was a big downer but I was laughing about it a minute later because other stuff came back better than I expected. So, it's a carpshoot (sic, Hi Adrian). I will never see these cards in my own hand inside a holder. That's okay, it's a mindset.

Here's an old and smallish scan for you Brooksie lovers. Don't hate me when I say that a few years ago I sold it raw, with a bunch of other stuff, to a brick-and-mortar. Will never do that again. I was hard up for cash (actually still am) during the holiday season. And no Photoshopping on this one.

[Mountaineer1999]

Loved looking through your "journey" blog. I've recently started the same adventure with the t206 set. Expecting first cards in the mail this week. Good job!

[Mark70Z]

Sure does look like you had a great Brooksie card! As I said prior I've never sent in cards to be graded, at this point, but I'm sure they do sell better when they are graded especially in the higher grades.

You know we can't keep things "forever" so at least you got to enjoy it for a season...

[Bestdj777]

Very nice cards everyone. I sent my very first, and likely last given the cost, submission off to PSA today. 20 cards in total (a near set of Home Run Derby cards and an uncatalogued Mantle card). I am now anxiously awaiting the grades.

[KingFisk]

Yes...it is! Make sure to put some scans up, would love to see them.

Got notice from PSA that my cards are on their way home....I peeked at the grades....pleased with two of them and flummoxed by the third! Will post the scans when they arrive. And then everyone can tell me why the one card I had high hopes for came in 1.5 grades under what I had thought. :)

[PowderedH2O]

My first submission to PSA was also an "enlightening" one. I submitted six cards. I was off on every single one. I sent in a 1963 Topps Mays that was a 4 at best, and it came back a 6. I sent in a 1972 Topps Joe Namath In Action that I thought had a legitimate shot for a 9, and it came back a 5. And so on and so on. I got better at discriminating, but eventually I kinda gave up. I realized that graded cards from the 60's and 70's that were 4's and 5's were pretty much worthless, but looked great in plastic sheets as parts of sets. And that's where they will continue to reside. Good luck with your future submissions.

[journeyto407]

My first submission to PSA was also an "enlightening" one. I submitted six cards. I was off on every single one. I sent in a 1963 Topps Mays that was a 4 at best, and it came back a 6. I sent in a 1972 Topps Joe Namath In Action that I thought had a legitimate shot for a 9, and it came back a 5. And so on and so on. I got better at discriminating, but eventually I kinda gave up. I realized that graded cards from the 60's and 70's that were 4's and 5's were pretty much worthless, but looked great in plastic sheets as parts of sets. And that's where they will continue to reside. Good luck with your future submissions.

Yeah, I think I finally decided that while I like the look, feel and collectability of the graded cards, it's not worth the cost, at least to me in my present state of affairs. I'd much rather enjoy the cards, being able to handle them if I want to. I might not have as solid as an investment as graded cards, but at the end of the day had to decide if i wanted to collect for investment or fun...fun won out, thankfully!

[Vintagevault13]

Yeah, I think I finally decided that while I like the look, feel and collectability of the graded cards, it's not worth the cost, at least to me in my present state of affairs. I'd much rather enjoy the cards, being able to handle them if I want to. I might not have as solid as an investment as graded cards, but at the end of the day had to decide if i wanted to collect for investment or fun...fun won out, thankfully!


+1


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[KingFisk]

Got notice from PSA that my cards are on their way home....I peeked at the grades....pleased with two of them and flummoxed by the third! Will post the scans when they arrive. And then everyone can tell me why the one card I had high hopes for came in 1.5 grades under what I had thought. :)

So I am building a HOF Rookie Collection and was excited to get my hands on some raw cards and send them in to PSA.. Interesting to read all your comments on raw vs graded...for me, I like the graded cards for a few reasons...one...I love the presentation of the slabbed cards....they look like works of art in there...I really enjoy the fun of the registry....I like the (relative) peace of mind I get that I'm buying a real card, not altered or faked....and then the big (shameful) reason....part of me still feels like this hobby is an extreme indulgence, and I am bearing some daily guilt when I think that this money could've been spent elsewhere on more "practical" things...with the graded cards I feel like I could cash out at any time, which helps me assuage my guilt. ;) Ridiculous? Probably.... anyway, here are my three cards!

Love this card so much....the Phillies fan in me is thrilled to have such a nice copy. I was hoping for a 5, and got it.

152120

This one, I was thinking a 5, and got a 6. Got a super deal on it, and nice to see the grade came in better than I expected.

152121

And...the one that has me vexed! I got this one for a song, and thought it was a 7 for sure! I thought that top edge was a nice little rough cut, obviously PSA didn't agree. I actually am still happy with the card, it's just frustrating because the grading/shipping is rather pricey, and I probably could've gotten a 6 for a lower all-in price. But, hey....the card is still nice, and I definitely got value bumps on the Roberts and McCovey.

152122

Anyway - bottom line - I am loving the hobby, it's awesome getting a lot of the cards I coveted as a kid, and I love looking at them knowing their mine...and that's really what it's all about.

[JollyElm]

I especially like that Robin Roberts. Nice!!

You make a good point. Although I abhor the whole existence of graded cards, you're right about value. If I ever need to sell my collection, the only way to maximize revenue would be to start getting things graded.

[the 'stache]

My first submission to PSA was also an "enlightening" one. I submitted six cards. I was off on every single one. I sent in a 1963 Topps Mays that was a 4 at best, and it came back a 6. I sent in a 1972 Topps Joe Namath In Action that I thought had a legitimate shot for a 9, and it came back a 5. And so on and so on. I got better at discriminating, but eventually I kinda gave up. I realized that graded cards from the 60's and 70's that were 4's and 5's were pretty much worthless, but looked great in plastic sheets as parts of sets. And that's where they will continue to reside. Good luck with your future submissions.

Sam, that's what I anticipate I'll be doing when I start building some sets. I'll be getting slabbed examples of my favorite players in higher grades to stick in the safe deposit box. Then, when I need the card again to fill out my sets, I'll pick up another example that's been more lowly graded, pop it out of its slab, and stick it in the binder with the rest.

[the 'stache]

Hey Carl,

First of all, some really nice cards you have there! Robin Roberts is one of the greats from the era I didn't know much about until recently. God, I love the internet and the wealth of information that is available. It's so easy to learn all about somebody like Roberts in just a few minutes. Baseball reference and all the other baseball websites are a Godsend!

Secondly, could the Phillies fan in you call Mr. Sandberg, and ask his team to take it easy on my Brewers? We have one more game later today, and I don't want to get swept. Thanks!

So I am building a HOF Rookie Collection and was excited to get my hands on some raw cards and send them in to PSA.. Interesting to read all your comments on raw vs graded...for me, I like the graded cards for a few reasons...one...I love the presentation of the slabbed cards....they look like works of art in there...I really enjoy the fun of the registry....I like the (relative) peace of mind I get that I'm buying a real card, not altered or faked....and then the big (shameful) reason....part of me still feels like this hobby is an extreme indulgence, and I am bearing some daily guilt when I think that this money could've been spent elsewhere on more "practical" things...with the graded cards I feel like I could cash out at any time, which helps me assuage my guilt. ;) Ridiculous? Probably.... anyway, here are my three cards!

Love this card so much....the Phillies fan in me is thrilled to have such a nice copy. I was hoping for a 5, and got it.

152120

This one, I was thinking a 5, and got a 6. Got a super deal on it, and nice to see the grade came in better than I expected.

152121

And...the one that has me vexed! I got this one for a song, and thought it was a 7 for sure! I thought that top edge was a nice little rough cut, obviously PSA didn't agree. I actually am still happy with the card, it's just frustrating because the grading/shipping is rather pricey, and I probably could've gotten a 6 for a lower all-in price. But, hey....the card is still nice, and I definitely got value bumps on the Roberts and McCovey.

152122

Anyway - bottom line - I am loving the hobby, it's awesome getting a lot of the cards I coveted as a kid, and I love looking at them knowing their mine...and that's really what it's all about.

[KingFisk]

Hey Carl,

First of all, some really nice cards you have there! Robin Roberts is one of the greats from the era I didn't know much about until recently. God, I love the internet and the wealth of information that is available. It's so easy to learn all about somebody like Roberts in just a few minutes. Baseball reference and all the other baseball websites are a Godsend!

Secondly, could the Phillies fan in you call Mr. Sandberg, and ask his team to take it easy on my Brewers? We have one more game later today, and I don't want to get swept. Thanks!

Thanks guys. Growing up outside of Philly, I always got to hear tales of the great Robin Roberts and his feats on the mound...so it was cool to finally connect a little bit to that...and, sorry about the Phillies sweep of your Brewers..I thought for a moment they were going to be entering their annual "look we're contenders!" mode and decide they didn't need to blow the team up and the deadline...hopefully the Nats disabused them of that notion this weekend!

[Hammerin'Hank]

I hope to get a few cards back from SGC today. They were shipped Friday. I'll share scans when they get here.

What I like about SGC is that you can track your submission and see what grades your cards got before they ship them back to you. They are also about 3X quicker then PSA.

I'm getting a 1964 Topps Phil Neikro Rookie back that was given a SGC 86 - 7.5. I'm thrilled with that ! I was hoping for a 7.

Also getting a 1963 AL Leaders Mickey Mantle graded a SGC 84 / 7 and a 1975 Topps Hank Aaron graded a SGC 88 / 8.

[journeyto407]

I hope to get a few cards back from SGC today. They were shipped Friday. I'll share scans when they get here.

What I like about SGC is that you can track your submission and see what grades your cards got before they ship them back to you. They are also about 3X quicker then PSA.

I'm getting a 1964 Topps Phil Neikro Rookie back that was given a SGC 86 - 7.5. I'm thrilled with that ! I was hoping for a 7.

Also getting a 1963 AL Leaders Mickey Mantle graded a SGC 84 / 7 and a 1975 Topps Hank Aaron graded a SGC 88 / 8.

Awesome cards...looking forward to the pics...especially the Aaron.

[Brianruns10]

First time I submitted cards to be graded, they were a batch of five or so raw commons from the '52 Topps series. One was a low number, the rest from the mid series. Most came back in the PSA 5 or 6 range, but one hit the jackpot and scored a PSA 8. Pretty much paid off all the other cards and the cost to grade 'em :)

[stlcardsfan]

My first four were as follows (submitted about a year ago), first my estimate when submitted, then the PSA grade:

59 Gibson 7 , 7
59 Musial 8, 9!
63 Mantle 5, 6
63 Mays 8, 7

I couldn't believe the Musial garnered a 9, and also couldn't believe the Mays only got a 7.

The Mantle's condition is very nice but is diamond cut. Surprised they graded it ExMt.

I did so well I submitted some more a few months later:

59 B. Rob 9, 8.5
75 Brett 8, 7
73 Rose 8, 9
73 Schmidt 8, evidence of trimming!!!!

I could not believe the Brett wasn't a 8 or better. However, there is a print bubble on his arm that may have affected it. I didn't even notice it when I submitted.

The 73 Schmidt I do not understand. I have had this card since 1973. I am re-submitting along with a 48 Bowman Musial I recently acquired. Maybe a 4 if lucky. Will try to post some pics sometime.