Graded "A"....for "AFFORDABILITY"....a different viewpoint on collecting graded cards
 

This past year, I have been selling off my "heavy $$$$" (numerically) Graded cards in my collection; and, I have been replacing them with Graded "A" cards.
Some of you may consider this somewhat "strange" (or even foolish). However, I appreciate having a sharp-looking card, and I really like the less expensive
price that these cards cost me.

On display here are 4 major samples of Graded "A" cards which I have recently acquired ......



SWEET CAPORAL, Factory #30 set......only need Wagner to complete this 469-card set ( :) it will never happen :) )

http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...nkSC150x30.jpg . http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...SC150x30xb.jpg






SOVEREIGN only set......this SOVEREIGN 460 red Cobb is the toughest of this 408-card set

http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...CobbSGCx50.jpg . http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...obbSGCx50b.jpg





Hybrid T-brand T206 set (I currently have 515 cards)

http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...StLouisSGC.jpg.http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...McGlynn25x.jpg.http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...tLouisSGCA.jpg




I would appreciate your comments on this subject ?


TED Z

T206 Reference
.

Why are they graded (A) ?

Hey Ted- amazing cards. Tremendous eye appeal over some of their graded counterparts. Love that Plank! Would love to own one like it some day.

Nice post Ted. I definitely see the appeal of an A when it goes with cards that look like those!

The A made this one affordable I suppose, but it was also the only one ever graded, except for the one in Richard Masson's master set.

Attachment 300578

Attachment 300579

Nothing wrong with Authentic cards and in some cases better than cards with numerical grades

Nothing wrong with Authentic cards and in some cases better than cards with numerical grades

OMG. Now I have to contend with a Big Hitter like yourself? I'm just a little fish who has been going after the "A" grade for a while (when I can afford to, but I guess this tidbit couldn't remain hidden for too long.

Nice Pirate!

Please have mercy on my soul....

Great cards! A could stand for Awesome

Can't wait until a an "A" T206 Wagner hits the market.... I wonder what kind of discount that would get,,,,

Ted, I know the reason for the post was to show an "A"wesome looking "A" card. You certainly picked up the cream of the crop on those.

However, could you reveal what you paid for the Plank. That would give us a really good idea on the type of discount a heavy hitter card brings because of thh "A" grade. That would really help bring things into perspective.

Thanks!

Most likely altered in some way but is still the original product.

Thank Plank is GORGEOUS.

I am a big believer in collecting what makes you happy. There is nothing wrong with “A”. Great cards with amazing eye appeal.

"A"men! Since I binder cards 20 per sheet - the front aesthetic means more to me. That Plank! One of the nicest i've seen.

+1. “A” cards are great way to get expensive cards you otherwise could not afford into your collection. Nice Ted!!!!

Graded "A"....for "AFFORDABILITY"....a different viewpoint on collecting graded cards
 

Thanks guys....I appreciate all your complimentary comments.


Twelve years ago, I sold my T207 Chet Hoff (from my NY Highlanders collection) to a long-time friend of mine at the Philly Show.
Very recently, I replaced it with this "A" graded BROADLEAF card of Chet.

Chester "Red" Hoff, 20 year old southpaw, started his short pitching career with the Highlanders Sept 6, 1911. He struck out the
first batter he faced, who was Ty Cobb.

Chet Hoff holds the record for the oldest living Major League BB player. He was 107 when he passed away on Sept 17th 1998.



http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...etHoffT207.jpg . http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...tHoffT207b.jpg




Wishing you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR


TED Z

T206 Reference
.

Graded "A"....for "AFFORDABILITY"....a different viewpoint on collecting graded cards
 

Circa 7 years ago, I acquired this "A" graded Jennings card for my AMERICAN BEAUTY 460 (AB 460) sub-set. This "one hand" version of Jennings
is a very tough card to find with an AB 460 back. So, I was happy to get it, especially since it cost me only $120.

Anyway, I thought it was sort of laughable that any T206 AB card could be deemed "evidence of trimmed".



http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...ngsHandx50.jpg . http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...sHand50xbx.jpg




Stay tuned....as there is more to this story.



TED Z

T206 Reference
.

I totally agree. I think "A" grades are a great value because so many people seem to shun them. I don't specifically target "A" grades, but I do have a number of them in my collection. I mainly look for lower grades with nice eye appeal, and I like a sharp looking trimmed card more than a creased card with full borders.

I also like hand-cut and scrap cards, which always get the "A". It's also really cool (although rare) to find a card graded an "A" that is actually factory-cut, like your Jennings above. That's an incredible card by the way.

Some of my favorite "A"s:

Depends on the reason the card got the A. My preference is to stay away from trimmed or recolored cards. Sometimes with Old Judges you can't avoid rebacking since some cards were originally skinned to mount them in scrap books. That I can live with if there is no other choice. So in answer to the original question I would not do the swaps you are doing.

Graded "A"....for "AFFORDABILITY"....a different viewpoint on collecting graded cards
 

And, then there's those elusive T206 "proofs", which obviously be graded an "A".


http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...manPROOFbb.jpg




TED Z
T206 Reference
.

Graded "A"....for "AFFORDABILITY"....a different viewpoint on collecting graded cards
 

Well, as most of you guys who have followed my Net54 threads these past 12 years know....I'm not really a fan of graded cards. And, this here post exemplifies one (of several)
reasons why I feel this way. About a year ago, I cracked open the aforementioned AB 460 Jennings (graded SGC A), and submitted it to SGC.
Surprise, surprise ! SGC graded it this time SGC 60......Don't misconstrue, I'm certainly not complaining....but ? ?



http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...ningsSGC60.jpg.http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...sHand50xbx.jpg




TED Z
T206 Reference
.

I once saw someone post that they would "rather have a card with a hole in it than to have a hole in their album", or something to that effect. I agree with that completely. I am not typically bothered by an "A" label, though I would agree a lot of it depends on why exactly it received this designation.

If I see a card I like I will try to acquire it whether it has an "A" or not. In some cases you have no other option.

Derek

i don’t mind “authentic” cards that are trimmed. “authentic” cards that have been rebacked bother me though.

I have no problem filling a hole with an "A". Can't be picky sometimes.

Attachment 300842

I used to toy with the idea of exclusively buying T206 HOFers with the A designation due to trimming and building the set that way. It would save me a lot of money, which would have made a set possible for me and my budget. Even thought I would then crack them out and have an entire T206 set in a binder.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Aren’t all Brown Old Mills hand-cut, meaning they will inevitably be graded A? Are there any brown Old Mills with number grades?

There shouldn't be any with numeric grades. They are all hand cut.

Hey Jay

The graded cards I had of these cards in Post #1 here were acquired many, many moons ago (at very inexpensive prices). And, they were sold for quite a good profit.
As, I have stated before....I'm not a fan of graded cards. But, that is how the "game" is played nowadays. Therefore, I go with the flow.
In my opinion, card grading can be arbitrary at best. Take for example my AB 460 Jennings card story in Post #21. Or, consider the Gretzky Wagner (PSA 8).....while
its "sheet-mate" (Charlie Conlon's PIEDMONT 150 Plank) was graded an "A". There is something very wrong with this picture.

So Jay, I appreciate your opinion. However this is one of our rare occasions where I have to disagree with you.

Anyhow, my Grandson Ron will ultimately inherit my collection. Ron knows more about BB and BB cards than most guys his young age.


http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...RonGrad50x.jpg



TED Z

T206 Reference
.

delete

"A" cards can be pretty good bargains.

I'm not really big on trimmed cards, or cards that are altered, but like anyone who buys nice looking ungraded cards a few end up with me. A couple of the T206s look really nice even knowing they're trimmed.

One thing to keep in mind is what the grading company will give an A grade for. I'm not familiar with any besides SGC, so this is mostly about them.

They use "A" fairly broadly, meaning that in addition to altered cards, I think any card that is genuine but for a variety of reasons shouldn't get a number grade will get an "A" grade. Considering the perceptions of the average collector that's probably a good idea.
When I sent cards in I always requested not getting an "A". That got me a bit of a bonus in info.
While this card got a grade, it could have gotten an A. It's nice, but is nearly as narrow as some ABs. It's as narrow by about as much as another card in the same batch was short. this one got a 40 (it also has a pretty big paper inclusion which probably brought it down some. ) The other got rejected for "min size" and would have been an "A" even though it's completely factory but undersize.
http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...pictureid=3031

This one as you can see was rejected for the top and bottom having very rough cuts. Also not trimmed, but it would have also received an "A"
http://www.net54baseball.com/picture...pictureid=5054


Teds Jennings is an even better example. Somewhere along the line they changed the required specs so that the ABs weren't knocked down for being narrow. (Or simply retrained someone)
Years later the card gets regarded more appropriately.

So if you keep a sharp eye on SGC cards graded "A" you might just find a few cards that are a bit better than the grade.

I imagine there are a few on here who are considering legally changing their name to 'Grandson Ron'.

Brian (I guess I will stick with my name for now)

Graded A"....for "AFFORDABILITY"....a different viewpoint on collecting graded cards
 

I started my 2nd E90-1 set a number of years ago by acquiring these two gems for a very reasonable price.


http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7.../batwagner.jpg . . http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...rfranknagy.jpg



TED Z

T206 Reference
.

Here are a few "A"s that I enjoy...

<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/user/Tyjaycox/media/cards/1909E92CroftsCandyChristyMathewsonS.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb189/Tyjaycox/cards/1909E92CroftsCandyChristyMathewsonS.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 1909E92CroftsCandyChristyMathewsonS.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/user/Tyjaycox/media/cards/1910OrangeBordersChristyMathewsonSG.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb189/Tyjaycox/cards/1910OrangeBordersChristyMathewsonSG.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 1910OrangeBordersChristyMathewsonSG.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s210.photobucket.com/user/Tyjaycox/media/cards/T200ClevelandShoelessJoeSGCA.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb189/Tyjaycox/cards/T200ClevelandShoelessJoeSGCA.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo T200ClevelandShoelessJoeSGCA.jpg"/></a>

It is great that you have someone to pass your collection to that will appreciate and cherish them.