Graded football cards - pros and cons

[jefferyepayne]

Springboarding off of the raw vs. graded discussion in another thread, I thought I'd start a discussion of the pros and cons of graded cards. Here are my opinions and hope to hear yours. Let the discussion / debate begin!

Pros of graded cards:
Increased likelihood the item is authentic
Provides added protection against damaging the item
Grade assigned by an unbiased professional based upon defined criteria
Higher price when you sell
Easier to sell (?)
Easier to track previous sales / value

Cons of graded cards:
A temptation to purchase the slab vs. the card
They take up a lot more storage space
It's more difficult to sit and look at large sets
Lose the tactile / sensory connection with the cards (touch, smell)
Costs additional $$$ that could be spent on other things
Possible pricing bubble for high grade cards (?)
The player is suffocating inside the case
Various grading companies all with different slabs that don't stack well

Your thoughts?

jeff

[Blackie]

First off Great post Jeff. Here are what I consider to be pros and cons to both

Graded Pros:
-Chance to use a registry which is kinda fun and helps you build with other folks online
-Protection of cards and good holders (yep I said I it, I like the SGC holders a lot and love the way the black gaskets make the cards pop)
-Ability for your kids to hold the cards and play around with them with out too much damage if any especially if you have the graded card slip covers.
-The assurance of a card being authentic!

Graded Cons:
-Buying the holder and not the card in it based upon how you like to collect
-Costs are super inflated most times

Raw Pros:
-It was the way it was supposed to be. But is there really any way it is supposed to be. I mean the type writer was before the computer and we couldn't live without the computer now........so that's really just a hypothesis
-Ability to store them in any capacity you wish such as binders, top loaders etc.

Raw Cons:
-Authenticity questions......especially for those cards that are quick to be altered or duplicated (fakes)
-...............can't think of any more right now and I guess I better get to work

again great post Jeff

[Samsdaddy]

Great post Jeff and a post I will follow to see everyone's opinions.

I cannot be unbiased here as I do not care for graded cards so I will not give my pros and cons. Please don't misunderstand and think I am being critical of collectors who purchase graded cards, that is not it at all.

Anyway, great post and look forward to reading more of this thread.

[tuckr1]

I think a Pro for graded is displaying graded cards is easier. On that note, I am 6 cards away from the 1935 Chicles set, which might take me another 2 years to complete, LOL, but I was wondering wether to have them professionally frame and matted or buying a 30's display cabinet and having them all displayed in that?? Any input would be greatly appreciated and any pics of how you guys display special, sets or cards

Thanks Tucker

[gregr2]

For me, being new to collecting, graded cards give the ability to see what an actual 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 card looks like. It's one thing to look at pictures of graded cards online and another to be able to examine them in person. This has given my a greater insight into raw cards as it makes it somewhat easier to judge condition.

[jefferyepayne]

All good thoughts!

I went back and forth as to whether graded cards are easier to display or not and left it off the list but I can see why some might think so. Some cards do seem to look better in slabs while others do not.

I like the comment about the registry being a "community" and kinda fun to be involved with. Also like the idea that inspecting graded cards helps someone learn how to grade.

I know there's been some awesome threads on the main forum discussing ways to display cards. I'd recommend using the search function to find those threads if you're looking for display ideas.

jeff

[Il Padrino]

Jeff,

This question is one I struggle with a lot, in fact I believe I finally arrived to what works best for me: The Raw.

The method of how I arrived to this answer was via my Ohio State collection and the fact that nothing is graded because there are no cards involved. I feel more in touch with the collection through the rawness of each item and although each item is within a holder, I scan all images raw and unrestrained from the prison walls of an SGC or PSA holder.

Now that is just me and I can certainly see the utility of having a card graded, in particular the old stuff that may be prone to trimming or similar issues, so when it comes to items like my Nagurski, Poe, etc. then I desire for them to be in a graded holder.

So, long story short:

HIGH END CARDS - YES, graded.
EVERYTHING ELSE - NO, raw.

[PowderedH2O]

I sold my entire graded football collection earlier this year for about $20k. Best decision ever. I am no longer concerned with the grade and I can enjoy the cards. I paid $275 for a Doug Atkins rookie. I replaced it with a raw one for $14. I paid $100 for a Tom Fears rookie. I now have two ungraded ones that I paid $50 for the pair. I am so much happier being off of the registry and back to collecting.

[Il Padrino]

Another issue with trying to keep up with the registry listings would be the high number of cards that are cracked out of their cases for re-grading thus the entire registry is skewed based on that alone. Meaning it cannot possibly be accurate as people crack items plus move from PSA to SGC and vice versa.

As stated before, I like items raw.

[jefferyepayne]

Originally Posted by Il Padrino

Another issue with trying to keep up with the registry listings would be the high number of cards that are cracked out of their cases for re-grading thus the entire registry is skewed based on that alone. Meaning it cannot possibly be accurate as people crack items plus move from PSA to SGC and vice versa.

As stated before, I like items raw.

+1000

At this point the registries are nowhere NEAR accurate. There's no way to track cards that have been resubmitted 10 times for bumps, crossed back and forth, cards that have been ripped out of their slab, etc.

Population reports are a joke.

jeff

[Il Padrino]

Originally Posted by jefferyepayne

+1000

At this point the registries are nowhere NEAR accurate. There's no way to track cards that have been resubmitted 10 times for bumps, crossed back and forth, cards that have been ripped out of their slab, etc.

Population reports are a joke.

jeff

Population reports are a joke = WIN!!!!!

Anyone that says otherwise has too much invested in their graded cards and fears the truth. Like when a woman asks her man "does this dress make me look fat?" and the TRUTHFUL response is "no sweetheart, you make the dress look fat!"

[clamendo]

Graded Pros

How else do you know where you stand (trimmed, altered, etc)
Protect rare and high grade items
Insurance purposes
Easier to sell / trade online

Graded cons

Cost
Don't stack
Space
Grading companies under grade
Stars and high value cards due to liability reasons

Grading companies market high grade as the main determination of value (more submissions, more profit) vs rare cards (more research, less submissions. less profit)









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[jefferyepayne]

Originally Posted by clamendo

Graded Pros

How else do you know where you stand (trimmed, altered, etc)
Protect rare and high grade items
Insurance purposes
Easier to sell / trade online

Graded cons

Cost
Don't stack
Space
Grading companies under grade
Stars and high value cards due to liability reasons

Grading companies market high grade as the main determination of value (more submissions, more profit) vs rare cards (more research, less submissions. less profit)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Carl hit on a couple of interesting new ones here: Insurance, under graded stars.

Insurance - fortunately I haven't had to make an insurance claim on any cards but I can see how having a graded, registered card would make it easier to convince an insurance agent that 1) you owned it! and 2) it is in the condition/has the value you say. I've heard enough stories about fights with insurance companies on other items to believe it's very possible you could get yourself in a difficult predicament with sports cards. Anyone ever had to deal with this?

Undergrading of stars - Carl and I were just talking about this the other day. The TPG companies seem to consistently undergrade star cards in rare sets ... probably to 1) reduce their exposure if the card is fake and 2) reduce complaints from others who have the same card but feel theirs is under graded even more. Anyone have some examples of this to show? I'd love to see a comparison between the grades of common and star cards in rare sets.

jeff