Is It Utterly Insane...

[MattyC]

To crack out an entire collection from slabs, and keep raw? Is it complete financial folly...but if never selling, isn't that moot? I loathe the dollar value-obsessed and number-grade obsessed climate that slabs create. Thoughts from fellow collectors?

[t206trader]

Ultimately it's an individual decision. If you're not interested in selling later then it's just whatever you prefer. Still, ultimately when you collection moves on to a family members hands they may not have the same desire to hold onto it as you do. If this is the case (and it typically is) it makes more sense to leave them slabbed for better resell value in my opinion.

[Bicem]

I did it and have enjoyed my collection more since. You can always have them slabbed again if you ever need to sell or if a competent grading company ever comes along.

[steve B]

I think it can also depend on the card.

I've sent in a few, it's fun and if my daughters don't go for collecting the cards will sell for more than if they weren't graded.

But I don't see much reason to slab a common T206 with a few big creases. It's a beater, and will always be one.

But I also don't see a lot of point in cracking out cards. Maybe if my collection was all ungraded already.

I get the arguments about the dollar and grade obsession, but that's the collectors, not the holders. I could blame the toploaders just as much, or the plastic sleeves, or the old pages, or rubber bands......Every era has had its storage styles, and each new thing has been taken a bit poorly by older collectors.

Steve B

[ullmandds]

It is "mildly" insane to do that...even if you plan to keep these cards "forever"...I mean how often are you going to want to hold a babe ruth rookie card raw betwen your fingers? From a protective standpoint...I would leave them slabbed.

[MVSNYC]

There is a board member with an insane T206 collection. he cracked out 100's of cards to create a raw binder set. let's see if he chims in.

[JohnBrownsElbow]

I just started collecting the T206 set a few weeks ago. So far I have acquired ten cards--nine "commons" and a Sam Crawford. Eight of the cards were in SGC slabs. The commons were all SGC 40s and the Crawford an SGC 20 because of minor paper loss on back.

Last night I busted them all out and put them in Card Savers. I love the look and sturdiness of the SGC holders but I wanted to be able to touch the cards.

It hasn't been twenty four hours yet but I certainly don't regret the decision so far. I can always get any better cards regraded if I need to, right?

I'm planning on buying a Christy Mathewson or Walter Johnson in the next few weeks. I'm sure it will be slabbed when I buy it, but I'm also sure I'll crack it out immediately. And I will also be doing my best to avoid buying slabbed commons from now on. I don't think I paid any extra premium for the ones I just cracked out but no reason to pay any extra cost in the future.

[Section103]

Cracking them isn't crazy. Buying them might be. Depending on the circumstances, graded cards often cost more. Avoid buying them, if you can, when you plan on keeping them raw.

[thehoodedcoder]

even if you think you are going to keep them forever, things may happen in your life that can change that thought. especially many many years down the road. kids, illness, financial problems etc.

while they are a hobby, cards are also an asset. if you have 20k, 50k or 100k in baseball cards that is a sizable asset that you can tap if you absolutely have to.

keeping them graded makes them easier to sell in a pinch and wouldn't incurr you any expenses should you need to do so.

for those that want to touch the cards, you are putting the crap from your hands on the card. oils and dirt attract moisture which can cause mold and staining. that is why people where gloves when handling rare documents.

kevin

[drcy]

I understand and appreciate memorabilia cost money and resellers want to make a profit and all that, but when the hobby becomes money centric it's a turn off for me. It's shallowness for shallow people. It's like the ranking the best movies by box office receipts.

[MattyC]

Originally Posted by drcy

I understand and appreciate memorabilia cost money and resellers want to make a profit and all that, but when the hobby becomes money centric it's a turn off for me. It's shallowness for shallow people. It's like the ranking the best movies by box office receipts.

I could not agree more with this sentiment. Fixation on some third party's subjective opinion of numerical grade turns me way off.

And your analogy is so SPOT ON; it really resonates with me as a screenwriter as well. Just as box office doesn't mean one movie is better than another, so it goes with some TPG grade. It's all in the collector's eye.

[MattyC]

Originally Posted by steve B

I get the arguments about the dollar and grade obsession, but that's the collectors, not the holders.

Steve B

This is brilliant. I see it now... I guess I don't hate slabs or companies, I hate people!

[glchen]

They're your cards, so it's up to you. Be sure that your heirs are knowledgeable about your collection if the worst happens, so that they don't accidentally toss it in the garbage or sell it to someone at a garage sale for a hundred bucks.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by MattyC

This is brilliant. I see it now... I guess I don't hate slabs or companies, I hate people!

hater....

If it were me I would leave them in the slabs. IF you ever go to sell them, any higher end ones have to be in slabs to get all of the value of them, imo. If you want to touch cards buy some low grade, cheap commons and have at it. I probably have half my cards in slabs and half not....but 99% of my higher end ones are slabbed. And I still have hundreds that aren't...and have been touching them all morning already....

[nebboy]

Insurance is a can be an issue for some. If your collection is not covered to what you think is enough and need a rider written to a policy may be something to look at. The independent grading (slab) is helpful to determine value.

[dabigyankeeman]

I buy a ton of old cards in slabs to verify authenticity, or sometimes because its the only one i can find or the price is right, etc. However, for my enjoyment of my collection, i always remove them and put them in plastic sheets in albums. I love going thru my collection in albums, and i love the way the cards look in sheets in albums.

In fact, i had been going crazy buying for months, but let the cards build up instead of doing them one by one as they came in, and the other day i had to crack all of them at once and take the cards out, what a pain in the butt to do a load of these at once! Note to self: Do them as they come in, dont let them build up!!

But if you wonder if its ok to remove the cards from slabs, its all up to the individual. If you want your cards like i do in albums instead of slabs, by all means take them out!!

[zachclose21]

Yes. The slab protects the card more than any other holder.

[bbcard1]

I have cracked a ton of t206s and t205s, the highest grade probably being a 3. I would not crack a card that got a grade "on sale"…you know one of those 4s or 5s that you just look at and go "Huh? How did it get that? I've seen 2s that have better eye appeal." In that case, you sell them and buy a lesser grade. That's workable in the case of a T206, not so much on a true rare issue.

The reason I cracked the cards i did was that those sets are huge and I want a consistent presentation of the cards as part of a whole. Can you imagine a T20 set of 520 in slabs? It would become so large it would be unwieldy and hard to enjoy. I do usually keep the flips with the cards after cracking. Never regretted the decision for a minute. I don't like slabbing or the grading companies and don't trust they are fair or ethical…but I could be wrong…happens all the time.

Conversely, I am considering slabbing some of my Delongs. It is a small set and that would allow a consistent presentation, though the grades do not justify the slabbing and I have no doubt of the authenticity of any card in the set.

[frankbmd]

Given the majority sentiment expressed on this thread, if I were SGC or PSA or BVG, I would be promoting training videos on how to most effectively crack their respective slabs. After all it's money in the bank for them. What goes around, comes around. What other industry could prosper by promoting the destruction of their product?

Let's see.......toilet paper, garbage bags, firecrackers, cigarettes, gasoline and in many cases cardboard.............oops that's what we're trying to protect.

Makes sense to me.

[midwaylandscaping]

Originally Posted by Leon

hater....

If it were me I would leave them in the slabs. IF you ever go to sell them, any higher end ones have to be in slabs to get all of the value of them, imo. If you want to touch cards buy some low grade, cheap commons and have at it. I probably have half my cards in slabs and half not....but 99% of my higher end ones are slabbed. And I still have hundreds that aren't...and have been touching them all morning already....

I'm with this

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by Leon

hater....

If it were me I would leave them in the slabs. IF you ever go to sell them, any higher end ones have to be in slabs to get all of the value of them, imo. If you want to touch cards buy some low grade, cheap commons and have at it. I probably have half my cards in slabs and half not....but 99% of my higher end ones are slabbed. And I still have hundreds that aren't...and have been touching them all morning already....

Man, just watch where you touch before and after.............

[glynparson]

usually pretty cool, however to pretend that you are offered even remotely the same level of protection is to me laughable. I have damaged a card or two in my life while thumbing thru binders I have never damaged a card while looking at it in a graded companies holder.

[Zach Wheat]

I was actually worried about when I pass my collection on down 1 day having my children throw away a rare variation. Most of my collection is not slagged but the key cards and variations are....

Z Wheat

[EvilKing00]

even if you never intend to sell...

#1 - what if one day you do?

#2 - They are probably best protected and cared for in a slab

[EvilKing00]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Given the majority sentiment expressed on this thread, if I were SGC or PSA or BVG, I would be promoting training videos on how to most effectively crack their respective slabs. After all it's money in the bank for them. What goes around, comes around. What other industry could prosper by promoting the destruction of their product?

Let's see.......toilet paper, garbage bags, firecrackers, cigarettes, gasoline and in many cases cardboard.............oops that's what we're trying to protect.

Makes sense to me.

funny - the big one I always say is tires. You know they can make tires that can last forever, so why don't they? not profitable.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by EvilKing00

funny - the big one I always say is tires. You know they can make tires that can last forever, so why don't they? not profitable.

Oh-oh! Now one of those touchy-feely guys is going to invent a slab that disintegrates after the sale.

Then even the flippers will be repeat customers.

[Paul S]

Originally Posted by frankbmd

Oh-oh! Now one of those touchy-feely guys is going to invent a slab that disintegrates after the sale.

Then even the flippers will be repeat customers.

Planned obsolescence. What a concept.

Oops, gotta go, my lamp just blew a bulb.

[SushiX37]

I'm a PSA guy, so my answer would be to leave them as is. That's just my opinion though. (Please don't let this turn into a PSA hatefest.)

Rich

[iwantitiwinit]

This may sound corny but I feel as if I have somewhat of a responsibility to safeguard these small pieces of cardboard that have survived intact for a hundred years. In the past they've been owned by others and I would think in many cases by several others who have cared for them. My cards will never be in better shape then they are now, you can't undo damage however minor it might be. The best way for me preserve them and to prevent future damage is to leave them slabbed. Personally I know how bad I'd feel if I ever damaged a card when cracking it out of a case or mishandling it. Rather than a question of preserving value, to me it's more of a question of preserving the "treasure".

[dougscats]

I've always collected ungraded cards.
I love the sense of antiquity that comes with touching them, they're sometimes a better bargain, and I've found that being able to flip through the pages of my T206 collection is really a pleasure.

Even so, I've accumulated a hundred or so graded T206's while collecting the set. I cracked open dozens of Authentic and Poor slabs [and it felt good, too!], figuring there wasn't much, if any, money lost in liberating those, and because in many cases the grades didn't do justice to the cards. My practical side doesn't like losing money, though, so I didn't crack the 2's and better. I'll be selling/trading those off as I'm presently in the process of replacing them with ungraded cards.

In the end, of course, it's to each his own. If I collected Mint cards, I'd probably want them graded. But Mint is not the allure for me even if money were no object.

I'll add one thing: It seems to me, and I suppose it's a logical development, that there are fewer and fewer ungraded cards on the market.

[EvilKing00]

Originally Posted by iwantitiwinit

This may sound corny but I feel as if I have somewhat of a responsibility to safeguard these small pieces of cardboard that have survived intact for a hundred years. In the past they've been owned by others and I would think in many cases by several others who have cared for them. My cards will never be in better shape then they are now, you can't undo damage however minor it might be. The best way for me preserve them and to prevent future damage is to leave them slabbed. Personally I know how bad I'd feel if I ever damaged a card when cracking it out of a case or mishandling it. Rather than a question of preserving value, to me it's more of a question of preserving the "treasure".

Perfectly said

[Bridwell]

+1. I've gradually become a slab man. Hated the concept at first now like it. One factor not mentioned yet is that someday my family members will be liquidating my collection after I'm gone. Or maybe I'll want to liquidate it when I'm elderly. The slabs are good to identify the cards and will help keep family members from being taken advantage of.

[I Only Smoke 4 the Cards]

A lot of good arguments have been made for both positions. I see pros and cons for both. I don't know what I would do but I won't fault you either way.

Pro - leave them slabbed
----------------------------
Better protected physically
Easier to resale
Easier for family to resale if you pass away
If you just like graded cards
Risk of messing them up if you crack them out
Easier to insure

Con - crack them out
------------------------
Like the way they look
The way collecting used to be
Like to touch the cards
Think they look cool that way
Easier to store and enjoy collection