PSA / SGC Question

[windycityradio]

Hi Everyone!

First of all, I wanted to introduce myself - this is my first post. My name is Jim - I live in the northern suburbs of Chicago. Thank you Leon for running a great board!

Like many of you, I grew up in the 80's collecting cards and drifted away from the hobby when I discovered girls. Now as an adult with extra money to spend, I'm excited to be able to buy cards for fun and as in investment. (Mainly for fun).

On and off, for a number of years, I was working on a low grade T206 set, until a friend of mine talked me into picking out a few cards from that set and really focusing on becoming an expert on those cards..... (Knowing when a good value pops up on ebay, buying only higher grades, etc.) so, I've narrowed my focus down to T206 Tinker, Evers, Chance and Brown, plus I've developed a passion for Babe Ruth Strip Cards from the 20's. I'm glad I've done this - trying to build the entire T206 is a big task... now that I have a daughter, I don't really have the time to concentrate on more than a handful of cards.... I'm now selling off most of the rest of my collection.

Anyway - my question: I have sent off a few batches of cards to PSA for grading..... the work they do is great - however, the turnaround time takes much, much longer than what's posted (the last order I sent in took a week and a half from when they received my package, until they entered it into their system!). Plus, I have sent several emails to their "info" email address, only to have my questions go unanswered. They have made an effort to make me feel like I'm a waste of their time.

I've dealt with SGC in the past - and they've been great to deal with. Earl is a super nice guy!

I have about 30 T206 and strip cards (plus a few from the '50's) I'd like to get graded (most are Poor/Fair) and then sell them. I was going to use PSA because I am under the belief that I'll be able to sell my cards for more money compared to having cards graded by SGC.

Have you had an experience where this is true? For the low grade cards, does it really matter?

Thank you for any feedback you can provide!

[arc2q]

I think your observations about the two grading companies are probably shared by most on this board. Both are fine companies but they do some things better than others. PSA's turnaround time does appear to be a significant issue. SGC customer service is great. PSA's resale value -- on average -- is slightly better for unexplained reasons. I like both.

The advice I would give, though, is not to grade them if they are Poor/Fair commons and if you intend to sell. I shop in this range generally (sadly) and notice that the price difference between raw and graded is negligible. It certainly is not enough to warrant spending more than $10 each to get them graded. Even if it gets you a couple of bucks each in the auction you will be losing time and money in the process.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by arc2q

The advice I would give, though, is not to grade them if they are Poor/Fair commons and if you intend to sell. I shop in this range generally (sadly) and notice that the price difference between raw and graded is negligible. It certainly is not enough to warrant spending more than $10 each to get them graded. Even if it gets you a couple of bucks each in the auction you will be losing time and money in the process.

Agree with this statement.