Both ways
 

I collect 'em both ways. Most completed sets which contain over 50 cards are raw (T205, 206, 207, E90-1, E92, E94 master near set, T212 Obaks '09, '10, '11, 1955 Bowman, 1961 Topps, etc.) but the smaller sets are all slabbed (T200, E93, E95, E96, E97, E98 etc). The only variances are the T210s all slabbed (working on this huge set) and the 1911 and 1912 Zeenuts near sets, all slabbed.
I do buy cards raw and end up slabbing mostly for eye appeal, safety sake and because when I am gone they will be easier to sell for my heirs, although my younger daughter (27) swears she is keeping her 1/2 of the old man's stash. She also gets first pick and is wise enough to have selected the Matty autographed baseball :)

I've never sold cards, but if I did, I'd likely have them graded first. The difference being, when I want to keep a card, it's value to me is intrinsic. If I would ever want to sell, it's value would be monetary.

Joe,

I looked at some dust cover binders, but found they limited my size options a little. I have binders of varying sizes from 1 inch up to 5 or 5 1/2 inches. The Toops binders are all stored in a closet, so the dust is minimal.

Collect Raw sell Graded
 

This may surprise some of the people on the board but the vast majority of my collection is ungraded. I sell almost entirely graded (PSA or SGC) cards but I collect raw.

Yea, tuff to find dust covers for 5 1/2" binders. Still what a great collection. I'm sure you enjoy opening them and looking through them. Congrads.

95% raw. Frankly, I feel like a dork when I show a non-collector a piece of cardboard hermetically sealed in hard plastic.

Raw
 

And, Ted Z is my hero.

Doug

:D Probably one of the best responses in a great thread!


Everyone, thank you for your input. I also read a similar thread from 2007. Sorry to have re-hashed the topic, but it was fun reading!