grade or not ?
 

I have owned 1950-60's cards for a long time. All are raw and authentic. No one in my family has a real interest in them. So when I'm gone they will sell them. Obviously, graded cards would sell faster and usually for more due to authenticity.
Cards would grade 3-4+
noteworthy cards are:

1953 Topps Mantle
1953 Bowman color Musial
1954 Topps Jackie Robinson
1955 Topps Ted Williams
1956 Mays
1957 Mantle
1957 Clemente
1957 Aaron
1957 Drysdale (rookie)
1959 Mantle
1961 Mantle
1962 Maris

Should I get them graded ?

Thanks.

I would recommend grading them. Otherwise, I foresee a scenario where a low feedback seller (your heirs) lists an "Inherited baseball card collection" (without any history of selling sportscards) that just happens to have a bunch of good looking, ungraded key HOF cards from the 50's and 60's. It smells like a scam, and the answers they would get from your uneducated heirs will not assuage many concerns. I think the cost of grading will easily pay for itself.

Some random musings, not particularly insightful
 

For the noteworthy cards you listed, grading might not be a terrible choice. It makes them easier to sell, and you probably make back your grading fees, plus maybe a little extra by way of increased sales price. If you're talking about commons from this era in grades 3-4, then I would probably skip getting those pieces graded.

I suppose you should also figure out where to get them graded. I won't offer much advice other than to observe that PSA historically carries a premium over other graders, although that premium is declining, and for some issues and some grades, you might argue it no longer exists. So the premium for your specific cards here might not be all that noteworthy.

The good news is that at present, if you meet the bulk pricing requirements, you can get them graded for $19 each at PSA, and the value cap is $499 per card, so you might be able to get most (or all) of these to work under that value cap. Unfortunately, bulk is only available if you're a member of PSA's club, and have an order of 20+ cards. If you're not a club member, then it's $25 per card.

If you're a gambling man, and not in a hurry, you might consider whether it makes sense to get them graded right now. Grading prices have been declining lately, and they might drop further. Plenty of debates around here about how much further they can theoretically drop.

Others will also observe that if you're not in a hurry, then you might wait to see what further developments are in store for the market, because 5, 10, 20 years from now a new grader or system might become king of the mountain, in which case getting them graded now could be a waste of your money.

There's also a lot of raging debates around here about whether graders are grading particularly harsh at the moment, with some asserting 1-2 grade discounts compared to historical grading standards. At the same time, if your cards are in the 3-4 range, then there might not be much of a discount, if any. So that might be another reason to wait - in the off chance that they re-adjust and become more reasonable in their grading. Just so you don't get them in now and get dinged with 2s and 3s instead of 3s and 4s.

Some great insights so far.

I suggest posting pics/scans of the main cards, so people here will get a better idea of what they are assessing. The main factor at the moment would be what your cards could grade at (number-wise). If they slide past the aforementioned 'value cap' of $499 (at PSA), then you will be hit with upcharges. So, any decisions to be made are also reliant on your budget.

Thanks
 

Thanks to all for your input.

Yes, grade them. But do not send them to PSA right now. You'll get murdered on the grades. PSA 2s are the new norm for VG-EX cards with no creases. I just picked up a beautiful 1957 Clemente in a PSA 2 holder that was recently graded. Absolute jaw dropping incompetence with what is coming back from PSA in recent months for low to mid grade vintage cards.

Send them to SGC and you'll get fair grades. Everyone loves to point out that a PSA 4 outsells an SGC 4, but what they overlook is the fact that an SGC 4 still outsells a PSA 3.

scan of 1953 Mantle
 

SCG wants an estimate of value from the owner before they grade. A way of making more money.
Would you give an opinion of what the grade might be so I can determine whether I want to send it in ?

Thanks.

Looks like a nice 2.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

I wase going to say a 2. But they might knock it down to a 1.5 because of the paper loss on the front.

Definitely a 1 - 1.5

I have 2, both are pictured for comparison.

Agree with the 1-1.5 estimate. Still worth grading as you will recoup the cost at sale. Always a market for affordable graded Mantles, Aaron, Robinson.

I also would personally save the grading costs on the Maris and Drysdale as the return is not there unless 4-5 or better.

I've graded a lot of 52 & 53 Topps cards. Zero chance of PSA giving this a 2 nowadays. 5 years ago? Maybe. But definitely not today. I would expect a 1 and cross my fingers for a 1.5. When you send it in, I would choose the 'Regular' service level. It's $75 grading fee with a maximum declared value of $1499. I would enter $1499 for the value. They probably won't upcharge you even if it grades as a 1.5. Turnaround times are currently 10 business days or less for this service level. You could also submit through one of the bulk submitters around here if you wanted to. Might save you a few bucks on shipping fees.

I would grade them, gives your heirs a searchable baseline value when they sell. SGC is asking you for a value for insurance purposes in case the cards get lost. I'd also go with SGC over PSA for reasons mentioned in previous posts. Good luck!

Not really. SGC wants to know your estimate of value for purposes of insuring your card(s) while in their possession. All graders have been known to drop, damage, and yes just outright lose cards from submissions. It can be confusing, as yes, PSA does regularly use your "estimated value" to upcharge you on the grading free if you send in (for example) a card thinking it's probably a 5 and you somehow get a 7. But at least to my knowledge, SGC doesn't do a lot of this type of upcharging after the fact. It may have something to do with paying upfront for your grading at SGC, and only when the cards have actually been processed at PSA.

Yes, if you know you are going to sell - unfortunately the advice is probably to grade. I'm very down on all TPG's at the moment, so no plans to do that myself. But at the end of the day it's true both that it is 1) Easier to sell graded vintage, and 2) Easier to sell graded vintage for more $. No denying that.

You are correct, no doubt about it. But I'm not getting any of my cards graded. I do not want them like that, and the few that I acquired that were graded I cracked. My wife and daughter know this and are in total agreement with how I feel about it. I am a hobby collector. I like being able to actually hold them in my hands. I very much like the cards I have, with no desire at all to sell ANY of them. Occasional trades, here and there, yes.

I was replying for the benefit of the OP. I agree with you totally though. It's insane how many inaccurately graded cards I've seen just in the last few weeks online. Cards with the wear attributes of 4's getting 6's with CSG, and cards that look like 4's all day long getting 2's with PSA. Most of us here learned how to grade ourselves a long time ago. Like you, I'm in no rush to sell the large majority of my collection. I enjoy the cards for what they are and for the players pictured - not some number on a flip.