Is this a crazy idea?
 

I know people have very strong opinions on this topic, so let me make a couple of things clear about the cards I will be referencing before proceeding:

1. These are typically in the PSA 2-4 range
2. I am planning to pass on to my kids. Absolutely NO interest in selling.
3. I am ONLY interested in authentication and protection.

Okay, here goes: I have a pretty extensive low-mid grade Hank Aaron collection. Most are raw. Keeping the above three points in mind, what are the downsides to submitting to Beckett under the BCCG service? Full Disclosure: I am 100% aware of their grading scale.

At $6 a pop, it seems like a pretty good deal for authentication/protection.

Am I missing something?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

At $6.00 a pop you can send them to PSA.

But don't you have to be a club member for that pricing?

You have to be a member, $200 gets you 15 graded cards plus some free swag. You also get them back really quick. Then for the rest of the year you can submit at the $6.00 per card price (50 day turnaround). Then your cards would be in some well accepted holders instead of those silly BCCG ones. Don't forget, even though you're not selling them, someone someday in the future will sell them. More people will buy PSA graded cards instead of BCCG ones.

I like the idea of BCCG in your situation. I have been sending in to SGC because I like the looks of their holders the most and do not care about the value. They have $5 Gold Club member pricing every few months. I paid $125 for a year and get 10 free grades, a t-shirt, and a backpack bag thing.

I forget currently, but is there not an option just to have the cards "Authenticated" rather than receiving a grade?

This would be cheaper, I believe, and of course the cards would be protected.

I agree, someday the cards will sell, but it is an option, if available, for those that think the next generation may also pass them onto their kids someday.

You can request "authentic", usually if the card is determined to be trimmed. I believe the price is the same as if you receive a grade, however.

That makes sense, and more to what I remember.

Thanks. :)

Dale,

I wish that was a less expensive option, however. I would definitely consider that.

I keep hoping that one of the TPGs will start offering a low-cost service in which the card is slabbed and the flip merely states that the card does or does not qualify for a numerical grade.

Bccg
 

i can't imagine any scenario where I would recommend sending to BCCG, including yours

I guess I will be the first to say why get these graded at all? Lots of times ungraded low to mid range quality cards can bring a premium to speculators who hope to get them graded at higher than what they really are. Seems like a waste of money to get them graded to me.........

I seem to remember someone here saying that SGC is probably the better way to go in terms of look and protection. Is that correct?

Rather than BCCG, if I decided to go with a TPG I'd go for PSA, SGC, or BVG (whose cases I happen to like) as cheaply as possible.
To me, getting a "real" grade would be worth the extra cost and waiting time.
Assuming I already know they're authentic I'd likely just put them in quality hard cases, which provide the protection I'm looking for with lower grade cards while displaying nicely and being much cheaper than any grading option. If you handle the cases with some care - and probably even if you don't - the cards aren't going to deteriorate as you don't have four sharp corners to begin with.
It sounds like it will be many years before anyone considers selling them. I'd probably defer the grade /don't grade decision until then.

Just my

+1 on the "don't get them graded" suggestion. If you're not going to sell them, and you know that they're authentic, why bother? If you're not sure that they're authentic, authenticating cards yourself can be kind of fun. And if your kids are old enough to enjoy magnifying glasses and black lights it could be a nice rainy sunday afternoon activity.

Is this a crazy idea?
 

I have a hard time seeing the point in throwing good money after lesser condition cards to get them graded if you already know they are authentic. I would spend the money on more lesser condition cards, LOL. If my kids want to get my collection authenticated later after I'm gone or something, more power to them - but I would have a hard time spending that money unless it were to get a super valuable card protected or something like that. My kids aren't going to be able to retire / cash in trust fund-like sums while still young if I kickoff just because of my collection at any rate - so in that regard I don't see much of a value proposition difference if I were to get most of my raw cards graded or not.


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Until/unless SGC redesigns their gaskets, I wouldn't rely on them for better card protection. In my opinion, Beckett holders are superior to SGC (and PSA) in that regard.