Card grade
 

Hello everybody. This is my first post. I am just getting back into collecting as its been a long time. my question is...does it matter what grade you buy when collecting cards? for instance...if you buy a Gem mint 1952 Mickey Mantle and a Very good 1952 Mickey Mantle...and the market on baseball cards doubles over the next 20 years...your cards will go up in value just the same regardless if its a 10 or a 3 right? meaning your Gem mint card you paid 200 grand for will be worth 400 grand and the Very good one you bought for 10 grand will be worth 20 grand right? I am just curious what the fascination with mint condition is.

So far it's worked differently from that. better condition cards have done much better than lesser condition cards. The exceptions are cards like the 52 Mantle. Eventually the higer condition and high demand cards will hit a peak pricewise. Then the lesser condition cards will increase since the better condition ones are too expensive for nearly everyone.

Unless you get lucky collecting as an investment is a good way to loose a bunch of money. Collect for the enjoyment of the items themselves, and the "investment" will take care of itself over time.

Steve B

It depends on the card. If it's super plentiful modern card, high grade cards would be best, even essential. If it's a rarer old card, like an Old Judge or T206 Ty Cobb, most grades should rise with the tide-- even if the high grade cards do the best. Some old and valuable issues don't come in Gem Mint.

Also remember it's the price you paid that matters. If you get a super duper deal on a low grade 1952 Mantle that's better than overpaying for a high grade Mantle. Investment is based on what you paid and what you sell it for, not what book price is was before and then. In short, overpaying for a good investment card isn't a good investment.

Also consider what's nice in that grade. One Vg Mantle can look better than another Vg Mantle, and may sell for more on resale. Eye appeal and all that.

Lastly, I'm wary of Gem Mint cards-- altered? will it be considered Gem Mint 10 years from now? will PSA introduce a grade of 10.5? what will be the whims of the hobby -- so wouldn't be in the market for a Gem Mint 10 anyway. VgEx or Ex would be fine for me. Though clearly I'm talking about VgEx for T206 not a 2009 NFL rookie card. Investing in a VgEx 2007 rookie card wouldn't be a wise idea.

To me, the Mantle is a borderline case. You wouldn't invest in a VgEx 1952 common card-- you'd want much higher--, but the Mantle is an exceptional card from the relatively plentiful issue. Then there is the issue of is the Mantle card (any grade) a good investment. There's a whole lot of demand for it, and the question is will the demand be there in the future. Though note that the T206s are plentiful too, and I said I'd pick a VgEx T206. Maybe I'm a ageist. In ways the 1952 Topps set is similar to the T206s.

I can tell you that if I were to invest in a baseball card, it wouldn't be that which is the current most popular and it would be what I got a really good deal on. It it would be because it says Gem Mint 10 on the label.

If I were going to invest all my money on a card it would be .... Oh, sorry. Leon just said I've been writing too much here and have to quit.

"Gem Mint" Vintage cards are MUCH more rare then "Very Good" vintage cards, don't forget that either.

Thanks for the respones. That helps clear things up some. My grade range is VG/EX to EX/MNT. I don think I need to pay up multiples of a card value just because its Mint. Its for my own enjoyment and just want cards that look good to me. I'm mainly a modern era HOF collector...so 40's,50's and 60's. Any tips on how to get good deals? Has anybody bought cards from deanscards.com? Their prices seem to favor the high end of whats in the Beckett.