I have cracked a ton of t206s and t205s, the highest grade probably being a 3. I would not crack a card that got a grade "on sale"…you know one of those 4s or 5s that you just look at and go "Huh? How did it get that? I've seen 2s that have better eye appeal." In that case, you sell them and buy a lesser grade. That's workable in the case of a T206, not so much on a true rare issue.
The reason I cracked the cards i did was that those sets are huge and I want a consistent presentation of the cards as part of a whole. Can you imagine a T20 set of 520 in slabs? It would become so large it would be unwieldy and hard to enjoy. I do usually keep the flips with the cards after cracking. Never regretted the decision for a minute. I don't like slabbing or the grading companies and don't trust they are fair or ethical…but I could be wrong…happens all the time.
Conversely, I am considering slabbing some of my Delongs. It is a small set and that would allow a consistent presentation, though the grades do not justify the slabbing and I have no doubt of the authenticity of any card in the set.
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