[jchcollins]

Also it has been my experience that if you want to buy - say an early 60's Mantle base card raw / ungraded in VG condition vs. a PSA 3, it's not going to be a huge price differential. That comes in for TPG's really in grades 6 or 7 and higher, at least for postwar vintage. For example I have a '59 Willie Mays in a 6 that I might be able to sell for more than a '59 Mays I had raw that I just listed as EX-MT. But it really depends on the eye appeal, and the specific card and player. There are still deals to be had on midgrade non-graded, but for my money slabs of the same thing aren't usually that much more expensive - so for peace of mind, that's the direction I tend to go in.