Quote:
Originally Posted by todeen
Pay attention to this comment above. The more you explore the monthly pickups on Net54, the more you will notice serious collectors buy the card and not the grade.
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Many serious collectors here and elsewhere learned grading and the nuances of grading a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away before third party grading had yet been conceived. Those that did this and understand the components of subjectivity in grading have known for quite some time that eye appeal does not always (and sometimes not even frequently) equal technical grade.
We've reached a point in the modern hobby where centering minutiae is sometimes more important on vintage cards than noticeable print spots or focus issues. This can sometimes be unreasonable. Likewise a hairline crease that is difficult to notice can result in an otherwise Excellent to Mint card receiving a grade like a PSA 4, while a PSA 6 card in a slab that's duller and perhaps has worse centering is being offered for sale somewhere at nearly 2x the price.
"Buy the card not the grade" has been a thing for some time, but it's reaffirming to me how true it remains. The confident collector will buy pieces for his collection that meet HIS standards of what is appealing and collectible. Nothing wrong with that at all, and it's nice to see even some of those cards that would have been considered outliers in years past selling for premiums now at auction because real collector opinion is driving the market and not simply a number on a slab.