Originally Posted by Smarti5051
I think the situation has derailed a bit by the idea that I am chasing a case or I need to readjust my collecting goals if I cannot afford the condition I want. I am not a slave to the grade. I have one PSA 10 in my collection, and that is a Kobe card I pulled from a pack 25 years ago that I included with a bunch of similar cards from the same era last year. I intentionally exclude considering PSA 10 from my searches because I don't value the premium for the "perfect" card that looks to my old eyes like a run-of-the-mill PSA 8-9.
With regards to my specific collecting goals, I have chosen the "Top 200 Sportscards of All Time" on the PSA Set Registry. When I die, my goal is to have all 200 displayed in 4 x 50-count wall displays. To be clear, these cases will not be filled with PSA 7-9 vintage cards. If I die with an average above PSA 4, it will be a major accomplishment. I could make my life easier if I ignored the registry, but I don't trust myself to not get duped buying a raw card, and since I am displaying them, having them all in the same TPG holder helps the OCD.
In my quest for the Top 200, I am closer to the starting line than the finish line. When I started, it was "centered PSA 4 or better." However, the crazy market now has me looking at centered PSA 1s where the player's image is somewhat visible. It is alot easier to stomach a $300-500 PSA 1 than drop $2500-5000 for a PSA 4-5 right now and allow me to make some progress towards my goal.
Even with the enjoyment a "poor" condition card may give me in the short term, it would be nice to know an avenue exists in the future to potentially trade up to a more eye appealing version of the same card if my circumstances allow it.
Someone above scoffed at the idea of taxes being a consideration to avoid selling vs trading. I am not sure why. Just by way of example, my wife bought me a centered PSA 5 1933 Goudey Ruth #144 (my original dream card) when my daughter was born almost 17 years ago. I believe the cost was $2500. Hypothetically (truly hypothetical because this specific card will be in my collection until death), if I saw a beautiful "better" Ruth for $100,000 that I wanted to replace it with, I would sell my PSA 5 for let's just say $50,000. Then, I could use the proceeds to buy the $100,000 version. Well, in that scenario, I sell for $50,000 and immediately have a taxable gain of at least $48,000 (assuming my accountant feels comfortable we could defend the cost basis without any documentation). Even at 28% federal + 11% state income tax, that is close to $20,000 in tax liability from one sale. That means, I "net" $30,000 and pull $70,000 out of my savings to acquire the Ruth. By contrast, if (as I inquired) it was somewhat commonplace to offer a combination of downgrade + cash to improve the same PC card, I would have the new card in collection and $20,000 more in the bank - and the seller would be content receiving the same consideration. The only loser would be Uncle Sam and California, but they have plenty of wins against me over the years.
I am sorry my original question triggered so many ancillary concerns, but at base I was just curious if collectors/dealers were generally receptive to trade+cash requests to upgrade condition (regardless of whether the card is graded).
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