Quote:
Originally Posted by OlderTheBetter
I applaud your decision. Grading has so many deficient qualities. Especially PSA which seems to delight in propagating collector ignorance by not giving grader notes and not giving the date of the grading (important because they've gone through 15 different slabs and the newer grading standards are tougher -- just try getting anywhere near top dollar for a PSA graded card from 2005.)
I've cracked a lot of slabs over the years to liberate my cards. They look so much better in a sem-rigid without all the distracting grading info.
Some call me crazy for doing that, but I didn't buy the cards as an investment and future monetary returns are purely secondary.
As a collector for 55 years now I can tell you that collecting was so much more fun in the 1970s compared to today that it's not even close.
So collect how you prefer. Don't always be a lemming and go with the crowd. Listen to yourself and follow your heart. You're doing that and it's great.
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I totally agree that cards look better without a slab. It's like walking around with your medical record hanging from a lanyard around your neck. But I'm resigned to buying slabbed cards as most of my buying is online. Since the vast majority of the cards on my radar tend to be graded, I've gotten cynical when I see a good looking raw one come up for sale. I figured there must be something wrong with it, else it would have been graded before sale.
I don't yet have the confidence to liberate the graded cards that I've purchased, but I wouldn't be surprised if that happens sooner rather than later.