Posted By:
Jeff LichtmanI agree with King re the difference between a 6 and an 8. Two totally different specimens. As for the difference between a 7 and an 8, it is more subtle but still usually obvious. That being said, when I'm completing a set in the 7-8 range I usually buy the graded card of 7 or 8 which comes up first on ebay or otherwise. Sometimes one does feel stupid paying anywhere from 3-5x more for a common 8 simply because it became available first.
As someone who has some registry sets, I often wrestle with the true stupidity of completing a set by paying large numbers for common 8s or 9s, simply to complete the set. Spending $1800 on a 1955 Art Fowler PSA 8 when I could have used that money towards an SGC 88 E93 Mathewson is just one of many examples of this sort of stupidity.