Posted By:
AnonymousThis is the part of buying cards that has frustrated me to this point. And please don't take anything I say from this point forward to be hostile as I truly want to understand what it is I am looking at.
I often read here and other places, a card is only worth what you pay for it at the point of purchase, and only what you can get for it at the point of sale. I understand that concept but we all attempt to put value on something when we enter the market place to give ourselves a reference point and get the best deal possible. I use various sites and reference points to figure out what for example various PSA grades are worth or what the current market value for that particular graded card is to give myself some idea of what is a good or bad deal within a certain grade.
Then I read "Buy the card and not the holder." So what tools should I then use?
If I'm using a PSA grade of 4 as search criteria, how do I then determine what a strong PSA 4 card is and what a weak PSA 4 card is if I'm "buying the card and not the holder?"
Am I just trying to condense into a short time what should take years to learn?
In the end I am happy with my Johnson card posted above and I though I got it at a great price, which in the end is all that's important. It does have a diamond cut, but I felt the rest of the card showed very well for the PSA 4 grade. I would love to hear what some of the more experienced collectors would have to say good or bad about that card or anything else I spoke about above as I really want to learn more about what I am doing.