[tbob]

I think there are three good reasons for having pre-war cards graded (and I resisted slabbing cards for a number of years):

1. You plan on selling a set through an auction. The prices achieved will be greater because potential buyers like to know a 3rd party grading service like SGC has deemed the cards original, unaltered and the SGC holders are aesthetically pleasing with the card entombed in them.
2. Protection. E94s and E98s more than any other cards I have handled are subject to imploding, for lack of a better term, near the corners of the cards. I do not know if it were the particular card stock used or what but I have gnashed my teeth more than once when a fleck of color left the card while removing a card from a rigid or semi-rigid holder. A card which once was EX becomes GD in a heartbeat.
3. The future. I have two daughters and although the younger one is semi-interested in my collection, I have explained the grading system etc. to my wife because statistics show wives outlive husbands and I would like for her to be able to sell the cards without much hassle and use the money as she sees fit. The kids (and now grandkids) would like to have certain cards to remember their dad's hobby and collection obsession, but most would be sold. I have hesitated to have many of my complete tobacco sets graded because of the expense of slabbing them and I have no desire to sell my sets, especially the T205, T206 and T207, but all my caramel sets are slabbed and also the minor league sets like the Zeenuts, T210s and T212s are all slabbed.