Quote:
Originally Posted by gustomania
So where is that sort of cut off where you go, it has to be graded?
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It would depend on three factors:
- Am I buying in-person or relying on pictures?
- Do I know (and how much do I trust) the seller?
- What is the value of the card?
If I have the opportunity to view the card in-hand, I'm more likely to purchase a raw card. My post-war collecting is mainly Topps & Bowman. I've handled enough of them to purchase ungraded examples confidently.
If I've built a rapport with the seller, and they've earned my trust, I'm fine with purchasing raw. Of course, I'll ask some questions first to make sure that (a) they're confident it's real and unaltered and (b) that they'll make things right if the card is not real and unaltered.
Value; that's where the rubber meets the road, isn't it? I've purchased raw cards for a couple hundred dollars or so, and felt comfortable doing so. Anything higher than that, I'll go graded 99% of the time. The exception would be when I can check boxes 1 and 2, above.