Do You Participate in the PSA Registry?

[JollyElm]

I am always hearing talk about the PSA registry and how important it is to some people, so I thought it would be a good time to gauge how much the collectors on this site are involved with it.

First off, everyone is aware of the problems and difficulties (and price increases) happening at PSA, so this isn't a poll asking what you're going to do in the future, but a poll asking how much you've been involved up until now.


Some of what you should consider while deciding what slot you fit into:

• When you're thinking of buying a card, how much of your thought process centers around getting something you need for the registry, improving your ranking in it, or grabbing trade bait to eventually help you climb higher?

• Are you generally looking to 'only' buy cards to add to the registry, or is it a mixed bag of reasons?

• Are you willing to vastly 'overpay' to either fill a hole in your registry set or get a higher grade to improve your ranking in it?

• Do you more or less use the registry only as a checklist, or are you there to compete and elevate your ranking?


Here are the choices:

1. I am not involved in any way, shape or form.

2. I am involved in a very minor way.

3. I am actively involved in it.

4. I am completely wrapped up in it.

DON'T OVERTHINK IT. ANSWER HONESTLY!!

[Casey2296]

The PSA registry is not my bag nor will it ever be. I did put my collection on Flickr and share it with people which is kinda fun.

[Vintagevault13]

#2. I have complete basic sets on the registry for Reggie Jackson, Julius Erving, and Terry Bradshaw. Not anywhere near the top sets. I added these several years ago and, while I often look at the cards, I haven’t looked at the Registry in years and honestly couldn’t care less at this point about my “rankings”.


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[DeanH3]

I have very few sets that I'm not actively trying to complete. Except for the HOF set. I'm trying to collect at least 1 playing era card for each HOF member. I do utilize the registry more for keeping a catalog of cards I own.

I won't pay more for a PSA graded example of a card. I'm more interested in the eye appeal of the card.

I mainly use it as a checklist.

Rising up the ranks is of no interest to me. I will never be at the top anyway so I don't try.

[commishbob]

Put me down for #1

I’m aware of it through the chatter here but I’ve never given it any thought. Any graded cards I’ve bought for my vintage set chases have been removed from the slabs and put in the binder.

[Johnny630]

#1 nope

[Seven]

#1 For me.

Grading company never rally plays a factor in my purchases. I own BVG, PSA and SGC, slabs. While the Registry is nice to look at, I think if I were to convert all my cards, or at least the ones that are parts of sets I'm trying to build, they'd go into SGC Holders. Mostly because I like the way they look.

Similarly however, I've thought of busting them out and putting them in either in One touches, or, just card savers. Something about the simplicity of Card Savers just looks really nice to me. Even though they don't offer the greatest protection, it's not like I mishandle my cards.

[frankbmd]

#1

[Peter_Spaeth]

1

[aelefson]

Option 1. I have only bought a few graded cards and that is only because they came with ungraded cards I wanted. I immediately resold the graded ones. I do not understand the need to encapsulate a card let alone have some number determine my happiness with the card. All of my cards (partial and near sets 50s-70s) are in binders in nine pocket pages.

Alan

[Bestdj777]

I like the registry for what it is. It makes for a decent checklist of the cards in the set, and I feel slightly more secure having my graded cards catalogued somewhere. That said, I rarely get cards graded for the purpose of adding them to the set and largely keep most of them raw.

[steve B]

Not the PSA registry, but I was a little into the SGC registry when it was still a thing.
I was surprised to find it was kinda fun to scan and enter the new cards once every year or two. The only set I had much in was T206, but I added whatever I had done plus scans.

[Johnny630]

For those that are actively involved in the Registry are you submitting raw cards for your registry sets or are you buying already graded cards ??

[bobbyw8469]

Minor way, for me. I have one set on the registry. It is small and minor (1970 Rold Gold. 15 cards. Very attainable.). I do not actively pursue cards on Ebay for it. It is more like an afterthought.

[Johnny630]

Back at it's start the Registry for PSA was a Major Major Marketing Piece for their brand. It seems as time goes on it is becoming less important. It's more about Pop Reports Now.

IMO The Registry and Pop Reports are what has made PSA....it was brilliant or their behalf.

[IndyDave]

I resisted grading cards for the longest time. Around 8-10 years ago I joined PSA with the primary purpose of estate planning. My now adult son enjoys occasionally looking at my cards, but has shown no interest in collecting.

I decided to have some of my more valuable cards graded to help guide him if/when the time comes for him to dispose of my collection. I haven't had a membership since 2018, although I did submit a handful of cards through my local card shop after my membership expired.

The only set I have completely graded is 1964-65 Kahn's basketball. I had the Lucas and Robertson graded awhile back and had purchased one or two cards graded to finish my set. I sent in the rest of my cards to get graded to have the graded set. I'm #2 on the list - the #1 set has been there for over 15 years. I'm not trying to upgrade my cards to get to #1.

I was getting ready to do another submission of cards through my LCS when PSA stopped accepting orders. I need to review again what I was going to take and what recent sales are - to determine if it is worthwhile. Will probably only take in cards I'm willing to turn around and sell right away.

[metroac]

#2.

Several years ago, I bought a set of '55 Bowman football cards that was made up of both raw and slabbed cards. I started buying "affordable" PSA 7's and 8's, and eventually got to the point where I wanted to have one nice set on the PSA Registry. It's in the top 20, but I'm not really interested in upgrading it. Similarly, I started collecting the '55 Armour coins and ended up pursuing a raw set and a graded set when I found a seller who seemed to have plenty of each and offered them at pretty good prices. My PSA set is in the top 10, and I am actively looking for the last coin (Mantle correct, L-R) and am willing to pay up if/when I find it. Also looking for a couple of coins for the raw set. I'm tempted to liberate one of my slabbed Mantle L or R's from its slab to add to my raw set, but I suspect it's more saleable in its PSA 6 slab.

I've never sent a card in to a TPG, though I own many. I find that when I am working on older sets (for me, 1930's - 1950's), I often find nice looking, reasonably priced, slabbed cards for sale that - I assume - people were disappointed in when they sent them in for grading, or that they've upgraded. I also find that it's increasingly difficult to find a really nice star card from this era that isn't slabbed.

For me, sets that are mixed (raw and slabbed) are hard to store, display and enjoy. I've got sets in storage boxes that are about 2/3 in Card Saver 1's and 1/3 in PSA and SGC slabs (mixed). I'm happy with the cards, and I loved putting the sets together, but I rarely take them out to look at them. I found that I could put a slabbed '36 Wheaties Gehrig Series 4 in a single-pocket page and keep it in the same binder with the other cards in the set, all of which are raw except the Gehrig. Does anyone display/store mixed sets in 4-pocket pages?

I see I've wandered from the topic -- gone from the PSA Registry to the reality of collecting in a world where the TPG's have such influence. I'll shut up.

[hcv123]

I have the #4 Clemente master set. I used to be partnered with a friend and had the #1 set for 5 years. I have always collected to the beat of my own drum. I encountered much frustration over the years with set registry inconsistency in recognizing some variations and not others, not appropriately weighting cards according to their own criteria and relegating some of the toughest test issues to "optional" land. My set currently sits at 80 something percent complete - it will never be 100% complete per PSA's definition and I don't really care. There are a handful of items that I do hope to acquire/reacquire that would fill holes in the set as it stands. My collection extends well beyond the parameters of the registry. I have purchased a handful of cards in PSA holders in the past with the registry in mind. I haven't done that in a while. Mostly I buy what I like and want and have my own goals. I do have a bunch of other registry sets started, but don't pay much attention to them.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by Seven

#1 For me.

Grading company never rally plays a factor in my purchases. I own BVG, PSA and SGC, slabs. While the Registry is nice to look at, I think if I were to convert all my cards, or at least the ones that are parts of sets I'm trying to build, they'd go into SGC Holders. Mostly because I like the way they look.

Similarly however, I've thought of busting them out and putting them in either in One touches, or, just card savers. Something about the simplicity of Card Savers just looks really nice to me. Even though they don't offer the greatest protection, it's not like I mishandle my cards.

Me too!

[egri]

I’m not involved. When I got back into the hobby, I looked at an 8 and a 10, and couldn’t tell the difference for the life of me.

[gustomania]

I guess I’m a bit different

I log and add my Koufax cards to the inventory, but only use the digital album which I really enjoy. I avoid the registry itself now because when I did do it I bought cards I didn’t like…..so just use the album.

[mortimer brewster]

1.

[Gorditadogg]

2.

I use it to organize my player collections, mostly. I like the app, I can show people the cards I have from my phone. I also like the new feature where you can go to your card and link to the PSA auction site for that card to get current prices.

I don't compete on the registry and have no idea where my collections rank (not very high).

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[Exhibitman]

Not my style. My job is competition; I don't want it in my downtime. I don't even like to play blackjack; craps is my game because it is a game of chance.

[cardsagain74]

While you naturally get the competitive instincts involving the registry, sometimes I see people make purchases that still baffle me.

Such as about a year ago, a few '59 T PSA 10 pop 1 commons were picked up in auction for around $10,000 to $13,000 each.

You can't complete a PSA 10 set of those (or even close). They're not exceedingly rare, as 563 10s from that year exist. If you're making an extremely high grade set, you could get a stack of PSA 9s for the cost of one 10.

So while naturally anyone who's spending that kind of $ on a '59 common probably has money to burn.....still, is it really worth 10 grand a pop to raise your set's registry average from 8.98 to 8.99? Or to move from 5th place into 4th in the '59T rankings eventually?

I guess it is to some *shrug*

[Empty77]

I discovered the registry only after getting back into collecting and starting the one player set that I mostly work toward. So I use it for organization but am mostly indifferent to where I place.

The nature of the items I pursue keeps me near the top, but I can honestly say that's just happenstance; the items I acquire I do so for myself and would do so whether or not the registry existed. So I figure I would be 2.5 on the scale: involved, sure, but not "active" in the sense that I am not doing it for the sake of the registry rather than myself. As a corollary to what someone else said, I never feel any personal pressure to buy something that isn't what I want, just because it would fill an open registry slot, even though purposely leaving them open suppresses my ranking. I'm completely fine with that.

I'm fairly private by nature and virtually no one even knows what I collect or even that I collect. I guess the registry, like the forums, is a way to be engaged, but without having to fully advertise who I am or what I'm about.

[JollyElm]

Bringing it back to the top, so the poll doesn't die too quickly...

[savedfrommyspokes]

I find it interesting how some collectors feel that the registry is a "competition"....and it very well maybe, but IMO, for the minority of users. Some of my better collecting buddies I have met, I have met via the registry...we have completed trades, looked out for cards for one another, not bid on a card we both needed, etc....ultimately rooted for our friends to succeed. One registry friend of mine worked the 71 and 72 sets at the same time .... the competition was non-existent, my 72 set was nicer than his, his 71 nicer than mine. I feel he worked as hard on my set as I did on mine or his.

It's been 13 years since we finished these sets...he has since sold his 71 and 72 sets and we have not worked on the same set since, but I still hear from him a few times a year to catch up on life and collecting.

My most ironic registry story occurred when I took my kids to a card shop in a town about 2 hours from home. While flipping through the dollar boxes with my kids, I hear a customer telling the owner about his visit to town and his 1962 PSA set. As the conversation was just a few feet away, it was hard not to hear. The collector disclosed he was solidly in his spot for this set....I pulled my phone out and confirmed on the PSA app what I already knew, he was only a handful of PSA 8s ahead of me. So I entered the conversation and disclosed the fact he was just a few ahead of the guy behind him.....both of the owner and the collector looked at me funny before the collector asked, "how do you know this?". "I am the guy behind you"...what were the odds that two guys ranked next to each other in the top 20 of a set were randomly in the same out of town card shop at the same time?

This was a few years ago, could have stayed and talked with this guy for hours, but my kids nagged me to go play mini golf.

For me, the registry has been more about friendships and meeting folks than the "competition" of it.

[Empty77]

Originally Posted by savedfrommyspokes

I find it interesting how some collectors feel that the registry is a "competition"....and it very well maybe, but IMO, for the minority of users.

That's a neat story.

And I agree. (I've been slowly working on some registry participation data [basic arithmetic rather than the rocket science type that would be beyond me] that may indicate the registry is not the driver behind price inflation that many in the industry/hobby seem to presume and consistently assert that it is.)

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by Empty77

...that may indicate the registry is not the driver behind price inflation that many in the industry/hobby seem to presume and consistently assert that it is.)

And there it is!!
This is precisely why I started the thread/poll. It is constantly being asserted that everyone competing in the registry is the reason prices keep going up across the board. I hear this time and time again. Ultra expensive, rare cards? Sure, I can believe it's at least a partial factor there, but suddenly-extortionate 1972 high number pricing is due to the registry chasers?? That is simply impossible to believe. This is why I wanted to see how many of us are motivated by the registry, and the results show (granted it is not scientific) that a very small portion of us consider the registry to be a driving force in our card purchasing decisions.

[hcv123]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

And there it is!!
This is precisely why I started the thread/poll. It is constantly being asserted that everyone competing in the registry is the reason prices keep going up across the board. I hear this time and time again. Ultra expensive, rare cards? Sure, I can believe it's at least a partial factor there, but suddenly-extortionate 1972 high number pricing is due to the registry chasers?? That is simply impossible to believe. This is why I wanted to see how many of us are motivated by the registry, and the results show (granted it is not scientific) that a very small portion of us consider the registry to be a driving force in our card purchasing decisions.

I haven't heard anyone say the registry is the cause of the rising prices. I have heard (and said) that the registry is 1 of a handful of reasons why cards of equivalent grade in PSA holders usually have a good sized price premium over SGC.

[Empty77]

Originally Posted by hcv123

I haven't heard anyone say the registry is the cause of the rising prices. I have heard (and said) that the registry is 1 of a handful of reasons why cards of equivalent grade in PSA holders usually have a good sized price premium over SGC.

Maybe on BlowOut more than here, but "the Registry" does often seem to have the starring role in being blamed/credited for any number of issues ranging from PSA's wild success over competing TPGs, to the reason the alterations scandal will never be properly dealt with (i.e., the wealthy high-enders will never tolerate their sets being downgraded) to individual posters
complaining/commiserating about how they always seem to just lose out bidding for specific cards they want (and how they surmise they are consistently being stretched beyond their budget because reckless "registry collectors" just can't help themselves.)

Many posts do seem to take the Registry to be beyond just one of several factors, to the governing factor, the genius idea that made PSA irresistible. . . But maybe it's being recycled among a small cadre and not as common a view as this would make it seem.

[AustinMike]

The registry can have a significant impact on the "value" of items. The New York Yankees issued photos of the team from probably the mid '50s to the early '70s. Some of these team photos include Mickey Mantle (1968 and before). In addition, the team issued photos of Mantle with a brief bio starting around 1963 and continued beyond his retirement. These photos were a single page and folded in three to mail in envelopes (hence sometimes they are called tri-folds). I was able to pick up a few of these for between $12.50 to $32.50 prior to late 2020. Then, they were added to the PSA Mantle registry. I have heard that some these tri-folds were sold for around $300 a piece to people on the Mantle registry. I have only seen a few come on eBay since then. I got a team photo with a BIN late at night and paid for it and had my offer accepted on another team photo from the same seller but was never was asked to pay. In the morning I got an email saying that they'd spilled coffee on both of the team photos and had my money refunded for the one I paid for. I requested photos of the ruined photos and never got them. I know the seller had heard from someone else about the photos because she told me she had. I figured they must have made a higher offer and she took it.

So yes, the registry does result in higher prices and there is competition.

[hcv123]

Originally Posted by AustinMike

The registry can have a significant impact on the "value" of items. The New York Yankees issued photos of the team from probably the mid '50s to the early '70s. Some of these team photos include Mickey Mantle (1968 and before). In addition, the team issued photos of Mantle with a brief bio starting around 1963 and continued beyond his retirement. These photos were a single page and folded in three to mail in envelopes (hence sometimes they are called tri-folds). I was able to pick up a few of these for between $12.50 to $32.50 prior to late 2020. Then, they were added to the PSA Mantle registry. I have heard that some these tri-folds were sold for around $300 a piece to people on the Mantle registry. I have only seen a few come on eBay since then. I got a team photo with a BIN late at night and paid for it and had my offer accepted on another team photo from the same seller but was never was asked to pay. In the morning I got an email saying that they'd spilled coffee on both of the team photos and had my money refunded for the one I paid for. I requested photos of the ruined photos and never got them. I know the seller had heard from someone else about the photos because she told me she had. I figured they must have made a higher offer and she took it.

So yes, the registry does result in higher prices and there is competition.

In the case of the addition of items to player registry sets, vs. those items not being included as Mike shared - my experience is the same as his - some incredible price spikes with registry inclusion.

[insidethewrapper]

I've been involved with a couple of sets, but not in the future at those crazy grading prices and long waits.

[mybestbretts]

Well, I have a #1 Master set of an individual player (guess who). I think I alittle different twist then some on here. I was a collector for years and had acquired any and all cards I thought. When card grading came along I decided to start sending in cards to be graded and sent them in. At that time is was pretty cheap to get cards graded. I then joined the registry very early on.
I have graded duplicates and sold to upgrade my set and have been able
to acquire cards I either didn't have or had never seen through ebay.
I think the registry is different things to different people, to me its an easy
reference when I am looking at cards for sale. Its a great inventory for me.
Over time PSA has turned down grading certain cards only to grade them now
They have added "junk" as far as I am concerned and recently I had someone
offer to loan me a card that I need and said "everyone is doing it".
I am sitting on almost a year on getting cards back that I have sent in for grading and
I like many, have no intention of paying big bucks to get cards graded.

[Harliduck]

Not in any way, shape or form...from now on...lol.

I did recently toy with a 1969 Topps PSA 7 or higher set...was no fun at all. Overspending...half of the commons I would get I would enter into my set registry and they would be still in someone elses set. You have to wait two days as they NEVER voluntarily take them out...half the time it doesn't work so you spend the money on a fricken common and it's not in your set. Hated it...won't ever do that again, no idea on gods green earth why I even thought to even try it!!!

I once had fun with SGC and did their Killebrew run...they had it down. Small potatoes but I enjoyed that. Even if they did come back with a registry, I wouldn't do it again though...collecting graded is just not my bag. To me it's only good for cards that are counterfeited often...(50's Mantles, Rose RC, etc...)

[cannonballsun]

It's a #1 for me.

[bigfanNY]

#2 I have a set of 1965 Mets postcards that is #1 set. They are the only cards I have ever submitted to registry.

[bswhiten]

I know the problems associated with TPG’s, but I like having my cards slabbed for protection and the registry is a great way to catalog a PC in my opinion. I like doing research and adding new sets and items too.

Being the only set listed on the 82 Topps Blackless registry with maybe 15% complete led to a longtime collector contacting me and selling me a full set. Good luck finding one of those in the wild anytime soon. Picked up an 85 Minis and Desert Shield set from the same contact.

I agree with a previous post about connections made in the registry too. For most of my sets I have contacts of folks that collect similar stuff, and most of those contacts came from being on the registry. I have met some other cool people that share similar collecting goals on boards like Net54 and Facebook too. It is fun helping each other track down stuff. I would have never found some of the tough items in many of my sets without help from other collectors.

I could care less about grade for my Mantles or oddball sets. I sold all of my PSA 7 or higher Mantle base cards a few years ago. I have fun scanning and saving the slab images too. To me, flipping through my digital collection brings the same enjoyment as flipping through my physical albums. I am not wrapped up in the registry by any means, but I do enjoy some aspects.

It’s a hobby…to each their own Happy collecting!

[todeen]

#2, I started a registry for Frank Robinson. Then as more and more info came out about PSA possibly in cahoots, and more and more BODA releases, I just couldn't do it anymore. I've started using VCP instead.

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[53toppscollector]

I was moderately obssessed with the set registry when I was assembling a fully graded set of 1953 Topps, and my set was ranked in the top 75, and that was when I had 80+ cards at PSA getting graded. When I had gotten everything back, I'd have been in the top 35-40 overall.

But I honestly kind of lost the passion for fully assembling that set because of the set registry. My amount of money I can invest in cards is finite, unlike some of those at the top of the list, and so even if I devoted all my resources to that 1953 set, I'd likely never crack the top 5-10. And really, what is the prize for doing that? I'm a competitive person, but I realized this wasn't something where I was really even competing in the same game.

I sort of re-calibrated and decided I wanted to collect more sets, especially pre-war and tobacco non-sports cards, and to do that I would be buying raw and lower condition cards. And ultimately, I realized I am fine with that. So I doubt I will ever get involved in the PSA set registry game again, especially since grading commons is likely to be financially impractical for the foreseeable future.

[bradmar48]

I'm a 4 when it comes to the 1956 Topps set. I strongly agree that cards graded 7,8 or 9 have taken a big jump in price since about July of last year. A PSA 7 Mantle could be purchased for about $3800 then and now the card is $7500 to $12,000
.Prices of the Clemente, Aaron and Robinson are double what they were in July 2020.

[Empty77]

Originally Posted by bradmar48

I'm a 4 when it comes to the 1956 Topps set. I strongly agree that cards graded 7,8 or 9 have taken a big jump in price since about July of last year. A PSA 7 Mantle could be purchased for about $3800 then and now the card is $7500 to $12,000
.Prices of the Clemente, Aaron and Robinson are double what they were in July 2020.

I agree prices are up, but are you also meaning that you figure it is registry participation behind it? Because my contention would be that comparing the registry lists to the population reports and auction listings may not bear that out.

[bobsbbcards]

Originally Posted by bswhiten

I know the problems associated with TPG’s, but I like having my cards slabbed for protection and the registry is a great way to catalog a PC in my opinion. I like doing research and adding new sets and items too.

I have fun scanning and saving the slab images too. To me, flipping through my digital collection brings the same enjoyment as flipping through my physical albums. I am not wrapped up in the registry by any means, but I do enjoy some aspects.

It’s a hobby…to each their own Happy collecting!

This.

[JollyElm]

Been a long time, but perhaps it's a good opportunity to get this going again...

[raulus]

I’m little more than a set registry bootlick. Part of it is laziness. Part of it is lack of sophistication. A big part is probably just being too bloody competitive. Grates on me a bit when someone passes me up, although these days for some sets it would set me back well into six figures to get back on top, so I mostly live with being less than top dog.

For the most part, I collect player sets for my Giants, with a few actual sets mixed in, mostly regional issues, except for my 1987 Topps complete set, which is my only large set.

I will also share that I’m always surprised how few sets are actually registered by collectors for any given set. So obviously most collectors seem to not pay it any attention.

Since I'm among friends, if you're dying to check out some of my sets, you can find them here: https://www.psacard.com/psasetregist...thersets/53687. I have pics posted of most of my cards, so it's not a complete waste of your time if you want to check it out.

And if you're looking to make some good money, I'm usually willing to pay way too much to upgrade and/or plug holes in my collection. So there's that as well.

[brad31]

I only use it as a checklist.

On the 3 HOF sets I am working on I Have a mix of SGC, PSA a and the occasional BVG card - will likely never finish anything without mixing graders.

[BearBailey]

1
I don’t care what others have and assume no one cares what I have.

[smallstocks]

Originally Posted by BearBailey

1
I don’t care what others have and assume no one cares what I have.

I disagree. When i am in the process of collecting a set, I often look at other sets on the registry and try to reach out to people to see if we can trade cards to help us fill our sets. I have saved a fortune and made many friends that way over the years.