WTB: 1954 Topps PSA 7+

[1952boyntoncollector]

I working on a set...prefer PSA 8 or better but would do PSA 7 bigger value cards....

[MattyC]

Just found a nice Mays for sale, almost dead centered, but alas it's a lowly 6. That said, it puts a beating on most 7s around.

[1952boyntoncollector]

I got a Mays 8 already..but thanks

[Peter_Spaeth]

I personally certify this a high end 7 but I am still looking for a sticker.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I personally certify this a high end 7 but I am still looking for a sticker.

if get the sticker let me know id be interested in the card though its not an 8

[Peter_Spaeth]

Yeah much better to pay 7K (wtf??) for this one.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Yeah much better to pay 7K (wtf??) for this one.

I guess if I had the 8 I should sell it for a 7 price since they look the same?

im assuming you don't have either...but if come across either one let me know thanks

[Peter_Spaeth]

The 7 is mine.

[1952boyntoncollector]

you selling the card?

[MattyC]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

I guess if I had the 8 I should sell it for a 7 price since they look the same?

Tell you what-- let's reverse that: would you pay more for an 8 that looked the same as a 7 that was available, just so you could have a little sticker that says 8?

And if you auctioned a 7 and 8 that looked the same side by side, plenty of guys wouldn't pay a penny more for the 8 than they would for a hypothetically identical 7. Though there are always those who will bail out the sticker.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Tell you what-- let's reverse that: would you pay more for an 8 that looked the same as a 7 that was available, just so you could have a little sticker that says 8?

And if you auctioned a 7 and 8 that looked the same side by side, plenty of guys wouldn't pay a penny more for the 8 than they would for a hypothetically identical 7. Though there are always those who will bail out the sticker.

lets not reverse it....you going to pay me an 8 price for a 7..ill go find one...I know can talk about 'plenty of guys' about not paying more than a 7 , I just interested about what real buyers will pay judging by past ebay sales...not really worried about 'plenty of guys'.......thus if for the same price ill take that 8 Williams on the thread and not the 7...ill take my chances that the plenty of guys will pay more for the magic 8..you can have the 7..

[MattyC]

Actually, what I will always take is the better card-- that's what I look at, not the sticker applied by some random kid.

I think most sellers would consider me a "real buyer." And yes, I will pay you an "8" price for a dead centered 7 that looks better than many 8s. What's more, as shocking as this may sound, I won't pay a penny for an ugly 8 no matter what the sticker says. It's not that I will pay you "an 8 price for a 7," if we mean any 8 or any 7. Because not all cards with the same sticker grade are identical, nor do they all sell for the exact same prices each and every time. Despite sticker grades, each and every card is unique.

If you do go in search of the gorgeous high-end 7 that will command 8 money, like Peter's card, for example, you will find it is a much rarer thing than the average 8.

So are you collecting these cards, or is it just that you can't wait to sell your 8s so you can get more money for them than you would 7s? If I read your post correctly, you are saying that for the same exact money, you will take the admittedly uglier card in the higher grade holder because of possible resale, as opposed to actual enjoyment during ownership. Which makes it all about the $.

On the money topic, the fact is there are indeed 7s that are better looking cards and will command more money at auction than some of your 8s. Since you seem to study past ebay sales, you will surely note that for every average card in a certain grade, there are outliers that are lower graded that sell for at or even over the average of the next grade up. Those cards-- like Peter's stunning Williams card-- will actually sell faster and better than an ugly or so-so card with a sticker that shows the next grade up. I'd actually wager that a hypothetical grouping of HOFer cards, all high-end 7s, painstakingly curated by a collector, each card with perfect centering, will actually sell faster and for more than an all 8 grouping with average to poor eye appeal for the grade.

If the SOLE focus is stickers (sole being the key word here; I have nothing against slabbed cards, and collect them as well as raw) there are definitely good places for such sticker collections...

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by MattyC

Tell you what-- let's reverse that: would you pay more for an 8 that looked the same as a 7 that was available, just so you could have a little sticker that says 8?

And if you auctioned a 7 and 8 that looked the same side by side, plenty of guys wouldn't pay a penny more for the 8 than they would for a hypothetically identical 7. Though there are always those who will bail out the sticker.

Agree with Matt completely. My 7 pictured above, which to my mind is nicer than the 8, cost 20 percent of what the 8 sold for. Yeah I would take that every time.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Even assuming consistent grading, the difference between a 7 and an 8 can be nothing but a microscopic bit of corner wear that you could only see under a loupe. And the assumption of course is far from true, in many cases the grade is arbitrary.

[MattyC]

Peter's gorgeous card looks better even if the prices were equal and the cards were raw, side by side. But factoring in that his card cost a mere fraction of the 8, and thus looking at the cards and their costs side by side, it's a no-brainer.

And then there's how Peter's card fills the holder so well. Pretty easy thing to see, if one is not blinded by the fact that 8 > 7, at least according to some grader. Just compare the two bottom edges, the left corner area, yikes.

[Sean1125]

But Pa, it says 8. Isn't 8 greater than 7?

[MattyC]

Originally Posted by Sean1125

But Pa, it says 8. Isn't 8 greater than 7?

Well played, Sean. And very funny. Rather than the relationship between 8 and 7, the key relationship some miss is "Your Own Two Eyes > Some Sticker." It admittedly took a knucklehead like myself a few years to have that epiphany, but eventually I came around

[MetsBaseball1973]

High Comedy right here.

1. Matt is 100% correct and I am glad thanks to reading such insights and perspectives here, that my own learning curve as a collector has increased. We can benefit from others' experience.

2. Peter's card is better. I would rather have it than that 8 or a comparable 8.

3. Is that a PSA Registry Trophy the girl on the sticker book cover is getting? (Brilliant pic!)

[1952boyntoncollector]

That 8 would sell for more than than 7..on this thread.....just not to matt.....that 8 isn't exactly a terrible 8 outlier......not really interested in 'most people' or hypothetical outlier cards that are poor for the grade..........yes I would buy a decent 8 for a 7 price..sell it at an 8 price and I can buy a nice great 7.....now you should understand me correctly lol...

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Even assuming consistent grading, the difference between a 7 and an 8 can be nothing but a microscopic bit of corner wear that you could only see under a loupe. And the assumption of course is far from true, in many cases the grade is arbitrary.

I care more about centering than the corner wear....but again..what you can sell it for on ebay has to come into play when paying a price for a card that eventually you will be selling ..at least to me..

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Agree with Matt completely. My 7 pictured above, which to my mind is nicer than the 8, cost 20 percent of what the 8 sold for. Yeah I would take that every time.

so said the card owner ....not biased at all......but agree pound for pound card is better..but it wont sell for more than the 8 on the next mile high auction etc.....there are some terrrrrible 8s..that do sell at 7 prices..but that 8 isn't a terrible 8..

[Sean1125]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

so said the card owner ....not biased at all......but agree pound for pound card is better..but it wont sell for more than the 8 on the next mile high auction etc.....there are some terrrrrible 8s..that do sell at 7 prices..but that 8 isn't a terrible 8..

But, but, but - 8 is a higher number than 7.