What is the point of cracking a card out of a holder?

[Joshchisox08]

This is kind of an irritating thing to me, at least. I just don't understand why one would buy a slabbed card and then crack it out of the case.

Obviously I understand if the card is a card that has eluded the collectors collection for some time. But I doubt very much that that is even a small percentage of crackers.

I've also seen people show the flip when trying to sell the card. "Freshly cracked out of a PSA 5 slab" or something like that. Wouldn't you have gotten more money for it being in the slab?

It screws up the pop reports which are probably nowhere near correct anyway. You're taking greater risk at the card getting harmed. And whomever submitted it spent quite a decent chunk of change getting it slabbed.

Am I the only one that doesn't like this practice? I think I'm probably in the minority here but I might even go as far as saying I can't stand it. If you want to crack a card just by a raw example instead. Who knows how many times a card has been slabbed and cracked when it finds your collection.

[asoriano]

[kmac32]

Originally Posted by asoriano

Hilarious in my opinion

[4815162342]

I don't understand it either, but here are the reasons:

1) Save space
2) Hatred of grading
3) Love of binders



There's also the crook who cracks out a low-grade card with eye appeal (especially an AUTH) and sells it without full disclosure.

[icollectDCsports]

I prefer raw cards but haven't freed any cards from holders. However, I can see doing it if I found a card I liked that was slabbed but still at a price I liked.

[HRBAKER]

It's easy, the point is to get the card out.
Some folks don't like stacks of cheap plastic everywhere.
They take up room, you buy what you can find.

Why does it make any difference how many times a card has been cracked and slabbed?

[LuckyLarry]

As a set collector, I just don't have room to store all these slabs. I don't really know much about pop reports, but my guess is that they are "flawed".
Larry

[bnorth]

I have had sellers crack them out before sending to save on shipping. A raw card in a PWE is way cheaper than a slab between cardboard in a bubble mailer to ship.

[djsatu]

Because it didn't get the grade they expected. Less grade = less money for the greedy people.

[Jantz]

Words cannot describe a T206 set in a binder.

After viewing Dan McKee's T206 set in a binder, I've struggled everyday since with cracking my slabbed cards and putting what I have of the set into pages.

[deeg23]

I know the only reason I crack one out is if I'm planning on getting it signed. Of course I buy raw if I can, but sometimes I find the best ones for the money in slabs, so that's what I gotta do!

[Sean]

I like to crack them out so that when I send them through the mail, the person opening the package will cut through the card.


Too soon?

[ALR-bishop]

I am a set collector who likes my sets in easy to access binders.

But now I feel so guilty for messing up pop reports

[conor912]

Originally Posted by 4815162342

1) Save space
2) Hatred of grading
3) Love of binders

All of these, plus:
4) I collect as an extension of my childhood, which did not include slabs
5) I find the flips visually distracting
6) I'm not scared

....and I could give a rats ass about pop reports. Those are for you slabbies to worry about.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

I am a set collector who likes my sets in easy to access binders.

But now I feel so guilty for messing up pop reports

LOL, Al. Hope that guilt don't keep you awake all night.

I, too, crack out many cards for sets. That, and I just don't really care for slabbed cards.

[orly57]

Originally Posted by Sean

I like to crack them out so that when I send them through the mail, the person opening the package will cut through the card.


Too soon?

I lol'd

[ASpaceman]

Originally Posted by asoriano

lol

[begsu1013]

700 koufax 7s?

don't ever rely heavily on what a pop reports states.

that picture is hilarious but just a tiny glimpse of reality.


i only crack when the raw card submittal fee coincides w/ the value of not getting the 10.

example: 1994 topps ryan card in a 9 is a $6 card.

10's sell for some reason for $120 - $150.

it doesn't make sense to review that card at $17, so crack out a 9 and go for the 10 on a raw sub of only a $6-$7 fee.

of course, i doubt seriously anyone is too concerned about the pop report on that card either.

although, after all it is only an tpg opinion. and some simply don't agree w/ the tpgs opinion and don't want to send it back in under review w/ the notion the card is "only a 5". they want a fresh set of eyes and an unbiased opinion on it. this also get its in a new holder, hopefully. could come back minsiz, altered or etc. there is definitely an inherent risk in doing so. plus some just like the accomplishment factor, the cheaper alternative for moving up the registry or even the possible profit that coincides.

whatever the reason, it's their card and i try not to knock what another collector does. to each their own, i guess.

[TheNightmanCometh]

Well, it wouldn't make much sense for me to collect an entire run and have some of the cards be in slabs and others not. It's considerably cheaper for me to crack the cards out than submit the hundreds of other cards I have for grading.

Plus, as others have said, baseball cards look so dang good in binders.

[icollectDCsports]

Implements of emancipation.

[begsu1013]

of crabs from their shell?

[icollectDCsports]

Originally Posted by begsu1013

of crabs from their shell?

Multipurpose tools.

[begsu1013]

table saw* straight thru the middle of the flip, pliers, short-handled flat head screwdriver and gloves.

never came close to damaging a card or a hand.

easy peasy, japanesee.


* appropriate blade is key

[Stampsfan]

Originally Posted by Sean

I like to crack them out so that when I send them through the mail, the person opening the package will cut through the card.

Too soon?

Never too soon for intelligent humor. I spewed my slurpee on that one...

Well done.

[Billy5858]

Originally Posted by Stampsfan

Never too soon for intelligent humor. I spewed my slurpee on that one...

Well done.

[Billy5858]

Originally Posted by Sean

I like to crack them out so that when I send them through the mail, the person opening the package will cut through the card.


Too soon?

Oops I meant this one

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by djsatu

Because it didn't get the grade they expected. Less grade = less money for the greedy people.

Prime example: I purchased THE Allegeheny Mathewson after it had been regraded from a '6' to a '5' and paid about half what the previous buyer had paid...what a moron!

...and that's the reason there are two listings for that card in the pop report.

IMO - If nothing else, cracking slabs to be regraded skews what would otherwise be a dependable information source (SMR) .

[tiger8mush]

Originally Posted by Joshchisox08

I just don't understand why one would buy a slabbed card and then crack it out of the case.

I crack slabs for cards I store in binders. I generally prefer to put a few hundred low-mid grade raw cards into a binder than to stack larger graded holders in boxes. I'll buy a card raw or graded, but many (maybe even the majority of) sellers sell graded cards. Its only the card I'm after, regardless of what it is stored in.

It screws up the pop reports which are probably nowhere near correct anyway.

I would guess that the pop reports are skewed more up by the crack-and-resubmit game players than by the raw card collectors.

You're taking greater risk at the card getting harmed.

Probably. However, we've seen examples of cards getting damaged in holders (I believe most were SGC with the black insert). And the holder won't stop UV damage to those who enjoy displaying cards in sunlit rooms.

And whomever submitted it spent quite a decent chunk of change getting it slabbed.

Agreed. They could've spent that slab money on more cards!

[buymycards]

I have purchased cards, from all 3 grading companies, that were incorrectly slabbed. Why keep a Holsum Bread card in a Beckett slab when it is really a Weil Baking card? Also, I am converting all of my personal collection of early 1900's cards to SGC because I like the way they look and I want my display to look uniform. So, I have cracked my Beckett and PSA cards to submit them to SGC.

Now, if I had a Jordan rookie or a nice Mantle, I would keep them in their PSA slabs.

[bocca001]

Maybe it is because I also collect old books (or just because I'm strange), but I hate that you can't touch or smell a slabbed card.

[Joshchisox08]

Originally Posted by Sean

I like to crack them out so that when I send them through the mail, the person opening the package will cut through the card.


Too soon?

That is funny Sean. I do remember a thread recently on that and might not be so funny for the guy with that expensive card though.

[bbcard1]

I liberate cards a fair amount of the time. I do it to make it fit in with the rest of my collection and they are in a grade that it doesn't hurt value. To me a better question is why do people grade cards? I understand maximizing value to high end or high grade cards, but what's the sense in slabbing a low-end t205 with a common back and back damage? An a-2 can actually depress the sales price. I actually have a 1978 Topps Dave Parker PSA 1 ... I paid a dollar for it because I just couldn't resist. Why in the hell do you send in a creased 1978 card with bad corners to get graded?

[7nohitter]

I often find that I can buy a slabbed card in the 1-4 range CHEAPER than a raw card. Sellers sometimes see 'potential' "I'm sure this will grade an '8'" and the seller will list as if it were actually an 8.

My Brooks Robinson RC is a great example....bought a PSA 3, which looks beautiful, for less than raw copies were going for.

As soon as it was delivered I cracked the inane plastic away from it and in the binder it went with my '57 set!

[Vintagevault13]

Originally Posted by 7nohitter

I often find that I can buy a slabbed card in the 1-4 range CHEAPER than a raw card. Sellers sometimes see 'potential' "I'm sure this will grade an '8'" and the seller will list as if it were actually an 8.

My Brooks Robinson RC is a great example....bought a PSA 3, which looks beautiful, for less than raw copies were going for.

As soon as it was delivered I cracked the inane plastic away from it and in the binder it went with my '57 set!

+1. I see this all of the time for lower grade cards. Great deals to be had.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[markf31]

The phrase "buy the card, not the slab" never seemed more appropriate than this conversation.

[frankbmd]

I cracked a slab today, oh boy
To free a lucky man who made the grade
Although the grade was really poor
Well I just had to laugh
I'd seen the photograph
Paper loss and creases through his head
No one noticed that the whites had changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure if it was Harry Lord.

I won a card today, oh boy
My snipe did win the Ebay bidding war
A crowd of bidders walked away.
But then I took a look,
the seller was indeed a crook
I'd love to turn him in.

Woke up, fell out of bed
Soon the Web, filled my head
Found my way to 54 and drank a cup
And looking up, I saw a new post
Cobb Bat Off, gotta have that
Sent a PM in seconds flat
No response, I had a smoke
When the seller spoke, I went into a dream

Ahhhhhh...............

I sold a card today, oh boy
Four thousand holes in Blackburne's chest
and though the holes were rather small
the buyer had to count them all
Now we know how many holes it takes to fill a Neal Ball
I'd love to turn him in.

[bbcard1]

Everyone in the world thinks:

1) Their house is worth more than it really is.

2) Their kids are prettier than they really are

3) Their cards will grade higher than they really will.

[LuckyLarry]

Josh: It would appear these pop reports are useless.

I agree with what a couple others have said "words cannot describe a T206 set in a binder" and others have spoken to the "uniformity of a collection".

I notice in your signature you are making good progress on your T206 set at 64% complete. 339 cards with 169 PSA, 88 SGC, and 82 raw.

When I put together my T206 set, one of the first things I did was purchase "The Monster" T206 reprint set on eBay (I think they sell for about $50) and insert the reprint set into some brand new 15 pocket Ultra-Pro Sheets.

Then as you obtain an original T206 card, the reprint card is replaced. It was a REALLY fun way to collect the set, and I've never regretted cracking out all those cards.

Larry

[4815162342]

Frank, I sang your latest single to myself in my best British Invasion impersonation. If only John were still here to sing it for us!

[ullmandds]

Frank... By far my favorite of your poems/songs!

Id like the 45 if available.

Originally Posted by frankbmd

I cracked a slab today, oh boy
To free a lucky man who made the grade
Although the grade was really poor
Well I just had to laugh
I'd seen the photograph
Paper loss and creases through his head
No one noticed that the whites had changed
A crowd of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure if it was Harry Lord.

I won a card today, oh boy
My snipe did win the Ebay bidding war
A crowd of bidders walked away.
But then I took a look,
the seller was indeed a crook
I'd love to turn him in.

Woke up, fell out of bed
Soon the Web, filled my head
Found my way to 54 and drank a cup
And looking up, I saw a new post
Cobb Bat Off, gotta have that
Sent a PM in seconds flat
No response, I had a smoke
When the seller spoke, I went into a dream

Ahhhhhh...............

I sold a card today, oh boy
Four thousand holes in Blackburne's chest
and though the holes were rather small
the buyer had to count them all
Now we know how many holes it takes to fill a Neal Ball
I'd love to turn him in.

[Buythatcard]

I have never cracked a slab before but it's really up to the owner of the card. As long as they are the owner, let them do whatever they want with it. Reslab it, show it raw or whatever.

As a seller, I will never crack it out of a slab. Let the buyer deal with that. I don't want to be the one who accidentally tears the card.

I agree that Pop Reports are totally useless.

[ALR-bishop]

[pclpads]

Originally Posted by begsu1013

table saw* straight thru the middle of the flip, pliers, short-handled flat head screwdriver and gloves.

Re: table saw - How do you hold a "freed" card with stubbies for fingers, when your four fingers and thumb are lying on the floor next to the busted slab?

[LuckyLarry]

Let's pretend Josh wants to have a uniform looking collection. What are his options?
1. Submit 88 SGC and 82 raw cards to PSA. 170 cards grading at $7 each his total is $1,190.
2. Submit 169 PSA and 82 raw cards to SGC. 251 cards grading at $7 each his total is $1,757.
3. "Release The Kraken" Cost is $20 for plastic sheets and a binder.
Larry

[begsu1013]

Originally Posted by pclpads

Re: table saw - How do you hold a "freed" card with stubbies for fingers, when your four fingers and thumb are lying on the floor next to the busted slab?

obviously, youre not a golfer.

[pclpads]

Originally Posted by begsu1013

obviously, youre not a golfer.

Never used a sand iron to open a slab either.

[CW]

No worries with SawStop, guys.

[Den*nis O*Brien]

.....be in my head all week. What a great post. I'm pulling out the vinyl now. I'm not sure that the "Young Sprouts", on the board got the source of your inspiration "Off The Bat" but...the "Geezers" sure did. Thank you!!!

[steve B]

I must be the only one that really doesn't like binders.

I started working at putting all my cards in binders in the 80's. By about 88 I figured I'd need 30 ft of shelves to fit just the Topps regular issues. So I started removing them all gradually. (Not to mention some of my pages were the old PVC ones )

Along the way I've seen a lot of otherwise nice cards with a nice neat crease right down the center from having gotten a bit stuck in a sheet. And the ones with the three ring dent either at the side from the pages not going back quite right, or in the middle from people not using D ring binders and not being careful turning the pages. Or curled from being in the #9 spot and the pages slumped.

Yeah, stuff looks nice in a binder, but I'll take toploaders over binders pretty much every time. I'm down to maybe 3 binders.

Steve B

[unamuzd1]

For a lot of the low-grade t206s I buy, the holder adds little to no value, and I find them generally clunky. I also keep my t206s in a binder, but I use one of the least efficient means possible. I use 4-pocket pages, with each raw card in its own penny sleeve and toploader in a slot on the page. As it happens, 4-pocket page pockets are big enough to accommodate a slabbed card as well.

Here's a fairly random page with 4 slabbed cards tucked away. (Sorry for the blur - my scanner hates scanning cards in slabs...)



Short form: I crack the card out when the holder doesn't add value and/or gets in the way of my ability to appreciate the card.