New too Vintage...should I buy raw?

[jared6180]

I am pretty new to vintage. I have seen some raw cards that look really good, but with all the trimming junk going on I can't bring myself to feel good about buying raw cards. Even graded (at least in the lighthouse holder) makes me a little nervous. I am not a high end collector, but I do want cards with good eye appeal that are real. I have read to only buy from people you trust when it comes to raw vintage, but I don't know anybody with vintage of any kind really, much less anyone I trust. I am in Kansas. No shows for MILES and MILES it seems.

Should I just bite the bullet and buy graded even though they cost more?

Where would you start your collection? I am on a fairly tight budget and can't spend thousands on a card or probably more than $200 on a single card in a month.

[swarmee]

There are plenty of honest raw sellers. COMC.com is one where you can see the front and back of each card in high-res, and there's usually a large selection of the same card available.
If you're worried it's trimmed/altered, they'll review it for $2 and give you a rating of what they believe it would grade. If they find that it's altered, they'll reimburse your purchase price by emailing them.
There are other good raw sellers on this board that also sell by auction on eBay.

[jared6180]

Originally Posted by swarmee

There are plenty of honest raw sellers. COMC.com is one where you can see the front and back of each card in high-res, and there's usually a large selection of the same card available.

If you're worried it's trimmed/altered, they'll review it for $2 and give you a rating of what they believe it would grade. If they find that it's altered, they'll reimburse your purchase price by emailing them.

There are other good raw sellers on this board that also sell by auction on eBay.

I had no idea comc did that and had no idea they reimbursed you if they think it’s trimmed/altered. That’s really a great service for just $2. I will give that a look! Thanks!


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[swarmee]

Originally Posted by jared6180

I had no idea comc did that and had no idea they reimbursed you if they think it’s trimmed/altered.

COMC Condition Reviews
Want COMC to take a closer look at your items? We will have 2-3 people independently look at the physical item and determine the condition rating of the item using industry standard terminology.
Instruction
Choose any item from your Inventory Manager and select Submit for Grading from the Actions menu. Then select COMC Condition Review and the turnaround time you prefer.
https://www.comc.com/grading

[jchcollins]

If you want to buy raw there are plenty of reputable, longtime sellers out there who can generally be trusted. My advice would be to find one with good positive feedback and establish a relationship. However if you are going for midgrade or lower anyway, many graded cards can be had for close to if not the same price as a raw example for the 3-5 range. To me, PSA is complicit in this PWCC mess until it's proven otherwise, but I think the chances of less pricey (less than $500) midgrade vintage being altered is probably pretty slim. I could be wrong. If you want to be on the safe side with graded, stick with SGC, they have the least implication in this whole mess.

[mferronibc]

Can I ask a fundamental (newb) question...with all the controversy about grading and altering vintage cards has there ever been widespread complete fraud detected? As in reprints doctored up to look old and sold as authentic? The reason I ask is per John’s point I’d much rather buy a PSA 4-5 than a raw card for the same price because to me there’s as least some guarantee the card is authentic. But that may be a naive assumption on my part: 1) are fakes a big problem in the hobby (I would assume so)? 2) does PSA even do a good job (or care for that matter) of verifying cards are authentic?

[JollyElm]

If you're thinking of buying ungraded cards and are worried about trimming, simply do this:
Ask the seller to measure out the card and confirm that it is the right size. If he/she doesn't respond, that may tell you all you need to know, but if you get a response telling you they measured it and it's of the correct size, you now have documentation of your concerns and their direct answers to you. So, if you buy the card and what they said turns out to be inaccurate (a lie ), you have proof to present to ebay to get your money back and more importantly (hopefully), any postage costs involved. It's not a 100% foolproof method, but it certainly gets you a long way there.

[robw1959]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

If you're thinking of buying ungraded cards and are worried about trimming, simply do this:
Ask the seller to measure out the card and confirm that it is the right size. If he/she doesn't respond, that may tell you all you need to know, but if you get a response telling you they measured it and it's of the correct size, you now have documentation of your concerns and their direct answers to you. So, if you buy the card and what they said turns out to be inaccurate (a lie ), you have proof to present to ebay to get your money back and more importantly (hopefully), any postage costs involved. It's not a 100% foolproof method, but it certainly gets you a long way there.

According to a representative of SGC that I spoke with on the phone, the measurement of a card is actually the LAST thing they look at when determining if it has been trimmed. Makes sense due to the inconsistencies involved in the factory cutting processes of yesteryear.