Grading decision

[larietrope]

I have had the following for decades. Should I get them graded or remain raw ?

1953 Mantle Topps
1957 Mantle
1959 Mantle
1961 Mantle
1953 Bowman color Musial
1954 Jackie Robinson
1955 Ted Williams
1956 Mays
1957 Clemente
1967 Aaron
1957 Drysdale

No family interest so I may plan to sell one day. Thanks.

[Seven]

Originally Posted by larietrope

I have had the following for decades. Should I get them graded or remain raw ?

1953 Mantle Topps
1957 Mantle
1959 Mantle
1961 Mantle
1953 Bowman color Musial
1954 Jackie Robinson
1955 Ted Williams
1956 Mays
1957 Clemente
1967 Aaron
1957 Drysdale

No family interest so I may plan to sell one day. Thanks.

I would really only grade, if you're planning to sell, sometime soon. Hell half the time, if you were going through the AH process, they help you grade them.

[raulus]

Probably depends on a couple of key factors:

1) How soon are you looking to sell? If you're not planning to sell for a long time, then waiting probably makes sense. Just because a lot can change in a decade or two when it comes to grading.

2) How strong will they grade? If they will grade low, then the only benefit to grading is to prove to a buyer that they're authentic. Since these are all HOFers, and a lot of early cards, my experience is that it usually makes financial sense to grade if they will grade at least a 4 or a 5. If they're at 8+, then it makes a ton of sense to grade. But also no rush unless you're looking to sell in the near future.

There's also a line of thinking that the graders have become particularly onerous in their grading of late. So submitting now might mean lower grades. Not sure if the graders will chill out in the future and start handing out higher grades, but it's another factor that seems to be pushing some people to not get their stuff graded now.

[Exhibitman]

What James said: let the AH do it, if you plan to sell. Much easier to store and enjoy raw cards. I have some that 'should' be graded but I don't plan to sell them any time soon, so why waste the money and mess up my binders. FWIW, you can also fit a lot more raw cards into a safe deposit box.

[G1911]

Another reason not to grade from a pure investment angle is that older slabs sell for less. If you aren't selling soon, you don't know what the popular slab of 2040 will be. Especially with AI on the cusp, it may not be PSA in 10 years. It might be CSG or a company that doesn't exist yet. No point in paying all the fees for a substantial risk that you will have to grade again with the trendy decision maker of the future.

[larietrope]

Obviously I like ungraded cards and since I don't have any 8's or so, I'll sit tight.

[gonefishin]

If your selling, probably grade. That way there is no "questions" about authenticity, condition, etc. and comps are so easy to find.

I have several raw Mantles, and several graded. For my sets, I take a photo of the graded card, size it to fit, and insert the photo in my binder. If it's a card other than the base card, I usually just insert it in the binder.

I guess we need some pics to spice it up a little.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

I haven't posted much in a while, but you could do a search on my past posts and probably find some anti-grading posts from me. I am consistently inconsistent on this issue, however. I've come around on grading to a point. I'm just a collector, and I'm not planning on selling much of anything any time soon. I just love owning the cards.

I am starting to do a little bit of a consolidation and retooling of my collection. Some of the cards I have owned for a long time are graded already. As much as I hate to admit it, I have come to appreciate (maybe even like?) vintage cards in new graded holders that aren't all scuffed up. I like the presentation. I've started sending a couple of cards here and there to SGC to get them graded. I could go on and on trying to justify myself on this issue, but I won't because it wouldn't make logical sense. I have some cards in my collection that likely make sense to grade, but there's others that I figure I will eventually get graded that wouldn't make a ton of financial sense in the immediate future. I just like the way they look in the SGC holders. I know I could find cheaper holders, and goodness knows I've used everything in the book over the years.

I don't live in a metropolitan area so a lot of my buying and selling occurs online. Grading makes some of that easier for me. And, like I said, I like the presentation even if it doesn't make a ton of sense. So, the only advice I'd venture to offer would simply be just to do what makes you happy with your cards. This is just a hobby. You can't do it "wrong." You have some nice stuff. If you keep them ungraded, I totally understand why. If you get some graded to try out, I get that, too. Maybe dip your toe in the water with one or two of your cards and just see how it feels? Good luck!