1971 Graded Willie Mays Question

[Gr8Beldini]

Assuming everything else is the same, I'd like your thoughts on the following: What is more desirable from an investment / resale point of view: a 1971 Topps Willie Mays graded PSA 7... or SGC 7.5

I have an undergraded Mays card in a PSA 7 holder. I think it would get a bump if submitted to SGC, but it's possible that it may come back graded 7.5. Would I want that? or am I better off leaving it in the PSA 7 holder. I don't plan on flipping it anytime soon, but down the road, which would be the more valuable option. And resubmitting it to PSA for re-grading isn't an option. Thank you in advance.

[mikemb]

Don't know how long "Down the road' will be but no matter how long, things will change. Grading companies may fold, merge, new ones come along, current ones change their standards, etc.

I would wait until the time you want to sell to make any decision.

Mike

[raulus]

I agree with Mike. Unless you are looking to sell now, it’s impossible to guess how the market will value any given grade in the future.

For example, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that SGC might not be around 5 or 10 years from now. Once a grader’s brand goes away, the value of their slabs usually declines. Not making a prediction, so all the SGC fanboys shouldn’t feel the need to attack me. But it’s certainly within the realm of theoretical possibility.

[Gr8Beldini]

I'd like an answer. Forget "down the road." Right now you have the choice of buying a PSA 7 Mays or a SGC 7.5. Everything else is the same (price, condition, centering etc). Which would you choose. Which would cost more to purchase now?

[Beercan collector]

Originally Posted by Gr8Beldini

I'd like an answer. Forget "down the road." Right now you have the choice of buying a PSA 7 Mays or a SGC 7.5. Everything else is the same (price, condition, centering etc). Which would you choose. Which would cost more to purchase now?

If I had to buy I would buy the 7.5 (ihelps that the 71s look good in a SGC holder)
But if I owned the PSA 7 I wouldn’t mess with regrading .
At this point the values are somewhat similar .

[swarmee]

Just making sure you're aware that SGC was purchased by the parent company of PSA, and that their grading is going to look more like PSA's over time. Nat did mention the slight possibility of including SGC cards in the PSA Set Registry, but I would venture that's multiple years away.

PSA 7 for current and future value, IMO. If it got a 7.5 for centering, it will sell like a PSA 7.5 or PSA 8 anyways.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Gr8Beldini

I'd like an answer. Forget "down the road." Right now you have the choice of buying a PSA 7 Mays or a SGC 7.5. Everything else is the same (price, condition, centering etc). Which would you choose. Which would cost more to purchase now?

If I’m buying, I’ll take the PSA. But I’m a bit odd that way. I’ve purchased close to 5,000 PSA graded cards, and 3 that were graded by SGC. Even with those 3, I only did it because they are impossible to find in any holder, and then I immediately crossed them over to PSA.

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by Gr8Beldini

...What is more desirable from an investment / resale point of view: a 1971 Topps Willie Mays graded PSA 7... or SGC 7.5.

To answer your question, I would keep it as a PSA 7. I think from a resale point of view, it will be more desirable in a PSA holder even if it gets a grade bump going to SGC. It is becoming more difficult to find higher grades for this set in a PSA holder.

[Kutcher55]

PSA 7. PSA does much better with 1970s baseball cards than SGC. This is particularly true in condition-sensitive sets like 1971 Topps. Furthermore, the SGC tux is quite unflattering for the 1971 topps black border cards. Just doesn't look good. Not everyone will agree with that, but I think most collectors do. I suspect if you did a compare of 1971 star cards and looked at PSA 7 vs SGC 7.5 comps, the PSA would be at least on parity if not higher priced.

[Kutcher55]

I took a quick look at some recent comps and obviously small sample size but it would contradict what I just wrote. A couple of SGC 7.5 Nolan Ryans just sold on eBay, one for $676 and the other for $749. The PSA 7 price has tended to be in the $500-600 range.

A 71 Clemente SGC 7.5 just sold for $809. PSA 7s tend to be in the 600-700 range.

That all said, if you're looking to move a PSA 7 into an SGC hopeful 7.5, I wouldn't do it. Not enough upside to offset the cost and risk of the reslab.

[jchcollins]

The easy, safe bet answer right now is probably that the PSA 7 is more desirable across the masses.

I would tend to agree that 71's don't look fantastic in SGC slabs with the black on black, though I've owned some. For me personally I'd pick the card that I thought looked the best, regardless of which slab it was in - assuming the prices were fair / comparable.