Decided to test the graded waters (for some reason) what's the best options?

[JollyElm]

The first step is to really examine the cards you have and estimate as fairly as possible what grade they 'should' get. Knock one or two points off of that number (because they never seem to come back how you expected) and check out what cards in that grade have sold for recently. This will give you an insight into whether or not it's worthwhile to send them in. For instance, say you have a star card from the 60's that should grade a 6 and when you investigate recent sales, sixes usually sell for $35. If you're paying $20+ (with shipping) to have it graded, is it really worth it? If you're planning on keeping the cards in your PC, then I would say yes it is, but if you're looking to sell them, you wouldn't have a chance of making much (if any) of a return on said cards. But if there is a large margin between the cost of grading versus the potential sales price, it may be very wise to get them graded.