Does anyone else wonder, "Why isn't this card graded?"

[travrosty]

Originally Posted by betafolio2

Is it just me, or does anyone else, upon seeing super-sharp 1950s or 1960s baseball cards listed by a relatively low-feedback seller on eBay, wonder why they weren't submitted for professional grading first? I've just noticed quite a few such cards (1950s Mantles, Clementes, etc.) currently listed, and the cards look like they'd warrant a PSA 7 or 8 at least. Common sense tells me that the cards, if genuine, would likely sell for a substantial premium if graded, because then there'd (presumably) be no question as to their authenticity. I myself feel a little nervous about bidding on unslabbed cards that look just "too good." I'm sure that's exactly what PSA had in mind when it went into business -- to "force" people into buying only graded cards. Still, I'd like to know what other collectors feel about this issue. Obviously people out there are bidding on these awesome-looking cards, but how often are they getting burned by ending up with all those unidentified reprints that are floating around out there?

they might be getting burned, but some people dont like graded cards, like some people dont like certified autographs. they already forced people to slab all their coins. thats what the company does, play off of fear. there is some risk to buying off of ebay from a low feedback seller versus a low time established dealer. almost all long time dealers offer graded cards anyway, but some sellers resent the fact they are considered "guilty" without any proof that they are doing anything wrong just because they like raw cards and don't need grades.

they have totally succeeded playing off of peoples fears with coins, cards are nearly to the same point, and autographs are halfway there. but when i buy an autograph, i pop it out of the encapsulated holder if it is in one, and i would do the same with a card if it was in an encapsulated-graded holder too. but that's just me.