Are graded cards the future of vintage?

[Exhibitman]

I drop stuff, so a slab is a good idea for anything condition sensitive. I am pretty much agnostic on grading but it is definitely a thrill to get a high grade from a TPG on something you send it. Talk about freakish spontaneous wealth creation. I got the grade on this one last week and was pretty pumped about how it graded out:



it is a 1/1 card with very sensitive foil finishing, so a 10 is pretty, pretty good. Damn thing looked perfect to me but what do I know, right?

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I drop stuff, so a slab is a good idea for anything condition sensitive. I am pretty much agnostic on grading but it is definitely a thrill to get a high grade from a TPG on something you send it. Talk about freakish spontaneous wealth creation. I got the grade on this one last week and was pretty pumped about how it graded out:



it is a 1/1 card with very sensitive foil finishing, so a 10 is pretty, pretty good. Damn thing looked perfect to me but what do I know, right?

Nice card Adam!

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Zach Wheat

Nice card Adam!

Thanks. Check out this one from the same batch:

[Eric72]

Graded vintage cards will appeal to people for the foreseeable future. It provides a double-check from someone (other than the seller) that the card is authentic and unaltered...or at least, that's the idea.

With all the alterations (and occasional fakes) that slip past third party graders, it is by no means a perfect system. Add to that the instances in which fake or compromised TPG holders enter the marketplace, and we're probably no better off than we were back in the 80s.

The best route to take is the same as it has always been. Learn the set(s) you collect. Study commons to learn the paper stock, print techniques, and other details which allow you to identify genuine, unaltered cards. Buy a loupe, blacklight, and ruler. Use these to help pick up on fine details which may elude the unaided eye.

In the end, you just may find yourself enjoying the cards quite a bit more than all this damn plastic.

[homerunhitter]

Very true! But the more I read posts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube videos, other sites and of course here, I’m seeing that the hobby thinks graded cards are cool and hip!

[G1911]

Originally Posted by homerunhitter

Very true! But the more I read posts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube videos, other sites and of course here, I’m seeing that the hobby thinks graded cards are cool and hip!

Collect whatever you like, not what someone trying to pump the market says is cool. Graded has been the investor focus and ‘hip’ for decades now.

[homerunhitter]

Good point! I do however remember that one time when I was selling a bunch of vintage topps (1957-1970 topps) I went to a BIG TIME dealer in our hobby and was told “I can’t give you much for the raw cards because I have to factor in the time and effort it’s going to take me to grade these myself (this was way before the psa grading card boom) but if they were graded I could give you much more.” At that point that’s probably when I should of realized that in regards to resale value, graded gets more then raw (generally speaking) I think I just answered my own question!

[jiw98]

My son and I went to a show this weekend and there was only 1 or 2 tables that did not have graded cards. There were probably 15 dealers that only had graded cards. The graded cards were from many different grading companies. SGC,PSA,& CSG were the most popular, but there were companies that I haven't heard of. As much as I was reluctant to get into graded cards, I think that they are not going anywhere and are growing in popularity every day.