This Probably Won't Go Anywhere, But...

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by ocjack

I believe what he is saying is that he will price his cards at what he believes the graded value would be based upon his own evaluation of condition. Hence, obtaining the "graded" price without the cost of grading. And that buyers are welcome to pay his price or not. He doesn't give a "f".

And fwiw, I agree with him.

So do I!



But neither am I selling any of the cards in my collection. Nor will I be in the foreseeable future.

[Leon]

From an original collection.

It's a shame but if, and when, I sell these they will need to be put in slabs. The answer is always the same, money.

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by Leon

From an original collection.

It's a shame but if, and when, I sell these they will need to be put in slabs. The answer is always the same, money.

Based on the information we have seen to date, unfortunately we can't take them with us.......

[ullmandds]

Exactly...while I'm not a fan at all of TPG'ing...I will not live forever...and even if I did...there's a high likelihood I will be selling my cards before I die...I have noone to leave them to.

This is why grading is important to me...so my cards are liquid/set up to receive maximum return when I decide to sell.

[Balticfox]

What incidentally is the cost of grading/slabbing a NM common from 1959 or 1960?

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

What incidentally is the cost of grading/slabbing a NM common from 1959 or 1960?

At the moment, $15-20 (give or take) for PSA, depending on whether you get a bulk deal or not, and whether they're running a special. There's a chance it could run you a bit more if it grades for higher than you expect, or if there's something really special about the card that causes it to be worth more than your average common from those years.

[raulus]

I certainly understand why James is so aggravated by the grading racket. And I have nothing against his consistent desire to avoid it, and disparage the whole business every chance he gets.

As others have noted, the world has changed since we were kids. Back then, most cards changed hands in person, and you could inspect them until you were really confident about condition. Plus your total outlay was usually pennies, unless you were buying something really special, so the price tag associated with being wrong was small. Any deal that didn't happen in person probably only occurred between a buyer who really trusted the seller and their ability to accurately grade cards and weed out the doctored stuff.

These days, if you want to get top value when you sell, particularly if you have really nice stuff that will command top dollar, then grading is the most likely path to make it happen. You can certainly try to sell them for top dollar as top condition raw cards. While the Biebs taught us to "never say never", my experience is that will be a really heavy lift.

Naturally, if you have stuff that is really low grade and not particularly valuable, then you probably don't give up much by skipping the grading. Particularly if a buyer has a chance to inspect your cards in person before they buy. And if I understand James' collecting habits, this might be the case, so maybe it will work fine for him and/or his successors in cardboard.