Grading: is it really that important?

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Posted By: identify7

I mean: we want a nice set of cards.
And everyone is gonna define that differently.
But if the card meets your objectives, well then
grading is just one of your tools with which you establish
a fair exchange rate.

But the opinion of others stated in a numerical rating?
Exactly how highly should that be valued?
Particularly if you do not subscribe to all of the
criteria or weightings employed?

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Posted By: Julie Vognar

and there were very, very few graded cards! There were however, a lot of trimmed ones...not that there aren't today, in and out of holders...

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Posted By: t206King

its a hard one to say if the value SHOULD be higher. when u think of it, its just someone else looking at the card, and slapping a grade at what they think. grading is good for identifying cards, from real to fake to trimmed. but value wise i dont think it should go up toooo much.....

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Posted By: Kyle Leeds-Tilley

I like the feeling that my card is completly protected in an airtight slab... I can take it out and show it to people without the fear of it falling out of the toploader etc... etc...

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Posted By: Zach

To each his own when it comes to a subject like this, but I don't really think is too important. The whole protection factor though I don't get. Sure its a secure holder for your cards but a card in a soft sleeve then in a toploader won't be moving around unless you really bang it from side to side. If that's not enough protection, just go with a screw down holder. It will hold your card tighter than the few cards I have in PSA slabs. My Colgans Chips Wagner just floats around in a PSA slab, I will probably crack it out and put it in a screw down where I won't have that problem.

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Posted By: jay behrens

Using a grading company provides you with a nice, uniform appearance to you collection. I've tinkered with various ways to label cards in semi-rigid holders without much luck. I don't have the money to get all my cards slabbed, not that I would want to. I really like the look and feel of my more important cards in an SGc holder. Yes, I'd love to be able to hold the card raw, but I am my own worst enemy and as pointed out, it allows you to show the card to friends and they can get basic info about the card off the label.

Jay

I've just reached Upper Lower Class. I am now officially a babe magnet for poor chicks.

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Posted By: Dan Koteles

mainly for recoloring. Most are good at sizing up
pre-war. If it doesnt look good...it usually isnt.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

I'm not a fan of the numbers game, but I understand how grading is important for many online buyers. I'd rather rely on the grading accuracy of PSA or SGC than the average eBay seller.

As far as the significance in the numbers go ... if someone wants to pay $1,000 more for a baseball card without a corner ding in the lower left corner, that's fine with me. It's not my place to tell others what to collect. But I'd rather have the slighly lower grade card and use the $1,000 ding money to buy more stuff ... While I understand and accept the concept of set registries, every time I think about someone PSA grading an entire 1981 Fleer set it blows my mind. No matter how long I live, it is unlikely that anyone will ever make me understand why it's imperative to get 1981 Fleer Don Aase in PSA 10.

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Posted By: rp60

Its important because it excists as an option, and we collectors love that...

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Posted By: warshawlaw

It does get really old looking at the 100th "near mint" card with roundede corners of the day on ebay. I do not believe I would be buying mail order without grading.

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Posted By: Bob S

Hi everyone,

As odd as this sounds, (especially coming from me...LOL...), I tend to agree with almost everyones' opinion posted so far on this topic.

Bob S