T206 - Higher Grade Or Rarer Back?

[Exhibitman]

It seems to me that the thing with so-called condition rarities in common cards is you are relying on:

(1) Maintaining a relative position within a pool of cards creating the rarity [the slabbed pop], one that that can change dramatically as old-school collections and accumulations are liquidated by AHs who will have nice raw cards slabbed; and

(2) The judgment of the grading service, which can change over time and might be wrong to start. We've all seen examples of changes in grading standards from PSA. If they suddenly shift again you could be left in the cold holding your ****.

With a card that is considered rare regardless of condition at least you have the knowledge that historically very few have surfaced and there will always be a demand for them from specialists.

The other thing to consider is personal aesthetic choice. I prefer to have cards that look similar to their brethren. I don't like having a mish-mash of conditions in a given set. So, if you decide on a specific grade or back you may be condemning yourself to either a frustratingly incomplete collection or a collection that isn't aesthetically pleasing.