Am I crazy for liking...

[ALR-bishop]

Robert-- I have been collecting Topps baseball cards since 1957. I have a full set run ,1948 and 1951 to 2013, and am happy to say that with one or two exceptions, all of my cards are ungraded and displayed in easy to access binders.

And my cards are not "raw". They are cards in their natural free state, rather than imprisoned in plastic and stamped with an opinion about them by someone who knows less about them than me. :-)

Dave-- I am also 62 and had cancer in 2005. Keep on trucking. I am thinking of having my cards cremated with me.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Al, hats off to you too for overcoming cancer.

Regarding your collection, how would you characterize your approach? I mean is most of your stuff high, mid, or lower grade? Either way, very impressive! Point taken regarding "raw" vs "natural". Thanks

Robert

[Volod]

To each his own, and I certainly can't criticize anyone's personal point of view on it, but if a classic car dealer offered me a choice of a 1957 Chevy in good running condition and another encased in a giant plastic cube at the same price, I would have to go with the unslabbed car.

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by Volod

...the unslabbed car.

Haha!! Good stuff!!

I realize that grading cards is becoming more and more the wave of the future. Unfortunately, you can't get around it and if I ever plan on selling my collection, I'm going to have to get the big guys graded.

With that said, all my sets--1957 to 1979, in varying degrees of completeness--are ungraded (I freakin' hate the term 'raw'!!!! Drives me bananas!!!!!). If I find a graded card that fits what I need at the right price, I'll sometimes buy it and add it to my trade bait, not including it as a hit to my need list.

As others have said before, I love feeling my cards, sniffing that aroma of cardboard and everything that goes with it...and enjoying them! Having a card in a slab is like visiting your uncle in prison. There's something very unnatural and uncomfortable about it.

Plus, if I see a card in great shape and it looks awesome to me, why does it suddenly increase in value and prestige when the very same card is entombed in a slab??? Nothing has changed with said card. It's still the exact same card it was before it was graded.

[mintacular]

For cards worth under $100, yes I prefer raw. But over that, I like (more) safety/security that a trained eye has determined the card is authentic/unaltered. For example, would rather pay $20 for this raw Aparicio (raw) than a graded a 6 or 7 that costs atleast that much.