Is It Utterly Insane...

[MVSNYC]

There is a board member with an insane T206 collection. he cracked out 100's of cards to create a raw binder set. let's see if he chims in.

[JohnBrownsElbow]

I just started collecting the T206 set a few weeks ago. So far I have acquired ten cards--nine "commons" and a Sam Crawford. Eight of the cards were in SGC slabs. The commons were all SGC 40s and the Crawford an SGC 20 because of minor paper loss on back.

Last night I busted them all out and put them in Card Savers. I love the look and sturdiness of the SGC holders but I wanted to be able to touch the cards.

It hasn't been twenty four hours yet but I certainly don't regret the decision so far. I can always get any better cards regraded if I need to, right?

I'm planning on buying a Christy Mathewson or Walter Johnson in the next few weeks. I'm sure it will be slabbed when I buy it, but I'm also sure I'll crack it out immediately. And I will also be doing my best to avoid buying slabbed commons from now on. I don't think I paid any extra premium for the ones I just cracked out but no reason to pay any extra cost in the future.

[Section103]

Cracking them isn't crazy. Buying them might be. Depending on the circumstances, graded cards often cost more. Avoid buying them, if you can, when you plan on keeping them raw.

[thehoodedcoder]

even if you think you are going to keep them forever, things may happen in your life that can change that thought. especially many many years down the road. kids, illness, financial problems etc.

while they are a hobby, cards are also an asset. if you have 20k, 50k or 100k in baseball cards that is a sizable asset that you can tap if you absolutely have to.

keeping them graded makes them easier to sell in a pinch and wouldn't incurr you any expenses should you need to do so.

for those that want to touch the cards, you are putting the crap from your hands on the card. oils and dirt attract moisture which can cause mold and staining. that is why people where gloves when handling rare documents.

kevin

[drcy]

I understand and appreciate memorabilia cost money and resellers want to make a profit and all that, but when the hobby becomes money centric it's a turn off for me. It's shallowness for shallow people. It's like the ranking the best movies by box office receipts.

[MattyC]

Originally Posted by drcy

I understand and appreciate memorabilia cost money and resellers want to make a profit and all that, but when the hobby becomes money centric it's a turn off for me. It's shallowness for shallow people. It's like the ranking the best movies by box office receipts.

I could not agree more with this sentiment. Fixation on some third party's subjective opinion of numerical grade turns me way off.

And your analogy is so SPOT ON; it really resonates with me as a screenwriter as well. Just as box office doesn't mean one movie is better than another, so it goes with some TPG grade. It's all in the collector's eye.

[glchen]

They're your cards, so it's up to you. Be sure that your heirs are knowledgeable about your collection if the worst happens, so that they don't accidentally toss it in the garbage or sell it to someone at a garage sale for a hundred bucks.

[nebboy]

Insurance is a can be an issue for some. If your collection is not covered to what you think is enough and need a rider written to a policy may be something to look at. The independent grading (slab) is helpful to determine value.

[dabigyankeeman]

I buy a ton of old cards in slabs to verify authenticity, or sometimes because its the only one i can find or the price is right, etc. However, for my enjoyment of my collection, i always remove them and put them in plastic sheets in albums. I love going thru my collection in albums, and i love the way the cards look in sheets in albums.

In fact, i had been going crazy buying for months, but let the cards build up instead of doing them one by one as they came in, and the other day i had to crack all of them at once and take the cards out, what a pain in the butt to do a load of these at once! Note to self: Do them as they come in, dont let them build up!!

But if you wonder if its ok to remove the cards from slabs, its all up to the individual. If you want your cards like i do in albums instead of slabs, by all means take them out!!