Grading Old Judges (or not?)

[trdcrdkid]

Jay -- you're one of the main people I was thinking of who primarily (exclusively?) collects Old Judges raw. I don't have nearly as many of them as you do, but my 50 Old Judges and several hundred T cards are all raw, and like you, I would only ever get any of them graded if I were planning to sell them. With Old Judges in particular I like to be able to examine a raw card closely. I'm thinking of cracking that Johnston out of its holder in order to get a closer look and maybe a better idea why it got graded AUTH.

You all are confirming what I already basically knew, but it's nice to get that confirmation, and to see all these beautiful cards with low grades.

[jcmtiger]

I would rather have raw OJ cards, but 90% of my OJ's are graded. Most of these collections will be sold some day so they probably will be graded for more resale value. That's why mine are graded. Damaged backs bother me little, but not enough to stop me from buying if I need that card.

Joe

[Fred]

For the most part I ignore back damage on OJs.

Wow Wonk, those are incredible. That's definitely what to look for in an OJ. I've seen a pretty big drop in pices in the run of the mill OJs with lighter images. The price drop makes sense.

I think people are coming to the same conclusion - you get more enjoyment out of looking at an OJ where the image is crisp. A clear image kind of brings the players to life (yeah, Fred needs to stop drinking so early in the morning...).

[tiger8mush]

I'm of the minority that like the fact the label grade is technical and doesn't account for aesthetics. You can judge eye appeal for yourself.

[Joe_G.]

I do prefer to grade my cards. I collect a narrow subset and at this point I'm lucky to add more than one card a year so grading isn't a big issue for me. I do prefer SGC over PSA when it comes to OJs.

I have tracked the OJ population reports for quite some time and notice that more and more people select SGC over PSA. Going back ten years (9/2005), SGC was approaching a 2:1 advantage on cards graded (2396 for SGC vs 1259 for PSA => 1.9:1) while today SGC is at 3.0:1 (8643 graded for SGC vs 2901).

editing last two paragraphs for clarity

When it comes to OJs, the major PSA turn-offs for me include grading many cards Authentic due to not understanding card size. For example, many of the 1887 Brooklyn cards are graded authentic by PSA due to narrow borders giving appearance of being trimmed but these are larger cards and were often cut with narrow borders when issued. PSA also assigns number grades when they should be authentic (burned by this more than once). You also have the silly pose descriptions that appear to be made up on the spot. PSA just doesn't seem to understand the issue and OJs deserve something more aesthetically pleasing than a PSA slab. SGC makes mistakes as well but not nearly at the frequency of PSA when it comes to OJs. While a PSA graded T206 will command a premium over SGC, this is greatly reduced when it comes to OJs. However, as Jay stated, their may be a small advantage to grade with PSA when selling although I personally will pay more for SGC.

While I happily collect cards with back damage, there is something special about a card that is "like new" in all respects such as many of John's cards. I once owned the SGC86 Mays and have others just like it; they are special cards whether raw or slabbed.

[tinkertoeverstochance]

Casual OJ collector here....for me, they mostly stay in the state I received them in, whether graded or not. I own quite a few OJ's, but have never submitted any for grading besides an OJ Whitney w/ dog. On the flip side, I have only cracked out a few OJ's (in 17 years).

Lee

[1880nonsports]

is the whitney with dog. Graded for continuity because my other 19th samples are. I collect many series and types of early cards and generally I'm graphics driven and on a budget. I do have some early images - to me a photograph starts with content and image quality. Not sure if the OJ's are cards with photographs on them or photographs on cards - that might impact one's perspective. I feel damage on a blank back only affects the price I want to negotiate and that the image itself is most important.