Raw to slab success ?

[revlis]

Some nice stories for sure! Thanks. My only experience buying raw and getting them graded is with modern autos - of which there are many nice examples. I have been looking at buying more vintage and was wondering if this was a good avenue to go down. Also I just love hearing those stories of a big score - like I've read about on forbes (texas find, etc). Always interesting stuff!

[Exhibitman]

It happens a lot, at least in terms of being surprised by good grades on raw buys. My favorite was a raw 1969 Phil Esposito, a card I really wanted as a kid, that I bought raw from an eBay seller, sent in and got a 9. A very pleasant surprise. Most recently I sent in one of my Babe Ruth cards to get slabbed for protection in handling and ended up with an SGC 80. I'd not thought of it in those terms.

[T206Collector]

I once bought a group of cards with back damage. I was able to soak the paper off the back of a Pfeister and it came back an SGC 60. The Polar Bear Dougherty below recently came to me in a group of mid/low grade raw cards...



My best raw to grade T206 is this one, which also happens to be signed by Larry Doyle. This one came to me from the Jeff Morey collection about 10 years ago. I couldn't believe how pristine it was when I got it in the mail, and I am of course thrilled with the grade...

[steve B]

I haven't graded many cards, but I've done pretty well with a few of them.

Bought ...maybe 1984? 85? Probably for $3


Another I'd had since the 80's



And one picked up a bit more recently from Ebay. Only cost 40 raw.




Of course they haven't all gone that well, most were more like 50s a couple didn't grade, not modified, but miscut or undersize. Not bad overall though.

Steve B

[mpemulis]

This is a nice topic. I picked up a Billy Williams on eBay for 12.51 when I was completing a predominantly EX-MT 67 set. I had all of the HOFers graded.

BillyWilliamsPSA9.jpg

Of course it doesn't really fit in with the rest of the set now.

[GasHouseGang]

Picked up this raw Dockman and thought it should grade. Sent it in and was happy when it popped as a PSA 5.

[Leon]

I once got 5 packs of 1930 Rogers Peet cards from the heirs of the gentleman who collected them while he worked there. All were raw and high grade and each pack had a Cobb. This last pack was in my collection when I sold it...sold after grading last year.