Graded or Raw....

[ajquigs]

Originally Posted by Rich Falvo

I buy most of my cards online without being able to see them in person, so I prefer graded when possible. Makes me feel a little more confident about authenticity.

Authenticity is the biggest factor for me also. No guarantees, of course, but if I'm spending $100 or more I'll generally go with graded.

[Leon]

I agree grading increases the likelihood of no hidden issues, however I still buy raw frequently. And I have missed a ton of issues that TPGs have caught. Live and learn.

Originally Posted by ajquigs

Authenticity is the biggest factor for me also. No guarantees, of course, but if I'm spending $100 or more I'll generally go with graded.

[PowderedH2O]

I am 11 years away from the age my dad was when he died. So, who knows when it will happen. When I have sold or traded raw, it has been tough. Collectors ask millions of questions and want all sorts of different angles of photos. When I go, I want my wife to be able to grab a slab and sell it without knowing a darned thing about it. So, gradually I am purging my pre-1970's ungraded cards and replacing them with graded ones. I get a few less cards. My wife gets a few less headaches (hopefully decades from now).

[Leon]

That is thoughtful. Good for you. I hope I can remember to do the same thing as the clock winds down....(the later the better)

Originally Posted by PowderedH2O

I am 11 years away from the age my dad was when he died. So, who knows when it will happen. When I have sold or traded raw, it has been tough. Collectors ask millions of questions and want all sorts of different angles of photos. When I go, I want my wife to be able to grab a slab and sell it without knowing a darned thing about it. So, gradually I am purging my pre-1970's ungraded cards and replacing them with graded ones. I get a few less cards. My wife gets a few less headaches (hopefully decades from now).

[packs]

I want it graded when I buy it.

[jchcollins]

I buy most things for my collection (postwar) online, so if at all possible I buy PSA or SGC graded just for reassurance on what I am buying if I cannot hold the card in my hands and inspect it first. Once in my posession, whether or not it stays in the slab becomes of less importance, especially if it's something I have no plans to sell. If the card arrives and it is fine and looks good in the slab, I leave it. If the card bounces around in the slab to any great degree (late 60's and early 70's Topps cards seem to have a penchant for this...) I will usually bust it out. I will also bust out if the slab is damaged or cracked in any way, or if (this happens all the time with BVG) there is something foreign like dust or debris inside the slab which makes it appear as if there is wear on the card which is not actually there.

[rdixon1208]

I buy most of my cards raw, but they don't stay that way for long. I accept that I'm going to have to pay for grading on a lot of my cards when I get ready to sell them, but that's money well spent. I pull my album out at least once a week and go through my cards. I've cracked Ruth, Cobb, Wagner, all of them. The only time I got really nervous was the first time I held a 1914 Cracker Jack. It was a HOFer graded PSA 4 so I paid a lot (for me) for it. I had no idea how fragile those suckers were.

t205.jpg

t206.jpg

t210.jpg

v100.jpg