First Vintage Set - Graded vs. Raw?

[Mbjerry]

Originally Posted by thatkidfromjerrymaguire

Not much new for me to add to the conversation, but just wanted to chime in that my vote is collect your set in mostly raw condition. You will get more for your money, and I think it's more satisfying to handle and sort raw cards, they look great in a binder, and take up less space.

But if you are concerned about authenticity and future value and accurate condition, then purchase the high dollar cards graded.

This is the approach I took with my 1952 Bowman set in EX condition. I only have four more cards to go (I have all the BIG ones), and basically any card worth around $100 or more I purchased graded (about six cards), and everything else is raw.

I have the graded cards in back of my binder in four pocket pages and everything else raw in nine pocket pages. Looks pretty good.

I will say, however, the biggest downside with buying raw online is not being able to tell the true condition of the card until you get it "in hand". My goal is to have a completely EX condition or higher set, which means no creases or wrinkles. However it's fairly common for a card to look EX or NM in scans, only to find they have light surface wrinkles. So it's best to buy graded on the high dollar cards if you have a specific condition in mind.

Also, I think you can add Greg Morris Cards to your list of trusted dealers. His auctions seem to end a little higher than most, but his condition estimates on raw cards are accurate. I've not had any unexpected wrinkles, etc. from anything I've bought from him.

Thank you. This helps. I didn't know they made 4 pocket sleeves for graded. I like this idea of doing almost all raw and the big cards graded in the sleeves. I will add Greg Morris Cards to my saved sellers.