“Old holder” - issues or concerns?

[Bobbycee]

I wouldn't hesitate to buy an old PSA holder. Buy the card. I do like the more modern labels though. My very large pet peeve are the holders with the sleeves that are in place to hold the undersized cards. These 'baggies' are a big turn off and distract from the beauty of the card itself.

Anyone else down on the PSA holders with the sleeves? Would a badly wrinkled sleeve prevent you from purchasing the card?

[Fred]

When I see old flips/slabs (PSA/SGC) and people not wanting them, I see "opportunity". I don't care about the flip/slab, I care about the appearance of the card. There's never a consideration for the NUMBER on the flip when I pick up a card. If it looks good, I'll take it. I've picked up, what I consider, under graded cards for reasonable prices and refuse to pay a premium for a NUMBER. I'm not a slabhead or a registry freak. If it looks good, that's good enough for me.

[samosa4u]

I actually prefer the older PSA slabs for a big reason. For example, if you see a Wilt Chamberlain rookie graded in PSA 7 - yes, it is in an old holder, but it was submitted when it was worth like a thousand bucks. Why does this matter to me? Because the cards were so much cheaper back then, so it means there is a lesser chance that it was altered.

The cards in newer slabs have a much higher chance of being altered simply because they are worth much, much, much more.

[oldeboo]

Earlier graded items demand a premium and at times a very large premium, in the coin world. The thought in that hobby is that they don't grade 'em the same anymore. There are people that collect coins based on nothing more than the design of the plastic holders. Interesting world we live in and the mentality of the collector.

The new slabs are great and all the rage until a year or two down the road when a new flip comes out. At that point, the same exact card is worth significantly less to some. My collecting interests are much more long term than a year or two. It's nothing more than an opportunity to me. Most of the slabbed cards I win in auctions are in the older slabs. There is probably some correlation there.

I don't mind having a phone that is a generation or two older than the current model either. I never was the type to camp outside a store for the new model on release day.

[Lobo Aullando]

But when will the CAC sticker arrive for cards?

Originally Posted by oldeboo

Earlier graded items demand a premium and at times a very large premium, in the coin world. The thought in that hobby is that they don't grade 'em the same anymore. There are people that collect coins based on nothing more than the design of the plastic holders. Interesting world we live in and the mentality of the collector.

[riggs336]

To answer the question: I have no issues or concerns.
I have absolutely no interest in the age or appearance of any undamaged slab.

[JollyElm]

It's impossible to ignore how aesthetically amateurish the really old PSA slabs look compared to the newer ones...

1970ryanslabcomp.jpg

No pizzazz, just a label seemingly typed on an extremely old Underwood. Of course, the only thing that matters is how nice the card looks, but I know if I was selling an 'old label' card, the offers would be much lower than what they would be if it was encased with a 'new' label.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

I actually prefer the older PSA slabs for a big reason. For example, if you see a Wilt Chamberlain rookie graded in PSA 7 - yes, it is in an old holder, but it was submitted when it was worth like a thousand bucks. Why does this matter to me? Because the cards were so much cheaper back then, so it means there is a lesser chance that it was altered.

The cards in newer slabs have a much higher chance of being altered simply because they are worth much, much, much more.

Ya, but it also means you are likely sitting on a card that would grade as a PSA 6 today if it were cracked and resubmitted. I actually have this exact card in a modern PSA 7 slab. I challenge anyone to find even one single PSA 7 in an older slab that's in better condition than this one. Hell, I haven't even found an older slab in an 8 yet that's in better condition. They've drastically moved the goalposts on us, unfortunately, and a recently graded 7 is nearly always superior to an older graded one.

Every thread needs a card...

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by Fred

When I see old flips/slabs (PSA/SGC) and people not wanting them, I see "opportunity". I don't care about the flip/slab, I care about the appearance of the card. There's never a consideration for the NUMBER on the flip when I pick up a card. If it looks good, I'll take it. I've picked up, what I consider, under graded cards for reasonable prices and refuse to pay a premium for a NUMBER. I'm not a slabhead or a registry freak. If it looks good, that's good enough for me.

Amen. Outside of a few specific things I’m collecting (the 1975 Topps set in a PSA 8, my Robin Yount Topps master set in a PSA 9), I’m buying almost exclusively ungraded now.

I don’t care about the slab. Never have. Unfortunately, so many times, I’ve found it’s just easier to buy the slabbed card when building a set or run. Ungraded examples with the eye appeal I’m looking for get snagged up quickly, and sent en masse to the TPG. At least, the star and rookie players do.

The difference between a PSA 9 and a 10 is so slight, and yet the price increase is astronomical. I became convinced long ago that chasing high grades like that, needing the 10 instead of the 9, was more about hobby dick measuring. “I’ve got the highest registry score for _____!!!”

Congratulations. You’re a master of the universe.

When one card is submitted to the same tpg three times, and each time it comes back with a different grade, just how useful is the tpg? What service do they provide, besides taking some green out of your wallet, and making you wait for a really long time to get your card(s) back?

I can look at a card, and after pulling out my 60x jeweler’s loupe, and my black light, I can nail the condition within a half grade (or ex to ex+, ex+ to exmt), and feel confident as to the card’s authenticity. I have “exemplar” cards-beat to sh#* examples of every year, showing me what the card stock and surface gloss are like, showing me the typography, etc. All the reputable dealers I buy from allow for returns, so if something isn’t kosher, I can send it back. I’m just out return postage.

You can either play the game, or you can collect for the love of the hobby and the sport. I may never have the kind of collection that gets the oohs and ahs. But I have a hell of a lot of fun doing it, and enjoy reading your posts, seeing your cardboard treasures.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hcv123]

I will expand on a previous post in sharing my experience.

The RULE - Cards in older holders have been graded less stringently than cards in current holders by both SGC and PSA.

The PROBLEM - The RULE frequently doesn't apply! I have seen plenty of cards that would likely grade the same (or better) in old holders and others that would likely grade worse (if resubmitted) in new holders.

The SOLUTION - The slab should be a starting point - then it's buy the card, not the holder!

[GasHouseGang]

Originally Posted by hcv123

I will expand on a previous post in sharing my experience.

The RULE - Cards in older holders have been graded less stringently than cards in current holders by both SGC and PSA.

The PROBLEM - The RULE frequently doesn't apply! I have seen plenty of cards that would likely grade the same (or better) in old holders and others that would likely grade worse (if resubmitted) in new holders.

The SOLUTION - The slab should be a starting point - then it's buy the card, not the holder!

Agreed. I have bought cards in old holders, cracked them and resubmitted and gotten an upgrade. Buy the card.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by hcv123

I will expand on a previous post in sharing my experience.

The RULE - Cards in older holders have been graded less stringently than cards in current holders by both SGC and PSA.

The PROBLEM - The RULE frequently doesn't apply! I have seen plenty of cards that would likely grade the same (or better) in old holders and others that would likely grade worse (if resubmitted) in new holders.

The SOLUTION - The slab should be a starting point - then it's buy the card, not the holder!

In my experience, it seems like SGC has been more consistent (and more fair) over time than PSA.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

You can either play the game, or you can collect for the love of the hobby and the sport. I may never have the kind of collection that gets the oohs and ahs. But I have a hell of a lot of fun doing it, and enjoy reading your posts, seeing your cardboard treasures.

That's it! Instead of trying to fight, I'll switch, as the old Tareyton Cigarettes commercials used to say. +1 on this.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by Bobbycee

I wouldn't hesitate to buy an old PSA holder. Buy the card. I do like the more modern labels though. My very large pet peeve are the holders with the sleeves that are in place to hold the undersized cards. These 'baggies' are a big turn off and distract from the beauty of the card itself.

Anyone else down on the PSA holders with the sleeves? Would a badly wrinkled sleeve prevent you from purchasing the card?

I am with you 100%. I cannot stand to look at any card with the crumpled and wrinkled baggie holding it in place. And when utilizing the "baggie" they never seem able to get the card centered or sitting straight within the slab. It's almost like a diamond-cut presentation within the slab.

Same goes for PSA's slabbed photos. I so much prefer the clean look that I will pass on any "baggied" example that looks sloppy, amateurish and/or asymmetrical. When done right, they look great.