Are graded cards the future of vintage?

[G1911]

If it’s about money, graded is still the big seller and the name of the game. Human nature being what it is, I doubt this changes, though what slab you need to maximize your dollar may well change.

If it’s about collecting, enjoy them however you like them.

[homerunhitter]

Agree with you! I starting to shift my thinking that graded cards are here to stay. Too many younger collectors only want graded cards these days. One issue I see mostly on here is that not too many people think about that one day they (or their family) are going to have to deal with/sell their collection one day. Collecting what you want TODAY is great for us but I think for our families/friends ,graded will reap the greatest reward for whoever is selling our collections in 20, 30, 40,50 years! An example is: if you have a Nolan Ryan topps rookie card that is raw and the save exact card that is graded (same conditions) which one do you think will have better resale value? What I enjoy collecting today? (Which are raw cards) or the graded version? Food for thought.

[ewomack]

I see graded cards not so much as the future but as the already existing present. As much as I enjoy raw cards, I don't think I would pay a lot of money for one at this point. The most recent cards I've purchased have all been PSA graded. As already mentioned, the resale value makes it a no-brainer, for better or worse.

[homerunhitter]

Very good points! I think alot of us old farts (myself included) that didn’t dump our raw cards before the graded card craze will be left holding the bag! Probably why not too many people are responding to this thread because a ton of people are heavily invested deep in raw cards and now it’s obvious graded cards are king. I’m thinking the smart move here is too quietly sell off raw cards (get what you can get for them) and repurchase/rebuild with graded vintage cards!

[BobC]

Originally Posted by homerunhitter

Very good points! I think alot of us old farts (myself included) that didn’t dump our raw cards before the graded card craze will be left holding the bag! Probably why not too many people are responding to this thread because a ton of people are heavily invested deep in raw cards and now it’s obvious graded cards are king. I’m thinking the smart move here is too quietly sell off raw cards (get what you can get for them) and repurchase/rebuild with graded vintage cards!

Why not get your vintage cards graded then?

[homerunhitter]

Isn’t PSA like $100 a card to get graded? I’ve never sent in a card to get graded before. Right now there are so many great deals on eBay that some cards I think are cheaper to buy already graded on eBay versus sending them in.

[Fwoodford_34]

Personally for the vintage I collect I feel that grading is a way of preserving the card and safe keeping. I try and grade all of my older cards so they will last for another 70+ years.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by homerunhitter

Isn’t PSA like $100 a card to get graded? I’ve never sent in a card to get graded before. Right now there are so many great deals on eBay that some cards I think are cheaper to buy already graded on eBay versus sending them in.

There are other TPGs you can use. Plus, my understanding is the grading fees are dropping as the pandemic backlog is being caught up.

And if the grading fees are so high, don't you think those costs are kind of being added into the prices of graded cards being sold already? So if that is the case, and you find graded cards that look like real deals on Ebay, isn't it possible those graded cards are actually not much in demand, so their prices are going to be low, graded or not.

And the inflation we're experiencing could be what is driving down card prices, graded or raw, as well. So going to sell your raw cards now may get you even lower prices than expected. Maybe just wait to see how low the grading fees drop before giving up on getting your raw cards graded.

And for the record, PSA's website shows a special of only $18 to grade cards valued up to $199, and $30 to grade cards valued up to $499. Their regular economy service is $50 a card, for cards valued up to $999. And they do have a current regular service for cards at $100, but that is for cards valued at $1,000 to $1,499. So unless you're talking about cards valued at $1,000 or more, the grading fees are nowhere near $100 a card anymore.