Downgrade & replace - a good strategy to self-fund your collection?

[G1911]

I get as much joy out of a card that is in fair shape as the same card in EX-MT. I collect a lot of sets that are rare to see, so I can't be picky about condition when one I need crops up. If I own an EX and see a F, I buy the F and trade away the EX for something else on my want list. A sharper corner makes little difference to me, but it makes a lot of $$$ difference.

[JeremyW]

To take from Pete

"If your objective is to build value, it usually makes sense to own the highest grade of a card you can reasonably afford."

This is the tried & true method, but not the only way. Low grade cards with high eye appeal & a bit of rarity also have a way of building value.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by G1911

I get as much joy out of a card that is in fair shape as the same card in EX-MT. I collect a lot of sets that are rare to see, so I can't be picky about condition when one I need crops up. If I own an EX and see a F, I buy the F and trade away the EX for something else on my want list. A sharper corner makes little difference to me, but it makes a lot of $$$ difference.

None of the sets I build could be construed as rare, but I have increasingly come around to this view of things. It's a hobby for me and nothing more.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

None of the sets I build could be construed as rare, but I have increasingly come around to this view of things. It's a hobby for me and nothing more.

Rare stuff is the only way I ever end up with an EX type card to downgrade . My Topps and Bowman stuff starts out low grade and stay there. My Mickey's and Willie's all have creases, but I love them anyways. Pretty much the only things I try and avoid are paper loss over the back write up (because I read them), and anything sticky on the card (because I store mine without any sleeves, touching the adjacent cards). Creases, round corners, a missing corner, a kid writing his name in the back border, these are features not defects that let me buy more cards to enjoy than I could if I did them minty fresh. I'm 95%+ done with my 1952-1973 Topps run; if I did them NM-MT I could have maybe a single set, probably not even that, for the same money. I find it more personally fun to have many more sets with creases instead of sharp corners to take out of the safe and flip through, variation hunt, and sort.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by G1911

Rare stuff is the only way I ever end up with an EX type card to downgrade . My Topps and Bowman stuff starts out low grade and stay there. My Mickey's and Willie's all have creases, but I love them anyways. Pretty much the only things I try and avoid are paper loss over the back write up (because I read them), and anything sticky on the card (because I store mine without any sleeves, touching the adjacent cards). Creases, round corners, a missing corner, a kid writing his name in the back border, these are features not defects that let me buy more cards to enjoy than I could if I did them minty fresh. I'm 95%+ done with my 1952-1973 Topps run; if I did them NM-MT I could have maybe a single set, probably not even that, for the same money. I find it more personally fun to have many more sets with creases instead of sharp corners to take out of the safe and flip through, variation hunt, and sort.

We very well could be related.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

We very well could be related.

Bring your cards to the next family reunion!

[Snowman]

I pretty much only care about eye appeal, so I often find myself "downgrading" in terms of the number on the slab while upgrading the actual cards encased by them.

Here is my Hank Aaron RC "downgrade"... (and yes, I recognize that some collectors would prefer the card on the left, but for how I define "eye-appeal", the card on the right is worth at least 3x the one on the left to me, and honestly, probably 5x or more).