Does it make any difference if I grade this?

[rand1com]

Originally Posted by obcbobd

1) Cost. I realize you may make it back when you sell, but if he is not planning on selling

2) Not having the item in your possession for X months

3) Getting lost or damaged in mail or by grading company

You may feel the upside well compensates for these, and you are probably right (if planning to sell), but downsides do exist.

1. Being worth a thousand dollars more than the grading fees when slabbed.
2. SGC is turning cards around in two weeks or less.
3. USPS registered mail is 99.99999% safe with full insurance for the item. They don't lose these because someone in the postal service has to sign off on the package at each stage of the shipment and whoever signs is personally responsible for the package at that stage.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by rand1com

1. Being worth a thousand dollars more than the grading fees when slabbed.
2. SGC is turning cards around in two weeks or less.
3. USPS registered mail is 99.99999% safe with full insurance for the item. They don't lose these because someone in the postal service has to sign off on the package at each stage of the shipment and whoever signs is personally responsible for the package at that stage.

1. Yes, but if he's not looking to sell he could use the grading fee to afford more cards.

2. Also yes, but if doing the grading to sell, most people feel PSA graded items sell for more than other TPG graded items, so using SGC may not be considered a good grading option.

3. Yes once more, but you can only control that when sending to the TPG. What about when it is being back to you? Can you dictate to any/all the TPGs you may use how they have to return it to you?

[brianp-beme]

Remember, if you have it slabbed, you can no longer do this to your card.

Brian (not my fingers, not my toes)

[Fred]

Exactly - you can't touch it any more! You could only view it through the plastic condom.

Just think, a little more pressure and you'd have a card that would allow you to practice removing a crease from the card.

Admittedly, I have MANY slabbed cards but at least you can let a 4 year old play with them and not worry too much about them.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

Id slab because everything is for sale/negotiable at some point.

Originally Posted by JeremyW

There's no downside in having it graded.

Originally Posted by Tyruscobb

I agree. There is no downside - other than the grading fee and shipping/insurance costs. The upside is: (1) You can easily store it with your other slabbed cards; (2) It is better protected; and (3) surely, the slab will clue your family in that it has value when yougo to that big card show in the sky one day.

Great card by the way!

Originally Posted by Fred

Exactly - you can't touch it any more! You could only view it through the plastic condom.

Just think, a little more pressure and you'd have a card that would allow you to practice removing a crease from the card.

Admittedly, I have MANY slabbed cards but at least you can let a 4 year old play with them and not worry too much about them.

I ruined a card two years ago that I was too lazy to slab. It hurts to think about. Don't risk your wife's future lottery ticket. Slab it!

Sent from my SM-G9900 using Tapatalk

[Leon]

I would probably, not positively, grade it for protection.
.

[3-2-count]

I would have it graded if it were mine.

[Fred]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

Remember, if you have it slabbed, you can no longer do this to your card.

Brian (not my fingers, not my toes)

Exactly - you can't touch it any more! You could only view it through the plastic condom.

Just think, a little more pressure and you'd have a card that would allow you to practice removing a crease from the card.

Admittedly, I have MANY slabbed cards but at least you can let a 4 year old play with them and not worry too much about them.

[rand1com]

Originally Posted by BobC

1. Yes, but if he's not looking to sell he could use the grading fee to afford more cards.

2. Also yes, but if doing the grading to sell, most people feel PSA graded items sell for more than other TPG graded items, so using SGC may not be considered a good grading option.

3. Yes once more, but you can only control that when sending to the TPG. What about when it is being back to you? Can you dictate to any/all the TPGs you may use how they have to return it to you?

Good points. In the old days, the grading companies used USPS registered mail for return delivery with insurance but I no longer grade cards so they may well use FedEX and UPS exclusively in today's world so your 3rd point is well taken.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by rand1com

Good points. In the old days, the grading companies used USPS registered mail for return delivery with insurance but I no longer grade cards so they may well use FedEX and UPS exclusively in today's world so your 3rd point is well taken.

Randy, just so you know, was not trying to put your points down at all, they are all good points. It is just that there are other conflicting points that also can be valid in questions of grading or not grading, and deciding which TPG to use if you do go the grading route. There is no right or wrong answer, and it is ultimately up to the person that owns the card to decide what they, and they alone, are comfortable in doing.

And when asked by someone like the OP, the best we can do is try to present and give as many different options, along with the pros and cons of each, to the various alternatives and choices available so the person asking has as much info as possible to make the best informed decision for themself that they can. All good, and hopefully whatever the OP chooses and ends up doing satisfies and makes him happy.

[rand1com]

Originally Posted by BobC

Randy, just so you know, was not trying to put your points down at all, they are all good points. It is just that there are other conflicting points that also can be valid in questions of grading or not grading, and deciding which TPG to use if you do go the grading route. There is no right or wrong answer, and it is ultimately up to the person that owns the card to decide what they, and they alone, are comfortable in doing.

And when asked by someone like the OP, the best we can do is try to present and give as many different options, along with the pros and cons of each, to the various alternatives and choices available so the person asking has as much info as possible to make the best informed decision for themself that they can. All good, and hopefully whatever the OP chooses and ends up doing satisfies and makes him happy.

I totally agree. The owner always makes the decision and the good thing about this forum is there are varying expert opinions for virtually any question. I certainly took no offense at your points. Again, I buy some graded cards but stopped grading myself because obviously I cannot see well enough with a 10 power loupe to find the defects that always caused my expected 7's to be actual 5's.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by rand1com

I totally agree. The owner always makes the decision and the good thing about this forum is there are varying expert opinions for virtually any question. I certainly took no offense at your points. Again, I buy some graded cards but stopped grading myself because obviously I cannot see well enough with a 10 power loupe to find the defects that always caused my expected 7's to be actual 5's.

LOL

I hear you. I don't send anything in to be graded either. Only once submitted some items directly to SGC at a show to get them authenticated. And also like you, I've bought a lot of graded cards over the years. Not necessarily because I wanted to, but because no comparable raw versions were readily available at the time.

[BobC]

Sorry - Double post.