This Probably Won't Go Anywhere, But...

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by Leon

From an original collection.

It's a shame but if, and when, I sell these they will need to be put in slabs. The answer is always the same, money.

Based on the information we have seen to date, unfortunately we can't take them with us.......

[ullmandds]

Exactly...while I'm not a fan at all of TPG'ing...I will not live forever...and even if I did...there's a high likelihood I will be selling my cards before I die...I have noone to leave them to.

This is why grading is important to me...so my cards are liquid/set up to receive maximum return when I decide to sell.

[Balticfox]

What incidentally is the cost of grading/slabbing a NM common from 1959 or 1960?

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

What incidentally is the cost of grading/slabbing a NM common from 1959 or 1960?

At the moment, $15-20 (give or take) for PSA, depending on whether you get a bulk deal or not, and whether they're running a special. There's a chance it could run you a bit more if it grades for higher than you expect, or if there's something really special about the card that causes it to be worth more than your average common from those years.

[raulus]

I certainly understand why James is so aggravated by the grading racket. And I have nothing against his consistent desire to avoid it, and disparage the whole business every chance he gets.

As others have noted, the world has changed since we were kids. Back then, most cards changed hands in person, and you could inspect them until you were really confident about condition. Plus your total outlay was usually pennies, unless you were buying something really special, so the price tag associated with being wrong was small. Any deal that didn't happen in person probably only occurred between a buyer who really trusted the seller and their ability to accurately grade cards and weed out the doctored stuff.

These days, if you want to get top value when you sell, particularly if you have really nice stuff that will command top dollar, then grading is the most likely path to make it happen. You can certainly try to sell them for top dollar as top condition raw cards. While the Biebs taught us to "never say never", my experience is that will be a really heavy lift.

Naturally, if you have stuff that is really low grade and not particularly valuable, then you probably don't give up much by skipping the grading. Particularly if a buyer has a chance to inspect your cards in person before they buy. And if I understand James' collecting habits, this might be the case, so maybe it will work fine for him and/or his successors in cardboard.

[jchcollins]

It's intriguing to me that this subject never seems to go more than a few months without rearing it's ugly head again. But it's well-tilled ground at this point. For James, it's really well-tilled ground...

When I first became aware of graded cards in the early 2000's, I hated slabs and the entire concept too. I thought they looked clinical and clunky and extremely out of place, and the information they divulged on the flip was something that I thought informed collectors should be mostly aware of in the first place. But as others have pointed out, over the years - the means to the end for the slab - particularly for those of us who buy online without being able to physically inspect every single thing first, and the ability to get something at least somewhere in the correct condition ballpark for the price we are paying - is extremely helpful. For me beyond that, slabs are a decent holder with an opinion on it. Nothing more. I too have cracked many slabs, sometimes because I just don't like the aesthetic of the particular slab, or the way the card moves in it, or something pretty trivial. But I understand their purpose now.

I would also agree with those who have said that ship has sailed, automobiles are here to stay, etc. etc. There are many things I still dislike about grading today, even without the noted scandals - grading is a human endeavor and thus far from perfect - but at some point you either put up with the way the world works, or you increasingly have a hard time living in it.

I also think that it's just foolish today if you have Ruths, Cobbs, Gehrigs, Mantle rookies, what have you in any condition, and you don't have them in slabs. Sorry. Sure, you can collect "not for the money", but to just be seemingly totally ignorant of some cards and their value for your future, or your future heirs at this point is dumb. Keep your heads in the sand if you like, but nobody is going to live forever, even if you don't get hit by a bus next week. If you just "don't care" and whoever winds up with the cards after you are gone gets taken or loses money and oh well, that's that! - fine, but you are being silly and irresponsible IMO.

As others have echoed many times before - wouldn't it be boring if we all collected the same thing? Wouldn't it also be boring if we all collected in exactly the same WAY?