Question about collecting graded cards - Newbie

[mintacular]

1. PSA, SGC, and BGS (beckett but NOT Bccg) are all considered reputable, do not buy from other co.'s...Many prefer Beckett for modern, PSA or SGC for vintage.

2. I don't know. Make sure you like the "holder" (plastic case) that your cards will live in--many like SGCs black border as it presents well. I would say if you sell eventually it might be better to have from the same co. For pure resale purposes I think most agree that PSA still brings in more with the others close but still a bit lower.

3. Terms, there are lots of them...make sure that with psa there are qualifiers (ex: o/c) and this generally knocks value down 2 grades...So a PSA 8 oc = PSA 6.

4. Hang out on PSAs website for a while before you start sending cards in to get graded.

5. My own 2 cents = It is VERY VERY IMPORTANT as a newbie to not get carried away with the numbers on the flip, etc. Evaluate each card in the holder before you buy. There are very weak 6s and very strong 6s, etc. so "buy the card not the holder" as the expression goes. Good luck.

[tiger8mush]

Originally Posted by mintacular

5. My own 2 cents = It is VERY VERY IMPORTANT as a newbie to not get carried away with the numbers on the flip, etc. Evaluate each card in the holder before you buy. There are very weak 6s and very strong 6s, etc. so "buy the card not the holder" as the expression goes. Good luck.

+1

[shaunsteig]

I'm in a similar position to yourself -- collected contemporary baseball cards extensively while growing up in the 80s and early 90s, and within the last 6 months have gotten back into collecting, now focusing on vintage. Welcome back to the field, and to the board -- despite the overall economy, it's a fine time to be collecting I feel.

Beckett has a few different grading services, so just want to clarify. BGS is for modern cards, BVG is for vintage cards. They're both considered fine, although BVG is sometimes considered to be the "step-child" among vintage collecting behind PSA and SGC (although there are many here who have stated that they consider BVG's gradings very reliable and conservative). What you need to avoid is BCCG - their numeric scale is way off (they give a 6 for a good, or something like that) and I don't consider them an option at all.

One benefit to sticking to one grading company when collecting a set is for the registry. Both PSA and SGC have online set registries where you can list your cards, and they compute your collection's rank, factoring in grade as well as the card's "relative value" (eg, a HOFer will carry more weight than a commoner). For some, climbing to the top of the registry for a particular set is paramount. For me, it's one means of organizing my set and also for sport. I also like how PSA created listings of "virtual sets", eg HOF NY Yankees.

Also, to submit to PSA you either need to pay to become a Collectors Club member, or you need to find a PSA-certified dealer and submit the cards through them. For SGC, there's no membership nor dealer program -- so there's no threshhold. Also keep an eye out for each of their monthly specials, as they can entail very significant savings, or bulk discounts.

And absolutely -- buy the card, not the holder. There's variation within each grade, whether deliberate or accidental, among any TPG (third-party grader), so don't simply buy a card due to the grade but also have to factor in the visual appeal.

Best of luck!
--S

[glchen]

GAI is another reputable grading company, but in general, do not send cards there for grading. Cards encased with GAI tend to sell at a discount. In general, with GAI, you can expect the cards to be authentic, but they may not crossover to another grading company at the same grade. For example, a card graded at GAI 5 (Excellent) may only be SGC 50/4 (VG-EX). Again, as others have said, buy the card, not the holder. The holder only authenticates the card for you, so you know it's not a reprint and have a general guideline about the grade.

Some terms, "slab" is the card with the flip encased in the holder. "Crossover" is when you take the slab for one TPG (third party grader) and try to send it to another TPG for the same grade (or higher). Please note that crossovers aren't even close to be guaranteed to happen, and there are all kinds of conspiracy theories about this. That is, a card with a PSA4 (VG-EX) flip will not necessary be graded at SGC with the same 50/4 (VG-EX) grade. It can often get a lower grade, and vice versa. Another term is "crack out." This is when collectors break the card out of the slab, and then send it to a TPG. This is done in hopes that the card will receive the same or better grade from the TPG (or the other TPG in a crossover), and the graders won't be "contaminated" by seeing the current grade in the slab. You should get familiar with the TPG's. Some say PSA is stricter with centering. Many others prefer SGC for prewar cards and say that PSA is too lenient with other qualities in the card. PSA has a strong registry, where set collectors compete for the best set, etc. Good luck, and happy collecting. I was the same way, where I collected the 80s cards too and recently got back in the hobby. A lot of fun the second time around.

[fkw]

DO NOT buy PSA graded cards off Craigslist!!

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...list+fakes+PSA

These also show on eBay from time to time too....

[sandmountainslim]

I am also new to the hobby and really enjoying it, I "branched out" to cards after thirty years of collecting comics.

I go against the grain in both hobbies in that I do not like graded and slabbed cards nor comics. I can tell by looking what shape a card is in and the slab just gets in my way. I believe a collection looks better in toploaders.
Just my opinion.
Wp

[barrysloate]

First Slim, welcome to the board. Your point is part of one of the biggest controversies in the hobby- those who like slabbed and those who like raw. And the heated debates we have about it get as bad as a political fight. I see good and bad points in both, so it's kind of a mixed bag for me. But be sure there are plenty of other raw collectors, on this board and in the hobby in general.

[sandmountainslim]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

First Slim, welcome to the board. Your point is part of one of the biggest controversies in the hobby- those who like slabbed and those who like raw. And the heated debates we have about it get as bad as a political fight. I see good and bad points in both, so it's kind of a mixed bag for me. But be sure there are plenty of other raw collectors, on this board and in the hobby in general.

My apologies, I didn't realize it was a hot topic issue.
Thank U for the welcome, sir.
Wp