Another SGC question.

[glchen]

The grading fee is almost trivial to the delivery fee. So, it usually makes more sense to get as much stuff graded as possible. For example, assuming you live in Eastern timezone, and graded this card under SGC's current monthly special of $17 for cards under $1000 and gave this card a declared value of $950, then the delivery fee would be $26 (standard Fedex fee) + $2.50 (insurance for every $500 above the first $500) + $2.10 for Residential delivery + $3.25 for Adult signature confirmation = $33.85 just for SGC to deliver the card to you. Add on the $17 grading fee and the total fee is $50.85 just for one card.

Now, if you sent 2 cards to them each with a declared value of $950, the delivery fee would be only $5 more for the extra insurance. So for two cards, it would be $33.85 + 5 + 17x2 (grading) = 72.85 or $36.43 per card. Therefore, it usually makes sense to send more cards for grading at one time if that's what your plan is. This is just an example for SGC, but PSA has similar delivery fees, where the situation is the same.

[ctownboy]

glchen,

That is the EXACT type of information I was looking for. I knew I could get basic info from SGC's website about the grading service and fees but I wanted to know the extra cost for postage and handling and anything else I should be made aware of.

Like I said before, not counting B18 blankets, S74 silks, pinbacks and a few oddball items, I don't have a lot of pre-war cards but I do have some big name players. So, overall, I have at least 40 items I would like to eventually get graded. Because of who the player is, the set the card is from and by guessing the grade, I see that my approximate cost would be between $1,000 to $2,000 dollars for postage, insurance and grading fees if I sent each card in individually for grading.

Your info gives me a better idea of how I should go about grouping items when I want to get them graded and thus lowering my overall cost per card.

I think I will call SGC this week and talk to them about my cards and see what they say.

Thanks for the help everyone,

David

[peterb69]

YIKES!!!!!

Sorry to take over this thread, but I was thinking the same thoughts. I have an almost a complete T205 set (minus a couple backs & variations) that I started 25 years ago long before slabbed cards. None of my cards are graded, and mostly in lower conditions. But I also store them in a penny sleeve, then into a top loader. The whole thing then into 2 shoe boxes.

Now I'm not looking to sell anything anytime soon, but for the first time I was thinking of getting my set slabbed & graded just because of the extra protection, and incase anything happens to me, it will benifit my wife for resale.

But, $17 x 208 cards will be $3536. I think I suddenly lost that desire.

Would anyone in the same boat as me (and I guess the thread starter) think grading the lower condition set a wise investment?

Thanks

PS. Even if all were under $250 value. $7 for 30 day turnaround for entire set would be $1456. Still worth it? You opinions please.
Thanks again

[Leon]

Originally Posted by peterb69

YIKES!!!!!

Sorry to take over this thread, but I was thinking the same thoughts. I have an almost a complete T205 set (minus a couple backs & variations) that I started 25 years ago long before slabbed cards. None of my cards are graded, and mostly in lower conditions. But I also store them in a penny sleeve, then into a top loader. The whole thing then into 2 shoe boxes.

Now I'm not looking to sell anything anytime soon, but for the first time I was thinking of getting my set slabbed & graded just because of the extra protection, and incase anything happens to me, it will benifit my wife for resale.

But, $17 x 208 cards will be $3536. I think I suddenly lost that desire.

Would anyone in the same boat as me (and I guess the thread starter) think grading the lower condition set a wise investment?

Thanks

PS. Even if all were under $250 value. $7 for 30 day turnaround for entire set would be $1456. Still worth it? You opinions please.
Thanks again

For me, I usually only get my higher valued cards graded. That protects them from me, when fondling them and enjoying them, and gives me peace of mind that another, very skilled 3rd party didn't see any alterations, unless of course there is an AUT grade. I like having some of my cards raw so I can feel them (and sometimes sneak a scent)....regards

[peterb69]

Originally Posted by Leon

I like having some of my cards raw so I can feel them (and sometimes sneak a scent)....

Hee Hee, Leon, I know what you mean. Sort of like an old used book store.

Peter

[tbob]

I think there are three good reasons for having pre-war cards graded (and I resisted slabbing cards for a number of years):

1. You plan on selling a set through an auction. The prices achieved will be greater because potential buyers like to know a 3rd party grading service like SGC has deemed the cards original, unaltered and the SGC holders are aesthetically pleasing with the card entombed in them.
2. Protection. E94s and E98s more than any other cards I have handled are subject to imploding, for lack of a better term, near the corners of the cards. I do not know if it were the particular card stock used or what but I have gnashed my teeth more than once when a fleck of color left the card while removing a card from a rigid or semi-rigid holder. A card which once was EX becomes GD in a heartbeat.
3. The future. I have two daughters and although the younger one is semi-interested in my collection, I have explained the grading system etc. to my wife because statistics show wives outlive husbands and I would like for her to be able to sell the cards without much hassle and use the money as she sees fit. The kids (and now grandkids) would like to have certain cards to remember their dad's hobby and collection obsession, but most would be sold. I have hesitated to have many of my complete tobacco sets graded because of the expense of slabbing them and I have no desire to sell my sets, especially the T205, T206 and T207, but all my caramel sets are slabbed and also the minor league sets like the Zeenuts, T210s and T212s are all slabbed.

[wake.up.the.echoes]

Good points. I don't want to burden my family after I'm gone.
Back to the drawing board. That lasted long...all the way through lunch .

Alan

[T206Collector]

You need to call SGC and work out a bulk grading special. When I had 200 low grade T206 cards I wanted graded, they did them for me at $5 each. It took 30+ days, but worked out well. I recognize that this was a $1,000 investment, but it was important to me for resale at the time and I made it back in spades!

Good luck!

Originally Posted by peterb69

YIKES!!!!!

Sorry to take over this thread, but I was thinking the same thoughts. I have an almost a complete T205 set (minus a couple backs & variations) that I started 25 years ago long before slabbed cards. None of my cards are graded, and mostly in lower conditions. But I also store them in a penny sleeve, then into a top loader. The whole thing then into 2 shoe boxes.

Now I'm not looking to sell anything anytime soon, but for the first time I was thinking of getting my set slabbed & graded just because of the extra protection, and incase anything happens to me, it will benifit my wife for resale.

But, $17 x 208 cards will be $3536. I think I suddenly lost that desire.

Would anyone in the same boat as me (and I guess the thread starter) think grading the lower condition set a wise investment?

Thanks

PS. Even if all were under $250 value. $7 for 30 day turnaround for entire set would be $1456. Still worth it? You opinions please.
Thanks again

[ctownboy]

Leon and T206,

That is what I was thinking and what my concern is. IF something were to happen to me, my Mother and Nephew wouldn't know what my cards were and especially wouldn't know how to grade them. So getting some of them graded would give me some piece of mind as far as not damaging them while holding them and looking at them. I would also feel better because if they ever had to sell my cards they could just list them on eBay as graded cards or call an auction house and have a list ready and say "here is what we have to sell".

By getting my cards graded, I wouldn't be so worried about my Mother and Nephew leaving money on the table because of potential buyers concerns about ungraded cards.

Of course, the trick now is to 1) find the money to get the cards graded, 2) organize the cards so as to minimize postage and insurance costs and 3) MOST importantly, finding the courage to get the cards out of the safe deposit box, package them and send them to SGC. (Horror stories I have read on this board about lost or stolen cards).

David

[wake.up.the.echoes]

I have gone back and forth on this issue more than I care to admit. Like Leon, I take comfort in knowing that a third party was unable to detect alterations or flaws in high value/high grade cards. In that regard, I can see the benefit of third party grading. Also, if you plan to sell your cards—and think you can sell them for more money than it costs you to grade them + the cost of acquiring them originally—then you might as well have them graded. It has taken years to finally come to some sort of agreement with myself on the subject of third party grading. Only this morning, I think I finally decided the following plan of action re: grading cards.

My mother-in-law bought me a PSA membership for Christmas, and I just received my free voucher in the mail yesterday. So, I have 15 cards to grade. I will try to choose wisely with what I send in with the free voucher, and over the course of the rest of the year. I think I will send in a few of my duplicates in hopes of scoring a few high grades. If i get a few that grade really high, I will sell them for decent money—I hope—and keep the lower graded ones for my collection. I also want to grade my entire w580 boxing strip card set (60 cards in all, hopefully...up to 52 as of now) so that I have a complete documented set of those. I will also use SGC to send some cards in because I don't need to pay a membership fee to do so. However, after I have graded the cards in my collection that I want to grade, I think I am not going to grade anything unless I want to document some sort of rarity. I think, from now on, if I want to own a graded example of a card, I will just buy it graded. I am just a collector, and I don't have to worry about flipping anything anymore. (I was never any good at that anyway.) I really don't want to worry about the hassle of waiting times and insurance and grading fees, so I will just buy the card already graded. Money is tight for the moment, and I don't want to spend it on plastic cases for my cardboard. I would much rather spend what little money I have on the cardboard itself. Nothing wrong with third party grading companies. They are a tool in our hobby—business for some—that can be used for peace of mind, or to make a profit on a card you want to sell. Seeing as after the next year or so I no longer want to sell cards—I just want to collect them or trade them—I will stay out of the third party grading game. When I am dead and gone, if there are still third party graders—or people who want to buy my cards—I will let the living deal with getting them graded/selling them.


Edited: WOW. I just re-read this post, and boy was it long-winded. Sorry for the long read. -Alan

[glchen]

I wouldn't get any low grade commons graded. When you add up the grading costs, it can be more than the actual card is worth. Assuming you (or your dependents) are looking to re-sell in the future, I would strongly consider grading any card over $100 in value. $50-$100 you would have to think about it, and under $50 is probably not necessary. If you are looking to slab the card just for protection, you can possibly still grade the lower value ones. However, at that point, it may be possible to just buy the same low grade card from ebay already slabbed at around the same cost that it would be to grade the card yourself.