Graded vs. Raw Rant.......

[homerunhitter]

It was interesting that while I was looking at graded cards on eBay yesterday, that I noticed myself passing on “older” PSA slabs that didn’t have the psa hologram on them. Which validates what many of you are saying. Why buy graded now because in 20+ years no one is going to want “todays” psa slabs.

I’m leaning toward slabs only make sense if your going to flip/sell NOW because as mentioned 2023 psa slabs will look ancient decades from now and the newer cool psa slabs will be most in demand.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by homerunhitter

It was interesting that while I was looking at graded cards on eBay yesterday, that I noticed myself passing on “older” PSA slabs that didn’t have the psa hologram on them. Which validates what many of you are saying. Why buy graded now because in 20+ years no one is going to want “todays” psa slabs.

I’m leaning toward slabs only make sense if your going to flip/sell NOW because as mentioned 2023 psa slabs will look ancient decades from now and the newer cool psa slabs will be most in demand.

I completely agree with the part I made bold. Unless I am selling something it isn't getting graded.

It is a great marketing tool the grading companies use for the new is always better crowd most of us are in.

As mainly a collector this is what gave me the wake up call. For 30 years I never got anything graded and though it was silly. Then I ended up with a super high grade raw vintage set. I got the whole set graded and 100s of other vintage cards shortly after a flip change. Figured awesome they are in the latest greatest flip. Ended up buying mainly graded cards for a while. Then they changed the freakin flip again. When my first thought was to get the entire set into the new slab/flip I knew I had a problem. I sold 99.99% of all my graded cards and have never looked back and don't miss owning a single graded card I had.

[homerunhitter]

Thanks Ben for your thoughts on this, I appreciate it very much. This is the EXACT dilemma that I have in me going back and forth on whether to go full speed ahead in grading or go full speed ahead in raw cards. My concern is like you mentioned. Finally competing my collection of graded cards and then PSA changes to newer cooler slabs then with my OCD, I feel I would sell everything and start all over trying to get them all in the newer slabs. So now raw cards might be the direction I go.