General Forum

I hate the very concept of grading. It is ruining the hobby in my opinion for many of the reasons already given here. Definitely one of my pet peeves. Whenever I see one of those Facebook posts where somebody asks "Should I get this card graded?", my immediate thought is always "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!". But you just can't get through to those who are into it, so I try not to waste my time getting into those back and forth debates.

I don't really care much for graded cards either. But in 2010 I did buy a raw UD HOFer relic card for $5 at the local flea market. I don't even collect UD and didn't know exactly what I had, but it's such a great card that I went ahead and had it graded. It came back a BGS 9.5 and went for $1000 on eBay at the time. I just checked ebay and found a BGS 9.5 of that same card. On Feb. 12, it sold for almost $8000. I have never sold a card but maybe it's time to sell this one! Needless to say, I am glad I went ahead and got that card graded.

Here's a tidbit about my Ozzie RC. I waited for the right opportunity to get my Ozzie RC. It took me 30 years from the release of that product to get one I wanted though. I wasn't even 1 year old when that set released, but I've wanted one ever since I was about 7 years old. I couldn't afford one of the quality I wanted and refused to buy or trade for a "crappy" copy. I wanted one with no creases, no rounded corners, and no rough edges. Bad centering was one area I was willing to accept. I waited, and waited, and waited some more to get one of the quality I wanted without spending a bunch of money for it. I ended up trading for my copy in 2009. It has none of the issues I was concerned with and it would easily grade as an 8 or better. I traded a 2009 Finest Pablo Sandoval RC AU for the Ozzie RC. Maybe the greatest trade of my life! I got my "white whale" in return for a card that ended up being a $30 card today. That was a $100 card when I traded it for the Ozzie RC. I wasn't building the '79 or '09 sets. I just wanted an Ozzie RC and got an offer. I buy boxes b/c I love to open packs. I also love to trade cards and to do that I need to open some packs from time to time. Topps Finest was actually really good to me in 2008 and 2009. I pulled a dual AU of Jose Reyes and somebody else from a 2008 box. I don't remember what I traded that card for right now though. It was several years later but I know it was good.

I'm not a huge fan of graded cards as well. I don't see the sense in paying $50 for a PSA 10 modern base when I could get a copy on ebay with probably the same condition for $2. 

Now I can see it being reasonable for condition sensitive cards like Vintage and Junk wax era cards but I don't collect cards from those times. 

Although, I could see myself getting a graded card if I was concerned about authenticity like a US175 Mike Trout or something ultra high end.

The biggest scam in the history of the hobby. You're paying someone to think for you...and you're paying them a price based solely on what they say the card is "worth" in their holder. Yeah, no conflict of interest there. 

That's not even touching on the fact that they knowingly grade trimmed cards, possibly even take part in the trimming, and all the fakes they couldn't tell the difference on. 

And then there's the fact that it's known that they grade for the big dealers on a different scale than somebody off the street. And the fact that they fully expect you to resubmit the same card over and over until you get the grade you want, so you keep paying them the same fees over and over and they spend about 4 seconds looking at it. 

Not to mention that they don't even know that NBA and NHL cards should never be referred to as a single season, yet they do it anyway. If they are that stupid do you really trust anything else they have to say? I sure don't. 

Finally, there are also reports of them switching cards, getting the cards caught in the holders, damaging them, etc. 

I have a handfull. I mostly got them from other people, a couple I bought were not marketed as being graded, and I just wanted the card. Both Upper Deck and Topps issued them in hobby boxes about 20 years ago. Eventually I expect to cut them all out. Even the ones that UD and Topps paid for the grading on. Honestly, I take a bit of delight in paying $5 or under for a graded card. Because I KNOW the person who got them graded lost money on it.  I can be petty that way. 

I have three graded cards in my collection, and two more sitting in my COMC account waiting to be shipped (waiting for me to start the shipping process, I should say). I won't pay more than $5.00 for a graded card, and won't buy anything newer than 1965 (baseball) or 1970 (football). The three in my collection are a pair of Topps cards (one from 1953 and one from 1954) that I won as a giveaway in a blogging contest a few years back, when I did the blogging thing, and one Shawn Green rookie that another blogging friend traded to me (or maybe PIF'd).

One of the vintage cards is graded a 1, and the other a 2. I don't care. I like the fact that they're old and beat up. I also like the fact that they're nicely encased with a clear label of what they are, and cannot sustain any more damage. They're well-loved, and deserve a safe place to sit in my collection where they can be appreciated as a piece of history. The two I'm waiting to ship are both 1957 Topps cards graded a 4. They'll fit the same bill.

Will I ever send a card in to be graded? Probably not. The only exception would be a few Brady rookies that I've thought about, but I'm also on the fence about selling them at all because I'm a collector at heart and he's always been one of my PCs. Other than that...no. I'll just keep scooping up graded vintage cards from others. At some point, I may even raise my limit to $7.00, but right now I like bargain hunting.

Short answer: yes to vintage graded, especially when it's cheap. No to modern graded. Just my preference.

I have bought cards that were graded - at the same price I would pay if they were not graded.

I have freed several cards from the plastic prisons. I have one more slated for release at some point (probably when I finish scanning in the set it is part of). I have a 1959 Sparky Anderson RC still graded. From the story told to me, I'm the third owner of said card. It was pulled from a pack in 1959 by the original owner. Second owner got it back in like 2000-2005 time frame, got it graded, and then I got it from him (again, at the same price I was willing to go for it "raw". Since it has the cool backstory, I've left it alone (and put it on display). I have a few other cards that were in their "packs" as graded cards (BAP Ultimate hockey).

I have been in the hobby since the 1970s. I worked for a card shop and later a card company. I know what conditions are - I really don't need someone else to tell me. I did not care for the aspect when it was introduced to the hobby, and I still am not a fan. I do recognize the helpfulness of the assurance that a card is real versus a forgery - however, I have seen too many times where the grading companies have been faked out. My trust level is very low (like Billy has stated). I will only buy higher-end vintage cards from well-trusted online dealers or in-person. I do watch several graded auctions/listings for the cards I want, and even bid up to the price I am willing to pay for the "card in the condition it is in" (not the slabbed grade). Like before, if I get it, great, if not, no loss.

Grading to me is an unfortunate by-product of the state of the hobby. It would be ideal if the grading companies could sort out the shady cards 100%, but they have not. I wish there was an entity that was 100% foolproof. That would be worthwhile for the hobby. As it stands now, grading is useless to me.

Yes yes YEs right the H ON 

Did you need someone to tell you she was the 1 or anything less than a 10 or an 8 or who gives a 

If we both see the card is %^$# nice then oh lets add 200 because you decided to have some turd party throw it into a loose-fitting encasement nd put a bs sticker on it. 

I think it is as you say likely only us "older"cats  who actually appreciate cards for being cards while the "other" generation is too busy doing things to attach false values inflated by de-grading their cards and bragging about a 2 million dollar Brady card, for that price and worship you likely could have spent a day with him for half that price, me i'm still saving up my million for a 1978 Elaine Joyce meet-up 

Billy Kingsley: "Honestly, I take a bit of delight in paying $5 or under for a graded card. Because I KNOW the person who got them graded lost money on it.  I can be petty that way."

Not only did I find this amusing, but I totally get it and would probably take some delight in it myself. I have to wonder if and when this card investment bubble bursts will there be more opportunities for added delight.

While PSA never says how long it takes to grade a card, someone once calculated that given the number of graders they have and how many cards they process daily, the average is about 10 seconds. Ten seconds. It takes most people that long just to focus their eyes. I also recently read that PSA is hiring hundreds of new graders. Do you think all those people have hobby experience? Probably not. There are a lot of nuances that cards have that only experienced collectors can pick up on.

It's ironic that PSA claims that they do not grade cards that were cut from uncut sheets, however, the first card they ever graded (a T206 Honus Wagner) was proven to be cut from a sheet.

Regarding 'population reports', I once discussed with a statistician how they work. He laughed at how statistically inaccurate and meaningless they are.