General Forum

   I am working on a 1973 Topps baseball set and in amongst my stuff I found a #350 Seaver card, slabbed and graded 6.5 ex-ex mint, by the now defunct Sports Collector's Digest grading co.

    The '73's I have are in a binder. Seeing as the condition is similar to most other cards in my set, would  you crack the Tom loose and let him mingle with his friends?  Or leave him in isolation?

Let it free! If it was his 67-68-69 cards I just may keep it but otherwise it deserves to be free. Unless it was a 10. Then I might keep it in.

I'd say let it free

I just bought my first ever graded card today and wonder the same thing. I didnt buy it because it was graded. I bought it because it seemed like a nice card for the right price...69 Aaron graded a 2.

Free Tom Seaver!!

I'd take it out of the slab too, just to put it with the rest of the set. But I'd also keep the tag from the slab and keep that with the set.

That's what I've done with the cards I've freed. I'm having similar questions with a 1969 Ryan (PSA 4), 1971 Clemente (PSA 4), and 1982 Ripken TR Rookie (BGS 7). 
Right now they're all tucked in the pouch of their respective binders. They're all just valuable enough that I haven't freed them. Frankly, if anyone offered me the same cards raw plus something in addition for the graded ones, I'd make that trade. This wasn't a problem until I ran out of display room and they all got demoted....

v3

 I'd have the same trouble busting those 3 from the cases. Since I'm not a set collector, I don't have the same problem. All of my cards that were acquired as graded cards are still in the slabs. That's still not a bunch of cards, but I have a box that all of those go into with other cards valuable enough for me to seal them up in my own plastic prison. None of my displayed cards are graded ones, but I think the only ones that would be worth displaying compared to what is already on-display would be the two vintage Musial cards.

Poor Tom feels so claustrophobic in that lifeless cage.  He feels more like Tom Terrible than Tom Terrific.  You know what to do!

I personally don't understand why anyone would spend your hard earned money grade anything less than a grade 7 or 8...  Most of the time you will vver recoup the money spent.  I much rather spend that money buying more cards,  Set Tom FREE!!!