[ger12]

I am thinking of getting my vintage late '50s & '60s baseball cards graded. Regardless of which company i go through...

How should I determine which ones would be the best to send away?

Should I grade them no matter the condition?

Is a "raw" card better sometimes than a "graded" one?

I have all the greats...some in decent shape, some beat up, some look really good....can anybody help me?

I would really appreciate any info. Thanks

[nolan5000]

I am thinking of getting my vintage late '50s & '60s baseball cards graded. Regardless of which company i go through...

How should I determine which ones would be the best to send away?

Should I grade them no matter the condition?

Is a "raw" card better sometimes than a "graded" one?

I have all the greats...some in decent shape, some beat up, some look really good....can anybody help me?

I would really appreciate any info. Thanks

I'm not too keen on vintage. Maybe someone else can be of assistance.

[dmasci]

I am thinking of getting my vintage late '50s & '60s baseball cards graded. Regardless of which company i go through...

How should I determine which ones would be the best to send away?

Should I grade them no matter the condition?

Is a "raw" card better sometimes than a "graded" one?

I have all the greats...some in decent shape, some beat up, some look really good....can anybody help me?

I would really appreciate any info. Thanks

It really depends on why you are thinking of sending them in to be graded. If you are no planning on selling them, and just want the protection a slab offers then you may want to send them all in regardless of condition. If you have some of the greats and the card is in really nice condition and grades high it will no doubt have a much higher bv graded than raw.

There are some instances where a raw card has a higher bv than a graded one but not usually if the grade is high.

[nolan5000]

It really depends on why you are thinking of sending them in to be graded. If you are no planning on selling them, and just want the protection a slab offers then you may want to send them all in regardless of condition. If you have some of the greats and the card is in really nice condition and grades high it will no doubt have a much higher bv graded than raw.

There are some instances where a raw card has a higher bv than a graded one but not usually if the grade is high.

You brought up a really great point. If he's grading for the protection attribute, then he needs to grade with BVG.

[ricelynnevans75]

I've finally decided on a PC and with that, I am getting every PC card graded. Most of them will be vintage and the sets I'm working on, the cards will not be tip top shape by any means. I pretty much try to pick up already graded cards but if not, I send them in just to verify authenticity and that they are not altered. Personally, I don't care about the grade at all. It's just some dude's opinion that could change from day to day. However, since they are PC, I grade them because 1) I like the way they present in the slab of the company I use and 2) if for some reason I croak tomorrow, my family will know what they are looking at if they want to keep them or sell them.

I recommend getting all of the greats graded if anything. Anything else depends on you. I'm getting my commons graded as well but that's just me as I hope to someday complete these sets and have them in the slabs of the company I use as they present nicely and I think it would look pretty classy to have them all together like that. Again, just my personal taste.

Additionally, do some research on the companies and go with what YOU want to go with. In regards to protection, unless you have a tendency to suddenly shake the heck out of your cards, use it as a baseball in a pick up game, or take it scuba diving with you, any one of the three will provide ample protection. Plenty of older cards have lasted a VERY LONG time in far far lesser conditions and turned out just fine.

In the end, don't rush your decision. Take enough time to think about it, and then add more time. You're going to be spending money doing this so you want to make sure that you are going to be happy with it. If you're concerned about the grade, always assume it will come back in lesser condition than you think it is and you won't (most likely) be disappointed. Do your research, and good luck! Remember, it's YOUR collection and you're the one that will be looking at it every day so go with what YOU want.

[ger12]

This is all great advice guys. I really appreciate it, seriously.

In response, I was mostly curious if it is worth it. My intention is Not to sell, but like ricelynnevans75 said, if something were to happen, the recipients knew what they were. So, that is why I was wondering, Raw or Graded, which would be better for the future.

I believe that it would be worth it regardless of what I think. They will be protected forever, look good in the case, and a few could get lucky and grade well. Plus, if I would ever need to sell, they would be ready to go.

Thank you guys. This was a good eye opener

[jonathani]

If you want something to look the same years from now as it does right now, get it graded.