[chevy man 22]

Is there a point where there are so many graded versions of a card that the perceived extra value of it being graded goes away ?


Prime example is Aaron Judge. Seems like nearly every single copy of any card is being graded even run of the mill base. The whole thing that makes vintage pre-1980 so valuable is that there are only a handful of pristine examples.

But now days seems like cards are treated like they are being operated on with people wearing hazmat suits and rubber gloves when opening packs so as not to get fingerprints or dust on them and handling them like they are holding plutonium or something as they slide them from pack straight to penny sleeve and into top loader.


IMO in 10 yrs time a BGS or PSA 10 will have no more value than a common raw card today simply because there will be more graded versions than raw.

[kerryandbeth]

You make some good points IMO. I don't own a single graded card as I think it detracts from the look of the card, and I agree that grading should be left to $100+ valued cards.

Case in point: on COMC there were Carlos Correa 2015 Topps Chrome SP cards graded at 10, 9.5 and 9. The 10 is listed cheaper than the other two, and yet it has been unsold for over 6 months. Is it still overpriced? Maybe...but I bet a clean ungraded version like I sold would have a better chance because there are so many graded cards of other young stars to choose from that are less than $100.

If a Mike Schmidt is graded, there would only be a few other cards that entire year to compare it to, let alone other Schmidt cards.

[oneofakindcards]

I also think the big number grade on a slab takes away from the card greatly and is a distraction. It should be on the BACK of the label instead of the front. Having the number on the front makes it seem like the grade is more important than the card. I prefer having no grade at all on the label of my modern cards - just having it authenticated (the big 'A') is enough.

But for all the ways grading is silly, the silliest is how some people would like to think the same superfractor or other 1/1 is more valuable as a 9.5 than a 9. I mean really... is someone going to pay LESS for a 9 graded 2017 Judge superfractor than a 9.5? If so, there are some very odd dynamics at play here...possibly unscrupulous ones...

Another way to look at it: grading comes free when you submit your card for authentication and slabbing. So technically grading has no value

[zeprock]

I dislike graded cards very much. I don't think collectors grade cards. I think the only reason to have a card graded is in the hopes of getting more $$$ for it when you sell it. As a collector, I have no intention of selling any of the cards in my collection. I wouldn't mind selling some of my dupes but I wouldn't bother to grade them. I have a few graded cards in my collection and if I could bust them out of their slabs without damaging them, then I would.

I agree that only high value cards should be graded if you do plan on selling them and I also agree that there are too many modern cards graded that it seems pointless. Some people like them and that's fine. I'm just not one of those people.

[aprirr]

I used to be against graded cards but, after the umpteenth time purchasing a vintage Nolan Ryan that looked really nice from the photo, only to have it arrive with a surface crease or paper loss on the back, I determined that the only way I could ensure that I got nice copies for my collection was to go with graded versions. Since replacing nearly every pre-1981 Nolan Ryan with graded versions, I am glad I did. I have no intention of ever selling my collection but I will not be around forever and, since my kid has lost all interest in baseball and cards, she will be able to realize a substantial amount more selling the graded rather than the raw.

[scottbdoug]

just as more autos of a player are made, which usually decrease the value of the auto, the more graded versions of a card the less that case will determine its price.

[bamyanks]

These are my thoughts too. I collect pretty much Yankees (and just certain Yankees at that). As far as I'm concerned, I don't have to grade modern, but some I will to protect them. If I get a good and at some point want to sell so I can have cash flow to buy vintage Yankees or whatever I will sell some and hope it's graded high. Also, I'm at the age where I have to start thinking about what happens when I die. I want my heirs to be able to get some good money out of the cards. I've seen too many good cards (I'm talking Mantle etc.) go for pennies on the dollar, because the bottom feeders want a good deal. On the other hand, I've seen Mantles go ballistic and sell really high.

But, I do believe we each have the right to grade or non-grade as we see fit. I guess I don't see why all the worry about it.

I used to be against graded cards but, after the umpteenth time purchasing a vintage Nolan Ryan that looked really nice from the photo, only to have it arrive with a surface crease or paper loss on the back, I determined that the only way I could ensure that I got nice copies for my collection was to go with graded versions. Since replacing nearly every pre-1981 Nolan Ryan with graded versions, I am glad I did. I have no intention of ever selling my collection but I will not be around forever and, since my kid has lost all interest in baseball and cards, she will be able to realize a substantial amount more selling the graded rather than the raw.

[djohn]

I agree that it makes a lot of sense to grade vintage cards, yet find it somewhat of a waste to spend more for a modern graded card. What some people don't realize is the card stock used today is much sturdier than the card stock used on vintage cards. Also, quality control and overall handling of cards is much better now than it was 30+ years ago. So the likelihood of having a 9.5 or 10 is much higher on newer cards than vintage cards.
However there are some people that just buy into the hype of grading and insist that every card should be graded. I understand that it makes sense for the preservation and protection of cards, but the cost to do so makes it fairly prohibitive. Especially when the value gained by doing so isn't enough in most cases to offset the cost of grading.

[BGS_Graded_Card_Guy]

I don't think having a graded card ever "hurts" the value. Everybody in the world wants to buy "quality" whenever they make a purchase regardless of type of good(s). Same thing happens in the car industry when you buy a "certified pre-owned" vehicle. People are looking for a piece of mind so they tend to pay a slightly higher premium on things that are "certified" or "graded" so they know they are getting what they pay for.

I will always pay more for a graded card. It lets me know that the card has been protected from the elements as well as time. I don't have to worry about one of my kids getting a hold of it and dropping it and dinging a corner etc.

But the fun part for me is chasing the best set I can obtain. I tend to build complete sets. Having a BGS 10/10 2015 Bowman Draft Picks Autographs of Andrew Benintendi is cool. Knowing there are only 34 total copies out there is awesome especially when I see there are 635 graded 9.5/10 and 850 total graded copies. I have stopped buying wax for the most part.

A Hobby box price of cards is $90-150 (on average). When I take into consideration that all but 1-5 cards are complete junk or fillers seems like a complete waste of money "hoping" I'm going to be the lucky one to pull the Superfractor of XX Player. I have opened 50+ cases of hobby over the years and I've hit exactly ONE Super. And it was a garbage non-auto player. So it covered the price of ONE box of wax. And I end up with a garage full of fillers/junk cards. Now I typically will build whatever set I'm looking to complete but I only buy the cards already graded. I want to know what I'm paying for is what I'm getting.

At the end of the day, I do it because I want know I'm getting what I paid for. The protection factor and the graded set registry enjoyment. How sweet would it be to put together a BGS 10/10 Pristine collection of 2015 Bowman Draft Autographs and have it 30 or 40 years from now once the careers of Benintendi, Happ, Rodgers, Swanson etc. are over? I can't say I've ever seen a Pristine collection of any set but I've honestly not looked into it that closely. But I would guess the odds are pretty low. And not sitting on a bunch of garbage in my garage is PRICELESS to me. Just my opinion so take it for what its worth (which is nothing).

[oneofakindcards]

I don't buy the idea that one gets what one pays for with grading - for one, grading is notoriously inconsistent (it's just an opinion, after all); and two, pricing on graded cards is frequently completely subjective.

Technically speaking, each and every pop 1 card (cards with the highest grade) *should* command an astronomical price, if you listen to people who "only buy the highest graded cards". But all pop 1 cards obviously don't sell for astronomical prices: We don't hear of anyone ever paying a ton for pop 1 1986 Topps commons like they do for some pop 1 modern cards. The grade isn't driving the cost of the card, the cost of the card is being driven by something subjective that's not always applicable or repeatable to other cards.

Saying a pop 1 card is always valuable is like saying a 1/1 stamped card is always valuable (obviously this is not true).

When it comes to modern cards, grading is frequently used as another way to provide hype, it's no wonder that it's intertwined with prospecting.

I say all this as someone who owns many, many graded cards. But I only use the slabs for protection!