Hey everyone,
I'm a new collector, again. I collected when I was a kid and Ken Griffey Jr. was the card to get. So I bought a few boxes of 89 Donruss and Upper Deck to restart my collection.
I noticed that card grading is a significaant factor now. It wasn't around when I was a kid. We used to get the old Beckett magazine.
How can I get my cards graded affordably? By looking at the pricing, it seems cost prohibitive. Any advice would be great.
Thanks.
JW
Wait for group submissions
In my opinion grading is only significant if a) you plan to sell b) you want a secure way to archive.
Grading cards from 1989 isn't worth it in general with a few exceptions including the 1989 Upper Deck Griffey RC (assuming the card you have would yield a high grade, which isn't as trivial as saying it is straight from a pack). If you are considering getting cards graded then you should spend some time studying graded cards to really understand what to look for on raw cards when submitting them for grading. After all, a very minor flaw may bring a cards grade down by 0.5 or 1 point which might not seem like much, but could be a large difference in the value of the graded card.
Thanks for the replies, fellas. I would like to resell the cards that I don't plan to keep.
Is it possible to send the cards into Beckett with the request that if the cards don't meet the 9.5 standard that those cards be graded under BCCG to get a less quality 10 for resale?
Any other advice?
Thanks.
(08-07-2014, 11:37 AM)jwhuckfeldt Wrote: [ -> ]Is it possible to send the cards into Beckett with the request that if the cards don't meet the 9.5 standard that those cards be graded under BCCG to get a less quality 10 for resale?
What's the point, other than to sell your "10" to unsuspecting / novice people????? If that's the way you roll, here's wishing you nothing but bent and off center cards.
(08-07-2014, 12:28 PM)Phillies_Joe Wrote: [ -> ]What's the point, other than to sell your "10" to unsuspecting / novice people????? If that's the way you roll, here's wishing you nothing but bent and off center cards.
Way to welcome the new collector, Joe, if that's the way you roll.
Joe,
This site advocates BCCG for the new or veteran collector who isn't looking to pay a fortune for their cards. In no way am I being deceitful, but am opening myself to a wider audience of people.
(08-07-2014, 11:37 AM)jwhuckfeldt Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for the replies, fellas. I would like to resell the cards that I don't plan to keep.
Is it possible to send the cards into Beckett with the request that if the cards don't meet the 9.5 standard that those cards be graded under BCCG to get a less quality 10 for resale?
Any other advice?
Thanks.
Most people won't even buy BCCG cards since the "grade" is truly pointless. I'm not saying you won't sell a few because there is always somebody out there who will buy a card with a BCCG 10 on it because they either don't know the grade is meaningless or they just collect that player.
And to my understanding, even if you request BGS to not grade them if they are less than a 9.5, you still get charged the grading fee regardless if they slab them or not. Just taking the 89 UD set for example, there is only one card in that set worth the money of grading and that is the Jr. card. Even if you only pay $8 per card, that is still a lot of money to pay for nothing. And trust me when I say this, even if you think one of those cards will "for sure" grade a 9.5, most of them don't. Slightly off center is hard to detect as well as edges and surface. It has taken me a long time (and it may only be me) but when I submist stuff to BGS, I 'm a little shocked when most or all of them come back with that grade. And out of ALL the cards I've submitted, I've never gotten a perfect 10.
I wish you the very best but unless you pulled some super nice looking Griffey Jr. cards out of UD, I'd skip having them graded as most of the cards in that set only book for a $0.25 each. Just my two cents.
Welcome to the boards and I sincerely hope you have a good experience collecting cards again. I love doing it but I try to keep in mind no matter what I have or how much it "books" for, this is still a hobby meant for kids and is supposed to be fun. If you remember that, you'll be just fine.
(08-07-2014, 12:58 PM)jonathani Wrote: [ -> ]Way to welcome the new collector, Joe, if that's the way you roll.
I said "IF". Sorry if my radar is up concerning items I may deem shady in the hobby.
OP, apologize for the not too kind welcome. Welcome! I hope you enjoy coming back to the hobby. There are alot of great folks here with a vast amount of knowledge and enthisiasum for the hobby. Have fun.........