[TBarn291]

So I just picked up a bunch of high end Shaq 90s inserts at a really great price, only catch....... several of them had minor flaws, the BMOC is off centered, the BMOC ZPEAT had some slight chipping. I had been torn the past few days debating on whether it was worth it to try and get them for a good price despite the flaws, or hold off and try and pick them up one by one in nicer condition. The cards are PC and most of my Shaqs aren't graded but I know the biggest thing about higher end 90's inserts is the grading potential.... I did end up buying them but it got me thinking, I'm curious how other people feel. If you can get NICE cards for your PC for a good price is it worth it to sacrifice condition? Any opinions???? Here are pics of the cards I won. Tell me what you think.....

The top right corner on this one is messed up



This one has some surface fading



Centering is off



Chipping on the top left of the card



The rest I'm going to have to judge in person but the seller didn't specify flaws with these ones although the bottom left of the Golden touch looks a little frayed....

[user_3n5kp]

I think if you are buying raw for a PC its all about the overall eye appeal of the card. If you don't plan on grading or selling and can find a great price on a card that looks good to your eye then go for it.

Even though I only collect graded cards unless self pulled, I have made some sacrifices to condition for cards I either cannot afford in higher grade or just cant find. I also rarely go after BGS 9.5s or PSA 10s because i feel that you can almost always find the same card one notch below that looks and presents exactly the same for a much better price.

All about how the card looks. A minor imperfection doesn't throw off the eye appeal IMO and those Shaq's above look stellar. In a card saver or magnetic, in a display they will look great!

[englandhousehold]

If I don't have it already I go ahead and grab it. I can always upgrade down the road and my end game is to have all of my pc guy. Yes it will take many years but you can always upgrade down the road as time permits. That's just how I see it though.

[TBarn291]

Thanks guys! That's how I felt about it, I have never sent cards in for grading and until recently I never cared much about it one way or the other. However I have come to appreciate the look of slabbed card and started collecting some graded Shaqs. But yah.... I just bid $100 on a raw BMOC ZPEAT Shaq last week and got outbid, and then this one comes up and I got it for $58. Couldn't pass. Thanks again! I'm looking forward to getting these guys in some one touches. Just needed to hear it from someone else so I could quit second guessing my purchases lol.

[crimedawg47]

If it's PC I'm not as huge on the condition. I also got a BMOC ZPEAT Shawn Kemp that had some chipping really cheap, cheaper than the regular BMOC go. Since its going to sit in my closet for years and years it doesnt really matter to me that theres the chipping.

[jonathani]

In baseball, it is easy to say, "That card is 70 years old. Let's allow for some wear." When cards are only 20 years old, though, I would hope they could still grade out to a Beckett 8 for my PC.

[TBarn291]

Yeah that is understandable, how do you determine the cards potential grade? Obviously the four sub grades, but for example what kind of grade would I probably be looking at with the Shaqs? I believe you can only get .5 higher than the lowest sub grade but would it even be worth it to send in any of these for grading?

[englandhousehold]

In my pc I send my stuff in and mark 8.5 or authenticate only....I don't like white labels (8.0 or below) and it's pc so anything silver or gold I am ok with.

Yeah that is understandable, how do you determine the cards potential grade? Obviously the four sub grades, but for example what kind of grade would I probably be looking at with the Shaqs? I believe you can only get .5 higher than the lowest sub grade but would it even be worth it to send in any of these for grading?

[TBarn291]

In my pc I send my stuff in and mark 8.5 or authenticate only....I don't like white labels (8.0 or below) and it's pc so anything silver or gold I am ok with.

That's cool they give you that option, can you opt to have them do nothing if it does not meet a certain grade?

[englandhousehold]

I'm think you can....I always want something since they charge either way.

That's cool they give you that option, can you opt to have them do nothing if it does not meet a certain grade?