Am I the only one with zero interest in graded cards?

As in the title, I just have no interest in graded cards. When I was a full time dealer, card grading was in it's infancy. I didn't care for it then and still to this day don't. Isn't card grading really subjective to who's on card grading duty at BGS or one of the other services?

Your thoughts....

Fordman

Sell me your Jay Bruce cards!

I dislike them as well. They don't store well with the other cards in my collection.


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I'm not a fan for modern cards being graded as I think it's just the newest cash grab in the hobby but it can be useful for authenticating rare vintage and sometimes faked cards.

Not a fan of it either as I have never had a card graded, but I will buy Andre Dawson graded cards anyways lol. Grading has also, in my opinion, made prospecting just ridiculous.

I have occasionally bought graded cards when I get a good deal on them but I generally avoid them due to storage issues.

Juan Gris said:

I'm not a fan for modern cards being graded as I think it's just the newest cash grab in the hobby but it can be useful for authenticating rare vintage and sometimes faked cards.

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I agree with maybe authentication of pre 1970 cards but not scrutinizing every aspect of the card.

I own 1 graded card and it is a Johnny Bench rookie that I bought for $85. I was in the market for a JB rookie and the graded one was reasonably priced vs others that wasn't graded.

Fordman

Sell me your Jay Bruce cards!

I will always prefer a raw card over graded.

Only exceptions
1. It is a card I might never see again
2. A BGS 9.5 or PSA 10 costs less than a raw counterpart
3. It is older than 1952

Nope your not the only one. I've never had a card graded and only bought two graded cards because the were Belle's that I absolutely needed (and now are awkwardly non displayed anywhere because I can't find a good spot for them.)

My biggest reason in not buying graded cards is their price tag. I don't ever plan on selling off any of my collection and when I pass my collection will go to my son - who I believe (fingers crossed) will cherish this collection just as much as I do. He's a young'n but he frequently asks if we can look at "our baseball cards" and seems to get just as much joy out of it as I do. Anyway - If I can buy a '98 Upper Deck Retro Quantum Leap Albert Belle that looks absolutely beautiful and in "gem mint" condition for $20-$25 ungraded, or shell out $300+ for one thats "graded 10" as someone who never has any intention of re-selling to me its a no brainer.

Also, I am like a kid with my cards. Every so often I like to change the way they are displayed. Right now I keep all my non game used/autographed Albert Belle cards in albums. I've got about 16 books filled up with nothing but Belle cards but my favorite part of collecting right now is adding to my "Elite" (yes ripped off Donruss) book of Belle's. This book is where all of my best AB cards go and its a treat adding to it on mail day. I got a few Belle's in this week - the Quantum Leap, EX-2001 Cut Above, Pinnacle Skylines and Donruss Production Line Green all which have the honor of going into the "Elite" book. It is fun to me to find which four cards need to be "sent home" to a regular book when I put the new premiums in. I then decide what page to put my new preciouses in. First page is for my 9 favorite cards and so on and so forth. Getting 4 cards in the mail can turn into a 90 minute adventure for me. Makes me feel like a kid again spread out on the living room floor with all of my baseball cards lol.

My point being though through all that rambling - once a card is graded you can only ever store it or display it in a minimal amount of ways. You can never "touch" the card again if you want (I told you I am like a kid with my cards.) Honestly a lot of times I forget I even have those two graded cards because they aren't with the rest of my collection. They are just kinda awkwardly in a random spot on my "memorabilia" wall of my all non baseball card autographs and game used memorabilia.

So yeah, you're not the only one by a long shot!

Most of my collections are SGC graded because I'm a ...what's the phrase I'm looking for? Oh, wait...I know "anal retentive giant nerd". ,

I like the uniformity of presentarion.

1909-11 T206's
1948 Bowman Basketball & Football
1957 & 1970-71 Topps Basketball
1961 Fleer Basketball

I don't like graded cards. As you wrote, it's entirely subjective to the "professional" grader who has your card.
The proof is that many prospectors and investors re-send their cards in hopes of getting the card "bumped" a half-grade.

I understand some collectors just want their cards protected in a sealed case, or an older card authenticated, which is perfectly fine.
In fact, I wouldn't buy an expensive vintage card like a '33 Goudey Babe Ruth without it being authenticated or graded because there are so many fakes out there.

It's the sometimes massive price bump that most modern graded cards get that is a problem with this hobby.
Most modern Chrome cards come mint out of the pack nowadays. Why is there a premium when the majority of 2014 graded rookies seem to be graded 9.5?

I guess it's a piece of mind thing for prospectors buying online, when they can't see the card in person, but it just seems ridiculous to have brand new cards graded.

I HATE seeing a Griffey card I need on ebay, graded. The seller usually wants a premium, when I'm just going to bust it out and put it in a screwdown anyway.

But when it comes to vintage, or key rookie cards, I prefer graded.

I have no interest in them. I only have a single graded card (1974 McDonald's Padres Disc Dave Winfield PSA 9) because it was the cheapest copy I could find. I think I paid $6 for it. I can't see myself ever paying to have any of my cards graded.

I love graded, but it's really the slab I like. I think it makes a great presentation, especially PSA and SGC. Although I HATE the new font on SGC's flips.

My only interest is in having an opinion a vintage card wasn't trimmed or faked. I suppose it can be useful on an internet purchase to have an opinion on surface, which isn't easily observable on a scan. Otherwise, I really don't care and certainly don't want to pay a premium for a grade of Mint when I can look at it and reach the same conclusion.

DaClyde said:

I have no interest in them. I only have a single graded card (1974 McDonald's Padres Disc Dave Winfield PSA 9) because it was the cheapest copy I could find. I think I paid $6 for it. I can't see myself ever paying to have any of my cards graded.

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There is a partial set with the Winfield for $12.99 on ebay now: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1974-SAN-DI...658?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a3e64df92

i own roughly 90-100 graded cards...most of those either came as a part of a bulk lot deal or from the 2000 and 2001 products such as edge graded , donruss preferred , playoff momentum , and fleer authority that had graded cards one per pack or as box toppser.....i do still look to pick up those packed-out slabs for any of my south carolina collection players , but i tend to limit it to those that got a psa 10 or bgs 9.5....

despite haing all those , personally i still hate graded cards and would love to getrid of the handful i have if i could get nice raw copies of the same cards in their place....

that said , i will add that i am ok with grading on vintage material or cards that almost have to be graded sheerly for the purpose of authentication but i will almost never even consider buying recent graded material....

Ive been a collector for 45-50 years. I don't have any interest in graded cards. IMO it seems to be a way for dealers to increase their asking price for their cards to sell at shows and there does not appear to be consistency in the grading process I was at a recent show in Houston where Beckett had a booth and what struck me in the process of giving them the first card I ever had graded out of curiosity (for a $ 20 ridiculous fee on the spot late on the last day of the show ) was that they want to you cram your vintage card in a tight toploader (risking corner and edge creasing) and then disappear behind a black curtain... Several dealers at the show told me if they don't like or agree with the grading rating they cut the gold rough grade off the cards and take it to another grader or even a different person later. The dealers give the graders a bunch of cards before the TriStar show starts at what I am assuming is a special discount for dealers so by the time the buying customers show up their display boxes are full of the raw graded cards. Too subject to manipulation to me. Like a court case you dont like, keep submitting your case or cards to a different judge or grader until you get a number or settlement that you want.

fordman said:

As in the title, I just have no interest in graded cards. When I was a full time dealer, card grading was in it's infancy. I didn't care for it then and still to this day don't. Isn't card grading really subjective to who's on card grading duty at BGS or one of the other services?

Your thoughts....

Fordman

Sell me your Jay Bruce cards!

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Atleast i'm not the only one! Slabs just don't appeal to me

IUjapander said:

I will always prefer a raw card over graded.

Only exceptions
1. It is a card I might never see again
2. A BGS 9.5 or PSA 10 costs less than a raw counterpart
3. It is older than 1952

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This sums it up for me. I agree totally. Out of a 5k card PC, I only have 2 (based on rule #1 ). The slabs don't store well in my yearly alphabetized binder system.

Randy