Grade it or leave it?

[scottyt100]

So I recently picked up this beautiful Topps Pristine refractor parallel.

It comes stabbed from Topps.
As far as I can tell it is pretty much flawless.



My question is would it be better in its original case, or a graded case.
The case is far from stellar condition.
My OCD is driving me nuts on this part, totally hate scratched cases.

I also have this one as well.



My thoughts are they would look awesome together.
In graded slabs.

I have decided to go with MNT.
watched a ton of videos on there results I feel they are very stringent on there grades.
So I should get a fair assessment.
Even if the truth hurts��

However i am asking for the pro's opinions on this!
I am kinda new to this rookie card thing.

Thanks everyone in advance for your comments and help.
Scott

 

[Bulk-Buyer]

i would grade, worth the risk given the card hasnt been handled. as well, i have the same type of ocd.

 

[WatchMyBreaks]

Grade everything.

 

[Fred Bear]

What's the endgame? That should drive your decision.

If it's for your collection, do what you want and what makes you feel good.

If it's for your collection now and possibly for resale later, look at the trends and make the decision you can be happiest with right now.

If it's for resale, look at the data and maximize your potential.


If you're going with MNT, it should just go into your collection. As many others have said, competition is the grading space is good, but PSA gets the returns unless you're talking about a BGS 10. Your regular is already a BGS 9.5 RCR, so probably a PSA 9 or 10. Refractors from that year are typically PSA 9s and 10s, but, oddly enough, 2 of the 3 lowest graded cards in the population are Bergerons - 1 PSA 7 and 1 PSA 8.

If it were me, I'd probably hold onto it in it's current condition unless you want to send to PSA and wait. Two PSA 10 Bergeron /1199 sold last month in the $115-125 range (a BGS 9.5 went for $82). An MNT 10 won't get that much. The refractor will go higher, of course, but it's unclear if an MNT 10 will add significant value to an uncirculated card.

Just my 2 cents. :beer:

 

[Triple B]

Grade everything if you plan on flipping it. If you’re keeping it, polish the case and get the scratches out.

 

[Reddrgn88]

Can someone explain the grading process, aka timeframes, cost and how you ship valuable cards to them.

 

[BrookIsland]

Can someone explain the grading process, aka timeframes, cost and how you ship valuable cards to them.

Has HI ever thought about creating a (somewhat regularly updated) FAQ? I feel like this question among other topics are really good ones that lots of us have questions about but I'm sure some members have lots of expertise that would be best shared in a single thread or other place on the website rather than explaining a complex process which likely requires a fair bit of effort to do but may be worth it if it were done once for broad consumption? Just a thought.

 

[creasecollector]

If you want to sell it and receive the highest profit margin, then grade it. If it's in your PC forever, i'd keep it in the original encasing.

 

[Tachyon]

That first Bergeron looks awesome. Grade it. The second Bergergon... I do not like the look (as of right now) of the top left corner. But is a raw Beckett grade 9.5 going to be an automatic 9.5 Hard Grade? I do not know how that works.

The cards themselves look great though, so why not grade them?

 

[weasel-king]

I'll offer a slightly varied answer. I am not "into" grading at all. As a player collector, I would pay more for the card in its factory condition than I would in a slab. If you were to remove it, I would view it the same as a peeled refractor from the 90s. Every card I have in my Aho and Jagr collection is in its box-pulled state, be it Superlative cards in their toploader and sticker, eTopps cards in the case with sticker, or UD Buybacks still sealed.

You can buff out the scratches and make it look brand new. Just put it in a team bag.

 

[Pacman69]

I'll offer a slightly varied answer. I am not "into" grading at all. As a player collector, I would pay more for the card in its factory condition than I would in a slab. If you were to remove it, I would view it the same as a peeled refractor from the 90s. Every card I have in my Aho and Jagr collection is in its box-pulled state, be it Superlative cards in their toploader and sticker, eTopps cards in the case with sticker, or UD Buybacks still sealed.

You can buff out the scratches and make it look brand new. Just put it in a team bag.

I agree with this, set and player collectors will want as close to original as possible. I would change one thing, google superior fit sleeves they have a dif product for psa case, bgs and different sizes of one touches. They fit like a second skin but look soooooooooo much better. You won’t even think it’s there if you are like me and like looking at your cards

Pacman

 

[TADontAsk]

I'll offer a slightly varied answer. I am not "into" grading at all. As a player collector, I would pay more for the card in its factory condition than I would in a slab. If you were to remove it, I would view it the same as a peeled refractor from the 90s. Every card I have in my Aho and Jagr collection is in its box-pulled state, be it Superlative cards in their toploader and sticker, eTopps cards in the case with sticker, or UD Buybacks still sealed.

I agree with this as both a set and player collector, particularly the former. If I'm working on a set, I want the cards I'm picking up to match the condition of the rest (condition in this case meaning graded vs ungraded, not quality). I'll usually skip right past anything that's graded.

Obviously do whatever your preference is if you keep it. If you plan on selling it, grading might depend on the card. As someone who has some Pristine in my collection, I would only be interested in cards if they were in the original case, but it varies and I'm sure you'll find interest either way.