Graded cards vs Raw cards

[MrWrestler74]

I am sure this isn't a new topic by any means, but I need to ask. Are graded cards shunned in the trade and sales world? I saw a post recently where someone was buying RC's of a player and was offered a graded version of it and the person said not interested. Now to me, unless its for a set completion, wouldn't graded cards be the better way to go? Especially for a PC? And also knowing the quality of the card?

 

[v3rs3]

It depends on the person and the card. Vintage cards I'd rather have graded, PSA only. If I were to buy a graded card for my PC I'd probably break it open unless it was a vintage card. I'd only break it open b/c it bugs me when my things don't look completely the same. I have every PC card I own in a one-touch magnetic holder. I don't want a random graded card to sit between them. Sounds crazy, but we all have our quirks.

 

[SkyFire47]

it would also depend on the grades. myself, i have a few graded rookies but they are all BGS 10 Pristine's. i don't bother with anything less.

for others, i've noticed this trend:

BGS 10 - significant premium valued
BGS 9.5 - premium valued
BGS 9 and lower - valued less than a raw/ungraded card

also, when trading, i avoid graded cards because i don't care to trade a higher value solely for the grade when i can trade a lower value for the same card raw.

 

[30ranfordfan]

Pain in the butt to store. They don't stand up in boxes like cards I have in top loader or one touches - so I avoid them.

If I were buying vintage, yeah - it would be a little different. But most of what I'm currently collecting is from the last 8 years.... so there's no real advantage to it. Everything should be near mint, or better.

 

[orfew]

I collect vintage so I do appreciate graded cards. In my case there can be a significant difference in value between grades depending on the card. I prefer SGC for pre war cards and PSA for cards between 1951-present. I would not bother grading cards after 1979-80.

 

[bfyler]

Most of what I own are not Graded... I do have a collection of Ultimate ITG that I store in a Seperate box and Binders.. I do own a couple Graded Rookies of Crosby. I was able to pick up a 9.5 Young Gun at the same $ as a raw card so I went for it.. not sure if that answers your question..lol

 

[koondog44]

Like others have said, I would only care about having vintage cards graded. Anything modern, I couldn't care less.

I USE to collects graded card when I first started out collecting. I thought they would retain their value over time, but I was wrong. Problem is, as time goes by, more and more are graded, so all of a sudden that BGS 10 (orginal population of 1 or 2) isn't worth nearly as much when the population now is about 15-20 cards. This holds true to the vintage cards too, but nowhere near the same magnitude as anything post 1986 (ish).

 

[BigBarracuda]

I think the source of the grading impacts it as well. I used to collect graded cards, ignoring the warnings about BGS Grading services not being all that and a bag of chips. I started seeing what I felt was proof of inconsistency and then the final turning point for me; BGS graded a factory auto of Ovechkin as a 10 meaning 100% authentic.

I haven't picked one up (nor had any interest) since.

Glenn

 

[Stadium Sports]

Owning a store, I can tell you that graded cards are not high on the general collector's radar. I find that "new to collecting" collectors like them as they are more of a novalty than for a value aspect. We specialize in vintage and most of the people who travel hours sometimes to visit our shop want raw cards to finish or upgrade their vintage sets.

PSA is the only grading company for vintage IMO. Beckett is great for new cards. Other than those 2 (No GAI, KSA, BGCC, BVC, or other company), don't waste your money.

 

[theslurpee]

Pain in the butt to store. They don't stand up in boxes like cards I have in top loader or one touches - so I avoid them.

You can buy boxes, plastic containers, and even wooden display boxes and cases for graded cards.

I collect PSA graded cards, and they are mostly from the 70's and early 80's. In the case of a Gretzky RC, the difference between a 7 and 8 is approximately $400 and most couldn't tell the difference if they were raw.

I do have some of the new stuff in PSA 10. In the case of a Crosby or Ovy YG or similar card, they do command a significant premium. For the most part though, I just grade vintage.

 

[ilovetheshootout]

Graded cards - is it worth it??

is it worth paying 20 bucks to get your card graded? also is it fair to add a premium onto a trade/sale if a card is in fact graded?
also does it prevent counterfeit patches etc? like can they tell the diff?
Lastly, is there one, BVG, PSA, etc, which is better/more respected than the other?