Graig Asks...Do I Collect the Card or the Grade?

This week, Graig, MidLife Sports Cards ‪@MidLifeCards‬ asked his audience, do you collect the card or the grade? You can check out Graig's recent Q&A video here - • The Hobby ISN'T Dying!... #baseballcards #sportscards #vintagebaseballcards
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[@ACollectorsDream]

Thanks for sharing your collecting thoughts

[@WadeBoggsFan]

You're welcome Orlando! Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving my friend!

[@kevincurtis6550]

Thanks for sharing, John. I would go by the card; basing it on eye appeal and registration.

[@WadeBoggsFan]

Thanks Kevin. Yes, registration is also important to me. I've passed on cards that have a slight registration issue even if it is well-centered.

[@godisgreat8462]

Well done John 🎉

[@WadeBoggsFan]

Thanks Ken!

[@stevesousa1475]

Hi John, good video and I collect similar to you and the missing variable is older slabs vs newer slabs for vintage. Higher graded old slabs sometimes are inferior to newer slabs in lower grades and those cards look so much better.

[@WadeBoggsFan]

Thanks Steve! Yes, I forgot to mention that. In some cases, you can pick up some really nice looking cards in newer slabs that in the past might have had a higher number grade.

[@Hodges1455]

Gave a video like. Enjoyed the video as always. Thanks for sharing, John.

[@WadeBoggsFan]

Thanks Brian!

[@Vintage_Dave_T]

I mostly agree with you, John, but I buy mostly raw. When I buy vintage graded, I usually buy the lowest grade possible with acceptable eye appeal.

[@WadeBoggsFan]

Yes, for non-slab collectors this is not an issue. But when you do buy graded vintage, I think our philosophies are very similar.

[@cardboardandplastic]

My collecting is very similar. I always look at the grade before it jumps in price and buy the nicest version of that card. For 1971 Topps, I will go after a really nice 6, because most 7's are double the price. If we are talking really old cards or rare cards, then I will look in the 1 to 3 range for the nicest one possible. I can't use the same strategy buying a 1933 Goudey Ruth and a 1970 Hank Aaron.

[@WadeBoggsFan]

Thanks for your comments! Yes, for some vintage grades, it's a huge price jump from one grade to the next. In other cases, the jump might not be as much. When I see a large jump that's my sign to focus on a nice looking copy in the lower grade. If the gap is small, then I can expand my range when looking for a nice looking copy for a decent price.

[@cryptonite8495]

I'm with you, John. I used to think a 7 is a 7 is a 7. Even if it was badly off center or had distracting print dots, the 7 on the flip meant it was Near Mint, period. After all, PSA and SGC graders were better than I was at judging cards, right? If it was a 1970s PSA7 with no qualifier, it was good enough for me. Or a 6 for the 1960s, etc. Buying the grade, and how the card looked was secondary. Then thanks to DD Dylan, Midlife Graig and others, I paid closer attention to centering and eye appeal. And I realized well-centered vintage cards were drying up on eBay. They were being hoarded! I set about becoming one of the hoarders, and like Dylan, selling off big-ticket cards that didn't meet my new standards for eye appeal. In some cases I lost money, once eBay or REA or Greg Morris took their cut. But I could also buy 4 or 5 well-centered, gorgeous vintage cards with the proceeds of one big-ticket sale. Wax stains on the reverse became my friend, because they could cut the price in half with the grade drop. But the PSA 5's often looked as good or better than some PSA 7's. I had become a hoarder of such cards. Now I have to think about consolidation with high-end Golden Age cards and lower-graded pre-war cards, but keeping my standards for centering and eye appeal. Mission accomplished on quantity, but perhaps I accomplished too much. I'm not a young man any more.

[@WadeBoggsFan]

Thanks John! I got a late start in my vintage collecting, so I didn't get in at the time that you could get cards in decade grade or better for what 3s or 4s cost today. So I don't have any high end cards with so-so eye appeal that I can sell to pick up nicer looking copies in a lower grade and have money left to buy other vintage cards. So I've had to look for those lower-grade, nice eye appeal cards from the start. And I agree that more and more people are looking for those well-centered cards in lower grades as it's not always easy for me to find one.

[@marksantucci4230]

your 1,000 percent correct as usual. a 1933 Babe Ruth which came out about 43 years before supply's 9 pocket pages , hard plastics and screw downs should have some ware No an 8.5 looks bad a 10 is perfect but the card needs to be a 3 grazing on the side, 4 bad corners and 1 crease in it it doesn't need to look like my Munson ( reminder creases all over that card it grades a 1) a 1933 Ruth needs to look like a 3 an 8.5 isn't great and a 10 is very hard to find. My suggestion on your card collecting not a demand but a helpful suggestion if your buying say a 1950's Colovito, Bunning, Brooks Robinson the Homerun king , Ernie Banks dropping down 2 grades and saving money makes sense. but if your buying say Red Sox cards say 50's then you should get cards in player grade condition because it's your team. same with 60's. now if your buying 1970's cards say like Brock , Schmidt , Brett, Homerun King, Mr. October I would say 6''s or 7's make sense. but if your buying Red Sox say Jim Rice, Carlton Fisk 7's and 8's make sense as they played for your team. so what do these cards go for besides what somebody's willing to pay for it? Ernie Banks all years 50's? in a 3 Home Run Kinng from 1955 to 1959 in a 3? Brooks Robinson his 50's in a 3? Ted Williams all years 50's to his last year in a 5? 60's Ernie Banks in a 5 whatever you have time for Tony C in a 6? what do Lou Brock in a 7 Schmidt say from 1974 to 1979 go for in a 7 Homerun king goes for from 1970 to 1976 in a 7? Mr. October from 1970 to 1979 in a 7? what does Carlton Fisk from 1973 to 1979 go for in a 7 or an 8? Jim Rice from 1975 to 1979 in a 7 or an 8 what do these cards go for? this gives you an idea a suggestion on what to pay for cards!! don't knock yourself out whatever you have time for is fine.

[@AmariAultman1906]

Give me the PSA 2 in today’s market for Post War Vintage. I made a lot of purchases before the boom. The prices are beyond my budget to buy collector grade vintage now.

[@WadeBoggsFan]

Thanks Amari! Unfortunately, I didn't start my vintage collection prior to the boom. So everything is expensive for me. And as they get even more expensive over time (hopefully only gradually), I can see myself needing to look at PSA 2 or 3 copies in order for them to fit into my budget. In fact, if all goes well, I will be looking for an Aaron rookie at next year's National and it will most likely need to be in a PSA 2 for me to afford it.

[@AmariAultman1906]

@@WadeBoggsFan You’re not gonna believe this. I bought a Lamar Jackson Rookie for $500 and flipped it for $2800, I bought a Jim Brown Rookie for about $1200 and flipped for $3100 and a Kawhi Leonard Rookie for about $1150 and flipped into about $3200. All during the boom. Took the money and bought an Aaron Rookie PSA 5 and Clemente Rookie PSA 6. Crazy times

[@marksantucci4230]

My answer it's both the grade and the card. so if i'm looking for Baltimore cards say Ken Singleton i'm not going to buy cards with creases most players are fine if i'm buying say Braves as an example like Dale Murphy i'm not buying cards with creases or beat up corners some touched up corners are fine but i'm also not buying no name players like Barry Bonell as an example. if i'm buying say Mets Rusty Staub , Dave Kingman make sense but not no name players nice condition I don't have problems buying Graig Nettles, Mr. October, Mickey Rivers but i'm not buying Oscar Gamble Cliff whatever his name is but the cards have to be in good condition. so for me it's both the player and the condition.

[@theautographfishermanjonbu325]

Thus was great. I actually don't really like slabbed cards so grading isn't for me. I only have 2 graded cards in my collection and I'm going to give 1 away and tge other one I only like because it's my favorite baseball player ever john olerud

[@WadeBoggsFan]

Glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, grading isn't for everyone. That's what makes this hobby so great. You can collect what you want and the way you want. 😃

[@theautographfishermanjonbu325]

@WadeBoggsFan I completely agree