To Grade Or Not To Grade: The Process of Deciding Whether to Send 4 Cards Off to PSA/SGC

[@scottflint4916]

I set up at a couple card shows a month, just local ones and I would love to get a TV with your KZbin videos on loop for the entire show for educational purposes and share the knowledge that you share with us. That is much appreciated. Thank you!!

[@JusNoBS420]

Best sports card channel on KZbin. I’ve said it before but I’m compelled to say it again.

[@jeffreypeace2696]

My Chris is the bomb....thanks for these types of videos. Much more interesting than featuring Auctions of cards most of us can not buy.

[@bigyuk6091]

Don’t listen to white noise Chris. Your rollers videos are always home runs. Your batting at a high average and it’s obvious you care. Light years beyond most. Your humble and smart about the business. That’s why we watch.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Thank you, that means a lot.

[@johnm1008]

Maybe long and technical but absolutely informative, insightful, and dare I say entertaining. I haven't been an active collector for *years* but I watch all of your videos. Keep them coming and I guarantee that people will keep watching.

[@walterdudedonny]

Shoot it and they will come.

[@Vintage_Dave_T]

I like the analyses. Especially vintage baseball.

[@ilovebaseballcards9334]

really intelligent look at what to grade and why. for me since i don't sell my slabbed cards (i keep them) - i don't do an analysis quite like this. but i do put some thought so i don't waste $30 grading a card that's only say $5 even in a slab.

[@tubenachos]

That Giannis is good eye appeal I think you will get a 9 even with that minor surface issue

[@rcellis6767]

Man, great explanation. Perfectly simplified. One of those things that when explained makes you feel a little silly for over thinking it. Awesome Job! Great Content.

[@hoiming]

I like how your "controversy" was just a video that some people didn't prefer. Hardly a controversy. I didn't love it, but clearly some people did (I saw likes on it). I hope it doesn't discourage you, you're still the GOAT (giving good hobby info in a non-sensational manner), batting like 0.998. Looking forward to your future video as always.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Thank you, i appreciate that.

[@chrisc4264]

I didn't see the auction video so I don't understand what all the fuss is about. It's ultimately your channel to do what you feel is right. You're not a shill bidder or a scammer. I love the informative videos you put out. This one is excellent going through the process of what to do with 4 different cards. I personally have stopped grading altogether but I understand that many insist upon grading because they're looking to sell. As a collector, I just collect. Thanks again Chris for the excellent content.

[@aaronbbreaks1814]

Yeah we really enjoy and would like that :) really like how you found an example of when to send to SGC.

[@mattgreen2559]

I understand where your coming from. My only PC is Cal Ripken and I'd rather have cards from his playing days, but having a Superfractor of him would be amazing. I really love the look of refractors. I'm just starting collecting again after most of my collection was stolen. My first goal is to get all of his different rookies. With me only having so much money to put on cards, I jist gotta find the right deal to pull the trigger.

[@christopherthomas9355]

Long, technical, and awesome. Keep these coming!

[@michaelgolden4938]

I dig these To Grade Or Not To Grade videos. So Shakespearean! Great to get a peek into your grading decision-making.

[@vintagesportscardfinds964]

Great info as always. Nobody breaks this stuff down like you do and I think you do the hobby a great service. You come off as honest and very genuine and it's nice for people especially who are starting out in the hobby to have someone who is telling them what the real deal is but not in a way that is condescending. I just think you do a great service for this hobby and keep up the great work.

[@victorsvorinich1595]

You’re a good guy Chris. Thanks for coming back strong and doing the right thing.

[@vinnytompkins6898]

Please make more like this great insight for collectors looking to move items for investment funds for future purchases or pc items .

[@TheRussquatch]

I have a Montana Rookie that I'm tempted to send in, not to really get a grade, but to have it authentic ... but I know it won't pull more than a 5 now watching this so thank you ... I know it's real so I'll just keep it in the magnetic case, and be happy with it as is

[@scratchthrift3370]

Left us hanging on the interesting result of the Killebrew

[@yinglee3656]

Hi Chris, I am a rookie collector from China, your videos helped me a lot, you are a good teacher for me.😀

[@willg.2045]

This was a great video, Chris. The technical nature of it makes it interesting, as most card KZbinrs don't have your expertise.

[@davidthompson62]

Christopher; Yes, Cal Ripken may have been a better offensive player than Brooks Robinson, there has never been a better defensive player than Brooks at the hot corner. He use to make some unbelievable plays. So yes, Ripken was the better overall player but still, Brooks was a class of his own at 3rd (and I’m a Red Sox fan!)

[@JustinKircherjK]

I'm enjoying this new series and I like that you threw in some vintage and the curve ball of a 1/1! Thanks

[@mikekrantz7436]

Just seeing comments and didn't realize there was backlash but your vids have been a huge reason for me to get back into collecting. Love all the content. Keep up the great work!

[@stevemcafee1482]

PSA is wide open for $30 level now. No year restrictions or minimum subs.

[@robertdasilva9346]

Thank you Chris for always educating us. This helps me a lot with my PC.

[@Beck-Stein]

I graded my montana to keep in my collection. My friend found it in my shoebox of cards i had in my garage. I had no idea i even had it.

[@tonyballard9256]

Thanks Chris, your knowledgebase and willingness to share is appreciated, please keep it coming.

[@thomasm155]

Talk about "added value", this was a very informative and helpful video. Thank you

[@glevy17]

Quite a helpful video topic. I’d enjoy more like these for sure.

[@bobbywest8460]

Amazing video. Thanks for sharing this info. No sense grading one of ones imo…

[@jakestoe]

I rarely buy cards that aren't slabbed anymore. They may cost a little more but it gives me a piece of mind that what I'm buying is legit and not worrying about what you can't see in pics of raw cards. That said I will still buy some serial numbered cards raw that are little more scarce then ordinary base cards. Good informative video Chris.

[@AlexXanderMarketing]

The Montana is a 7. The Ripken is an 8. The Giannis is a 9. The classic baseball card is a 5. Gl.

[@markthompson7503]

Great video as always Chris. Thank you. I can't wait to do my first card show next month and you have really made me feel more comfortable in understanding the market and the product.

[@cashless18]

id love to see such a vid on a monthly basis! great content

[@garrettdavis1646]

Awesome way to share your knowledge and expertise. Thanks

[@Cards-In-The-Closet]

Great information! I have a few Montana’s I was considering grading. I’ll use this system to see if I need to send them in.

[@JTQ-81]

Chris, your videos continue to be awesome. I've particularly enjoyed these videos about deciding to grade or not. I feel better about my grading endeavors knowing I have a similar train of thought as you.

[@Eli511]

You da man! Love all your videos man keep em coming!👌🔥

[@joeym2675]

Enjoy all your videos! Any tips you give on your grading, selling and collecting process is greatly appreciated! 4 great cards! Especially The HK! Need more vintage In my collection! Thanks!!!!

[@SSP_Joel]

absolutely love this video. Great series I hope you continue.

[@Goldengloves-yw9cw]

I’m new. I’m learning about grading

[@randyworden5232]

Excellent analysis!! A must see video again. Thanks Chris.

[@tommayrant2279]

Really appreciate the insights, Chris!

[@ericzdrojewski137]

I was one of the people who decried your auction house vid yesterday. I just wanted to say that you every right to place videos like that on your channel. It’s YOUR channel. You’re never gonna be able to make everyone happy. I’m sure somebody watched this video today and didn’t like it. I’m not sure how it’s possible since you always do a great job. Keep up the good work as always!

[@collectorinvestordealer]

I appreciate you saying that and the feedback yesterday. It was very clear from the comments that a lot of people were not happy with yesterday's video. My channel is nothing without the viewers so I thought it made sense to take it down and move forward accordingly.

[@christophergrover3790]

@@collectorinvestordealer I missed the video. It seems that in today's world people are happiest when they are tearing someone down. I wish you hadn't taken it down, but I understand the decision. If I didn't like it, I could just stop the video. It's the square at the bottom left when the video is playing!

[@jg11601]

Solid video! Im glad you released a new video the day after the pretty bad and unprepared auctionvideo

[@ericgerber4099]

Great post (per usual). Thanks. Please post grades when they come back.

[@cheapwaxchronicles]

My general thought process is that a modern card needs to grade an 8 or better to even make it worth your while, but I also check the pop report to see what the numbers look like, whether there are a ton of 8s out there or not.

[@christophergrover3790]

Great video as usual. I have watched both and they are interesting to see how you think about the grading. I use a similar approach, but I have one exception. Instead of using the value raw I use what I paid for it. I hadn't contemplated the raw selling price because I think that there is something else that changes when you get it graded. The fact that a PSA or SGC has graded it shows the buyer that it is authentic which is hard to quantify but certainly makes selling it easier. I do like the logic that you use as I had not thought about the opportunity cost of what you can get if you do nothing. Thanks and keep up the great videos.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Great point about it being easier to sell once graded. For this reason (particularly with vintage), if its a break-even proposition, I often will still grade it.

[@kevincrews5875]

Chris thanks for the vids. Love them. I had recently pulled out some of my old basketball cards and started looking, got an old Julius Erving. Back to this video do you do a video that shows you getting these cards back after you sent them in? I would be interested in seeing those. I also love how you talk about grading them yourself before sending them in. That has really helped me out.

[@KryptaKnight777]

I am working on getting some cards ready to send off to grade this month at PSA

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Good luck!

[@patricktong32]

I watched almost all your videos for months now and still, I have no idea what you say in your intro. “Crystal here…” is what it sounds like to me LOL.

[@philly_joe3705]

LOL - "Chris Sewell here"

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Its my name. "Chris Sewall here." Sewall is pronounced like "cool"

[@murrayscott3513]

Very interesting. If you do more videos in future, I will watch them . Thanks.

[@relayernj]

Way to right the ship Chris--great job!!

[@jpcards]

Super interesting and helpful. Many thanks

[@carsyncruz]

What I learned is that, Joe Montana’s rookie card is so cheap comparatively to any other player that’s considered or been considered for the goat in their sport. I realize Brady has nearly doubled up his super bowl record now, but still. $74 even for “run over by a truck division”would be cheap!!

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Great observation, hadnt thought of it like that

[@carsyncruz]

@@collectorinvestordealer hey, I was working on an email to you yesterday but haven’t finished it and am out of town for my sons birthday. Could you send me information about sponsoring regular rollers sometime? Thanks!

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Sure! Although I would need to email you that info. [e-mail]

[@carsyncruz]

@@collectorinvestordealer I’ll send you message.

[@MandalorianFanboy]

Time passing without the card in your possession is definitely a cost that is hard to quantify when sending a card in for grading.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Very good point. This favors SGC.

[@davidbrasfield6720]

Nice vid. Appreciate the info.

[@montrealsports29]

I'm not sure why you got so much criticism for your auction video yesterday. It's your channel and you should be able to do whatever you want with it. If you want to promote an auction (even if there was the possibility that you were being paid to do so), that's fine with me.

[@toddbaptista4027]

I didn’t care for the auction video. I think it would be better if he did more bids during the video. I could watch a grade or not to grade every week lol

[@collectorinvestordealer]

I appreciate that. A lot of people didnt like it and my channel is nothing without the viewers, so I thought it made sense to take it down and learn from it.

[@JohnJohn-gs8md]

I didn't get to see the video, sorry it was taken down, I would of liked to of seen what the problem was.

[@sgtjarhead99]

Could be just the scan, but the middle-right edge of that Montana looks like the card was held in a stack with a rubber band. Not uncommon for those days.

[@squidsupreme]

Great video as alway!! All the info in it is pretty objective and easy to follow. The only place where people may get into trouble is assigning the potential grade. It is probably best to be conservative...people are generally all over the place on the when describing grades (e.g., ebay). If you havent done so in the past, have you thought about doing a video on what you look for when you assign grades to cards, especially vintage? What make a card vg vs vgex vs ex for example? Thanks.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Thats a great idea for a video!

[@brianfast7799]

@@collectorinvestordealer I agree. A video like that would be extremely helpful. I have many raw cards from the 70s; take a Rickey Henderson rookie for example. I have 2 copies raw. I just don't have enough experience to know whether getting them graded would result in a PSA 5, 6 or 9. Corners and centering are 2 areas. I suppose the surface is one of the unknowns to me.

[@apebitmusic83]

Great video, one thing though: that $1999 for the Griffey isn’t the necessarily the actual sold price, right? Pretty sure about that. You have to go to a site like worthpoint to see what the actual accepted offer was.

[@Ripping4Rutschmans]

another great one. Thanks Happy 4th!

[@polandm]

Have you considered making your own dedicated website listing cards for sale? (ex. deans cards). I feel you have a pretty good following and could cut out the middle man in some cases (ebay, comc, etc.)

[@collectorinvestordealer]

I have considered that and I appreciate the thought. Perhaps a future endeavor...

[@MasterShake300]

COMC with wildly over priced cards? Shocked.. I'm simply shocked. Well actually, no i'm not. At all.

[@christophertreadwell5815]

Love the videos Chris! Agree with many of the sentiments. My only potential thought process in regards to the Giannis is that I would have possibly considered him a potential long term hold with him being at the halfway point of his career and with a great resume to raise his value over time.

[@ACD1994]

Fair point. Giannis, still has time to win another MVP or championship.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Yeah, that is a fair point for sure. Often players in the middle of their career who aren't quite the "best player in the game" are a little undervalued

[@christophertreadwell5815]

@@collectorinvestordealer just a case for how undervalued he could be right now... Giannis at 27 has * 6 All Star Appearances * 6 All NBA Team Awards * 5 All Defensive Team Awards * 2 League MVP's * 1 Defensive POY * 1 Championship * 1 Finals MVP * All Rookie Team * 1 All Star MVP * 75th Anniversary Team Not to intentionally compare him to others but I dont believe Jordan had that many accolades at 27. Plus that Rookie Card was made when print numbers were still on the low end compared to today's print numbers that Manufacturers are pumping out. Just my 2 cents on Giannis and why I think hes still undervalued today.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

No pushback from me on this one

[@kenrogers1948]

Since you recorded this vid PSA has dropped the year-restriction on economy, so that fee is $30 across the board. Another consideration to plug into the PSA/SGC equation is turnaround time. SGC will likely get you your card back in two weeks currently. PSA was at about 6 weeks when economy lottery first opened up, but my orders from mid May are now into their 6th week in the grading stage of the process, so looking like 2.5-3 months to get cards back from PSA at economy now(they say 120 days max). My guess is they won't grade the Montana card do to the slant/diamond cut.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Great points. I didnt mention turnaround times which has to be considered as well.

[@spic0li]

Great Vid SGC's only strength in the market in resale values is with the vintage baseball rest goes to big red. Ripken would do well if you have an eBay store & price it through the moon & then just wait for Chris....🤣

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Ha!

[@lawsontalks918]

Great work

[@umiami85]

Great video!!!

[@DerethAC]

PSA has reopened the $30 vintage option now.

[@ghostface3655]

Great video! Preciate the information, thank ya sir!

[@thrillofthehunt7080]

What amazes me is that $140 1/1 Leaf Auto Ripken. I mean, I get that it's Leaf and unlicensed. However, it's still an auto, so right there you could figured $50, give or take, but then it's a 1/1. I would think that there would be enough hard core Ripken collectors out there that multiple would be willing to pay more than $140 to add the only version of that card to their Ripken collection. There are examples of this all over eBay, and not just with Panini and Leaf where there is no licensing. Sometimes I just wonder where the player collectors are?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Thats a good point on the Leaf card, I didnt even really think about it

[@lorenanders702]

Didn't know Leaf was unlicensed 🤔

[@yardog7]

Cmon dude, as a fellow Ripken collector, PC that Ripken! 😆

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Ha! Yeah I considered it :)

[@DrJonHolt]

Very educational, thank you!

[@MBanks-cg3kj]

Amazing

[@DarinsCards]

Awesome

[@joelrooks389]

It stinks that PSA charges so much more for vintage card grading.

[@paulwilson252]

Psa is now $30 for vintage too. Would you go psa or sgc now on the Killebrew?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Yeah if psa now $30 on vintage, that’s borderline. I would probably go psa.

[@bobo44donemilking51]

As long as psa grades the card correctly 🤔

[@thebullhornshotmic]

Chris, I enjoy all of your videos as they are full of fantastic information. A quick question on this one though, why do you count the “wrong“ value instead of what you have into the card. Maybe you only had $25 dollars in the Joe Montana card and it has been stored away for 10 years. The answer is much more obvious when you look at what your actual cost is into the card and whether is worth getting graded on how much you are ahead. I got around 100 Jordan’s 2 years ago from the early’90’s and cost was about $1 each. I ended up sending @ 80 of them to PSA for under $10 each as it was a no-brainer to make 2 - 20x the grading fee for cards that I had nothing into. Just a thought.

[@thebullhornshotmic]

“Raw” value

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Thank you! If I was buying the card to grade it, then I would factor in what I am paying. But if I already own the card, what I paid is irrelevant in terms of deciding whether I should grade it or not.

[@13thApex]

But if you bought a pack or a blaster or whatever other than straight up buying the actual raw card...shouldnt that be the base margin?

[@danielikelman481]

I have a Marino rookie with the same off center as the Montana, graded a PSA 8....so there is a chance

[@DK-dp3kk]

another super video - thanks Chris. How do you knock down grades when you evaluate the card condition? Meaning do you lose a point for corners, a point for centering etc (so 1 rough corner might be a 9?). You called the Harmon card as a 3 with 2 bad corners, 2 rough corners, slight off center but good surface - just trying to figure out how to evaluate my own cards that are not 10s. Thanks

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Great question although that would be an entire video all its own... one I plan on making at some point

[@DK-dp3kk]

@@collectorinvestordealer Chris that would be super. Seems like centering is worth a few grades on its own. Hard to tell. I try to really inspect my cards before grading but still seem to be surprised sometimes.

[@EatMyPattys]

With the cost of the Giannis I would send to CSG. $15 and should get at least sgc value

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Yeah that is a very reasonable option on that card.

[@rockcundiff1761]

then when psa sends back in three years, each card will be worth 4 cents

[@shawnnorrell1686]

I have a large collection of starting lineups and a few mcfarlins that I would like to sell I live in ne Texas and cannot find anyone interested in buying them. Do you know how I might get rid of them They take up a lot of room that I don’t have. All are in new condition

[@brianfast7799]

Exactly the video I hope you were going to do! As someone who has been out of the hobby for a number of years, but who has some cards like the Montana and other 70s era football and baseball, this is helpful. If I have a card I am thinking of either PC or holding longer term, does it make sense to have it graded by PSA now, or wait until I decide I may want to sell?

[@brianfast7799]

Or maybe it’s just personal preference.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

If you have a PC card, its really up to you if you want it graded or not. There is no real benefit to grading it now versus whenever you choose to sell it. PSA could change their grading standards at some point, but thats completely unknown.

[@magicbanding1095]

thanks for this video. very informative. I'm most interested in how you come to grade determination. Is it not possible that the Montana could get an 8 with the off center designation (OC)? thanks again

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Thats true, it could get an 8oc, although I think PSA is using qualifiers less and less

[@jaredstroberg286]

Great videos what database are you using for recent sales?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

vintagecardprices.com

[@krankrocker]

What black background website are you using to see listed sales on the PSA and SGC graded examples?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

vintagecardprices.com

[@jcbuckeye]

Psa strict about 10's ? Say what!! No way they had that stuff out like candy. I have seen sgc 8's get 10's at psa. I have seen banged up corners not just one but 3 digged up corners get a 10 I have seen the most off centered cards get 10's psa is where you can make the most right now but in 20 years sgc graded cards will be what collectors want In cards from this Era. If it's a 10 at sgc it's a 10 everywhere. They actually grade the card

[@collectorinvestordealer]

I agree with you regarding PSA in the past. But today, they are much stricter giving out 10s

[@j_toledo419]

How often do you see or do you ever see entire sets graded? I'm talking about full sets like for example 91 Bowman every card graded. Was just thinking about it and can't say I've ever seen full sets graded.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

With vintage sets you see it a lot. With a set like 1991 Bowman, it probably doesnt exist as a full graded set.

[@chochogongo]

When a card doesn't have a border around the edge, how can the average person judge the centering? I have multiple copies of certain cards where they differ and I don't know which is the "good" one. How do the grading companies determine something like that?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Yeah that can be tricky. Sometimes you really tell. Other times, there are card features on both the left and right side that you can line up and estimate.

[@CollectorsWorldFargo]

Maybe you've mentioned it before and I've forgotten, but where were you pulling your sales data from?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

In this video I was using vintagecardprices.com

[@jbeam5630]

Do you ever use "your cost" as the value to compare to getting a card graded rather than the raw card current value? Why or why not? Thanks.

[@collectorinvestordealer]

I do you use my cost if I am buying the card in the moment to get it graded. But if I already own the card, then what I paid is irrelevant in terms of deciding whether to grade it or not.

[@spirovlahakis4131]

Sorry if you answered this before, but what site do you use to find previous sale prices for graded cards. Thanks

[@collectorinvestordealer]

For this video I used vintagecardprices.com

[@Tigerfan81]

Can you still get PSA to give a qualifier like OC on that Montana. So like a PSA 9 OC or would that not add any value. Get video as always man thanks

[@collectorinvestordealer]

You can do that - you just have to request it. But thats actually a great thought on the Montana.

[@kevincrews5875]

Also what are the other sites you are using to find recent sales for cards?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

The main site I use is vintagecardprices.com

[@johnmackor6022]

Hey Chris. I'm a collector looking to start to go to the dealer side. I've bought some Brady lots and have pulled some solid SP's, prizims and inserts. Nothing insane... in the $10 to $20 range. I have qualified about 15 to 20 cards that I'm confident would be in the 9-10 range... Maybe an 8 worst case scenario. Would it be worth the investment to get these graded as a long-term investment? And if so, would CSG be a good company to utilize to maximize my ROI on these kind of cards?

[@collectorinvestordealer]

Cool to hear that! Its hard for me to say without knowing the specific cards. I cant predict the future, but I would say Tom Brady stuff in high grade is probably decent long term stuff. CSG is a company on the rise.