Completely agree with all your thoughts. I’ve never actually sent any for grading but I always prefer to buy much older cards already graded for authenticity purposes. The prices are completely insane when, like you said, I can’t tell a difference between an 8 and a 10 half the time. Great video Mark
Thanks so much David! I still will send things for grading for time to time, but in more limited circumstances. I may send a few in that I want to look nice in my display case, for example.
Thanks so much! I haven't gotten into autos yet, but if I bought them unless it was just a common player, I think Id want it authenticated. I don't know enough about them to spot a fake.
Mark, I think the sad fact is that when a particular card seems to be fairly plentiful - even a card from the 1960s - the grading companies will exercise pop control on one level or another. Of course they deny it. But I think this controlled scarcity stems from the old adage "When everything is special, then nothing is." Hope and expectation fuel the mania to grade even the most ridiculously overproduced items. If your card looks perfect to you, then it's perfect. I was interested in your comment on the Killebrew rookie. If I'm offering a card online, if it has a modest surface wrinkle that doesn't go through to the other side, and the rest of the features are beautiful, I'm often inclined to list it as Excellent while alerting prospective buyers to the wrinkle. Thanks for your organized thoughts here!
Totally agree with you about the psychology around this. I sell some online too - I agree with you its fine to list and just disclose it. In this case it wasn't, but I don't think that's the seller's fault. It was sort of on me to ask about it, given that the SGC standards allow it. I just wasn't aware of it.
Awesome thoughts Mark. I really believe at the end of the day it is a personal preference for each collector. I have graded and ungraded and love all of the cards in my collection equally.
I do grading for much of the same reasons you mentioned in your video. I like the authenticity it provides to older, bigger cards (Koufax RC, 55 Jackie etc), I think they look great displayed, and it will be easier for my kids to sell when they inherit the monstrosity of my collection. Great video Mark! ~Allon
Great video, Mark! Your thoughts for grading cards are a lot of why I grade them. It seems like they all have really toughened up on grades the last few years. It can definitely frustrate me at times!
Beautiful cards Mark! I really like that Snider!! I do not have the “grader’s eye.” Every time I have sent a card in that I thought would grade well, I’ve been disappointed. It’s to the point where I would rather spend money on a card that is already graded. I do add raw cards to my collection that I have no intention to have graded. I stick to graded on my player and HOF runs, and then some others that have a little more meaning to me. Thanks for the video and thanks for sharing.
Thanks Jay - definitely would rather spend money on new cards, though I may get something graded from time to time if I want to keep it in my display case Anyway - appreciate you watching and commenting and good luck building your HOF runs!
Hello Mark. I agree about grading. I have 10 cards that have been sitting on my desk for a couple of months ready to grade, but at $20 a card to grade, I am reluctant to do so. I can use those $200 to buy a nice vintage card. I know I will eventually give in and send them off to grade, but it's more for the look and for protection. I have a signed Clayton Kershaw baseball that I want to have authenticated, hopefully it comes back as authentic. Nice video, Mark.
Yeah- that’s the dilemma for sure. I’ve been looking at the SGC 70s special and would like some of my 70s graded for display purposes but it’s still close to $150 or so all in for 10 cards. Cool about the signed baseball!
Great video as always. One more reason for grading - when you leave your collection in your will to someone, it's much easier for them to be evaluated and sold. You might be leaving your collection to someone who doesn't know about cards, and would not be able to realize the value. Kind of grim, but a wills lawyer told me to get some of the more valuable ones graded. I agree that I hate seeing hobby dollars go toward cards I already have.
That's the great thing about being a broke azz like I am. I can't afford to get screwed in "the rich man's game". I only own one graded card; a Cliff Floyd card graded a 10 by some obscure company in the 90's, that I got on Ebay and that the guy gave to me for free if I just pay the $3 shipping. Floyd played for my High School about 6 years after I graduated. The "ONLY IDEAL" benefit I see to grading is the ease of selling a card online, and also making 100% sure that the expensive cards are not counterfeit, and even than is it 100% sure? I get that people have been able to make a lot of money by paying for grading, but I see it more like a pyramid scheme or game of hot potato in most cases. Granted I spent 3K on mostly vintage cards at shows in the early nineties (glad I did), and the most I paid was $45 for a 1957 Eenie Banks that I bought at the National in Chicago (which would probably grade at least a 7, and maybe an 8). That was my second-best purchase. but my best ever was a complete set of 1970's Kellogg's football, for $40, also at the same show, and I swear every card could grade a perfect mint 10. I also spent almost 6K on Ebay since getting back in, Sept 2020, but the most I paid for a card was $19 for a 1970 Carl Yastrzemski that looks like it would grade an 8. The majority of my cards are from auctions beginning at $0.01 and free shipping, and 99% of them I pay between $0.25 and $2. I own a lot of "cheap cards" I love being poor. LOL!
Some wise thoughts! I do send cards in for grading and it does eat into the hobby budget. For me it’s more about getting a graded version than the grade but I completely understand why a lot of people choose not to do it!
I totally hear you Mark! If the others are anywhere near as nice as that 1961 Snider then somebody needs their eyes checked. I do love grading but when it comes to keepers, I have to sprinkle them in generally. I try to send a bunch of cards to grade with hopes to sell, with a handful of hall of fame RCs to keep for instance. Evens out the cost and makes it more realistic.
That all makes sense. I will send things in too from time to time if its a big card or I want to display on my wall, but otherwise eats up way too much of the hobby budget I'd rather spend on new cards.
@@MarksDodgersCards Yessir, I totally get that part! I get antsy with higher quality singles at times as well and just want to increase the value. BUT, it has to be worth it. Can't grade it all!
100% with you on the reluctance to send in cards to grade. Not saying I don’t do it because some of the vintage stuff I have, I’m like you, and want that authentication. But I do it knowing it’s in the best interests of these companies financial bottom lines to divvy out the high grades sparingly. If they give out the high grades to every card, and a lot of them deserve it, then they miss out on resubs, and the value of certain 9’s and all 10’s decrease. That hurts registries and temps less people to possibly submit. It’s a catch-22 because I love knowing when I buy a card it’s at minimum the grade I bought it at, but now when I have something I deem to be high grade I think “well there’s no point because they won’t be willing to grade it out high. And I’m not even necessarily talking 9’s and 10’s. 7’s and 8’s are becoming increasingly tough to come by the older the card.
Yeah - a lot of this mirrors my thinking. Plus, grading costs a bunch of money. I was thinking about the SGC special they have now on 70s cards. I'd like to send in a few to display, but I think I'd rather spend the money on new cards. Anyway -thanks for commenting and have a great weekend.
Nice thoughts Mark. Me personally, i never sent anything in since I can use that money to buy cards. Only expensive cards I'll buy graded. Besides i buy for my personal enjoyment n not to sell. Take care buddy.
I think your experience with grading is exactly why you see high prices, even on 80's wax, for PSA stars. It isn't easy to get a 10. A lot of the star cards from the 80's have lower pop counts. Many of those sets are condition sensitive and it's hard, even if pulling them straight from a pack, to get them perfect. Centering is a huge issue on all 1980s cards, followed by corners and edges (87 Donruss, 85 Donruss, 88 Donruss, 89 Donruss, and even Topps has a lot of corner issues). I think there are a lot of player collectors that was their guy in a 10, but I also think a lot of investors are preparing and planning ahead for the day when 80's is truly vintage and a PSA 10 of Ripken, Puckett, or Gwynn is a rare thing and worth a lot because of it. Right now, some are expensive, but some are still not too bad, some at some point they will all increase (in PSA 10). We have seen the 1970's cards go up over the last few years, and 80's will down the road.
I get it - I just can't tell the difference between a 10 and a 9 and some 8s that look perfect to me, so I opt out of the pursuit of 10s. I'm building my collection for my personal experience and in enjoying the cards, and. not looking at it as an investment. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Agree with everything you said! I have a lot of 10's in my collection, but it is because I graded them myself. There is no way I would pay a PSA 10 price for any card, including ultra-modern.
All valid points. I think the price difference between the ''9's and 10,'', is what frustrates most collectors. It can be argued, since grading is such a subjective process, the prices of 9's versus the 10's are just bonkers.
Nice Video, You Make a Good Case on the Grading Market**** Take Care.
Thanks so much!
Great points, Mark. I’m not much of a 10 collector myself either. Many of those cards do go for crazy money!
Thanks Rusty! Appreciate you checking it out. Agree can't justify spending that kind of money on a 10 vs a 9 or 8.
Completely agree with all your thoughts. I’ve never actually sent any for grading but I always prefer to buy much older cards already graded for authenticity purposes. The prices are completely insane when, like you said, I can’t tell a difference between an 8 and a 10 half the time. Great video Mark
Thanks so much David! I still will send things for grading for time to time, but in more limited circumstances. I may send a few in that I want to look nice in my display case, for example.
Nice video and I agree with your thoughts. Most of my grading is for autographs I want authenticated. Not much other than that
Thanks so much! I haven't gotten into autos yet, but if I bought them unless it was just a common player, I think Id want it authenticated. I don't know enough about them to spot a fake.
Mark, I think the sad fact is that when a particular card seems to be fairly plentiful - even a card from the 1960s - the grading companies will exercise pop control on one level or another. Of course they deny it. But I think this controlled scarcity stems from the old adage "When everything is special, then nothing is." Hope and expectation fuel the mania to grade even the most ridiculously overproduced items. If your card looks perfect to you, then it's perfect. I was interested in your comment on the Killebrew rookie. If I'm offering a card online, if it has a modest surface wrinkle that doesn't go through to the other side, and the rest of the features are beautiful, I'm often inclined to list it as Excellent while alerting prospective buyers to the wrinkle. Thanks for your organized thoughts here!
Totally agree with you about the psychology around this. I sell some online too - I agree with you its fine to list and just disclose it. In this case it wasn't, but I don't think that's the seller's fault. It was sort of on me to ask about it, given that the SGC standards allow it. I just wasn't aware of it.
Thanks Mark for sharing your thoughts on this subject. I think you are aligned with a majority of vintage collecters here in our hobby community.
Thanks Doug- I think you’re right though I’ve heard some other thoughts on RUclips.
Enjoyed hearing your thoughts on grading, Mark. Thank you for sharing your perspective and showing some beautiful cards.
Thanks for watching and listening to my rambling :) . Appreciate it!
Great showcase of cards and great points made about grading. Thanks Mark for sharing.
Thanks so much!
Totally agree with your thoughts on grading. Thanks for sharing, Mark!
Thanks so much for checking out my video and listening to my rambling! :)
Interesting conversation, thanks
Thanks!
Awesome thoughts Mark. I really believe at the end of the day it is a personal preference for each collector. I have graded and ungraded and love all of the cards in my collection equally.
Absolutely a personal preference thing. Thanks Jason!
Hi Mark, very interesting points. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much for watching!
I do grading for much of the same reasons you mentioned in your video. I like the authenticity it provides to older, bigger cards (Koufax RC, 55 Jackie etc), I think they look great displayed, and it will be easier for my kids to sell when they inherit the monstrosity of my collection. Great video Mark! ~Allon
Makes sense. Will definitely be easier for family to get rid of things after we pass the collection on. Thanks for watching!
Well done 👍
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts
For sure! Thanks for watching.
Great video, Mark! Your thoughts for grading cards are a lot of why I grade them. It seems like they all have really toughened up on grades the last few years. It can definitely frustrate me at times!
Thanks for checking out my video and listening to my ramblings ;)
Hey Mark! I appreciate your thoughts on grading. Thanks for sharing, buddy!
Thanks Rob, appreciate it!
Beautiful cards Mark! I really like that Snider!! I do not have the “grader’s eye.” Every time I have sent a card in that I thought would grade well, I’ve been disappointed. It’s to the point where I would rather spend money on a card that is already graded. I do add raw cards to my collection that I have no intention to have graded. I stick to graded on my player and HOF runs, and then some others that have a little more meaning to me.
Thanks for the video and thanks for sharing.
Thanks Jay - definitely would rather spend money on new cards, though I may get something graded from time to time if I want to keep it in my display case Anyway - appreciate you watching and commenting and good luck building your HOF runs!
Hello Mark. I agree about grading. I have 10 cards that have been sitting on my desk for a couple of months ready to grade, but at $20 a card to grade, I am reluctant to do so. I can use those $200 to buy a nice vintage card. I know I will eventually give in and send them off to grade, but it's more for the look and for protection. I have a signed Clayton Kershaw baseball that I want to have authenticated, hopefully it comes back as authentic. Nice video, Mark.
Yeah- that’s the dilemma for sure. I’ve been looking at the SGC 70s special and would like some of my 70s graded for display purposes but it’s still close to $150 or so all in for 10 cards. Cool about the signed baseball!
All good points, Mark. 🤛🏻
Thanks so much!
Great thoughts, thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much!
Good thoughts.
Thanks!
Great video as always. One more reason for grading - when you leave your collection in your will to someone, it's much easier for them to be evaluated and sold. You might be leaving your collection to someone who doesn't know about cards, and would not be able to realize the value. Kind of grim, but a wills lawyer told me to get some of the more valuable ones graded. I agree that I hate seeing hobby dollars go toward cards I already have.
Yeah -that's a terrific point - it certainly will make things easier on those you we leave behind.
Great video Mark.
Thanks so much!
Hi Mark. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinions on this topic. Talk soon my friend.
For sure, appreciate you watching
That's the great thing about being a broke azz like I am. I can't afford to get screwed in "the rich man's game". I only own one graded card; a Cliff Floyd card graded a 10 by some obscure company in the 90's, that I got on Ebay and that the guy gave to me for free if I just pay the $3 shipping. Floyd played for my High School about 6 years after I graduated.
The "ONLY IDEAL" benefit I see to grading is the ease of selling a card online, and also making 100% sure that the expensive cards are not counterfeit, and even than is it 100% sure? I get that people have been able to make a lot of money by paying for grading, but I see it more like a pyramid scheme or game of hot potato in most cases.
Granted I spent 3K on mostly vintage cards at shows in the early nineties (glad I did), and the most I paid was $45 for a 1957 Eenie Banks that I bought at the National in Chicago (which would probably grade at least a 7, and maybe an 8). That was my second-best purchase. but my best ever was a complete set of 1970's Kellogg's football, for $40, also at the same show, and I swear every card could grade a perfect mint 10.
I also spent almost 6K on Ebay since getting back in, Sept 2020, but the most I paid for a card was $19 for a 1970 Carl Yastrzemski that looks like it would grade an 8. The majority of my cards are from auctions beginning at $0.01 and free shipping, and 99% of them I pay between $0.25 and $2. I own a lot of "cheap cards" I love being poor. LOL!
Some wise thoughts!
I do send cards in for grading and it does eat into the hobby budget. For me it’s more about getting a graded version than the grade but I completely understand why a lot of people choose not to do it!
Thanks! I like your grading reveal videos. They’re fun.
Another awesome vid as always!
Thanks so much!
I totally hear you Mark! If the others are anywhere near as nice as that 1961 Snider then somebody needs their eyes checked. I do love grading but when it comes to keepers, I have to sprinkle them in generally. I try to send a bunch of cards to grade with hopes to sell, with a handful of hall of fame RCs to keep for instance. Evens out the cost and makes it more realistic.
That all makes sense. I will send things in too from time to time if its a big card or I want to display on my wall, but otherwise eats up way too much of the hobby budget I'd rather spend on new cards.
@@MarksDodgersCards Yessir, I totally get that part! I get antsy with higher quality singles at times as well and just want to increase the value. BUT, it has to be worth it. Can't grade it all!
100% with you on the reluctance to send in cards to grade. Not saying I don’t do it because some of the vintage stuff I have, I’m like you, and want that authentication. But I do it knowing it’s in the best interests of these companies financial bottom lines to divvy out the high grades sparingly. If they give out the high grades to every card, and a lot of them deserve it, then they miss out on resubs, and the value of certain 9’s and all 10’s decrease. That hurts registries and temps less people to possibly submit. It’s a catch-22 because I love knowing when I buy a card it’s at minimum the grade I bought it at, but now when I have something I deem to be high grade I think “well there’s no point because they won’t be willing to grade it out high. And I’m not even necessarily talking 9’s and 10’s. 7’s and 8’s are becoming increasingly tough to come by the older the card.
Yeah - a lot of this mirrors my thinking. Plus, grading costs a bunch of money. I was thinking about the SGC special they have now on 70s cards. I'd like to send in a few to display, but I think I'd rather spend the money on new cards. Anyway -thanks for commenting and have a great weekend.
Nice thoughts Mark. Me personally, i never sent anything in since I can use that money to buy cards. Only expensive cards I'll buy graded. Besides i buy for my personal enjoyment n not to sell. Take care buddy.
Thanks Mike. I hear ya. The cost of those submissions can really add up. Have a good weekend.
I think your experience with grading is exactly why you see high prices, even on 80's wax, for PSA stars. It isn't easy to get a 10. A lot of the star cards from the 80's have lower pop counts. Many of those sets are condition sensitive and it's hard, even if pulling them straight from a pack, to get them perfect. Centering is a huge issue on all 1980s cards, followed by corners and edges (87 Donruss, 85 Donruss, 88 Donruss, 89 Donruss, and even Topps has a lot of corner issues). I think there are a lot of player collectors that was their guy in a 10, but I also think a lot of investors are preparing and planning ahead for the day when 80's is truly vintage and a PSA 10 of Ripken, Puckett, or Gwynn is a rare thing and worth a lot because of it. Right now, some are expensive, but some are still not too bad, some at some point they will all increase (in PSA 10). We have seen the 1970's cards go up over the last few years, and 80's will down the road.
I get it - I just can't tell the difference between a 10 and a 9 and some 8s that look perfect to me, so I opt out of the pursuit of 10s. I'm building my collection for my personal experience and in enjoying the cards, and. not looking at it as an investment. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Agree with everything you said! I have a lot of 10's in my collection, but it is because I graded them myself. There is no way I would pay a PSA 10 price for any card, including ultra-modern.
Thanks so much - and congrats on your good returns!
All valid points. I think the price difference between the ''9's and 10,'', is what frustrates most collectors. It can be argued, since grading is such a subjective process, the prices of 9's versus the 10's are just bonkers.
Totally agree on 9s v 10s. Some of those prices are totally out of control
Some people never learn.
Yup!
Great common sense thoughts!
Thank you!
Grading was for Vintage cards .and Autographs .now it's just junk slab era
Totally agree on junk slab era.
The Greg Maddux leaf is tough, I sent in a bunch to psa and got 2 9s some 8s and 7s and couple of 6s.
Wow- sounds like it!