How do you decide what to grade?
balco758
Posts: 1,396 ✭✭✭✭✭
This has come up before but curious for new / different POVs.
Going over a few thousand cards from rips - 70’s and 80’s and come across the random 81 Dick Drago, Bobby Brown, Jim Spencer type cards. After review and review under loupe you get comfortable the card would grade a 9, but total crap shoot whether it’s a 10......and even if it is, is it worth it? I don’t do registry, but curious what others do since card savers protect them without grading. I’d love to grade the stack but it’s expensive and will there ever be a sell-able market for an 81 T PSA Bobby Brown? Lol.
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Last 10 sold for $100.
There is no accounting for taste or preferences, 1st rule of economics. Go with you gut, you never know who will find it right in his/hers wheelhouse. How did a 89 UD Griffey psa 1 go for big bucks?
9's from the 1970's should be worth grading I would think? Especially if well centered.
You might want to look at how many people are collecting graded sets from each year and watch for low pop commons.
I recently did a project with 1987 Topps. Bought a bunch of unopened and ripped it. Lots of garbage there. Also had a few thousand cards from collecting packs and the occasional box purchase.
Even though there aren't many guys building the 87 set, I pulled some low pop commons that I thought had a chance at a 10 and all the star cards of course.
With the other cards, I looked at what the star cards and rookies were selling for in a 10 and a 9 and decided to submit cards that were worth at least $20.00 or so in a 9. My thinking was I should get some 10's (I went over the cards multiple times and had a card buddy with a good eye look at them as well) a bunch of 9's and some lower.
I am retired, so am doing it for fun. If I was more serious about it, I would probably have used a higher number than $20.00.
Sent in 170 cards in June and am wondering when PSA will ever get them done. Cards are still in research and ID.
Thanks Joe- I’ve sort of been following this type of approach. I was using $50 as my floor given grading fees, postage, selling fees and my lack of patience on the it takes time to grade! I guess there is no rush so will just enjoy the journey.
Glad there is no rush, PSA has apparently stopped (at least temporarily) working on "bulk" subs.
$50.00 is probably a better number to use as a "floor".
considering i've been doing a bunch of box breaks and send off for consignment, if a psa 9 brings in $1 more the cost of grading and consignment fee, i'm sending it off. maximizes the box and worth the risk should it gem. besides, by the time i finally get it back, the 9/10 is worth more than at the time it was subbed.
not really doing any personal subs at the moment. striking while the iron is hot on the ultra-modern market.
I should have added I am mostly reviewing 77 and 79 OPC and 81 T. Not exactly the highest in demand! Maybe 81 in time.
I think it’s a nice looking set just not lots of value sans 10s.