This has been happening for ample months. I have been purchasing MLB Topps superstars from the late 70's in PSA 9 condition and also trying to find accurately graded raw cards from the same years that are potential PSA 8/9's.
Greg Morris is selling raw cards that would be lucky to received a PSA 8 for higher amounts then what a PSA 8 is selling for. It makes no sense and its consistently happening. Sometimes a card will sell for more than what a PSA 9 would sell for.
@Yankees70 said:
This has been happening for ample months. I have been purchasing MLB Topps superstars from the late 70's in PSA 9 condition and also trying to find accurately graded raw cards from the same years that are potential PSA 8/9's.
Greg Morris is selling raw cards that would be lucky to received a PSA 8 for higher amounts then what a PSA 8 is selling for. It makes no sense and its consistently happening. Sometimes a card will sell for more than what a PSA 9 would sell for.
Thank you.
That’s the point here.
Many have no idea this has been happening.
The example I gave looks absurd, but it’s happening a lot.
@Yankees70 said:
This has been happening for ample months. I have been purchasing MLB Topps superstars from the late 70's in PSA 9 condition and also trying to find accurately graded raw cards from the same years that are potential PSA 8/9's.
Greg Morris is selling raw cards that would be lucky to received a PSA 8 for higher amounts then what a PSA 8 is selling for. It makes no sense and its consistently happening. Sometimes a card will sell for more than what a PSA 9 would sell for.
His fee structure is high. I don’t think you make money by buying, cracking and then selling through Greg Morris. He is good at what he does - he accurately grades raw cards for set collectors who want them in their binders. Many don’t feel comfortable cracking cards out of slabs and have no interest in graded cards. My brother is a collector like this and buys from Greg Morris. I think a decent percentage of his cards have never been submitted. People who built sets through him later sell through him.
@brad31 said:
His fee structure is high. I don’t think you make money by buying, cracking and then selling through Greg Morris. He is good at what he does - he accurately grades raw cards for set collectors who want them in their binders. Many don’t feel comfortable cracking cards out of slabs and have no interest in graded cards. My brother is a collector like this and buys from Greg Morris. I think a decent percentage of his cards have never been submitted. People who built sets through him later sell through him.
I agree, my buddy who is in his 60's refuses to ever buy, sell, or trade a graded card!
Successful coin BST transactions with Gerard and segoja.
Successful card BST transactions with cbcnow, brogurt, gstarling, Bravesfan 007, and rajah 424.
I send him 1000s of cards monthly. Nice cards but mid grade commons and stars from 49-65. His fee is high but not really because you could never sell to anyone for what he gets so his overall fees more than get paid for with the price you get. The first submission I sent him was 626 cards sold for $5700+ netted $4050 on cards that I would spend a year trying to sell raw and sell less than half. It’s well worth it in my opinion
Something has to give sooner or later. the hobby can't continue this way. It's like someone out there with unGodly amounts of money is just going crazy buying these raw cards that will never translate into graded profits. I bid on GM cards but hardly ever win. The Howe card was a great example of crazy. GM cards routinely grade one or two grades lower than his guesses. I have kept a detailed spreadsheet on my purchases from him and it's rare to get an over-grade, but routine to get under-grades. I am the only one who keeps score?
The last 12 cards I purchased from him, which was 4-5 months ago, were mostly graded accurately. I purchased cards from 1976-1979 that were all graded NM-MT + or better and 10 of the 12 were graded PSA 8. One was graded a 7 and one a 6.
I have not won an auction since then because the prices realized have gone way up. Like I said collectors are paying well over the value of a PSA 8 and sometimes over the price of a PSA 9. The items I won were all purchased LOWER than the price of PSA 8 for the same card.
And I buy from 1975 and older. I'm not saying Greg Morris grades are wrong or if PSA and SGC are grading too low. Either way, the price you pay has not been translating into profit. BTW, I think ALL Graded cards should be given a price minimum of $15 from PSA just because they have been through the grading process. They price cards way too low and make it that only certain cards are worth grading.
@80sOPC said:
Basically smashes the myth that cards needed to be graded to yield good value.
Sshhhhhhh.
Which is why I say PSA is setting prices too low on all graded cards. Minimum $15 which would make sending in commons more of an incentive. People look at what PSA prices and they rarely pay more
@Yankees70 said:
The last 12 cards I purchased from him, which was 4-5 months ago, were mostly graded accurately. I purchased cards from 1976-1979 that were all graded NM-MT + or better and 10 of the 12 were graded PSA 8. One was graded a 7 and one a 6.
I have not won an auction since then because the prices realized have gone way up. Like I said collectors are paying well over the value of a PSA 8 and sometimes over the price of a PSA 9. The items I won were all purchased LOWER than the price of PSA 8 for the same card.
I’ve noticed on graded cards across the board that prices are either steady or slightly rising with vintage.
I’m sure there’s pockets of weakness still but a bottom may be forming.
With respect, I’m not sure why you would assume that cards bought from GM would generate profit post grading. That seems kind of silly. Some of us, believe it or not, are just collectors. And a good number or collectors don’t care about grading, or want the hassle of storing graded cards. These guys see GM as a premium place to buy properly evaluated cards.
If you are looking to hit home-runs on raw cards look somewhere else.
@Samthecat said:
And I buy from 1975 and older. I'm not saying Greg Morris grades are wrong or if PSA and SGC are grading too low. Either way, the price you pay has not been translating into profit. BTW, I think ALL Graded cards should be given a price minimum of $15 from PSA just because they have been through the grading process. They price cards way too low and make it that only certain cards are worth grading.
****With respect, I’m not sure why you would assume that cards bought from GM would generate profit post grading. That seems kind of silly. Some of us, believe it or not, are just collectors. And a good number or collectors don’t care about grading, or want the hassle of storing graded cards. These guys see GM as a premium place to buy properly evaluated cards.
If you are looking to hit home-runs on raw cards look somewhere else.**
**
I'm also a collector and I made money on all 12 cards I purchased from GM and so have ample people I know. Your comments suggest that a collector can't make a profit which is not correct. Up until 4-6 months ago it was very easy for collectors that were good at grading a card. It has become much harder now because collectors are paying well above what the same card would sell for in PSA 8 condition. Still there are ample opportunities to make a profit as he has thousands of cards up for auction.
Grading cards is extremely important for one reason - If a collector dies it will me much easier for his family to sell his collection. My family knows exactly how to look up a price of a graded card and they know nothing about the hobby. Selling ungraded cards are much harder and rarely will a person receive a fair offer for the collection. This is not the case when a collection has been graded by PSA. There are other reasons why a collector should consider PSA but IMO this is the most important.
I never suggested a collector can't take profit, or that cards shouldn't be graded. I was providing some context as to why a raw card could sell for as much as graded. Not everyone has profit as a motive, and not everyone is interested in grading.
And yes, if a material portion of your NW and retirement / legacy is in cards, probably best to have it well documented and a plan in place for your family. That could include graded cards, or a note to consign to GM, or an reputable auction house.
Personally I don't really care what my family does with my cards, records, guns, wine. We have financial assets in place for post life care ( and the hobby stuff is all documented and insured in case of unforeseen).
Personally I don't really care what my family does with my cards, records, guns, wine. We have financial assets in place for post life care ( and the hobby stuff is all documented and insured in case of unforeseen).
The investor approach has significantly altered the card market over the past decade or so. I have also noticed that prices for vintage commons in higher grade has risen quite a bit, especially over the past few years. It costs more to grade cards and I imagine that is part of it due to limited supply but it's definitely something I've noticed.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
@grote15 said:
The investor approach has significantly altered the card market over the past decade or so. I have also noticed that prices for vintage commons in higher grade has risen quite a bit, especially over the past few years. It costs more to grade cards and I imagine that is part of it due to limited supply but it's definitely something I've noticed.
I agree. I remember all the old threads where guys were subbing commons trying to complete 70s sets. I cant remember exactly, but it seems there were some $6-$7 subs for commons back then. sadly, I don't think we will see those days again.
@grote15 said:
The investor approach has significantly altered the card market over the past decade or so. I have also noticed that prices for vintage commons in higher grade has risen quite a bit, especially over the past few years. It costs more to grade cards and I imagine that is part of it due to limited supply but it's definitely something I've noticed.
I agree. I remember all the old threads where guys were subbing commons trying to complete 70s sets. I cant remember exactly, but it seems there were some $6-$7 subs for commons back then. sadly, I don't think we will see those days again.
I'm with you. I generally haven't been too worried about commons, but have started paying more attention. They're getting higher $$ now, and good luck trying to complete a vintage set. Commons will be pricey depending on how old they are. There are still folks out there looking to complete sets but since no one is grading them anymore the prices are up.
The model of buying from GM, slabbing and selling for a profit doesn't work so well anymore. Hammer prices are high, cost of grading is high and grade results are poorer. I now look at it more as an opportunity to fill gaps for my sets than buying to grade and flip.
@gemint said:
The model of buying from GM, slabbing and selling for a profit doesn't work so well anymore. Hammer prices are high, cost of grading is high and grade results are poorer. I now look at it more as an opportunity to fill gaps for my sets than buying to grade and flip.
Care to share how you did in the past grading and flipping
Greg has been a trusted resource for buying and selling for as long as I've known him. In a time when there's precious few other opportunities to hustle nice cards via the open market, people seem willing to pay a lot extra to secure the best raw material, including those who sub to the grading companies. The competition has been too fierce over the more recent years and knocked me out of the buy-slab-resell game for good. My best grabs are tidbits compared to what was. The old days are deep in the rearview. Pay up or salivate.
@ElMagoStrikeZone said:
Greg has been a trusted resource for buying and selling for as long as I've known him. In a time when there's precious few other opportunities to hustle nice cards via the open market, people seem willing to pay a lot extra to secure the best raw material, including those who sub to the grading companies. The competition has been too fierce over the more recent years and knocked me out of the buy-slab-resell game for good. My best grabs are tidbits compared to what was. The old days are deep in the rearview. Pay up or salivate.
So true. You have to be very picky today and be very, very careful. The last year or two though have been extra crazy. You have to expect a Greg NM-MT or Better to grade at EX-MT
I know 1981 isn't vintage in most circles unless you call people boomers and do TikTok dances but PSA 9 examples are getting a premium. I'm in at about $5 on racks and have been busting them open recently. I normally pull about 1 potential 10 but now even looking at slightly OC cards for potential 9s. Dodgers, Tigers and Cardinals seem to go for a premium. Kirk Gibson about $200 in a 9 and Fernando even more.
I haven’t won any auctions at gm in quite a while. In my experience with them their stars & singles seem pretty accurate to the grade estimate. While the actual set breaks tend to be over-estimated. I realize all of their cards are labeled as set break in the title, but I hope you know what I mean.
I finished my 54 and 58 sets with gm so I’m still a pretty big fan, but I agree that the prices have been a bit high. Then again maybe that’s just the market. Time will tell.
4Boston
Posts: 281 ✭✭✭
Comments
The Greg Morris set breaks are a powerful drug.
buying O-Pee-Chee (OPC) baseball
He gets great prices on both Graded and raw. I send him $5000 est value every other month raw
Obviously the guy who won is the one who bought the PSA 8.
Next.
Bidding buddies?
This has been happening for ample months. I have been purchasing MLB Topps superstars from the late 70's in PSA 9 condition and also trying to find accurately graded raw cards from the same years that are potential PSA 8/9's.
Greg Morris is selling raw cards that would be lucky to received a PSA 8 for higher amounts then what a PSA 8 is selling for. It makes no sense and its consistently happening. Sometimes a card will sell for more than what a PSA 9 would sell for.
Thank you.
That’s the point here.
Many have no idea this has been happening.
The example I gave looks absurd, but it’s happening a lot.
Yes. It doesn't make dollars nor sense.
yeah, it is crazy people pay the prices they do to Morris for raw cards...you know what they say about a fool and his money
The buyers think that Greg Morris’ stuff is never-been-graded, unearthed cards hitting the market for the first time.
A good way to make some coin is to buy 7 and 8s with strong corners, crack them out, and consign them to Greg Morris. Cha Ching.
I just bought a NM-MT or better rookie from them for $100 less then a PSA 8 rookie would cost.
Going to get it signed and then graded. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.
Have never tried this before with them. I usually crack already graded cards, but am willing to trust them and give it a go.
Quite obviously, this proves that hockey cards sold on February 19th do much better than cards sold on March 4th or 24th.
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
If this GM card grades PSA 8 then the buyer of the GM card is very happy.__
The magic of Feb 19 at work once again!
Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest
His fee structure is high. I don’t think you make money by buying, cracking and then selling through Greg Morris. He is good at what he does - he accurately grades raw cards for set collectors who want them in their binders. Many don’t feel comfortable cracking cards out of slabs and have no interest in graded cards. My brother is a collector like this and buys from Greg Morris. I think a decent percentage of his cards have never been submitted. People who built sets through him later sell through him.
I agree, my buddy who is in his 60's refuses to ever buy, sell, or trade a graded card!
Successful card BST transactions with cbcnow, brogurt, gstarling, Bravesfan 007, and rajah 424.
It’s me, hi, I’m the feb 19 shiller, it’s me. 😀
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
I send him 1000s of cards monthly. Nice cards but mid grade commons and stars from 49-65. His fee is high but not really because you could never sell to anyone for what he gets so his overall fees more than get paid for with the price you get. The first submission I sent him was 626 cards sold for $5700+ netted $4050 on cards that I would spend a year trying to sell raw and sell less than half. It’s well worth it in my opinion
Basically smashes the myth that cards needed to be graded to yield good value.
Sshhhhhhh.
Something has to give sooner or later. the hobby can't continue this way. It's like someone out there with unGodly amounts of money is just going crazy buying these raw cards that will never translate into graded profits. I bid on GM cards but hardly ever win. The Howe card was a great example of crazy. GM cards routinely grade one or two grades lower than his guesses. I have kept a detailed spreadsheet on my purchases from him and it's rare to get an over-grade, but routine to get under-grades. I am the only one who keeps score?
The last 12 cards I purchased from him, which was 4-5 months ago, were mostly graded accurately. I purchased cards from 1976-1979 that were all graded NM-MT + or better and 10 of the 12 were graded PSA 8. One was graded a 7 and one a 6.
I have not won an auction since then because the prices realized have gone way up. Like I said collectors are paying well over the value of a PSA 8 and sometimes over the price of a PSA 9. The items I won were all purchased LOWER than the price of PSA 8 for the same card.
And I buy from 1975 and older. I'm not saying Greg Morris grades are wrong or if PSA and SGC are grading too low. Either way, the price you pay has not been translating into profit. BTW, I think ALL Graded cards should be given a price minimum of $15 from PSA just because they have been through the grading process. They price cards way too low and make it that only certain cards are worth grading.
Which is why I say PSA is setting prices too low on all graded cards. Minimum $15 which would make sending in commons more of an incentive. People look at what PSA prices and they rarely pay more
I’ve noticed on graded cards across the board that prices are either steady or slightly rising with vintage.
I’m sure there’s pockets of weakness still but a bottom may be forming.
With respect, I’m not sure why you would assume that cards bought from GM would generate profit post grading. That seems kind of silly. Some of us, believe it or not, are just collectors. And a good number or collectors don’t care about grading, or want the hassle of storing graded cards. These guys see GM as a premium place to buy properly evaluated cards.
If you are looking to hit home-runs on raw cards look somewhere else.
Bingo
****With respect, I’m not sure why you would assume that cards bought from GM would generate profit post grading. That seems kind of silly. Some of us, believe it or not, are just collectors. And a good number or collectors don’t care about grading, or want the hassle of storing graded cards. These guys see GM as a premium place to buy properly evaluated cards.
If you are looking to hit home-runs on raw cards look somewhere else.**
**
I'm also a collector and I made money on all 12 cards I purchased from GM and so have ample people I know. Your comments suggest that a collector can't make a profit which is not correct. Up until 4-6 months ago it was very easy for collectors that were good at grading a card. It has become much harder now because collectors are paying well above what the same card would sell for in PSA 8 condition. Still there are ample opportunities to make a profit as he has thousands of cards up for auction.
Grading cards is extremely important for one reason - If a collector dies it will me much easier for his family to sell his collection. My family knows exactly how to look up a price of a graded card and they know nothing about the hobby. Selling ungraded cards are much harder and rarely will a person receive a fair offer for the collection. This is not the case when a collection has been graded by PSA. There are other reasons why a collector should consider PSA but IMO this is the most important.
I never suggested a collector can't take profit, or that cards shouldn't be graded. I was providing some context as to why a raw card could sell for as much as graded. Not everyone has profit as a motive, and not everyone is interested in grading.
And yes, if a material portion of your NW and retirement / legacy is in cards, probably best to have it well documented and a plan in place for your family. That could include graded cards, or a note to consign to GM, or an reputable auction house.
Personally I don't really care what my family does with my cards, records, guns, wine. We have financial assets in place for post life care ( and the hobby stuff is all documented and insured in case of unforeseen).
I would hope they at least drink the wine
Has anyone purchased a raw pre 1981 card from GM that received a PSA 9 or 10 in the last 6 months?
I don't bid high enough to win any pre 1981's from Greg.
I have had a couple of 9's but on Minor Stars. 1969 Topps Jim Northrup and a 1968 Topps Ron Santo. That's it.
You are not alone in that. Perhaps it's that guy who got mad at me for needing to make a little profit on selling cards that is outbidding us.
The investor approach has significantly altered the card market over the past decade or so. I have also noticed that prices for vintage commons in higher grade has risen quite a bit, especially over the past few years. It costs more to grade cards and I imagine that is part of it due to limited supply but it's definitely something I've noticed.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
Can’t get the graded commons anymore so collectors are going raw and only buying stars graded
Not at all a new phenomenon. Premiums for cards sold by Greg Morris goes back at least 8-10 years, and has been brought up many times in various threads.
.
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/992552/are-you-finding-raw-cards-at-prices-like-they-are-graded
I agree. I remember all the old threads where guys were subbing commons trying to complete 70s sets. I cant remember exactly, but it seems there were some $6-$7 subs for commons back then. sadly, I don't think we will see those days again.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I'm with you. I generally haven't been too worried about commons, but have started paying more attention. They're getting higher $$ now, and good luck trying to complete a vintage set. Commons will be pricey depending on how old they are. There are still folks out there looking to complete sets but since no one is grading them anymore the prices are up.
I suppose it's just simple supply and demand.
The model of buying from GM, slabbing and selling for a profit doesn't work so well anymore. Hammer prices are high, cost of grading is high and grade results are poorer. I now look at it more as an opportunity to fill gaps for my sets than buying to grade and flip.
Spot on comments GEMINT
Care to share how you did in the past grading and flipping
Greg has been a trusted resource for buying and selling for as long as I've known him. In a time when there's precious few other opportunities to hustle nice cards via the open market, people seem willing to pay a lot extra to secure the best raw material, including those who sub to the grading companies. The competition has been too fierce over the more recent years and knocked me out of the buy-slab-resell game for good. My best grabs are tidbits compared to what was. The old days are deep in the rearview. Pay up or salivate.
So true. You have to be very picky today and be very, very careful. The last year or two though have been extra crazy. You have to expect a Greg NM-MT or Better to grade at EX-MT
I know 1981 isn't vintage in most circles unless you call people boomers and do TikTok dances but PSA 9 examples are getting a premium. I'm in at about $5 on racks and have been busting them open recently. I normally pull about 1 potential 10 but now even looking at slightly OC cards for potential 9s. Dodgers, Tigers and Cardinals seem to go for a premium. Kirk Gibson about $200 in a 9 and Fernando even more.
I haven’t won any auctions at gm in quite a while. In my experience with them their stars & singles seem pretty accurate to the grade estimate. While the actual set breaks tend to be over-estimated. I realize all of their cards are labeled as set break in the title, but I hope you know what I mean.
I finished my 54 and 58 sets with gm so I’m still a pretty big fan, but I agree that the prices have been a bit high. Then again maybe that’s just the market. Time will tell.