New to Grading
cb42
Posts: 34 ✭✭
Hi all. I have cards from the 1950s to 1980s, none of which are graded. I would like to grade some. I think I will start with a few cards this 1980 Topps basketball set which has been wrapped in cellophane since I got it in the early 1980s. (I actually didn't remember owning this set until I recently found it in a box while cleaning out the garage.)
I am wondering how would you store a set like this if you intend to grade at least some cards. I see from the PSA website that for grading I should put cards in penny sleeves and semi-rigid card holders. So I'm thinking of putting every card in this set in penny sleeves and semi-rigid card holders even if I don't intend to have them all graded. Then, as I understand it, if I grade a card it will come back in a sealed container, correct? Which is bigger than the semi-rigid card holder?
Anyway, I am wondering how others handle their sets. Thanks in advance!
Comments
Welcome to the boards!
I am a "player" collector not a set guy.
I grade all the cards of a specific player if I want all their cards. If it's a player I don't have a collection of, I only grade cards that make sense to do so financially.
Grading gets very expensive very fast. Unless you have a LOT of money, I wouldn't bother to grade common cards.
Putting every card in a penny sleeve and plastic holder does make sense.
Have fun collecting!
Thanks for the response, Joe. I was thinking of putting all of the cards in penny sleeves/semi-rigids just for consistency of storage. I understand the part about grading getting expensive. For this set I would at least get the top card graded because it is by far the most valuable card in the set. So that would mean a semi-rigid turned into a slab. As for the rest, I don't know. Maybe penny sleeves/top loaders? Like I said, I'm kind of new to the modern world of card storage and grading. All of my cards are either in cardboard boxes or, in some cases, plastic sheets in notebooks. Or in this particular case, a cellophane-wrapped deck exactly as I got it from the dealer forty years ago. Not too sophisticated over here! At first I thought I would just sell this set to someone who wanted it, but now I'm getting the itch to keep it. :-)
That card looks beat! Hope it's only on the plastic wrap!
I think it's how the cellophane photographed. I haven't opened it yet because I want to get penny sleeves etc. Then I'll open up the package and see what it really looks like. :-)