I'm thinking about starting a graded set...

YanksFan

Hey, I'm usually on the b/s/t board but sets have become more and more interested to me. I'm thinking of doing a set from either 1983(Boggs) or 1984(Mattingly). I can't really make up my mind though.I was thinking of collecting the set in PSA 8 and slowly upgrading, I'm only 17 so I don't have tons of cash to get a high grade set together. Whatdya think? What have your experiences is putting graded sets together like? Thanks.

CDC4

It you own oppinion about what set you would like to do but I would be careful.....There is a lot of cards from those years still out there since they have produced so much product....If I were to choose between the two...I would have to pick the 1983 set since it has 3 solid rookies, Boggs, Gwynn, Sandberg.......

mcastaldi

YanksFan> Since I'm currently building a graded 82F set, perhaps I can give you some advice.

1) Forget about PSA8s. Set your sights on 9s or better. If resale value is of any concern at all, you shouldn't do anything less than a 9. For the years you're looking at, there should be TONS of PSA9-quality material out there.

2) Your choice of year and brand will greatly affect price. There will be a reasonably wide price difference from say 84T to 83T to 84D. Of the years you mentioned, 83D, 83F and 84T will likely be the least expensive.

3) NEVER - EVER! - bid as though there will be only one of a given card. With as much material from those years that's out there, if you can't pick up a particular card, just wait.

4) If you're serious about building the set, you're probably going to have to submit on your own. In a quick look on eBay, 83T vending boxes go in the $50-$75 range. 83F vending boxes have been in the $20-$40 range. In fact, about 2 weeks ago, an 83F vending case went for around $450. You can easily find 84T vending boxes for under $20 each. 84F vending boxes are a bit more. My point here is that unlike some earlier sets, the unopened material for 83 and 84 generally is priced so it makes sense to crack it and submit it.

Personally, if I had to choose from those years I'd pick 83T or 84D. I just think those are the nicest looking cards of the 80s.

Mike

jaxxr

The 83 Topps set also has Ripkens 2nd year card as well as nice examples of Ryan, Schmidt, Rose and other superstars. A very nice looking set, just a few years away from "vintage"if one uses the typical 1980 as the cut off.

I myself, have tried to start graded sets via the highest price cards first. While this is only one way to go , it gives you a chance to observe in-hand some graded examples from the set. If you later decide not to continue putting together the set, the stars have a much more constant market and thus are easier to sell.

Remember in making a set you enjoy, there is no deadline to finish it. You may not have to get every single common in graded slabs to have a fine set. You might consider a couple other grading companies in addition to PSA ( I know this precludes a set for the registry and may offend PSA diehards ). Possibly the consistency of one size slab makes exclusive PSA the proper way to go for your set. A minimum grade for the set is also important. If you are making the set for mainly your personal collecting pleasure , rather than resale value, any grade or combination that you personally find acceptable is fine. Graded sets can be frustrating, costly, time-consuming, but can give you an enormous amount of collecting fun and pride.

I notice you collect the vastly underrated Larry Walker rookies as I also do. If you might be interested in possible trading or just dicussing this superstar, please feel free to e-mail me.

brucemo

I think you are too young to do something that stupid.

If you were older, had a wife to nag you, had kids to write in crayon on the walls, had a real job that paid real money but never quite enough, had mortgage payments, and a car that needs a new transmission, you could do something stupid and we'd all say, well, he's suffered enough, it's not terrible if he goes off and becomes a fool for a while.

But you should be being smart for a few more years yet.

Modern sets are extremely large, so you need to accumulate a very large number of cards. Each of these cards will cost you some basic amount of money, which will be a non-trival percentage of the grading fee. When you are done, you will have a stack of slabs about ten feet high, which you will have paid several thousand dollars for, much more if you sent all of the cards in yourself, and you will have gone through a fairly large amount of hell to accumulate these slabs, if you are at all concerned about budget.

And the value of this stack of slabs is probably about zero. The reason is that this kind of silliness is still very bleeding edge. It is unclear if modern graded sets will catch on. Perhaps the value will increase in the future, but it's not certain, and there is no reason why you couldn't just keep the cards raw and send them in at that point.

The players in the older sets don't have much context for you, but it still makes more sense to do those. The sets are smaller, and the value of the cards (even the commons) is proven by time, and is much higher than the value of modern commons. If you do a small vintage set in some sensible grade, you may be able to do it for *less* than you'd pay to do a modern set, you could do it in less time, and if you need to sell it, you can get more of your money out, and you might even make a profit.

bruce

YanksFan

Thanks for the advice.

I just collect Topps rookies, I don't collect gu'ed but I do have some plain autos. I am flip-flopping between 83T and 84T. I'm just doing it for the fun, I'm not gonna try to sell the set afterward. The main rason I'm not going to try to put a vintage set together is because I am only interested in NY Yankee vintage, and I didn't get the opportunity to see many older greats, and if I did it was via highlights after they passed.

Jaxxr-Walker is a beast! I've been collecting him and Frank Thomas for about 3 years now, b/c they're 2 of my favorite players, very underrated, and usually very consistent. I'll be emailing ya soon.

theBobs

Collect what makes you happy. If you decide to put a set together from the 80s, by all means, listen to what mcastaldi has to say. He is clever, efficient, and generally spot on with advise.