My set registry dilemma.........

GoSoxBoSox

...I'm pretty new to set registration and I've run across an issue all of you more senior registrants' must've incurred at one time or another. On of my sets is the 1934 Goudey set. Recently, one of my purchases put me in the position to upgrade a lot of cards in the set which is great. However, in two particular cases as I compared these upgrades from PSA 5 to PSA 6, I noticed the PSA 5's are actually nicer then the PSA 6's. So I ask myself: "Self...what the hell am I doing here? Collecting cards or grades?"

Do you guys take the better card at the lower grade? the higher graded card? upgrade to a 7 and through the other two cards away? what?

Any notable examples of premium cards you've had this issue with?

carew4me

Whats your goal?

Collect the best looking card to you because the set is your baby
OR
Keep the highest grade regardless because you want to be on top of that SR list no matter what.

1954

GoSoxBoSox-
What I do is take the upgrade for my set and register it. Then I crack out the PSA 5 and resubmit it if I believe it is undergraded. If it comes back a PSA 5 again, I sell it.

1954

GoSoxBoSox

God knows I'll never be the top collector in the 1934 Goudey category. I'm currently 8th and the top four are real tough. My goal's been to get the best set I can that's 6's or better. I just loved the look of that set. I never thought about the fact I may be giving up a 5 in better shape then a 6 to get there. I guess I'm a bit nieve, huh? I guess getting a better 6 (or higher) then the one I have is the answer.

I guess the REAL questions are - why is the grading so inconsistent? and what are your horror stories on this topic?

GoSoxBoSox

1954:

How much $$$ have you spent on what you consider misgrades? It seems crazy to pay PSA twice for being inconsistent in the first place.

It's a great racket....wish I thought of it.

RobE

Face to face with Funky Frank we were discussing the registry and what is most important when building a set like Set weight,GPA,completion total,the best grades and stuff like that.The guy comes back with an answer that has been echoing in my noggin ever since.

"Finding cards your happy with to put in your set(s)"

Perfect answer.

Some cards that might be in higher grade don't always have the same eye appeal as the lower example.I found a few cards just recently purchased that I'm not happy with about 8 of them that were supposed to be upgrades.The fronts are good but the backs are worse off than the 8s.In fact,the 8s have overall great appeal but they would never make it into 9 holders.Only good thing I found out was that the submission I'm putting togethor has a better chance than I thought when looking at these low end 8s in 9 holders.Hell,I might even have a 10 or two.

Moral of the story in Frank's words.

Finding cards YOUR happy with.

Who better to satisfy?

cardbroad

You are looking more at the overall appearance of the card in the holder and not the sometimes microscopic faults of a card that make up a grade. A PSA6 with a poor quality picture and o/c and corner wear can look real bad next to a sharp centered and clean PSA5 but with a very tiny hard to see crease that kills the official grade. If you have questions send the cards back to PSA in the holders for review to a higher grade. You may be right or they may point out the problem area to you. There are many great looking cards in lower grade holders but some people get so hung up on needing a minimum grade that they miss cards they'd like if they just got to see them.

AlanAllen

Keep them both until you can upgrade to a card with a higher grade AND better eye appeal.

Joe

aro13

I have had good success buying PSA 7's on ebay to replace my PSA 6's and PSA 8 oc's for my 1961-62 Fleer basketball set. I usually put the two cards together put tape on the grades and have my wife decide which card she likes better. The system has worked pretty well so far.

1420sports

Without going into the "resubmitting in hopes of a higher grade thing", I know what you are talking about with PSA 7's looking better than PSA 8's and wanting both a personal collection and one that sizes up for registry purposes. I recently bought a 71 Rose PSA 8. I got the deal I was looking for simply because it was the card I was looking for. It is one of the best 8's I have seen. I could have bought countless others - some at a much lower price - but I knew if I was going to spend the money on that type of card I would wait until the example I wanted became available. It did. I know that my Rose set is comprised of nicely graded cards.

My take is wait until the example that you are looking for becomes available. It eventually will ...

1954

GoSox-
For the Pre-war stuff I collect, I normally just buy cards to finish the set and then upgrade later. If we are talking about some of the 1960's sets, I would only consider buying only the level that I had planned for. I also don't buy the card if I don't think it is properly graded/don't like the card. By the card and not the holder.


1954

downgoesfrazier

GSBS, This is a great topic. I have passed on a minimum of twenty 10's that have been offered to me because I had a 9...or even an 8, that was clearly superior. The rub is this...
A large part of the Registry equation is ego and peer validation. It is a celebration of self...plain and simple. Having a 5 beat your 6 doesn't hurt as much as purchasing what PSA calls "virtually perfect" and the minute it hits your palm there is an obvious unforgivable flaw. You've got a 10 that would be more appropriate in a 9(OF) that you put on paper and store your "9" as your "set card"...and you're not alone. Set Registrant's do this for two reasons: They want a higher GPA and they don't want anyone else having the 10...even though it's a coaster. THE REGISTRY IS A COMPETITIVE ARENA. Don't talk to me about fellowship and common interest...sure there is a residue of camaraderie that can't help but be feigned, but it is competitive...make no mistake. I'm not sure what the answer is. If you're made of money I'd keep 'em both. When the set is done, launch the 6 and keep the card you'd carry to the john to admire...how's that for an image. Lastly, it does seem that this issue would be equally tough when dealing with a dead-centered, focused, clean, colorful 6 with light, even corner wear and you've got a 75/25, sharp-cornered, dull 7...my 52's come to mind.

Rob,
You mentioned Frank. This is a discussion we have constantly. The reason we enjoy collecting together is that we don't let cert #'s get in the way...when our ego's will allow.
Frank sits behind "Guy's 78 set" on the registry, yet his set is so far superior to Guy's it is not really comparable. Wouldn't it make you nuts if you sold off hundreds of sliders and second, even third-best copies of '80 topps from your stash and got passed on the registry by the guy with an inferior set? Of course it would bug you. To what degree- who knows.

Carew,
I love the way you think, but that really goes against the whole concept of grading cards for the purpose of keeping them. If we were just happy with the cards and didn't care about the grades, we wouldn't have this board to post on...get my drift. Fact is...we DO care what's on the flip.

...I will eventually start grading sets for people who want to sell them. In essence, I will be grading third-party application of standards as well as taking in the set's consistency and aesthetics. A technical 9 with sturdy, crisp stock with roller marks and poor color-strike and image quality is garbage. I may grade zero sets or a thousand...I'll do it for nothing more than the insurance I'd need to have the stuff in my possession and postage. Cert buyers would come up empty on judgement day when their set of 75's that they bought from a couple of volume submissions and carries a PSA GPA of 8.53 grades a dashing "Frazier NM+...nice stock. Key's below overall GPA standard as well as four low-pop sliders. Overall a bland offering that was likely assembled exclusively on-line with little knowledge of the product."...just daydreaming again...but wouldn't it be great? To buy a set that an expert on THAT issue assessed and gave an overall subjective opinion on what's possible vs. what's on the flip.

...do the "dreaming" thing from Wayne's World..."Frazier's world...excellent!"...

dgf

wolfbear

This phenomenon, which I think we've all experienced,
occurs because grading companies can really only grade on the technical merits of a card.

Frankly, I don't care what the corners of a card look like under magnification,
nor do I care if a card has a tiny surface flaw that can hardly be seen unless you 'hold it up to a light just right'.
On the other hand, can you imagine a grader just looking at a card and saying "This one looks pretty, I'll give it an 8" ?

So, I use the number on the slab to give me info on the objective condition, and authenticity of a card,
then it's up to me to decide if the card meets my eye appeal standards.
I've got 7's that I like better than 9's, but the 9's are 'technically' better according to the standards used in card grading.

GoSoxBoSox

<< <i>The rub is this...
A large part of the Registry equation is ego and peer validation. It is a celebration of self...plain and simple. >>



DGF...true, true....so damn true. I love how you call a spade....a spade. Most of us chasers probably are egotistical slobs. I actually thought of this when I picked the sets I would chase. The old argument of "What's Achievable" (in other words, check your ego at the door) v. "Wants", because most of us have a want that's unachievable.

When I picked the sets I wanted to collect in PSA grade I actually chose my favorite sets knowing I would never be #1 in any of them (it's taken years of therapy to say this out load).

Say it with me......I'm #8.... I'm #8.... I'm #8.... I'm #8.... and probably dropping.

RobE

DGF - ever since I sat back,watched you pick cards,collectively listened to your gangs views on certain issues it has changed my view on set building and picking cards in general to place in my set.

Occasionally,I found better examples to replace a few but my goal was to get to 100% and then make respected upgrades when available.Recently, just picked up 18 9s and 8 of them are possibly the worst 9s I've ever seen.I'm not downing,the submitter or PSA ( Even perfect people make mistakes) but that EX 5 Winfiled I gave to Matt puts these (QTY 8) 9 examples to shame.I'd rather keep the 8s they were intended to replace until something better comes along.

<<<Wouldn't it make you nuts if you sold off hundreds of sliders and second, even third-best copies of '80 topps from your stash and got passed on the registry by the guy with an inferior set? Of course it would bug you. To what degree- who knows.>>>

Naah,it wouldn't bug me all that much.Truthfully,I'd be happy to see some other folks as active as things were when I got started.However,in recent times, I've found some good company among passive collectors,team set & player collectors inside the last 6 months. I'm almost done so when I reach 100% it's all upgrades from there!