Why would anyone buy a "PSA 1"?

jrinck

I was going to bid on a '53 Bowman Mickey Mantle "PSA 1", and was going to pay a decent amount for it given that it's graded. But then I got to thinking, wouldn't a RAW, poor conditioned '53 Bowman Mantle be much, much cheaper? What would a PSA slab do for me? First, I would guess that there isn't much incentive to trim a poor-conditioned card as it would be obvious--likewise with recoloring. As for authenticity, I suppose there could be those out there who would reprint a card and crease it up to make it look real, but 1) Why, when you could try to con somebody for bigger bucks, and 2) reprinting cards isn't that easy for what would be a relatively small gain.

After buying the card, I'd send it in for protection only. I know it's a "1", so there's nothing to be surprised about.

So maybe I'll just look for a raw one from a reputable dealer. If any of the dealers on this board have one, PM me with your price, or link to your website, and hopefully we can work out a deal!

grilloj39

Buying a "one" graded card at least will specify that card is not a fake or reprint and/or has not been altered. There are many high value "one" vintage cards in all sports...so the answer is Yes.

RonD

If this is the one that you are referring to it is a nice 1.

Ron

jrinck

That is the one. My cheap-bones would have only bid $150. But I agree that it is pretty nice as far as "1"s go.

I should have stated that I would NOT bid on a raw '52 Topps Mantle, because for a card like that there is TREMENDOUS incentive to possibly want to reprint it. But the '53 Bowman, while perhaps his nicest overall baseball card, doesn't command as much money in the "poor" category as the '52 Topps does, so I would figure that any one that I would encounter, from a reputable dealer, would be better purchased raw and then sent in on my own to PSA.

Rainman

that's a very nice 1, nicer than some of the higher graded cards I've seen. I'd have bid on that 1 had I seen it- and my reasoning is I'll likely never own a '52 or '53 in a high grade and I like the "authentication" that a card in a PSA holder has (assuming there's no WIWAG or holder tampering issues) and the ease of "safer" storage. Not to mention I can likely get a PSA 1 far cheaper than a higher grade. My reason for wanting a vintage Mantle (or Mantel if you're some Ebay sellers) is simply nostalgia- he was my grandpa's favorite player.

koby

Sometimes it is just more cost-effective to buy a 1 than a higher grade. Sometimes a card is so rare that collectors are satisfied with any grade. Here is one such card that we talked about before:

PSA 1 T206 Ty Cobb

jrinck

That Cobb is definitely one that needs to be PSA certified before buying. I am talking about more lower priced cards, like the '53 Bowman Mantle, where the incentive to reprint/deceive isn't quite as high.

Vargha

If you are assuming that it will go into a slab as an automatic "1", then you are assuming (sight unseen) that there is no alteration at all -- not even the innocent coloring of the original owner. If you just want the card at the cheapest price, raw would probably be the way to go for a Poor/Fair card.

DeutscherGeist

WoW, this PSA 1 Mantle is really nice!

Your idea of buying raw is understandable, but make sure what to look for as far as authenticity and doctoring go. Even if you have a reputable dealer to purchase from, he may not know completely what to look for either. Sometimes honest dealers get deceived themselves. Just make sure the dealer is knowledgeable about this series of cards and is trustworthy.

mrc32

For my T-205s, I bought a PSA 1 Bobby Wallace with cap for $9.00. Not bad for a HOF player. It was garbage, but a nice filler. I upgraded to a nicer PSA 4 later and sold the PSA 1 with cap for close to $20.00.

I also bought a GAI 1.5 Bobby Wallace w/o cap 2 lines of stats(one of the variations) for $26.00 shipped I think. It is as PSA now. I'm hoping for a 2, but I doubt it

PSA 1s usually are nice fillers.

Edited to add: And also allow me to pick up the variations in my set without selling a kidney.

TheCARDKid

That '53 Bowman Mantle had great eye appeal for a 1. It looked VG on the front (the gum stain on the back was the biggest negative).

Not all 1's are created equal.

Davino

<< <i>That '53 Bowman Mantle had great eye appeal for a 1. It looked VG on the front (the gum stain on the back was the biggest negative).

Not all 1's are created equal. >>


Eaxactly my thoughts! The stain on the back dropped it 2 to 3 grades easy!

dbj77

I don't know about the rest of you....but I've seen some raw low-grade cards go for more than a PSA 1,2 or3 would have gone for. I think there's always the speculation that the raw card could grade higher than a PSA 1. I recently bought a PSA 1 1952 common from Sellerman (board member) for like $3 (less than it cost him to have it graded). It was one of the best looking PSA 1's I had seen. There were no creases, just dinged corners and paper loss on the back. The front was totally presentable.

DeutscherGeist

I would gladly buy a PSA 1 if it was a rare or costly vintage issue like a Mantle, Ruth, Gehrig. etc. Don't have $90,000 disposable income to get a PSA 9 of those guys.