Thinking of starting a low grade 1954 Topps Set

jrinck

I'm talking PSA 1, 2, or 3, and possibly 4. No higher. Can anyone provide approximate pricing for commons in this range? The stars I'll extrapolate from Ebay sales.

Thanks in advance.

spacktrack

If you are talking a PSA 1 quality set, I would recommend doing it raw. I am building my set in this fashion and have about 50 cards to it so far. I have been able to win many lots on eBay of 5 cards for $2-3. I can go to shows and pick out commons in bargain bins for between $.25 and $1 each. I scored a bunch at the National last year this way. Also, although I have not personally taken this approach, there are often many large lots of mixed grade cards available on eBay. Usually 20 or more cards that will sell for about $.75 to $2 a piece averaged out and depending on condition.

The cost of grading PSA 1s-3s wouldn't make sense IMO, and also, not many people grade these commons let alone offer them regularly on eBay. If you are interested in acquiring some cards, I will give you the names of two dealers I know that specialize in low to mid-grade. They should be able to hook you up nicely.

SUPERPUNK813

I started this set last month and i already have 40 cards (16% of the set) in PSA 4-8. I see most PSA 4 commons selling for under $9.00, most PSA 5 commons selling for under $14.00 and most PSA 6 commons selling for under $19.00. I wont buy anything under a PSA 4 so i can't give prices on PSA 1-3 cards. I agree that if you want to do a PSA 1-3 set then i'd just build it "raw" with only the major stars being PSA graded.


Paul.

mrc32

I did the set raw and love it in its MJ Roop binder (still missing Banks and Aaron). I also picked up some PSA graded 5s and 6s for cheap and include them on the registry as a supplement to my raw set..

1954 Topps is my FAVORITE set of the 50s and it was a blast to put together. Ben Wade, Gene Woodling are the toughest. Acowa knows a lot about the set.

Good luck

RayBShotz

Nice set. Gone driven out because certain collectors on ebay were setting a bottom and it became impossible to buy 6/7/8 grade material for under SMR.
If your set on trying this graded in 2/3/4 I would recommend 4/5. You may actually have trouble finding enough graded examples in 2/3 grade. You will find more of these in 4 and might also catch the occassional 5 common at a bargain. A PSA 4 can, at times, be a decent looking card. I would only be somewhat picky about centering; and excuse all the other grade related flaws. Uncentered versions of 54T just look plain awful; even more so than many of the other vintage issues.
Centering, centering, centering...and enjoy it along the way. At 4/5 the certification is probably worth it. If your still thinking 2/3/4 perhaps raw is the best answer for you.
RayB69Topps

NickM

Robert V Moore is setting a hard bottom on PSA 7s - unless the auction escapes his attention, and he bids almost every day, he doesn't let anything drop below about 85 or 90% of SMR after shipping. He doesn't always play on PSA 8s (which has allowed me to pick 2 up for just over $40 each), and he ignores most (but not all) 6's.

I disagree very much on centering on this set. If the card has a white center (Jim Gilliam, Hoyt Wilhelm, et al.), left-to-right centering is hardly noticeable. Top to bottom centering is also not much of an issue for eye appeal because the card has no top border to begin with.

I agree that PSA 3 or lower is difficult to find graded. PSA 5s, unfortunately, are often listed by sellers with no clue (and they probably wonder why nobody takes their opening bid price of $19.99 on a PSA 5 common).

Bargains do exist in 6's - $14 or less for these is not terribly uncommon. 8 OC is also another source of bargains. I would also look at SGC cards. I've found their 5s and 6s at under $10 apiece.

Nick

acowa

Jrink,

I built this set in PSA 7. It's one of my favorites. The most noticeable thing about the set is the centering. The eye appeal can vary dramatically within a given grade based on that factor alone. I don't see a lot of PSA 1 & 2 common cards on the market. You could pick those cards up raw for $2 @. To get a completely graded set, I think you would have to grade the majority of the commons yourself and the cost of grading would far outweigh the cards themselves. Overall, I am not sure that grading would increase the overall value of a Good-VG condition set. I think you could do a nice set with raw commons and graded superstars in PSA 2-3 very reasonably (low $2000's assuming shipping doesn't eat your lunch) . If you are picky about the centering, you could end up with a really fabulous looking set.

Your odds would be better in doing the set in PSA 5. Many of the cards that I have seen in PSA 5 are a very minor wrinkle away from being PSA 7 or 8. Most of these cards have been submitted because the owner thought they were a lot nicer than PSA ultimately judged them. I think a 50/50 centered PSA 5 set would be pretty challenging effort. I continue to "upgrade" my PSA 7 set within the grade every time a better centered card pops up and sell off my duplicate.

Good luck in whatever you choose. If you will PM or email your address, I will send you a free PSA graded card to get you started.


Regards,


Alan

SUPERPUNK813

Good luck in whatever you choose. If you will PM or email your address, I will send you a free PSA graded card to get you started.

People helping people.......thats what i like to see on these boards.

RTB

Putting together a low grade set is great fun. It is enjoyable because you have the FREEDOM to not have to deal with slabs. In fact, commons in slabs graded 1,2 or 3 would detract from the set. Let's face it, except for centering or manufacturing defects, the criteria in the continuum of grades from 1 to 10 is largely a progression from heavily "used" to uncirculated "mint". Why in the world pay a third party to encapsulate a heavily used common card, sacrificing portability and readability just for the grader to label it as heavily used?

I'm not against grading. I've had hundreds of them graded in the last few months because of the expensive market for NM+ vintage cards. It's a necessary step toward liquidity and protecting value to have expensive cards authenticated in case you want to buy or sell sometime. But any slab detracts from the qualities of the raw card.

I really enjoy this forum and appreciate the opportunity to voice my opinion.

jrinck

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

I think I'll go the raw route except for the stars. The stars are the ones I'll go for in PSA 1, 2, or 3. I'll be assured of them not being tampered with, plus there should be a ready supply even in those low grades, unlike for commons.

Vargha

Why in the world pay a third party to encapsulate a heavily used common card, sacrificing portability and readability just for the grader to label it as heavily used?

Even if I were building a raw set, I would still use Cardsaver II's or some other method of protecting against further wear.