Behold the power of a PSA 6/7 collection

NeilDowney

Hi Guys, I was very much like most collectors when I started out with graded cards (about 7 years ago). If it wasn't a PSA 8, 9 or 10 - it wasn't a good enough card for my collection. I would almost use any PSA 7s that I received from grading as coasters or paperweights. I suppose like a good wine, I have gotten better with age and I now understand "the power of a PSA 6/7 collection". After completing a monster PSA 8/9 1972 Topps set I wanted to start collecting more vintage sets. I chose 1953 Topps and 1956 Topps. I don't have deep pockets so I knew that I had to downgrade to PSA 6s and 7s in order to afford these sets. My main concern was that I would feel like it was a downgraded effort with downgraded collecting excitement. The 1956 Topps set is on the edge of 90% complete with 240 PSA 7 cards and the 1953 Topps is at 20% with about half being PSA 6. I am also now playing with a PSA 7 and raw 1971 Topps football set. I don't think that I could have been more wrong about the downgraded excitement part. These 3 sets all give me great enjoyment and fun. Perhaps I'm being feeble in my old age (44) but I seem to remember way back when that this was what collecting was all about. As always, SMR value is important as is future value. I never want to think that I was throwing away good money. However, excitement over your collection and having fun can not be measured by a book value. I absolutely love my three collections and I'm having the time of my life just pecking at them card by card. I hope that others will come to know the reborn joy of collecting the way that I have. PSA has changed my collection into a graded collection but PSA graded 7s have made my collection fun and exciting again. Neil

acowa

Neil,

I am "working" on a 50/50 centered PSA 7 1964 Topps baseball set. I think it's pretty exciting and the cards look great. I honestly believe that I could resubmit all of them and get bumps on half. The prices are a steal and I think it's possible that it will be a decent investment. What's not to love? Good luck with your sets!


Regards,



Alan

helionaut

7s of sets like yours are usually completely acceptable, and congratulations on not being a snob anymore. Even though a 7 is not in the top 3 of grades, by definition it's a Near-Mint card, and Near-Mint 56s should be good enough for anyone with less than a 6-digit income. There are lots of 50s-60s sets I'd like to build, such as all of them, and 6.5 would be a target grade that makes good economic sense while keepign a nice presentation for most of them.

magellan

I've got to echo the praise of 7's. My '65 & '69 sets are being built in 7 with a few 8's scattered in. My '77 set is 8's with a few 9's. I'm doing these all at once along with a Yaz player set so I just can't afford a higher grade range anyway and I'm fine with the look of 7's . Good post Neil.

Dave

NeilDowney

Hi Guys, I have come to the notion that most PSA 7s are really someone else's PSA 8 mishaps. With this in mind, I have found many PSA 7s that are sweet. Considering my budget, I'd rather have a great looking 7 at half or one third the price of an 8 that I can't afford. Neil

1420sports

I have always thought that a nice PSA 5, as they are not all equal, can be a nice addition or start to a vintage set. There are several 52 Bowmans in my collection that look like PSA 7's. They are excellent by definition.

Buccaneer

I think I am in this too for I am building 5 sets (57,61,63,64,65) in mixed NM/PSA7. To me, it's about not overpaying and getting good looking cards to the naked eye. How a card looks under microscope or loupe is irrelevant because when I want to just look at my collection for fun, I just use my eyes. To these old eyes (I'm 44), a 70/30 better NM card looks really good (and they are relatively affordable). Now I got to figure out how in the world I am going to get a 57 Mantle or 63 Rose in PSA 7.

DirtyHarry

I agree with 1420. A nice PSA 5 is a beauty, until you start putting it under the magnifier. But why?

magellan

When these sets are done, my next project will be a 50's set and for those I'm thinking PSA 6, maybe even 5 depending on how pricing looks. I've seen some nice Williams cards in the years I'm thinking in Psa 6 or 5, even 4.

Dave

WinPitcher

well centered cards with honest wear can be very nice cards regardless of the technickle (sp) grade. I have some psa 6 1955 topps that are really sweet, I also have a few psa 7 that just made the grade. I would guess that a hi end card for any grade can be nice.

ctsoxfan

I agree with you, Neil. I am working on sets from 76-80, so for a long time I chased 9's and 10's only. But, I began to realize how much money I was wasting on these 10's, when 9's and even 8's would do just fine in most cases. When I get near finishing a few of these (oh, in about 5 years or so!), I want to focus on 73-75. In those sets, 7's and 8's will be so much more affordable, and in many cases, just as nice as 9's. The days of me being a number snob are basically over.

Vargha

Boy, have I had to readjust my thinking. I am currently working on a 1934 Goudey set. While I have 59 PSA 7's and 3 PSA 8's, I also have 2 PSA 6's, 8 PSA 5's and even a PSA 4. (The horror!) When I was building my 1949 Bowman set, PSA 7 was perfectly acceptable to me. Post 1960, I can't see settling for less than a 7 unless you aren't building a graded set. However, prior to that, mixed 6/7 sets are very attractive for resale as others have pointed out both here and on other threads.

qualitycards

In my quest for making the slow journey to complete the T3 Turkey Reds, PSA-4's are my goal. I have a few cards to submit that will probably receive the PSA-1 or 2 grade, so 4's are fine by me. And 4's of Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, Nap Lajoie, Cy Young etc.. will still cost a kings ransom...jay

Vargha

Dare I mention my five e95 PSA 2's?

magellan

If you just read and keep an open mind on these boards, you can learn oodles of useful and just interesting stuff. Jay those T3's are so beautiful, every time I see your icon, I want some. I've also grown to appreciate Red Man's a great deal thanks mostly to aconte , and other older cards as well from the input of various members. I saw a PSA 10 33 Goudey Gehrig on SportsCards Plus website-absolutely lovely ! I've always been a 60's-70's guy but my horizons are definitely expanding.

qualitycards

<< <i>my horizons are definitely expanding >>


MAGE - You hit the nail on the head. Theres no right way nor wrong way to collect, buy what you like and what you can afford.
Our tastes change when it comes to women, food & clothes, so cards are no different...jay

Scumbi

Good thread. It's amazing how fun and cost effective collecting graded cards under the radar can be. A fully slabbed set of cards in any grade is something to cherish. I made the decision early on to collect rare sets in PSA 4 to PSA 7 grades. I've never had a minute of remorse. The cards are available, reasonable and pleasing to the eye. There's something odd about a 70 year old card being too perfect. They look like reprints to me. I believe this has become the most popular course among pure hobbyists. If your cards are strictly for pleasure, would you rather have a 1954 Topps set in all PSA 7 or a 1954, 1955 and 1956 set in PSA 5. It's a no brainer for me. More cards = More good.

S.

RayBShotz

Excellent thread Neil, and excellent responses.

My beloved 1969 Topps PSA baseball set is almost complete (99% now) and I have felt all along that a nice PSA 7 fit just as well at a fraction of the cost on the tough cards especially. This has allowed me to keep the set moving forward and has not boged me down or pushed me into dog fights on ebay for them. My ultimate goal for the set is PSA 8 or better but my newer ventures have taken a much different tact.
I now have about 25% of a 1951 Bowman PSA baseball set with about a 6.0 GPA. I feel that th only way I can afford to consider such a historic set would be to accept 5/6/7 on commons and perhaps lesser or much lesser on stars as long as they present fairly well. I will admit to being pretty jazzed up about the idea of inching forward on this set ad expect it to consume the large majority of my free funds as I peck away at it as my next primary effort. The cards, just flat out, look amazing!
I also have recently started a T-218 Champions set from 1910. I was fortunate to pick up a very nice lot raw that graded 4/5/6 and will be perfectly comfortable with picking up presentable examples in that grade range moving forward.

Neil; I think your feelings can be enduring ones as long as you keep the focus on the fun of collecting and pay particular attention to how the cards present. 7's an indeed be sweet!
RayBShotz

NeilDowney

Hey Ray, I have seen the mid grade cards in your 51 set and anyone (including myself) would be proud to own it. I decided to go with the 1953 Topps painted set but I could have just as easily went with the 51 Bowman instead. I suppose this way is better since now we can both enjoy each other's sets without the dogfight over the same cards. Good luck to all of the mid grade collectors and their sets. I will never question the value of PSA 8/9/10 cards but my fellow mid grade collectors should think about this angle. As more and more collectors are shut out of the vintage 8/9/10 market, the more collector that will be looking to buy 4/5/6/7 cards. This creates a greater market for these lower grade cards which should stabilize or even increase their value. In the end, our collections will give us great joy and maybe we will be the smarter investors in the end. Just a thought - Neil

Lothar52

i was just like neil and like neil started a psa 6-7 set. FUnny enough my cards have the star cards usually being 7's and the commons being 6's...such that i could get the commons for 10 bucks a shot usually and essentially get the card free!!! (10 for grading fee). I have completed my 56 topps set apart from the 2 checklists...if anyone has any decent psa 6 56 checklists with decent to ok centering for sale let me know. I immediately started working on a 57 set..and im about half way done with it. I love collecting mid grade cards so much now that I have even dropped to psa 5's to be included in my set as long as they dont have creases on the front of the card. I have a don drysdale and jim bunning perfectly centered psa 5's with just corner damage that are absolutely gorgeous and have great eye appeal....WHY PAY THE HIGH PRICES FOR 8's and 9"s when u can have nice 5's and 6's

loth

Lothar52

for us mid-grade collectors its about the cards...and how they LOOK to us...not the grade...how many times have u seen an offcenter 8 that did not qualify for OC but you thought to yourself..."i dont care if it does go cheap im not bidding on that ugly thing....my 6 looks better then that!!!"

its all about the cards!!!! Unfortunately dealers realize this now and there are more of us to midgrade card prices are going up...paid 35 bucks for a psa 6 tommy byrne 1957 card the other day with perfect centering...unheard of a few years ago.

Loth

NickM

It's scary that on even some '50s sets, graded 6's and 7's can be found for less than Beckett raw prices. '59 Topps is especially cheap this way - I picked up a group of 6's recently for less than $3 apiece after shipping!

Nick

qualitycards

Just got some '52 Bowman's in yesterday incl. this card, how can anyone not like it? You don't have to have this in an "8" or "9" to appreciate its beauty...jay

Buccaneer

<< <i>It's scary that on even some '50s sets, graded 6's and 7's can be found for less than Beckett raw prices. '59 Topps is especially cheap this way - I picked up a group of 6's recently for less than $3 apiece after shipping!

Nick >>



Despite my disdain for graded commons, I do have to keep in mind what you did. I am in the habit of picking up graded stars for my 5 sets for less than Beckett high (and less than SMR which are fairly close), but every once in a while I suppose one can pick up PSA 7 commons for the same as raw (or maybe less). While I am only 5-15% done on each of the sets, I think it may come a time where the supply gets scarce and will end up paying than I expected (esp. if I have to buy graded commons). In that case, I would make sure that the PSA 7 common would be a good one (not a 74.5/25.5 centering one that I have seen too many of).

For those building a 1957 bb set, what would you say the percentage of the set would be raw NM commons vs having to buy graded commons? The 61,63,64,65 sets seem to be easier to build with raw NM except for the 61,63 high numbers but really don't have much of a feel for the 1957 yet.

RayBShotz

Lothar - Your approach is refreshing and your enthusiasm infectious. This 5/6/7 thing is one drum that can be banged loudly.
I'm with you all the way.

Jay- Gorgeous Brown card. I'm working on mid grade 51's (Bowmans) and would plug a 5 like that into my set in a heartbeat!


Link to my 51'B set

I'm really digging the mid grade thing considering that before I never even invisioned I could get a sniff of a historic vintage set like this one.

Neil D - Thoughtful post reap lots of thoughtful responses. Keep em' Comin'

RayBShotz

onegaucho

Good thread.

I'm an active collector of quality PSA 5 and 6 1950 Bowman Baseball. In the 7 years or so that I've collected the set, I've found that most well centered 5s present just as well as 7s - and for a fraction of the cost!!

perkdog

Im actually a little upset that all you guys agree with getting ahold of nice 5/6/7 graded cards because I collect these grades!! (Kidding) No matter what, I can not afford most 8's let alone 9's so I stick with mid grade cards as well. That Bobby Brown card is great. It is good to know that mid grade cards can have so much appeal to them. Collecting mid grade cards opens up a window to some really great cards and the ability for guys like me who dont have "deep pockets" to get a variety of material.

dude

This is a great thread. One can definitely build a good looking set on a limited budget. One of these years I'd like to build a '53 Bowman Color set with well-centered PSA 7's. One of these years.....

DCICEMAN

Excellent thread, indeed. For the last couple years, I have just sat back and bought nicely centered 6's and 7's that not many collectors wanted, and laughed at some of the prices paid for 8's and 9's. To each his own, if they have and want to spend the money, but I choose to have more cards instead of less.