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Question regarding grading for raw cards?

My only serious experience with baseball cards has been with graded cards, whether they be reputable or not.

Do dealers/sellers/buyers of raw ungraded cards give centering much priority when buying/selling? I am sure sharp corners are important, but what about centering? For instance, is a 1961 Mickey Mantle #300 w/ righteous corners but poor centering worth more ungraded than graded? With advent of graded cards did the grading of raw cards have to change or are they still the same?

Julen
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Currently INFATUATED with 1980 Topps, I recently ordered 4 vending boxes from Mickeys... Don't ask why? image
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RIP GURU

Comments

  • zef204zef204 Posts: 4,742 ✭✭

    Julen-

    I am sruggling with that right now. I have a lot of stuff raw that I am selling for the first time and all these guys keep e-mailingme to see why I would not get it graded. I think people that deal only with raw have the perception of the grading scale that we all had prior to grading. Most of them have no idea how hard it is to actually get a MINT 9.

    I have a Jim Otto rookie that the corners are sweet and it it fell within the centering guidlines it could fetch an 8. I don't think it does fall in the centering for an 8 however. So I think its better to sell it raw than as an 8(oc) or a 6.

    IMO guys that only buy raw have a much lower standard for mint and nm however the prices they pay for those perceptions are less as well.
    EAMUS CATULI!

    My Auctions
  • SoFLPhillyFanSoFLPhillyFan Posts: 3,931 ✭✭

    Centering is the first and foremost criteria, along with corners.

    I use this rule when pulling fresh product from packs. Centering cannot be changed, it's a factor that we cannot control.
    Corners, edges, and surface are mostly human caused, unless the packs have been mishandled.

    In my auctions I provide nice large scans, a good description of the corners, etc., and tell the seller to check the centering. Some care, some don't.

    Many sellers will advertise a NRMT or MT card, then you look at the scan and the centering is 90-10, which is not up to snuff.

    Keith
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