Attn: GoblinOutpost or other MTG collectors

Thulnanth

Hello,

I am a big collector of Magic: The Gathering cards from back in the early days (Alpha, Beta, Unlimited) and I've noticed very little discussion of these cards on the boards. I figured no one else was interested, so I never started a post on it. Recently, however, I noticed that one of our new members has a handle similar to someone who has been tearing up eBay buying vintage PSA graded MTG cards - GoblinOutpost. Curious as to if they are one in the same? Are there other MTG collectors lurking on these boards? Please post your replies. I enjoy reading all of your comments, no matter what card sets they pertain to - we're all just crazy collectors, right?

Take it easy,
Jared

GoblinOutpost

Hi, Jared.

I'm pretty new to the PSA msg forum. Been playing magic on and off for 6 yrs, mostly off now. Yes, I am probably that same person on eBay buying up vintage magic cards. Really regret not doing it sooner (like 3-4 yrs ago). Could have gotten those P9 for a song compare to now.

I'm hardly as you would say, "tearing up eBay buying vintage PSA graded MTG cards". I'm just a flea (perhaps annoying at times :-) compare to the bigger names like Spacebaby, Alpha_investments, tromagic, director340, and others. Some of the bids I made in hindsight I should have hold off, but that's history now. I'm paying my learning tuition. When the cards increase in value, then I'll earn my interest.

Nice of you to notice me tho. Hopefully we won't have too many more of these mega graded card sales on eBay soon. I can't keep buying like this. Unless I want to live in a house of cards.

Cheers,
Joe

GoblinOutpost

One more thing, Jared. Looking at how many people have contents in the magic section of the collection registry, I am not surprise there isn't much discussions here. We have like maybe 2 or 3 dozens collectors only.

And the not so big surprise is of all the people close to me that play magic, I am the only one familiar with the concept and need for professional grading. Some of my friends are judges and ex-magic tester who started in 1993/4.

I have to also admit magic collecting is looking like it is following the path of comic collecting. I remember collecting comics when I was a kid and got intro to Bob Overstreet's price guide. Then I got intro to magic and Scrye/Inquest. The collecting just get more competitive and as prices go up, more people will surely dive in. Right now, I only have to content with a hand full of you guys.

BTW, isn't the recent prices on PSA 10 condition cards insane. $25 for a Beta land. Wow. I think I'll just stick to the cheapies (and the occassional key cards).

Joe

Thulnanth

Howdy GoblinOutpost!!!

Thanks for the reply ; I figured you were one in the same. Congrats on your recent pickups - a PSA 9 Beta Ancestral, PSA 8 Beta Lotus, 2 Dual lands, and several other key cards is nothing to sneeze at. At this point you're only worried about living in a house of cards? I might have to start eating them . Although there aren't too many of us out there yet, we are a pretty good bunch. I have spoken with Steven (Spacebaby) and Tony (Osguard), and corrisponded with Jacob (AbsoluteAlphas), Nick (nicksmn) and Bastien (Tromagic) - they're all good guys, even if they do tend to beat you at an auction now and then .

I wrote you in the open forum hoping we might be able to draw in some other lurkers like me - I've been hanging around for over a year hoping to see more growth in graded Magic collecting. Like you, I am the only one of my friends that got into the "professional" end of collecting. I started with MTG back in the beginning and always was more concerned about card condition than anyone else I knew. That being said, I am amazed at how poor the quality of my cards are today; most of my sets would only be 7's and 8's. I do think there is tremendous upside to high grade vintage MTG cards, especially considering its popularity, low printings, and heavy play. I think some of the prices are a little high now, while some are low; as time goes on and more cards get graded and more people join the community prices will stablize.

Well, I suppose I gotta go - need to scrap up some more for the next mega sale .

Take it easy,
Jared

PS: eBay ID diegodante - in case you're curious

GoblinOutpost

Ahhhh yes, the great diegodante. We had quite a lot of run-ins lately. For such a small community, I am impress with the fierce competition so far. Maybe I am jumping in at the wrong time. Maybe I should just let the few of you slug it out and after the smoke clears, I can swoop up the rest at a bargain. I think I am dreaming .... there wouldn't be any goodies left.

I only met Steven so far in person. He's clearing his non-essential stock so guys like me can start our own collection. Do you know who is mutare68 and jmzies on eBay? I had the toughest time bidding when these 2 and Bastien (tromagic) gets involved. And their purchasing power is just amazing. They are like constantly buying.

I'm starting to petered out on my buying binge. Too many and my wallet is bleeding bad. Buying that Beta Lotus and Ancestral Recall will be the highlight for me for quite some times. Lucky for me, I'm not trying to build a set like some of you. Instead I am just trying to amass a stack of cheapo cards. So continue to see me going for a few cheapies here and there.

Have you try any of the other forums (typically to discuss strategies and such) to drum up discussion. I know there are way more activities in terms of playing than it is for collecting.

BTW, nice to meet your acquaintance. You and Steven are the first 2 pro collectors I deal with.
-- Joe

Osguard

Hello Fellas,

For my part, I can't say that I've been lurking because there hasn't been any MTG talk to speak of until this point; at least none that I've noticed. It's nice to see you guys drum up some conversation!

I think you're right about the small numbers of people collecting graded magic thusfar, and a relatively small number of people who are aware of it. I have been involved in collecting MTG since 1994 and it wasn't until a few months ago when I came across a Spacebaby auction on Ebay that I heard about PSA and card grading.

Still, it looks like a few new names get involved every month or so. Maybe we'll see more of us new guys to join the ranks.

It has been a VERY hot few weeks out there on the Ebay auction boards for the vintage stuff and it's good to see that kind of action and interest.

Yep - just another crazy collector!

-Tony

Thulnanth

"The Great Diegodante?" ... I've got to tell my wife that one

I don't know who either mutare68 or jmzies are - along with director340 they do have quite the buying power, I agree. That's OK though; I figure every card someone else buys is a little more money I save - LOL.

I'm rather petered out myself. Of course, it would follow that this would then be the month PSA runs a nonsport special (doh). Have you submitted any cards yourself, Joe? If so, how have you done?

Thanks for hopping in Tony - always great to hear from you!!! Is your wife still laughing about our last phone conversation w/all the eBay handles?

Time to get the kids some lunch - it was nice to meet you too Joe; I always love having another poor soul to chat with about my "obsession" ...

Take it easy,
Jared

Osguard

She chuckles at me whenever I do ANY of this stuff!

Looking at card corners through a lighted magnifying glass...

Scanning hundreds of cards into Paint Shop...

Putting little post-it notes on cards with grades and comments (I caught her reading through them and giggling)...

Wrapping up boxes in gluey paper packing tape...

I provide ALL kind of entertainment for the family with my "passion."

Must...not....peter....out...now..........................much....work....to....do.........on....sets.....



-Tony

GoblinOutpost

Welcome for chimming in Tony. I for one an amaze at how quickly the vintage cards in this MTG game have skyrocketed in value. Some of the people in the sports forum talks about how several $$$ is too pricey for limited edition cards in the 1990s. And here we have even higher prices.

My only explanation is this is like no other collectibles where the vintage stuff is still part of the game. So we have both collectors and gamers alike gunning for the same goods. Just look at beat up P9s. They are commanding insane prices for 12 yr old cards.

I have an old Scrye around 1998 I kept (my very first copy given to me by a kind shop dealer). And boy I was shocked about the prices back then. I wouldn't pay $500 for a Black Lotus. Now I wish I wasn't so reserved. :-)

To answer Jared's question, no, I haven't have the pleasure to submit to PSA yet. I'd have to go sort out what to submit first. Been meaning to do that for 2 yrs. But there is no real reason to do that. Grading only means it locks in the condition and I sink $$$ in to do so. I have the cards safely stored away and I don't even take them out once a year to admire. I have the (MIS)-FORTUNE to collect comics back when I was a kid. So I learned a thing out 2 about maintaining conditions. Still wish I could have gone after that copy of Spiderrman #1 (or any of the key silver-age materials).

I am planning to make a submission. But the urge is not MUST HAVE yet. I did submit to SGC before because they had a special and I like the look of the cards in their holder. But with all my recent splurges, that may have to wait. :-)

-- Joe

Thulnanth

Recent splurges? Like a certain PSA 8 Timetwister, perhaps? Nice grab - at this rate you'll be as broke...as me . BTW, are you thinking about the PSA 10 Ancestral - c'mon, you know you want it .

Interesting you should bring up the issue of player vs collector and how that translates into card values. I agree that much of the rapid price increases, in fact much of the value of these cards in general, is due to players, not collectors. I have noticed for a long time that the spread in value from a PSA 1 or 2 equivilant card to a PSA 9 or 10 is very small, especially when compared to other hobbies (comics, coins, sportscards, etc). For example, using recent eBay sales of Beta Ancestrals:

#1: well worn raw (PSA 4?) = $629
#2: fair condition raw (PSA 7?) = $650
#3: high grade raw (PSA 9?) = $835
#4: PSA 9 slabbed = $1125

I would guess many sportscard guys would jump at the chance to get a slabbed 9 copy of a card for merely double what a beat up raw copy would go for. I feel this lack of spread is mainly due to players chasing any copy of a card no matter condition, as opposed to collectors who put more of a premium on condition. As time goes on this may change, just as it did in for other collectibles (remember, not that long ago there were only 3 grades for your comics ).

Gotta go; like Tony, I need to spend a little time getting my next super submission ready (good grades, please, good grades)

Take it easy,
Jared

Klif50

Greetings, I'm going to delurk for a few minutes. I've followed the non-sports card forum for a couple of years and this thread since the beginning. I've got quite a few MTG cards that I got in a group of other cards. Each one was in a hard case and were listed as "beta" and a few other adjetives that I don't remember. So, other than ebay, how do I find a value for these cards, so I can see if it is worth the effort to get any of them graded or do they sell as well raw on ebay? I've never played the game but have an almost insane drive to accumulate cards of every genre but as I get them they get put away and not pulled out again. So, where do I go from here to move some of these out? We are probably only talking about 300 or 400 cards.
Thanks,
Klif

GoblinOutpost

Hi Klif.

Try the following sites.

www.findmagiccards.com
Star City Games

IMO Star City is like 1 of the most expensive place but their selection is HUGE.
-- Joe

GoblinOutpost

Damn, I've been bugged. Jared is monitoring my crazy spending.

Yeah, I just won a beta timetwister. That was purely an accident. A PSA 8 timetwister for $355 is way too cheap for me to ignore.

That player vs. collector angle can be a godsend. They fuel the prices, but they can take it away too. But the recent biddings on high grade (PSA 9 and 10) cards are saying the collector side is recognizing the premium these cards command. I guess a good way to gauge this is to keep track of the number of registered sets in the registry. Unlike the sports world, there are really only like 5 or 6 sets in magic worth putting into a slab. So MTG collectors will clump together in the registry.

Alpha
Beta
Unlimited
Arabian Nights
Antiquities
Legends (somewhat)

Soon, I would also add the 2 different Beta Collector's Editions (CE and IE) following by Revised maybe 2 yrs down the road.
-- Joe

GoblinOutpost

Oh yeah, the PSA 10 Ancestral Recall ..... NO WAY. That's like 3 months of living expenses for me. How on earth did 1 guy end up with 2 of the 3 PSA 10. I can see a few others pouncing on that .

That baby is just too rich for what's left of my blood supply. I don't really go for PSA 10 grades. They are pricey and I just cannot compete against the other collectors here. Some day, I will regret this and say why did I not buy them. They are worth so much more than PSA 8/9.

Ok, I admit, I'm a vintage junkie. As in, if the price is cheap enough, I'd buy grades lower than even 8.

Osguard

Goblin Outpost:

<< <i>Grading only means it locks in the condition and I sink $$$ in to do so. >>



Gobby, do you mean that it is a good thing, a bad thing, or neither since you have your cards safely stored anyway?

I think one of the main reasons that I decided to become involved in PSA collecting was to make sure that my nicer cards were protected and preserved. But I was someone who liked to store things in binders (definately not the safest) because I liked to look at card sets that way and like the look of cards in pages. Once I became aware of the PSA grades and what they meant to card value, I decided to start getting them graded, slabbed and protected.

The downside of course is that it costs cash to do it to cards that you have and that these crazy prices don't hold. Not so bad during a specials for cards under $500, but a bit pricier to declare and grade some of the higher end cards. In my mind, not a bad gamble though to give a little insurance to the cards. The cards that I come across now that are good examples are cards that are perfect other than a nick or two caused from bindering or putting cards into/out of sleeves.

Jared makes some good observations about collectors/players and the values. MTG is one of those rare things where the item works both as a collectible and as a game tool with real use in play. I think its true that the "player" faction is by far the stronger and just wants a card in any condition in order to make use in game play and some of the values for cards of varying quality are strange to look at. But though there are few collectors, so also are there very few quality cards to go around. I am just realizing that when I see how hard it is to get 9s and 10s.

It will be interesting to see if some of the other sets that Joe mentioned will start to increase in graded numbers. Other than Arabian, there hasn't been much activity there so far. Will any of you be working on Antiquities or Legends very soon?

-Tony

GoblinOutpost

Yo Tony.

Don't get me wrong. I am all for slabbing the goods to add that layer of protection. My pet peeve is there is no convenient way to touch the card anymore. In the case of comic book in a CGC holder, I can forget about reading it (unless I break the seal).

The other benefit is recognition of the product quality that translate to its worth. People will pay a premium for that plastic case and flip.

And yeah, I appreciate the difficulty in getting a grade of 9 or 10. My only complaint here is the push from different grading vendors to go beyond MINT or GEM MINT. I know these extra flawless grades is to find a higher level of perfection. Are we going to have a 10.5, then up it to a 11, and 12 ..... From a marketing perspective, oh yeah, you bet that is a GREAT idea, it helps to differentiate oneself from the rest of the field.

I wish I have time to submit .... got lots of stuff even tho they will range from 6 to 9. I never have anything graded a 10 yet. Of course, that will change some day.

Can anyone get me the population stats on Unlimited Armageddon in 8, 9, and 10 PSA? Thanks.

-- Joe

Osguard

Hiya Joe,

The Population Report shows that so far there has been only one Unlimited Armageddon submitted and it got a 9.

I absolutely know what you mean about not being able to touch the cards any more. Initially that was a big decision point for me. I always enjoyed taking my set out and have a look, pulling them out of the binder pages for a close look, etc. Finally it was the fear that doing so could take a perfect Beta card and have one slip up and nick it down and multiply its value by .3 or .25. And I don't mean that to sound that the value itself is important to me, its just that I wouldn't want it to lose that much of its quality by accident even if it had no $ value.

I think I've just gotten more into the idea of collecting a graded set and I am getting used to the idea of slabbed cards. Not quite as fun for me to look at or easy to store that way, but I sure love to see those 9s and 10s. And from a purity stand point I just believe in protecting those high quality cards. I would rather slab it, get it into someones hands who appreciates it as a collectible and get myself a junk version of the card to handle rather than risk damaging something so rare.

Even many 8s that I've seen are very, very nice and are better than the "MINT" cards that you see people advertise on Ebay.

I would think that would be a much tougher thing to handle when you're talking about comics. You'd almost need a second copy of favorites for reading purposes?

-Tony

GoblinOutpost

Hello Tony.

For cards, I'm very comfortable with them slabbed nowadays. I can see the front and back and its all good. Now about getting that 2nd copy for comics .... I would hate it if it is an expensive issue. Not been able to read the comic is just torture.

Just won some auctions from psiclops. I see you did too. Man, Spacebaby Steven is hitting those Alpha 9s pretty hard. I got scared away when that Animate Wall PSA 9 got to 60 buckoroos. That's just insane. But if anyone knows what he/she is doing, Steven is 1 of them.

Hey, you guys see the triple Lotuses threat coming up next Sunday morning ... (Alpha, Beta, Unlimited). Man, talk about a REAL treat. And all happening within a 15 minute time span. I may be tempted to go for that Alpha to complete my triple run.

-- Joe

GoblinOutpost

Oh yeah, thanks Tony for the Unlimited Armageddon stats. Guess I have the only 1 for now then. Too bad unlike verification, I can't get a pop stats for a card except if one subscribe to the SMR.

Osguard

Yep - picked up a couple smaller Uncommon 9s that I needed. Thank goodness for me that I'm not collecting Alpha with the rest of you right now! I've got all I can handle just trying to assemble a Beta set. Seems like in the last couple weeks, the bulk of the cards out there have been Alphas so I guess this is the time to scoop them up.

Looks like Spacebaby is in a nice spot with his Beta set where he's just filling in the few non-gem holes that he has so he has more resources to ramp up on his Alpha set which is also coming along very nicely.

Things are pretty slim on the auction boards right now compared to the last month or two, eh?

Thulnanth

Hey Guys,

"Vintage Junkie?"- I too love all vintage cards regardless of grade; unfortunately my wallet doesn't approve (doh).

Joe, I also agree that A/B/U, Arabian, Antiquities and Legends are the true "vintage" sets and will most likely be the only ones worth slabbing, at least from a financial standpoint. I am currently working on all 6 - ...I figure I'll finish just before the end of time. I thought about only doing a couple, but I knew someday I would want them all, so why not start now. One advantage (or disadvantage) of working on multiple sets is that there is always something out there to pick up - no real dry spells. I think Alpha is the one I would most like to complete, but the lack of material and intense competition for every card makes me glad I can get the occasional card I need for one of my other sets. Hopefully once the big boys are done I can get a couple of more Alphas - only 66 to go for a complete set raw/graded .

While I really like the idea of graded coins and cards, I am not sold on the idea of graded comics. Since cards and coins are basically flat and 2-sided, they do OK in a slab. A comic, while flat, has pages on the inside that give them much more of a 3-D quality; I don't think I would like buying a comic knowing I would never get to see the inside for myself. It does add some assurances of quality when buying online, so I understand the desire of some people to go graded. This assurance is one of the main reasons I've embraced buying graded cards. As Tony said, often raw cards are not even close to the conditions they are advertised to be. In addition, I too have a new appreciation for just what a "mint perfect" card is.

I, for one, appreciate the breather from the lack of new listings; the last few weeks made me dizzy

Take it easy,
Jared

GoblinOutpost

Breather .... I'm still trying to slow down the bleeding..

Yah, we all seem to agree on slabbing cards (coins) and leave comics alone. If they can capture scans of the comic pages, I'd be more than willing to see comics slabbed.

If I have slabs that can help you guys to fill your set, let me know. I'm sure we can work out something as I just want to hoard vintage cards. Yes, I'm a HOG. My favorite set to collect is alpha, lots and lots of it. It's never enough.

-- Joe

Tromagic

hello,
Tony told me you guys talk in this forum. So i had a look and registered
I want say something about the ancestral beta PSA 10. There is actualy 4 PSA 10 ancestral recall Beta but one is listed PSA 10 unlimited ... So there is only 11 unlimited PSA 10 ancestral recall if they did no mistake on those
There is 2 plateau PSA 10 unlimited but they puted the card twice in PSA system so it written 1 PSA 10 plateau and there is an other line say again 1 psa 10 plateau.
For the bird of paradise the only one PSA 10 is not unlimited. It s 4 th edition. 4th edition look little like unlimited. Does they know how to make the difference at PSA ? I am not sure
Maby if you submit 4th edition and say unlimited they will grade it unlimited
See you later,
Tromagic

Thulnanth

Hey Bastien, thanks for joining the discussion!!

The information on mislabeled slabs is interesting and not too suprising. In my first submission I had an Unlimited Savannah Lions come back labeled as a Savannah. In my 3rd submission, I had 7 Revised Dual lands all come back as Unlimiteds - a great bump, were it actually true. I have also seen a Beta Mox Pearl mislabeled as an Alpha. I know there have been other mistakes I've seen as well. The problem does seem more accute with the white-bordered cards, which really doesn't help to instill confidence in PSA's ability to authenticate cards. I have heard of mistakes with sportscards, but the number of them in graded MTG cards does concern me a little. Perhaps as more cards get submitted and the popularity of graded Magic increases the PSA graders will gain the experience to cut down on these errors significantly.

I have noticed the Plateau problem in the database, along with several others (CoP's, Two-Headed's, etc). I would guess that a simple call to PSA could sort all of that out - I might be able to get to that someday

Any other MTG concerns? Please keep 'em coming - I like chatting about my obsession

Take it easy,
Jared

Osguard

Thulnanth:

<< <i>Any other MTG concerns? Please keep 'em coming - I like chatting about my obsession >>



Okay, where do I begin? I need more 9s, more 10s, more money, more cards....

Tromagic

How do you guys store your graded cards?
Do you display them ?
Do you keep them in box?
If you display them plz tell me how you do this.
Each time i want see them i need remouve it from the box and as i look at those cards ofen i ithink the plastic box will get damage after a while ...
I need to find the good idea to display them.
Thanks,
Tromagic

Thulnanth

Hey Tromagic,

Here you go...

www.sportsdisplays.com
www.mjroop.com

Both are great - I really like the Roops wooden Archiver boxes for storage.

Take it easy,
Jared

AlphaInvestments

AlphaInvestments

I just found out about this message board from Bastien (tromagic)

I thought i would chime in.

All my cards are locked up in a bank safety deposit box and a huge safe.

No displays over here.

-Rudy

Thulnanth

Hey Rudy,

Thanks for joining in the discussion - the more the crazier .

I too like the idea of keeping my cards locked up at a bank. Unfortunately, the bank manager doesn't like it when I call him at 3 in the morning to "pop in" and look at my babies!!! Perhaps some sort of alternative is in order...

Take it easy,
Jared

GoblinOutpost

Just chiming in with a quick chitchat. Welcome aboard to the other guys who joined the discussion. I've had the pleasure to buy from some of you and so far so good.

Been busy hosting a long-time magic friend in town, and won't have time to do long msgs until after next wk.

hahaha Jared, so your wife think you are crazy .... well, now she thinks you are crazier having a bunch of lunatics online dancing to the same tune.

Oh yes, before I forget, damn, Jared, U DA MAN with those card stats. Dare i ask how you got them? Wasn't Beta 7.3M (not 7.8M)?

I have a friend who owns 1 of those Carta Mundi poker card set (). Any of you know what the market value for that would be?Magic rarities

-- Joe

Osguard

Wow... if you guys keep this up, we're going to need our own forum some day!

Welcome everyone!

-Osguard

Osguard

Would someone who has the MJ Roop Wooden archiver boxes please post the outer dimensions of the box? Is 180 cards accurate for capacity?

Thanks!

-Tony

Thulnanth

Hey everyone,

Tony, the outer dimensions on the Roops box are 15.3125" across, 6" down, and 9.25" deep. There are 4 rows inside and each will hold a max of 45 PSA slabs (180 total). I actually only put 43 slabs per row in mine, so I can flip through them and pull one out if necessary. If you store the full 45 you have to pull all of them out to get at any of the cards, due to the interlocking/ stacking features of the PSA slabs.

Joe, I have seen the stats published before in several places and yes, there does seem to be some descrepancies between them. I got the info I posted from Scrye #2 (1994) in an article entitled "Print Runs & Card Frequencies - Magic: The Gathering" written by Scott M. Burke. In the Scrye CCG Encyclopedia they list the print runs of Alpha at 2.6 million and Beta at 7.3 million. These numbers were also the ones used in WotC official Pocket Players Guide, so perhaps they are more accurate. The difference most likely would be in the land totals I listed, since it does seem odd that Beta seems to have a much higher ratio of land than Alpha. I will try to edit my post to reflect the change - thanks .

As for the poker set, it's been a while but last I saw they weren't worth very much. Of course, not all that long ago a set of Alphas cost less than the price of a small house, so I could be off .

Well, gotta go...I'll post those Antiquities stats for you soon Tony !!

Take it easy,
Jared

Osguard

Thanks a ton for posting those dimensions Jared.

I think they run these specials pretty regularly (Jared correct me), but in case any one missed it the Roop wooden preservation cases are on sale this weekend for $59.95 this weekend.

Tromagic

thanks for the info on those shop Jared.
Bastien

GoblinOutpost

Since we are talking about storage, any of you have experience with those plastic sleeves that can hold a PSA holder. I would expect the sleeves help in reducing scratches to the holder itself. Would anyone recommend them?

When I am writing this I was chuckling, the thought of "giving protection to the protector (the holder)" was swirling in my mind.

How much do you pay for Card Saver 1? I'm contemplating ordering some from the manufacturer.
-- Joe

GoblinOutpost

Anyone know who the ebay buyer thomasthunderkeller is? The guy has purchased so many high price vintage MTG cards lately. Behave more like a dealer than a collector.

Bought 4 Alpha/Beta Black Lotuses recently along with other P9s.

I'm just asking because on the sports forum, there are talks about a MOSH account "Museum of Sports *something*" that is spending 5-6K a month buying up sports cards and winning many of the 2005 set awards in basketball and football. Just wondering if someone is trying to step up to challenge Spacebaby and Absolut Alphas.

And Jared thought I was tearing up the vintage market. hahaha I'm just nibbling at primarily the cheaper cards (like PSA 7/8s). Leaving the pricey cards for the big guns.

I just noticed that at the start of Sept, there was a full set of Alpha on eBay that got sold for 12K. Those scans of the cards look really sharp. THe ebay auction number is 5235456919.

-- Joe

Osguard

Goblinoutpost:

<< <i>When I am writing this I was chuckling, the thought of "giving protection to the protector (the holder)" was swirling in my mind. >>



Okay - kinda funny, but it is a valid concern! Kind of a bummer to get back a card freshly graded and the case already has a scuff on it!


Goblinoutpost:

<< <i>Anyone know who the ebay buyer thomasthunderkeller is? >>



He is a professional poker player who used to be a professional magic player. He must be GOOD at it because it looks like he's got plenty of dough to buy up those high-grade power cards. I've seen him on ESPN and other networks playing Texas ,Hold-em fairly frequently and he contacted some of us using the registry awhile back asking if we would be interested in selling P9s.

He has a website at www.thunderkeller.com.

Osguard

<< <i>How much do you pay for Card Saver 1? I'm contemplating ordering some from the manufacturer. >>



I have bought all of mine from an Ebay store called "meadecollectibles". The store has many different storage products and different price break-downs for different quantities. I just ordered 500 for $26.49. I've ordered from them a few times before and they are always extremely fast and dependable.

If you find them cheaper, please let us know!

-Tony

GoblinOutpost

Hey Tony.

I did some calculation. I think I can do 500 for $30 max (buy them and ship them). that's $5 less than the seller you get them from. The only catch is the order I have to place must be $250 or more. So that is a lot of products. I figure I can keep about half of that for myself.

Anyone interested in polling together to buy from cardboardgold.com. They sell more than just card saver 1 and I can order nearly anything in their catalog.

I can also get sleevse that fits PSA holders, top-loaders, etc.

If interested, reply here and shoot me an email. If we can get enough people on this, we can all save a bit of $$.

-- Joe

Tap4black

A quick, cheap way to store up to about 300 cards is a 3 row shoebox. There is a small catch though as you have to cut the 2 center dividers in half before assembly otherwise they are too wide for 3 rows of cards to fit and get the lid on! You should be able to get these for $2-3 at you local card shop.

Len
Tap4black

GoblinOutpost

Len got me thinking with his shoebox idea.

I took a 4 row card box (with 3 partitions to make 4 rows), if only the center partition is kept, you can fit 2 rows of PSA cards nicely sideway. There's a bit of excess room that needs a small layer of foam for padding. THere's also room to put padding on the bottom. Structurally I'm not sure how sound the box will be minus 2 inside supports.

Do any of you file your PSA cards away? Like away from light. Even tho the holder has a strong protection against harmful part of the light, it is not 100%. I usually keep mine hidden except once or twice a year to review. Of course, the BB ones can get away since they don't really go yellow like white does. :-)

-- Joe

RobBobGolf

Hey guys, great posts. I am an older guy that played Magic from 94-00. I have thousands of Magic cards, some in binders. Antiquities was out and 4th edition when I started playing. Was wondering if I should have my early Foil cards graded? Is there a market for foils? What is the latest set chronilogically that you would have graded? My magic cards are collecting dust, especially since I started playing on-line with apprentice towards the end. Thanks for any input.

RobBob

Osguard

Hi RobBob - I have been wondering the same thing myself; but even wondering with the "vintage" sets right now (Legends and older). With anything newer than Arabians, the population shows very little grading so far compared to Alpha/Beta/Unlimited/Arabian. A number of the MTG guys in the registry have expressed that they would like to eventually have all the vintage/classic sets graded (through and including Legends) and I would put myself in that category as well.

It seems that right now so many of the MTG collectors are dedicating their resources in Alpha right now, with Beta and Arabian fairly hot as well. I've been wondering if/when Antiquities and Legends will get any serious interest (no offense to Jared who is first on both registry lists!!!).

Joe - I've been able to find the cardboard shoe-box style card holders in the store that fit PSA graded cards without any augmentation. Two-row boxes that hold approximately 140 total PSA graded cards. I know I've seen them in bulk on Ebay but I don't recall the seller off-hand; and don't know what I'd do with 25 of them anyway!

-Tony

Thulnanth

Hey RobBob,

Nice to draw another soul into our discussion!!! I don't think there is much of a market for graded foils...yet. Down the road, who's to say? As Tony said, right now the focus does seem to be Alpha, Beta, Unlimited, and Arabians. Since everyone seems to have more cards &/or $$$ than me, my only hope to stay at the top of any registry is for everyone to continue to ignore Antiquities and Legends (so be quiet Tony, OK? ). I would guess from a cost/profit standpoint you probably don't have any cards really worth grading RobBob - sorry. There are a couple of cards from Antiquities and Legends that are pretty good, though, especially if you never used them in a deck. I would pick up a Scrye magazine or look on eBay if you want some idea of prices.

Cards to look for:
Antiquities - Argivian Archaeologist (white), Candelabra of Tawnos (artifact), Mishra's Workshop (land)

Legends - All Hallow's Eve (black), Chains of Mephistopheles (black), Eureka (green), Mana Drain (blue), Mirror Universe (artifact), Moat (white), Nether Void (black), The Abyss (black), Underworld Dreams (black)

Take it easy,
Jared

GoblinOutpost

Welcome to the group, RobBob.

A quick question to you. What guide would you recommend for prices on sports card? I don't collect sports card (yet). Yeah yeah yeah, I should post this on the sports forum. But I can't help but to fuel more discussing for our little group here.
Since you started playing MTG in '94, I wouldn't discount you for not owning any of the nice Alpha/Beta stuff like Jared did. (Pssssss, Jared, I'm trying to distract RobBob from building his Antiquities and Legends stuff. :Funny

If you are grading for the sake of investment, I think others have stated very clearly. But if you are doing it for your own passion or the pride on a set registry, by all means, grade away your $$$. Getting a nice set of FOILs should not be too difficult compare to the grading fees. (Now that's a first. Keke) And it could be years before anyone willing to challenge a set like that. (Hint, hint, Jared .... your chance for more 1st.) Hats off to you Jared for starting the set registry for AQ and LG. Would be nice if PSA will acknowledge the person for starting something (kinda like what GAI is doing for the first card in each grade).

1) Trivia for everyone here, any of you know who got A/B/U/AN on the set registry (or anyone wanting to claim credit)?

2) For the Legends set, would the card Reset qualify on the list. With many people wanting to use the card lately, we can kiss a lot of nice copies goodbye. It's amazing to see how some of the playas treat their cards.

3) Out of curiousity, for cards after Legends, would any of you say yah or nay to grading if you know it will come back a perfect 10 (discounting stuff from the last few yrs). I got a few Revised 10s recently purely because 10s command such a premium and almost impossible to obtain outside of fresh packs.

-- Joe (The Scrappy Fighter)

Thulnanth

Hey Joe,

Thanks for the smokescreen - I'll be #1 just a little longer now!!!

I know I requested Arabian Nights, Antiquities, and Legends sets be added, and I was the first to register cards in the Unlimited, Antiquities, and Legends registries (2 people snuck in ahead of me on Arabians, but I'm not sure if they requested the set). When I started, A/B/U were already here; no one was in Unlimited, but Jacob was #1 in Alphas (and still is) and Nick was #1 in Beta. Of course, all of this was B.S. (before Spacebaby) - .

Reset? I didn't realize the value of this card - I ran an eBay search and WOW, you are right!!! Up until very recently this was just another average Legends common. On the other hand, I just checked the small stack of Legends I had set aside for my next submission - 15 cards, one of which is a ... Reset ... . Sometimes in this game, you DO get lucky!!!

I have considered the "submitability" of other cards, and I have decided that if the card is one I like, I will submit it. I have a several Revised Duals PSA 9-10, a Mox Diamond PSA 10 and a Force of Will that I am planning to submit. I am not sure on the long term value of other cards though. For example, I have a Revised Mahamoti that would for sure score a 10, but I just can't bring myself to submit it. I guess I just don't feel the need to have it in a slab, and I really don't see any resale value either. This might change down the road, but for now that's where I'm at. BTW, if anyone has a Mirage Hammer of Bogardan that is a sure 10, drop me a line - I would like one, but all mine are played (of course).

Take it easy,
Jared (the not quite as scrappy a fighter as Joe - )

GoblinOutpost

Jared, that's a good one (B.S.) I had a real good laugh.

Wow, I'm sure Bastien would be interested in a M. Djinn 10 for his Unlimited collection.

I started another thread about the MTG set registry. Some of you may be interested.

-- Joe

Spacebaby

Hey Jared,

I believe Dan Chang had a part in getting the A/B/U sets originally set up with PSA. He has contacts with PSA and was one of the earliest sellers of high end graded cards. I could be wrong. Even though I don't care for him too much, I do tend to believe hime on this matter. Let me know if you think otherwise.

Thulnanth

Hey Steven,

You could be right about Dan - it would seem to fit. Although I too never cared for his mercenary approach to MtG cards, I have to give him credit for his trailblazing efforts in the area of graded Magic. He may have only seen dollar signs at times, but he was right on the money (pun) when it came to the potential of high-end cards and the direction this hobby was headed. Most, if not all, of the first 10's came from him... and, if I'm not mistaken are now yours, right? .

Take it easy,
Jared