Newbie (to PSA) with some questions THREE PICS ADDED!

goose3

My dad has decided to start selling off some of his mass of stuff.......some of it being baseball cards/sets....

about 20 years ago or so we ran across a perfectly preserved box in the attic at my granny's and yep....it was all of his BB cards. Now to me these things look like the day they were opened out of the packs but to anyone else, you, psa, who knows......

I distinctly recall us going thru them with a Beckett? at the time and recall him having 21 Henry Aaron cards among many duplicates of the other stars. He only had 1 Mantle and it was pretty rough. He said he never did get that one from a pack and had to trade another kid for it.

Well he decided to start the process of selling some of this stuff........probably the '59's for starters. Now here are my questions....

I joined PSA yesterday for the 2 year deal.

What do I use to put these cards into and where is the best/cheapest place to get these holders? Link if you got one please!

Are the "commons" worth submitting to PSA if they appear to be what he and I would call Mint?

Is the Mantle worth submitting?

What specifically Won't PSA holder? I know trimmed and recolored...but anything else?


He has a buttload of the Topps Traded and Fleer traded sets.........should these be sold Intact or should the stars be taken out and sent to PSA and then sold with the remainder of the set?


I am sure I'll have many more questions but these are just for starters.


Thanks in advance for your help.

MorrellMan

<< <i>about 20 years ago or so we ran across a perfectly preserved box in the attic at my granny's and yep....it was all of his BB cards. Now to me these things look like the day they were opened out of the packs but to anyone else, you, psa, who knows......

....He has a buttload of the Topps Traded and Fleer traded sets.........should these be sold Intact or should the stars be taken out and sent to PSA and then sold with the remainder of the set? >>



Just curious: 20 years ago, traded sets were new, which leads me to believe he was still collecting when you found the box. If he was still collecting, how did he forget about his childhood cards at granny's?

As for your question, carefully read all the information PSA sends you in your membership packet regarding grading and submitting. My best advice is to believe what they say and look subjectively at your possible submissions. Get a 10X loupe and a halogen light and don't overlook anything. Believe me, if it's there, PSA will find it.

Good luck.

goose3

yes....he got back "into" fooling with the cards when I started messing with them as a kid. It sort of sparked him again.....that was around 81 or 82 I think.

Once he was back into buying some of the stuff he got to thinking about his old stuff and if it was still at his mom's. Sure enough....we found it!


I know it sounds like a load of crap or something you'd read on a sleazy ebay estate listing but I've got better things to do than to make up stuff about BB cards.


I told him (at the suggestion of 1420) to pick out his best 12 cards for the freebies.

1420sports

Goose, Mark is correct - everything that you need will be right there.

Before using the loupe, I would look at all the star cards especially the Aaron's. Someone who is new will be able to tell w/o the loupe what cards are better than the others. After a good and better pile is created, look at the better pile and start over this time looking with the loupe. Don't beat yourself up over it, just pick the best # of cards that equals the # of free submissions. The first submission is always the toughest one (at least to me) and after that is sent back, you may have a better feel for cards.

As far as the traded sets, I know that the 84 Fleer Traded Clemens is sought after. If you have one, I would include that if it looks sharp.

Good luck and let us know.

goose3

yes, I know he has that set or possibly several of them if not more.


what about the Ripken Traded rookie? That used to be a good one?

1420sports

what about the Ripken Traded rookie?

yup, forgot about that one

MorrellMan

One of the best learning experiences I ever had was sitting down with some 7s 8s 9s and a magnifiying glass trying to determine what the differences were between the grades. When I prepared my first few submissions, I would compare them to already graded cards and see how they measured up.

goose3

<< <i>One of the best learning experiences I ever had was sitting down with some 7s 8s 9s and a magnifiying glass trying to determine what the differences were between the grades. When I prepared my first few submissions, I would compare them to already graded cards and see how they measured up. >>




an excellent idea.....which is what we plan to do after we get the 12 freebies back!

Aaronman

My advice on the grading would be to start slow. When you first get into grading there is an education process (some call it an elightenment) that you must go through. Cards that you may think are or were in nice shape will come back 6's and 7's. Since you just joined for two years you have 12 submission. Use those to submit the more expensive cards (Aaron, Mantle ....). Look at the twelve cards under magnification and start to learn the differences between the grades. I would then look at the bulk fees for commons. You can then submit 25 (I think that's the bulk deal qty) commons. Take a look at them when you get them back. Getter a better feel for why they received their grades. Submit a few more and do the same thing. As you become more comfortable self grading your cards increase the size of the submissions. As you sell the cards you will also geat a feel for what cards (and grades) will sell for in each year. This will also help you determine what to submit. As a rule of thumb in the 50's you can get close to break even with 6's, and can make money on 7's and above. In the 60's, you can break even on 7's and make money on 8's and 9's. In the 70's, there's a little money in 8's in the early 70's and you can make money on 9's. I don't do much after 1975 so my advice is only based on cards before that.

Enjoy,
Doug

Axtell

I think that having several samples of the years of cards you are going to want to sell in different grades to be able to see the differences in grades.

Go slow, and make sure the cards you are going to get graded are worth so in the grades you think they'll get. A lot of lower grade cards are worth more raw than in a 6 or 7 slab, for example.

I'd also recommend doing it in small chunks, instead of getting overwhelmed with a huge project.

Good luck...it should be fun!

zef204

There sure is an "enlightenment" process. You also have to realize that centering is a huge factor in grading. Especially for the commons because a 7OC Aaron may still be valuable, but a 7OC common may not recoop the grading fee. As 1420 said to create the good and better piles. Go back through the better and weed out the ones that the centering is awful. Then weed out the next few you think are marginal. For the high $$ cards, the Aarons and other stars, they probably will be worth more graded, but not for your 1st sub. You should use this to test yourself for picking out the best of the best.

As far as commons, I would hold off grading these until you have a better understanding of what a 6,7,8 or 9 exactly looks like. Then, it may not be cost effective to grade all the best looking commons. I would start out by grading the low pop commons whic can be found HERE provided you can log in with the username and passwird you got for joining PSA.


As far as supplies, PSA tells you to use a penny sleeve, which is the thin plastic casing that just bareley fits a single card. They sell 100 for $1 hence the name. I don't use these as they can potentially do more harm than good as far as knicking corners and scraping edges on their way in. The then say to put the card in a top loader. The best are CARD SAVER 1 (or I). I would buy in bulk if you plan on submitting alot as it drives the cost down. After that just make sure you pack your submission well and CLEARLY mark the outside of the box you are sending to PSA so they honor the timeframe gauaranteed by the level of service.

Any specific questions you have along the way, feel free to ask here or the sports cards and mem. forum.


Also, let us see some scans of the raw cards if you have the time. Even 1 or 2 and you will get some feedback, albeit via a scan, of the percieved condition.

And with any questions about submitting the cards, call PSA customer service as they can be helpful before you submit. After submission they never seem to have the answers we all are looking for.


I know you are an OF guy, are you into coins as mainy on the OF are? Do you buy/sell/grade coins? If so, I imagine it will be a similar learning curve to when you first started with that.

Good luck and Merry Christmas!

Jordan

goose3

thanks Jordan and all of you that have responded.

When he gives me some of them I will take some digipics of them and post them!

Merry Christmas to all of you.

goose3

Keep in mind....I took these with a digicam......I'm not good with a scanner. I'm used to taking pics of coins not cards! The pics for some reason make the corners look rough....they are sharp.

SDSportsFan

Hi Goose,

As far as how to submit the cards, I recommend you put each card in a "penny sleeve" and then into a "top loader", such as a "cardsaver 1". As a previous poster said, penny sleeves have a habit of dinging the corners of the card as you insert it. To avoid this, simply use a sharp knife or scissors and snip about 1/2 inch down each edge (don't cut anything off the penny sleeve, just "open" the edge of it). Then insert the card into the sleeve, and then into the cardsaver The penny sleeve serves to protect the card from being scratched by the harder plastic of the cardsaver.

Looking at those three '59 Topps cards in your post above, the Robinson looks like the worst of the three. It appears to have a "dog eared" bottom left corner, which would probably knock it down to a PSA 7. The Ford and Aaron both appear to have good shots at PSA 8, as long as there are no faint or "micro" creases and the backs are OK.

If all your dad's cards look like these three, you definitely have a good stash

Good Luck, and Merry Christmas!

Steve

jayhawke

Robinson looks like a 5 or 6. The Aaron and Ford look like 7's from the corner wear.

macpsa

Goose3,

I see the Ohio State logo at the bottom of your post. Do you happen to be in Columbus? If so, I would be willing to look at the cards ( I live in Westerville) in person and give you a better idea of what makes economic sense to submit. If so, email me at machemehl@insight.rr.com.

Mike

MorrellMan

<< <i>Robinson looks like a 5 or 6. The Aaron and Ford look like 7's from the corner wear. >>



I'd agree, just from the corners. Examine the cards, front and back, at different angles under a halogen light. Any slight wrinkle in the paper could knock these cards down to a 2. Don't underestimate this examination. If it's there, PSA will find it. If you see it first, you can save yourself a lot of heartache.

Again, man, good luck. Looks like nice cards.

Dhjacks

I think the Ford and Aaron look like 8's.

goose3

the corners are sharp.....the angle of my camera or my cropping and sizing makes them look goofy.

I'm near Mansfield Mike.

1420sports

In any event, they are worth submitting. I am not a 59 expert, but I know the Aaron is tough to find centered. I finally was able to find one for my Aaron basic set.

pandrews

i say robinson is a 6, maybe 7 if you get lucky.. whitey looks like an 8.. hank looks like a 7, or maybe an 8 if you luck out..

goose3

can someone post a nice pic of a "10", "9", and "8"?

I know it's probably like coins......hard to tell from a pic...but I'd still like to see.