Thoughts on grading a few cards as part of a set

tkd7

I often see catalogue auctions for raw sets with a few key stars graded. To me, I'd prefer a set to be all graded or not graded. I've pulled a few cards from my sets to have graded and now I want to backfill with ungraded copies.

Anyone have a preference one way or another?

jskirwin

I build sets using UltraPro 9 pockets and binders, and slip in a placeholder for a graded card. Of course I can't afford graded sets, but I do like graded cards so I'm happy doing it my way.

tennesseebanker

I have several sets with both graded and ungraded cards, I have bought some graded card pages to hold the graded ones in the same binder with the ungraded ones. I made sure however to put a binder page between the two for separation. I think the weight of the graded cards could pull down the pages over time if the binder isnt bound tight and set upright.

Griffins

I print a scan of the graded cards and slide it into the appropriate spot in the binder.
I usually grade the 2 or 3 key cards in all my raw sets, if they didn't already come that way. If the technical grade is way below the visual one (I've got a '52 Redman Ted Williams that looks like a 7 but graded a 2, due to a spot of paper loss on the back) I'll crack it and put it back in with the set.

nightcrawler

I personally like to see the key cards graded, makes me feel a little more confident with less risk. That's if the key cards are worth a bundle of course.

Bosox1976

For resale on ebay the investment in grading a few keys usually pays off. More than a few is a case of diminishing returns though.