Authentic or Graded and Authentic?

RayBShotz

On older cards, lets say 70's and older, that are autographed, would you prefer to have them slabbed as "Authentic" as it relates to the signature only, or slabbed "Authentic" for the sig. and the card assigned a grade as well?

Secondly, does a low to mid grade on a slabbed autograph card diminish it's collectibility in any way in your eyes?

Comments.
RayBShotz

aro13

To me the condition of the card itself is usually irrelevant. I do not want a heavily creased card but otherwise I am far more concerned with the Auto. So for me a simple "Authentic" would suffice.

envoy98

I think if the card is kinda trashed, as a lot of IP autos on vintage cards seem to be, I would shoot for authentic vs. auth and a grade. Unless the card is really nice, I don't think the grade adds much value overall, especially since the auto is what most people would be after.

I have a '55 T Hank Aaron that is signed, but it's got a couple creases, wouldn't grade better than a 2 or 3, but the color is fantastic and the auto is perfect, I debated this very question and finally came to the conclusion to just have it slabbed authentic. I haven't sent it in yet though.

tkd7

I think if a card will be PSA 5 or higher on vintage, go for the grade, however if you have a submission that contains mixed grade cards with some lower, combine them all as authentic since the grade is really secondary.

I think all modern cards should be submitted as authentic. The chance of getting a PSA 9 or 10 on a modern card that wasn't signed through a card company is slim.

GOODLIEU

The only problem with the Authentic/Graded categories is that if you are collecting HOF autos in the registry the card has to be graded. Until PSA gets their Authentic Autograph registry up and running you cannot enter your authentic cards on the registry for display.

lostdart58

I cracked out a PSA 8 1972 George Foster and got him to autograph it...........I will eventually sent it in to grade AND authorize so I can add it to my 72 Topps registry set.

RayBShotz

GoodLieu - Do you know that they are planning a feature to allow "Authentic" No Grade cards in the Registry?

I think their Autograph Registry would grow at a more visible and greater rate if that were the case.

RayB

mr300bowl

I could be wrong, but I believe Authenticated Autographs can be added to your set registry even if the card is not graded. I collect NFL HOF autographs and looking at some of the other sets in that category there are cards listed that only show as Authentic. They look to receive a 3 as a measurement for the overall GPA. So I would say if the card would grade a 4 or better you should have it graded also. My 2 cents.

Kurt

1420sports

I think that "Authentic" slabs can be used now and always have been able to be registered. Getting to the question, I would not have a problem buying an authentic holder for an auto card, and the grade would not necessarily make the slab more desirable for vintage cards (insert your own definition here) but it would for a modern issue.

liffeystynx

Authentic autos can now be added to a registry set. They default to a PSA 3 when it comes to calculating GPA, so the advice above about taking a view on how well the card will grade (in this case - better than a 3 or not?) is absolutely sound.

No great announcement was made about this change and I only discovered it by looking at other Registry sets and seeing from the scans that the cards were Authentic but showed up as PSA 3 in the set listing. It saved me a considerable chunk of change as I had planned to crack out a bunch of Authentic autos and re-submit them under the $20 service for grading.

Jonathan

RayBShotz

Authentic or Graded and Authentic?
OK. Lets set up a hypothethical. We'll pick a HOF'er with profile but not someone so legendary that it wouldn't matter.

Suppose you had a Signed EXMT 1965 Topps Willie MCCovey. You anticipated that if you sent it in for grading the card would come back as a PSA 5,6 or maybe a 7 for grade alone, and also "Authentic" for the autograph.

Since the result of grading it would not yield a high grade; would this card be more or less valuable/desirable on the open market with being just "Authentic" or "Graded and Authentic"?

RayB

1420sports

For the McCovey, if I had a choice, I would take the PSA 5-7 "graded and authentic" card versus just an authentic. I could not say if it would command more money, but my guess is that it would by maybe a few bucks. A mid grade card presents well, and one that is auto'd and authenticated is just a cool item to have. If I were in the market for an auto'd card however, I would prefer a mid grade PSA or JSA "authentic" card to a low end "graded authentic" card ...