Looking for advice on building a PSA set

MarkWing

For sometime, I have been thinking about building a PSA set, probably 1979 Topps as it was the first set I collected as a kid and still one of my favorites. Before I jump into this, I have some questions I am hoping to get answered.

1) What is the best way to acquire cards for your set? Is it better to submit your own or buy cards that have already been graded?

2) I see PSA has a bulk submission rate of $6 or 100 cards 1972 or later. Do they offer specials or additional discounts if you are submitting more cards than that?

3) Are the more modern vintage sets worth the effort? While I am not in this for the money, I have a limited supply and prefer to spend it wisely.

Part of the reason I ask these questions is I frequently see cards selling for less than $6 on eBay and other places.

Thanks,
Mark

JLoo

Hello Mark !

I'm sure others will chime in with detailed info - but I wanted to let you know (if you didn't already) that a lot depends on the PSA grade that you are looking to obtain. For example, getting your set in all PSA 10s vs. Some 10s, some 9s, some 8s, etc. vs. all PSA 6s.

If you are collecting a modern set at or below PSA 8 or 7, depending on the set, it is usually much cheaper (and easier!) to buy the cards already graded.

Hope this helps.

mikeschmidt

You will not get better rates from PSA unless you submit a few hundred cards per month, every month of the year.

Yes -- for most modern issues, it is often cheaper and easier to buy on Ebay than to submit yourself. Once you factor in the costs of shipping, time spent, and (depending on your grade preference) the 8s you got when you wanted 9s and the 9s you got when you wanted 10s -- generally it is not cost-efficient on post-1980s sets to submit a whole heck of a lot yourself.

cravetopps

I would chime in that for this set, unless it is a HOFer or other key card, it would be cheaper to buy the cards on ebay as everyone has stated since even a PSA 9 common is going for less than $10. But, it is a lot of fun submitting cards, particularly if you feel they would be 9s or 10s even if you could get them a bit cheaper on ebay. But, submitting a borderline common that could be a 7 or 8 is a money losing proposition.

joemaggio

I just spent six years building a PSA 8/9 1972 set for the same reasons you listed. My advice would be "DON'T SEND YOUR CARDS IN TO BE GRADED." You will be disappointed with the results. You can probably buy 90-95% of the cards in PSA 8/9 for the same price as having them graded yourself without the disappointment of the inevitable 6 or 7 that comes back.

As you follow the prices, you'll discover which cards are the high-demand, low-supply ones that go for a lot more than we think a common should go for and you might try submitting those to PSA yourself.

Good luck!

Arsenal83

in my experience, the best way to jump into building a PSA set, especially one with 500+ cards (in your case 726 i think) is to find someone selling graded lots of at least 25% of the set. Usually it will consist of the high pop inexpensive cards, but at least you'll get to knock off most of the cards not worth the cost of grading and at the same time, save you on shipping costs. Be patient and find ones that fit your budget. If you start off to strong to fast, you'll end up spending more than you want, end up with a bunch of off-grade dupes, and end up getting burned out a lot faster. Remember, with a large set, it is truly going to feel like a marathon, so pace yourself.

Good luck and have fun!!

RayBShotz

Nice PSA 8 commons can be had from most late 70's sets in the $2-4 range on eBay all day long. If you're hell bent to try and build that entire set PSA graded, its a great way to get started. Often sellers will offer lots too, so you can save on shipping costs typical on individual auction wins.
Best of Luck and have fun with it.
RayB

MarkWing

Thanks for the input. I think I will stick with grabbing cheap cards off eBay when the opportunity presents itself or maybe making a trade here and there. I have one more question: is it worth the money to join the PSA Collector's Club?

Thanks,
Mark

yankeeno7

I agree with the concept of starting off by purchasing lots off ebay. Better bargain for sure.

Is it worth joining PSA? Well, factor many questions...
1. Why do you want to join?
2. Is this to make money, submit for your own benefit, or both?
3. Will you submit enough cards to make joining worth the 100-180.00 depending on what subscription.
Take all of those things into account, plus whatever personal questions you have and make your decision from there. I submit a total of probably 4-500 cards per year so its worth it for me. Some I keep, some I sell.

It's VERY important that you can be objective with your own cards. Take your best and honest guess at a grade and see how you do. Much too often, myself included, we have our hearts set on a grade for specific cards only to get a lower grade. Sometimes a few surprises but that all comes from being very objective about your cards condition.

packman

Mark

I also like the 1979 Topps set. I started buying packs in 1978/1979. I think the 1979 set is a nice looking set due to the vibrant colors. I have three 1979 Topps sets on the registry with another 500 cards at PSA waiting to be graded. What grade are you focusing on for the set? It is a fun set for me to collect that allows me to connect to my childhood. Feel free to ask me any questions about the set.

David

yankeeno7

Mark and David

Good seeing a couple more guys on here that started collecting about the same time as myself. I started buying packs in 1978. I have always thought about doing a PSA graded 78 set but there is just too much other stuff I like to invest my money in that set.

There is a special place in my heart for 78s. I remember ripping tons of rack packs from Fay's Drug Store (when they were actually in business!).

As you can see there is only one set that I am doing in PSA from my childhood. 1980 Laughlin...its only a 40 card set so will make it a bit easier! Thinking of putting together 726 cards kind of scares me! LOL

Barry

RonBurgundy

I'll be direct. You will lose money if you send in late 70's stuff yourself for grading. It's that simple. Unless you have a stack of cards that will come back to be 10's, it is not worth the time, effort, and money to do it yourself. Follow the advice of other members on this board. Buy 'em off Ebay.




Ron

MarkWing

To answer some questions...

I would be looking for PSA 8/9. 10s are way outside what I am willing to spend on this.

My reason for considering joining the Collector's Club is in part to be able to submit cards and in part, to have access to information. I don't plan on submitting a lot of cards, but I do have some I would like graded (not from the late 70s). Having a PSA authorized dealer submit for me is also an option. I see that the subscription also includes specials, a book, participation in message boards (I assuming something beyond this forum), population reports and a bi-weekly newsletter. I am trying to gauge the value access to the specials and additional information.

While I collect as a hobby, I am not above flipping something I don't want in order to get some more money to put back into my collection. If I could buy a card I didn't want, have it graded and sell it for more than my costs, I would consider it.

Mark

WinPitcher

Interesting.

I would send in my own cards (if I already had them that is) The whole point is to connect with the past. So, if the cards you have from back then are the cards that you want graded i say go for it. Not everyone does this for money. Some do it out of pure passion for the hobby.

Now if you do not have the cards already then i suggest you buy already graded cards off ebay. And I would buy the highest grade i could afford.

Funny how you are asking for advice on building a set, I am at the point where I am seeking advice on selling a set!

Good luck to you and enjoy the ride!

Steve

WinPitcher

participation in message boards (I assuming something beyond this forum),


Nope, this is it.


Steve

yankeeno7

Yes, you do get the online SMR and the magazine in the mail. I enjoy reading the issues of SMR. You also get the pop reports, which are helpful if you are building a set and looking to see what cards are tough in particular grades so you may guage what the card may cost. The free gift...its nice but certainly has never influenced my decision on the subscription.

The message boards are for anyone...you dont have to be a subscriber and there is nothing beyond this.

yankeeno7

Steve
What set are you selling???

calaban7

I'm sorta of new to posting ,even though I've been around for awhile. I'm a collector at heart and can and have been in the past, compulsive in my zeal. I used to have a very high ranking Pcgs registry set, got totally screwed and raped by them, decided I needed something easier to collect. I decided on baseball cards. Funny how I'm back to CU, but I've been much more cautious with my dealings, which have worked out well.
The most important thing that I can tell you is this, that to collect something you like, because you like it most, not because its valuable. If it goes down in value or becomes unpopular, you still like it. I'm not saying don't collect valuable items, but don't make this the main reason. If you collected cards when you were young, it was so much fun to try to complete the set. Sure their were people that only wanted Orioles or Yankees or just the best players . Yes it was irratating to get 10-20 cards of some scab, but you kept the best looking one , then hoped you could find some sucker that needed one or they were great in the spokes of your bike.
What to I collect now ? I collect sets of my favorite players , Year sets that I think my boys(5) will enjoy later and some oddball sets. If my cards that I sell because of upgardes don't sell well , it doesn't matter, I'm not collecting for the money, even though deep down I hope they might be worth something someday. I really like watching my sets grow just like when I was young. Good luck on your collecting, Sonny ( calaban 7)

Bkritz

I have approx. 10 psa 9 79 Topps cards that you can have for $45 delivered to start off your set. Let me know by pm'ing me.

Brian

Browntoni

Try and find a PSA graded lot on ebay or through an auction house. The fastest way to jump start a Registry collection. I purchased a graded lot of Play Ball cards from Sgt. Jim several years ago and started bbuliding and upgrading from there. It has been a lot of fun.

tkd7

Mark,
My advice depends on what set you plan to collect. If you are planning to collect 1979, my advice would be to consider making a purchase of unopened material and submitting. The reason is that there doesn't appear to be an active community of 1979 collectors. No 1979 set is at 100% and checking the population reports there are quite a few cards with less than 10 graded examples. I think you may be frustrated in waiting for '79 cards to come up on ebay.

There is always a risk with unopened material, but looking at the registry, it seems like for every year up to '78, there are somewhere around 10 sets on the registry at 75%, if not more. Looking at '79 and later, that number drops off to ~3 sets at 75%. For some reason there doesn't seem to be an active community in post '78 sets, with the exception of '84 Donruss.

If you are set on 1979, it may be difficult to make a lot of headway without self submitting. PSA typically runs $5 specials for modern cards every few months (although it may go up to $6 with the new year). If you choose an older set, than looking for a big lot is the way to go and you will probably be more likely to find one. I purchased a couple of large '78 lots and I'm over 60% right now. The other advantage of collecting sets with an active community is that making deals off ebay is much easier.

Tom

theczar

let me be another to recommend buying in lots. to find someone selling 25% of the 1979 set in a grade you want may be hard to find unless someone is selling off their collection from that year. but you may find a lot 50 here and 30 there and once you get enough duplicates you can those off as a lot to another collector.

you can get 1979 psa 9 commons for $5-$7 which is about the cost of grading them so why risk paying $5 + postage unless you are dead sure you have a mint card.

buying cards one by one can be a pain too because postage will eat you up. suddenly that $6 card is $10. i am putting together late 1970's sets and what i do is when i have some money to spend i will buy from 4 sharp corners. the first 6 cards are $8.50 for shipping, after that it is 25 cents for a card during that week. if you buy 20 cards that comes out to $12 postage which makes the price/card a lot easier to swallow. they always seem to have cards for sale so i may not buy for another two months.

don't get into bidding wars on these cards. if you are just starting to build a 726 card set you will be there for many years. let the card go, it will come around again. even the dreaded marc hill from that set will be there sometime for you. if you have a snipe service set your bids and see what happens.

good luck

viking7

tkd7 made some excellent points. When I started my 82 Topps set I did a bulk buy of PSA 9's. Later I
bought the #1 set owners PSA 10's and 9's that fit my set when that collector sold off many of his cards.
I was still buying quite a bit on ebay all this time but finally came to the conclusion that if I was to ever finish this set I needed to start buying and submitting more of my own cards. The thing is I wanted to have basically all PSA 9's and 10's. If you're looking at 8's and 9's then you may have better luck buying
in bulk and on ebay than I did. Even with all the purchases I made from others, I still ended up with over 70% of the set consisting of my own graded cards from cases/boxes. I upgraded more than I probably should have and now have around 250 extra PSA 9's. Some of the prior posts mention that it can be very costly grading your own vs buying on ebay and this may be true. I have to say that it can be a lot of fun submitting your own cards and it does seem that many collectors prefer to have cards they graded in their collection when possible. Whatever you decide, enjoy your collecting and good luck to you! Steve

jamesgotpoorman

Ebay is a great way to start. Post in WANT IT NOW to see if any sellers want to bulk sell to you. Set goals and price limits so that you stay the course and don't go broke. 1979 was my first year pack ripping.. all those Hendersons that I had that were wrapped in rubber bands, in the spokes of my bike, and glued to book covers.

I had great success with ebay in starting a set. Got out of collecting in 90's and with ebay and NAXCOM, I was able to set goals and now two years later I Have 90% graded 1933 goudey. (lower grade 2.99 set) You have to watch for the specials on PSA grading then a month or two after the special, cards that people had graded go for sale. Also, watch 4 sharp corners, joes vintage cards and others for reasonable starting prices to get started.

Good luck and hope to see you on the registry soon. It is also nice to see your set posted with pictures on the registry. I feel that others that may remember that set but can not afford to start that set, can also view it.



poor mans 33 - 23rd Current Finest Set
1933 Goudey

Bosox1976

Anybody can build most any topps set fairly easily, particularly modern. The key to building a modern set is (to me) sense of accomplishment. While it won't be particularly difficult to find 79's in 8 or 9 condition, it can be challenging to only take perfectly centered cards or to do it with a fixed price in mind (i.e. 80% of SMR), or to do it in a set period of time ( x number of months), or better yet all of the above.

A common pitfall is to underestimate the total expenditure - set your fiscal limits prudently and stick to them. Keep track in excel and don't underestimate shipping fees. Those cost adds up and should count in your budget.

I personally would grade at least 10% of the set if it were my endeavor. The sense of ownership is much greater, but not worth doing them all to me. 10% gives you the flavor. Plus getting a nice 10 or two is an uplifting joy of collecting.

In summary take a week and plan. Plan then execute. Enjoy the process, interact with the other guys chasing the same set, and see it through to the end. Those big lots sell cheaply because graded 1979 commons are only of value to team & set collectors, and uncompleted sets are a dime a dozen - pace yourself and it won't happen to you! Best of luck! PM me your address and I'll send you my only 1979 (a PSA 9 that should be a 10) - my treat

theczar

1979 commons are only of value to team & set collectors, and uncompleted sets are a dime a dozen - pace yourself and it won't happen to you!

mr. bosox1976,
very true. this is truly a marathon. i am talking several years. when you see that the 4th best registry has under 36% of the set you know a lot of people have given up or at least put it aside. even if you purchased a collection like that as a starter you would need over 460 cards. Even #1 needs over 100 cards.

i have a raw set from vending purchased in 1979 and never abused. i went through that thing and i would be lucky to find many 9NQ's. the centering is horrendous. of course 25+ years ago no one cared about centering, just sharp corners. while i would love to add a few graded cards of my own it is easier for me to pay $6 to someone else who took the risk. i am about 30%, and my goal is to add 10-15% each year. i plan 5-7 years to finish it.

fjm

mets

I would also agree with what everone else has stated. Buying off of ebay is the least expensive way to get the cards you want. I started the 78 set but wanted to make it mine so I purchased some unopened wax boxes and a 3 box rack case. There was a ton of o/c cards in the boxes and out of almost 4000 cards a pile of about 350 was left to send in for grading. Out of about 200 that I have already sent in most (about 85%) were graded as 9's. Most of those 9's I could have picked up at around the cost of grading, Yes, I did get some nice cards like a Seaver, Palmer and Dawson as 10's but the sub as a whole would have been less expensive if I had just purchased the cards already graded. However, Opening these packs was the most fun I have had with this hobby in a very long time and am looking to get some more unopened boxes this year to help finish my set.

I also notice the amount of cards graded for the 79's is 33,958 for the 78's its 62,913, that may be something to concider when deciding to purchase your own unopened stuff.

George

jamesgotpoorman

Here is a start $30 each on ebay from 4 sharp corners..on ebay now.

MarkWing

I have bought a few cards from 4 sharp corners already. He has some auctions ending within the next week I am watching. One of the ideas I had was trying to use him as a resource. He is located just over an hour from my home and I am pretty sure one of my friends knows him (I have to ask next time I see him). Based on my observations, he submits a ton of cards and gets a huge discount. Several posters have suggested I would need to submit myself because the populations isn't out there. This may be a less expensive alternative.

Mark

Salinas

I think everyone who has offered their opinion gave great advice. I was like you 18 months ago. I started my 1980 Topps Baseball Set because it included Rickey Henderson's rookie card, one of my favorite players. And it is an arduous process. I remember reading these boards before I jumped in full steam ahead. And I laughed when members said that they had been working on a specific set for a couple of years or predicted it would be two more years to get to 75%. Now I laugh at myself for thinking I could complete my set quickly (I have been stupid also for dabbling in other sets too, which has made me lose focus).

The veteran members know. So heed their advice: buy in bulk when you can, check out sellers such as 4SC or DSL for low prices on a lot of commons, ask other members for help as they may be willing to pass off their duplicates to you for low prices, and be patient. And keep your goals on how much you are willing to spend because a card you may want may be available a month later for a lower price. This is a long journey for such a large set. You can submit cards to speed up the process, but really, eBay and the members here can help you complete your set quicker and less expensive.

And most of all: enjoy the journey.

MarkWing

I do appreciate being patient when taking on this type of set. From the start, I was viewing it as five to ten year quest. I am working on several other challenging sets like Topps Gold, Topps Heritage some other vintage sets and so far doing it without simply throwing money at them. I would take the same approach to this quest.

Thanks for all the advice,
Mark

packman

Mark

Good luck with the 1979 set. I have the #2 set on the Registry. In addition, I have the following extra registry sets:

PSA 9 and 10: link

PSA 8: link

I have 500 cards at PSA. When I receive them back, I should be at 93% on the set. My goal is to have a average grade of 9.5 on the set. If you are interested in some of the cards from the above links, let me know.

I agree with what has been said. It will be more economical to purchase cards already graded. However, this set will require self submission to complete. There are some cards with no grades higher then 8. In addition, there are several cards that will cost you a substantial amount over SMR in 9 (e.g., Winfield). If you have any questions, let me know. I have been working on this set for a while. It will be nice to see another active set builder.

David

MarkWing

I just made a couple purchases and may spend more at card show tomorrow, so I am probably not looking to buy at this time.

Right now, I am perfectly content with 8s and easy 9s. If there is a card like Marc Hill that is difficult as an 8, I can live with a 7. I would probably avoid the more expensive cards like PSA 10 because if I am going to spend more than $20 on a card, I would rather put it into my Topps run.

Mark

jamesgotpoorman

theczar

packman,
i would be interested in buying or trading for some of the extra cards in you 2nd registry. i am currently #8 (plymouth duster) please pm me in you can about the cards.

thanks

ColleSystem

The good thing about buying packs vs. already graded, is that you can pick the cards with the best focus/registering. Many PSA 9s have poor registering. In my opinion, that is way more important than centering. I'd rather have a sharp focus PSA 8 than a somewhat-blurry PSA 9.

Scott

1960toppsguy

Whatever you do, don't even think of starting with the 1979 set unless you simply want a hobby and have disposable income. You will likely never retrieve 20% of your investment. Just buy an ungraded set for $100.00 if that is why you want to get involved. I started collecting as a youngster in 1979 (regrettabely) myself and like the set for sentimental reasons only. I think it is one of the worse investment sets Topps ever produced. You should reconsider your decision in my opinion.

GDM67

<< <i>I'd rather have a sharp focus PSA 8 than a somewhat-blurry PSA 9. >>

So, so true.

jgarci11

My advise is for you to look and find which cards are the most valuable. Next, buy the most valuable AND ODDBALL cards in the highest possible graded PSA holder. Lastly, put your cards up on the PSA registry set and scan them for everybody to see. The common cards are not worth submitting unless you get tired of looking on ebay for graded versions of them. Otehrwise wait until somebody, like 4 sharp corners has a fire sale and starts letting common graded stuff go for 4 bucks!!

Stingray

Collected what you like, if you think of it as an investment, then I think it will ruin the fun of it. I am currently collecting the 84 Donruss set, though I never did when I was younger. It is a modern set, but I have a connecetion to the mid 70s to mid 80s cards. I was not around or was not able to collect cards of the 50s or 60s. So I have no connection to those cards, so I would not collected them. Maybe some singles here and there, but not pursue a complete set. I collect what I do because I find it fun and there are a great group of 84 Donruss set collectors too that help me stay interested in the set. I did try 84 Topss BB for a bit, but got bored, seemed like no one else was collecting it.