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What are some of the cards benefiting and being harmed by the registry?

Obviously the registry is a huge hit and is turning collector interest toward and away from particular segments of cards. Which groups do you think are benefiting and being harmed most, valuation wise, by the registry?
Benefiting:
1. High grade commons
2. Any cards with low population numbers

Harmed:
1. Any qualified cards. Valuations were already low, but now it's even worse since they automatically drop 2 grade in the registry.
2. High priced, high grade stars. Market is weak for these and the registry may be partly to blame especially on the unweighted sets.

Comments

  • carkimcarkim Posts: 1,166 ✭✭
    High priced, high grade stars. Market is weak for these and the registry may be partly to blame especially on the unweighted sets

    Very True!!!

    Carlos
  • mcastaldimcastaldi Posts: 1,208 ✭✭✭
    I don't necessarily think the high-grade stars are suffering as a result. What I do think is happening is that set collectors are thinking a bit more before paying the super-high prices for them.

    When I see star cards from 72 and 75 that I think are priced too high, I start asking myself how many commons I could get for the same money. I'm more than willing to buy the nice high-grade stars, but because I need so many commons I want to make sure when I do buy the stars that they're strong-for-grade and also reasonably priced. If these two things aren't there, I typically move on to look for commons. For the set collector, the stars will always be there. The commons are generally the challenge.

    Mike
    So full of action, my name should be a verb.
  • thegemmintmanthegemmintman Posts: 3,101 ✭✭
    Bosox, that's a good analysis. I agree with everything you said except for... "High priced, high grade stars. Market is weak for these and the registry may be partly to blame especially on the unweighted sets."

    I think they're weak because they were at such elevated levels for so long. I don't think the Registry was to blame at all. Actually, when more sets become weighted the Registry might actually be credited one day with resurrecting the high priced stars because as more collectors decide to set build they will need to fork over money for the stars with weightings of 9 and 10.
    image
  • A qualifier is death!

    A two grade hit does not even have me consider a Q'd card for a set.
    THE FLOGGINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES
  • carkimcarkim Posts: 1,166 ✭✭
    Mike & GEMMINT,

    Today that may be the case. But in our not to distant future there will be a major shift in Set collecting.

    Look at it this way. Charlie told me that at the Fort Washington show they brought back nearly 40,000 cards and the Set registry special has received a tremendous response. Also many dealers, including gaspipe are sending in commons by the truck load. Pretty soon the market is going to be flooded with commons.

    Furthermore, when more collector reach 100% on there sets, the only way to improve your set rating the fastest is with high grade, heavily weighted STARS.

    And when all is said and done, a set rated 8.00 with commons at PSA 9 and Star at PSA 6's or 7's doesn't, in the long run, seem too impressive. You still have to by the card whether it is slabbed or not. image

    Just my thoughts.

    Carlos
  • Great post Bosox!

    I think you're on the mark with all your analysis!

    Mike has a good point also. I've found myself thinking of how many commons a high priced star would
    buy me. I still need a psa 8 # 290 Musial for my set. I will eventually find one at the right price with
    nice centering and eye appeal. A "7" will do for now.

    Zardoz, you are correct about qualifiers...death, with one exception.
    Qualified cards will always be used as fillers have been for years. When someone gets to the magic
    98-99% I think they would take any card on the planet in any grade. Then replace the qualified card
    with a more desirous card when one becomes available.

    I also think both dealers and collectors are being more carefull when submitting cards, I haven't received
    a qualifier in the last 50-60 cards I've submitted and I bet many of you fellow collectors haven't either.

    John.........jml517-ebay

    ----------------------------------
    Looking for 6 cards for my 61 topps set.
    #'s 110, 112, 119, 133, 154, 355...any grade but prefer 8's.


    image

    ______________
    1961 topps 100%
  • bosoxphanbosoxphan Posts: 107 ✭✭
    Thanks for the replies. I figured the high priced high grade stars statement would get the most disagreement. But I think a lot of people are thinking like you Mike, "How many commons in high grade can I get for the price of that one star card?" The recession has certainly taken a bite out of these cards, but it seems like the registry has taken a nip as well. No matter what the card costs the highest weighting you can get is a 10, if that card costs 30,40,50 times the price of same grade commons, it's more cost effective to buy the commons and bump down a grade for the star. For the unweighted sets this really becomes evident, although that thinking is rather short sighted since all sets will be weighted eventually.
  • VarghaVargha Posts: 2,392 ✭✭
    A lot depends on the availability of the "high priced star". In the 1951 Bowmans, for example, there are currently 94 Ted Williams cards graded PSA 8 (and nine PSA 9's), so his card has taken a beating. However, population alone is not an indicator. Mantle's rookie card is a strong $20,000 card even though there are 40 cards graded PSA 8 (and four PSA 9's plus two PSA 10's). That is because it just doesn't come up for sale that often. Whitey Ford's rookie card is a strong $6,000 card even though there are 30 cards graded PSA 8 (and one PSA 9 plus one PSA 10) for much the same reason.

    While many of the commons are fetching SMR and some low population cards are doing extremely well, many of the commons in the set with populations of 20 or more are coming in at 70-90% of SMR. Set building has helped commons somewhat, but there are only so many people willing (or able) to build certain sets. One thing is for certain, the Registry is making it tougher to acquire certain cards now as the quest for ego is spurring some people on to spend at all costs to acquire the best possible grades available.
  • mikeschmidtmikeschmidt Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭
    Astute dealers have been able to price low pop (read: population less than 5) commons from the 1950s higher and target their sales more effectively. If there is a card that has a Population of 5, and three or four of the cards can be assigned to Registered sets, the competition will be many more than two collectors competing on a card that is basically an "available" population of one or two. I have seen this happen with both PSA 8's and PSA 9's.

    There are not many dealers who invest the time to do this, but it has really allowed them to properly place their cards and maximize their revenues. It is also one of the banes of having your set available for viewing on theregistry (or, even if it is not viewable, if everyone else's set is available)

    MS
    I am actively buying MIKE SCHMIDT gem mint baseball cards. Also looking for any 19th century cabinets of Philadephia Nationals. Please PM with additional details.
  • TreetopTreetop Posts: 1,474
    Regarding the large number of cards being submitted (70's) because of the 70's special

    What I’m seeing here is a larger trend of PSA 7 cards from the 70’s. If you look at 1972’s for example, (excluding PSA 6’s and 9’s) for every 10 PSA cards that hit ebay, 6 are 8’s and 4 are 7’s, The 7’s being basically worthless… I’m basing these numbers on what’s currently on ebay and what’s closed recently……….Sure guys like Gaspipe and bauerfan will always bring quality cards to the table in mass numbers, but the 70’s special is also bringing people who are getting there ears wet with grading…….we have all been there, but I think you’ll see a lot more 7’s floating around in the next month also.

    I was at the last PSA Saturday and I saw lots of junk being submitted…….but then again, I saw one guy submitting 200 cards from 1966-1968. Just about all Clementes, Mantles and Roses.

    I believe the market will be flood with commons, but a good portion will be junk. And when I say junk, I mean be lucky to recoup the grading cost for the card

    I can talk here now since I have a set registered!
    Link to my current Ebay auctions

    "If I ever decided to do a book, I've already got the title-The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I"-Jim Fregosi
  • VarghaVargha Posts: 2,392 ✭✭
    Treetop -- do you live in SoCal also?
  • TreetopTreetop Posts: 1,474
    Hi David,

    Yes, I do live in So Cal............Huntington Beach

    Regards-
    Mark
    Link to my current Ebay auctions

    "If I ever decided to do a book, I've already got the title-The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I"-Jim Fregosi
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