Jordan

metalica23

Hey all,

A little out of my league here but figured I'd post a quick question. I started collecting old US currency about a month ago, and while finding that forum, I found this one. Reading through reminded me of the late 80's early 90's when I collected cards during high school. Now that I actually have an income, I was considering getting myself (what I should have bought back then!) an '86 Fleer Jordan. I quickly looked at the prices for a PSA 10 on eBay and decided that for my purposes a PSA 9 will do just fine!

Anyway, I then saw things about "VCP" which I hunted down and looked through their services. But, my question is not necessarily "what to pay", but where will I have the most success shopping for this card (bang for the buck, I don't need it tomorrow)? Also, if you had to pick the grader (the BGS holder looks nice), who would it be graded by? BGS, PSA, GAI, SGC? (I'm just pulling these names off of VCP's site!)

Thanks for the help, and I can certainly provide other information, if it would be helpful!

bobbyw8469

GAI will obivously be your cheapest (if it shows up at all)....I think the SGC one will be fine and not as much as the BGS one.

hhmag70

Patience and Ebay could possibly be your best price opportunity. Keeping an eye out here on these boards (the b/s/t) may also provide you with a chance to get a good deal.

metalica23

Thanks for the advice! I've been living on eBay for the last month, so I'll just have a search queued up!

Looking at the holders, I really like the look of the BGS. Plus, I like that it has sub grades for someone like me that is overzealous about centering. That would help me find a 9 that might have an 8.5 surface (or corner, etc.) but a 9.5 centering.

thunderdan

Just be patient. Close to perfect centering is somewhat hard to find on a 9 Jordan, but they're out there. You'll probably pay a slight premium for awesome centering.

I

CollectorAtWork

I would go for PSA or BGS. Avoid GAI or BCCG (Beckett's cheap arm). Make sure you don't get swindled by any other graders other than these. There are a lot of fakes out there in fake holders like GEM, etc. There is risk in buying raws too since 1986 Jordan is heavily counterfeited. I think ebay is probably the best alternative although I got my Jordan (a mere PSA7.5) on this site's BST. Get a card whose appearance that you like. There's a common saying here that you should "buy the card, not the holder." So, just because a card grades a certain level, if you don't like the look, don't buy it. The grade is so that you know what is technically in the card, i.e., no creases or wrinkles that are hard to see in the scan, etc. However, if the card is off center, has print defects, poor registration, etc, that might not be fully reflected in the grade. Anyway, good luck buying the card!

metalica23

Thanks for the additional advice. I'll definitely keep hunting and wouldn't mind paying a premium for the right card. I don't plan on reselling, so a little extra up front is fine. In my slight foray into currency investing, it's the same logic, regardless of what the technical grade is, the currency still needs to have the "eye appeal" of that grade or better, if you're going to pay the price for that grade.

On a side note, I immediately discounted BCCG when I saw a "10" Jordan where there was bits of white showing all the way around the edges. I'd assume that can't happen with a 10 from the other graders? or even a 9? I know nothing about card grading, but I'd think having the edges not having full color to the edge would be a fairly hefty demerit (max 8?).

CollectorAtWork

Yea, you can typically trust PSA, BGS, and SGC for true grades. I discounted SGC before because they're much more common used for vintage and prewar cards. For modern, their resale values typically aren't as great. You can usually trust GAI too, but it's a dying TPG. They're doing everything they can to stay alive, so there is the belief that their cards are often slightly overgraded for the holder. You can only trust the authenticity of BCCG, not the grades. A 10 for BCCG is probably equivalent to a 7 or 8. The other graders, you can't even trust the authenticity so avoid there.

goraiders

This is about as centered as it gets to me,took a long time to find "The One" for me.





Good luck! You will know yours when you see it.

Justfishinjj

What is the correct way to check to see if these Jordans are 'real' or not? Wasn't there a lot of fakes produced. I ask because I am looking at on in the raw. Thanks in advance for info.

nam812

<< <i>What is the correct way to check to see if these Jordans are 'real' or not? Wasn't there a lot of fakes produced. I ask because I am looking at on in the raw. Thanks in advance for info. >>



Always looking for info on fakes. I hope nobody here tells you how to make........um i mean spot fakes.

Justfishinjj

<< <i>

<< <i>What is the correct way to check to see if these Jordans are 'real' or not? Wasn't there a lot of fakes produced. I ask because I am looking at on in the raw. Thanks in advance for info. >>



Always looking for info on fakes. I hope nobody here tells you how to make........um i mean spot fakes. >>



Always looking for info on fakes??....When else have I asked about fakes? We collect valuable pieces of cardboard...we have to be concerned about it.

nam812

<< <i>....When else have I asked about fakes?.......... >>



Right here

Then when guys took the time to help you, you never even said thanks. Probably because it was your fake card and you couldn't fool anyone. Please go away.

Justfishinjj

<< <i>

<< <i>....When else have I asked about fakes?.......... >>



Right here

Then when guys took the time to help you, you never even said thanks. Probably because it was your fake card and you couldn't fool anyone. Please go away. >>



ok i will

goraiders

Come on Nam,with a name like that,how could you not see these ??"s
coming?

Is Cambell going to get us over the hump this year ??

gregmo32

Can someone tell me what the VCP is on a 1986 Fleer Jordan PSA 8.5 ?

Thanks a lot for any help you can give!