Are 1952 topps in PSA 5 a wise buy or not?

Brianruns10

Hello again,

As some of you may know, I'm working on the vaunted 1952 topps set! I'm focusing on quality: centering, nice corners, colors, all the fundamentals, and in beginning I set PSA 6 EX-MT as my cut off. But moving forward, I've seen more than a few PSA 5s which are quite pleasing to the eye, and meet my aesthetic criteria, if not the grade. Often times, the only difference between a 5 and 6 might be a fuzzy corner. I'm all about buying the card and not the plastic, and so I'm becoming increasingly inclined to buy some 5s if the price is right.

Yet when all that is said and done, baseballs cards are commodities like any other collectible, and should the time come where I'm inclined to sell, I realize that a grade can make a significant difference in the return on my initial investment. A higher grade card has a better chance of holding and even improving its value.

So what do you all think? When it comes to the 52 Topps, should I stick with my original goal of nothing less than PSA 6, or are PSA 5s not so problematic, if the card is pleasing to the eye, and the price is right?

Thanks!

BR

PS: I'll have scans of my initials acquisitions shortly, and will start a new thread soon!

SidePocket

Personally find a lot of 5's are in great shape and the flaw that keeps them at a 5 is often very hard to see.

leathtech

<< <i>Personally find a lot of 5's are in great shape and the flaw that keeps them at a 5 is often very hard to see. >>



Agreed... I have several PSA 5's in my HOF Baseball Rookie Auto collection - I'd rather have a nice looking 5 than an ugly poor centered 6 or even 7.

Sometime it does make more sense to buy the card and not the graded (registry set be dammed!)

PowderedH2O

I also think that with the 52's in particular, a lot of collectors look at the big ticket items (Mantle, Mathews, Mays, etc...) and realize that putting together a 6 or 7 set is pretty expensive. So 5's are a bit more affordable for most of us, and yet still darned good looking cards. I would continue with what you are doing.

Carew29

BEFORE



AFTER---just got this back. 5 looks fine to me but i expected better.

relaxed

Personally I would have no problem in buying PSA 5's if they were appealing to me. Considering also that the set has over 400 cards unless you have a unlimited budget I think getting a mix of PSA graded cards is the way to go.

WinPitcher

Properly graded, honest wear cards that are centered are always a great buy.

Of course you may have to pay a premium for them.

Cards that are technically a certain grade because of some flaw are not.

The trick here is not pay a premium for the cert.


Steve

1954

Brian,
I think you need to continue look at eye appeal and value as your number one goal here-especially for that set. Many times in trying to complete a set I have bought a PSA 5 as a "filler" until I found a PSA 7/8 that would replace it. What I have discovered in some situations that the PSA 5(Filler) was nicer to me than the PSA 7/8 for sale that I was wanting to buy. That's when this whole grading thing starts me to thinking ......what the eff am I doing? My whole goal as a young collector was to always make a set that was beautiful for my enjoyment. Why would I want to pay $600 for card "A" that I don't even find attractive just because someone says it's nice vs. buying a card for $55 that I find perfect for my set?

What an awesome set you will have once finished.

Shane

RonBurgundy

What Shane said.

To add to his point, take the Mantle RC. I'm willing to bet - no, I'm certain - there are PSA 5's out there are better looking cards, for a cheaper price, than some PSA 6's. For what you will have to spend to acquire either a 5 or 6, I'd look for a nicely centered 5 all day long, with bump possibilities. But if you want that card in a 6, make sure it's a nice 6.