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Are raw cards ALWAYS destined to bring more than graded cards??

bobbyw8469bobbyw8469 Posts: 7,139 ✭✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
I noticed something tonight. Someone is buying my mid-grade Lost In Space cards, cracking them out of the cases, and turning right around and relisting them on Ebay raw. Nothing misleading, nice close pic, albeith with a digital camera instead of a scanner, and no close-ups. They are bringing more raw than what I sold them for graded. Therefore, the question lies, do raw cards always bring more than graded cards? I know that certain sellers have made a small fortune cracking out graded cards and pushing them raw. I see more of that than buying raw cards, and getting them graded for a profit.....

Comments

  • handymanhandyman Posts: 5,389 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Im going to say sometimes they do.
    Just depends on 1-100 things.
  • WalterSobchakWalterSobchak Posts: 2,096
    A while ago I saw a raw '70 Topps Sam McDowell from a set break go for something like 20 bucks. It looked from the scan like it would grade NM at best. I had purchased a well-centered PSA 9 of the same card for $22.50 a couple of months prior.

    That's the most extreme example in recent memory that I can think of.
    'Sir, I realize it's been difficult for you to sleep at night without your EX/MT 1977 Topps Tom Seaver, but I swear to you that you'll get it safe and sound.'
    -CDs Nuts, 1/20/14

    *1956 Topps baseball- 97.4% complete, 7.24 GPA
    *Clemente basic set: 85.0% complete, 7.89 GPA
  • itzagoneritzagoner Posts: 8,753 ✭✭
    raw raw. sis boom bah.

    to be perfectly candid, i think the tide is turning a little in favor of slab-free cards.

    not to say that PSA graded examples, or other 3rd party graded cards for that matter, aren't what they are worth in a slab with a label.

    but my opinion is that more people are appreciating their collecting experience just owning a card or cards and they are willing to pay well to own it without a pedigree.

    they aren't placing any importance on that aspect if logic dictates that they couldn't make any money submitting the same darn cards back to PSA again, could they?
  • handymanhandyman Posts: 5,389 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It might be that set collecting is going away from graded. As a coin collector I hate the slabs. But as a baseball card collector I love the slab. I think The no slab collecting is picking up steam as it looks better and is easier.
    Its not easy to make every Set in slabs unless you have 1 billion dollars. If I had 1 billion dollars I would have ever baseball and non sports card in a 9. So wait for them to spike in the next 10 year as I will have 3 billion bucks to blow.
  • hammeredhammered Posts: 2,671 ✭✭✭
    Before we start applauding a move back to the pre-slab days of collecting raw and building sets, understand that those nice raw card prices are primarily driven by collectors or dealers who hope that NM card grades out at a 9, one way or another.
  • Black00SSBlack00SS Posts: 377


    << <i>Before we start applauding a move back to the pre-slab days of collecting raw and building sets, understand that those nice raw card prices are primarily driven by collectors or dealers who hope that NM card grades out at a 9, one way or another. >>



    I agree with you 100%. Seems like there is a pretty decent business in buying nice PSA 7-8 cards, crack, and sell raw to a buyer who "thinks" its a lock for a 9.
  • itzagoneritzagoner Posts: 8,753 ✭✭
    i understand what hammered posted.

    it can be understood one way or another.
  • TonyCTonyC Posts: 1,399 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Before we start applauding a move back to the pre-slab days of collecting raw and building sets, understand that those nice raw card prices are primarily driven by collectors or dealers who hope that NM card grades out at a 9, one way or another. >>



    +1
    Collecting Tony Conigliaro
  • bobbyw8469bobbyw8469 Posts: 7,139 ✭✭✭
    Ahh...so it is the POTENTIAL that drives the raw card prices higher. Well, surely the prospective buyer can see the centering, corner ding, and tilt from the scans?
  • cpettimdcpettimd Posts: 1,050 ✭✭✭
    Look at some of these raw sellers - Battlefield, Techmarina, and Uncle Bills Treasures. They have high dollar raw cards every week - high hammer prices. It seems that they always have a 56 and a 55 Clemente every week, for instance. They must be cracking out PSA 4/5/6 cards. Their scans are always no so close up.
    Collecting Clemente master (#6) and basic PSA registry sets, Hank Aaron master and basic sets, Mantle oddball issues, 1970's mega decade HOFs, 1967 Topps pin ups, and high grade Topps Clemente and Aaron. Numerous transactions with over 100 board members.
  • cards651cards651 Posts: 665 ✭✭


    << <i>Before we start applauding a move back to the pre-slab days of collecting raw and building sets, understand that those nice raw card prices are primarily driven by collectors or dealers who hope that NM card grades out at a 9, one way or another. >>



    +1 And PSA must love this because they will never run out of raw vintage cards to grade as long as the process continues.
  • bigreddogbigreddog Posts: 1,156
    As someone who has cracked out my fair share of cards, I disagree that "Potential Profit" is always the motivation and that it's only mid-grade cards being cracked.

    I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that raw card collections are only Mid grade or else they would already be graded. Ive been working on high grade Football sets for more years than I can count. Long before any TPGing. ALL are top 5 sets in any TPGer registry. Im not concerned with "potential" or profit or price guides.
    I collect CARDS, for what they meant to me as a kid. Sure we all want to think that our cards hold some kind of "Value". The day that the "Value" becomes more important than the cards is the day I will leave the hobby.

    Ive enjoyed doing a couple graded sets, But its just not the same for me. I like to be able to feel and smell the cards. I like to see the shine of the surface and acess the card to determine if the card is a nice enough to make it into any of my sets.

    I also feel that it is just to hard to really enjoy sets of graded cards the way you can with raw cards. I can go to my library pull out the set i want to enjoy, sit down with it in my lap and flip through the set. I like the way the cards flow with each other within the set, and if I want, pull out any card I desire to see, feel and smeel its true beauty.

    The few graded sets I have, while beautiful in their own way, weigh over 100 pounds and are difficult to "thumb through". Surely your not going to casually pull it out and sit down with it on your lap. Its just so much work lugging out that big heavy case and then trying to keep it all in order while trying to enjoy it.


    Which brings me to my next point. STORAGE! I keep 30 complete sets nice and neat, in about the same space as it takes for the three graded sets I have.

    Ive cracked out plenty of high grade 8,9 cards and even a few 10's in my 70 set. Ive also cracked out many cards only to find out they were not nice enough to make it into my raw set.

    True many do it for the "Potential profit".... but those are the "whats it worth" people, not real collectors. Ive got a feeling that there are plenty of raw collectors out there in pocession of lots of high grade cards for many of the same reasons I mentioned above.


    A few more reasons why I prefer my collection mostly raw.

    * I don't believe the slabs offer the best protection. In fact both PSA and SGC slabs are harmful to cards if handled wrong. The constant mailing and handling cards being resub over and over I think actually creates unneccesary stress and chance of card being damaged.


    * After 40 years of chasing down high grade cards for my collection I don't believe that there are any TPGers more knowledgable than me in evaluating and grading cards.
    Ive become so citical of the cards that have a shot at breaking into one of my sets that many times Ive been disappointed in some of the "Crack Outs" I like being the CEO and Head Grader of my collection.

    * On the positive side. With the gross overgrading and Misdescribe cards on ebay/Internet as well as the many crooked scumbags who come into the hobby to lie, cheat and steal for profit, TPGing has made it much easier to deal via ebay and the internet. While I may not always agree with a TPGers Opinon, at least I know the general range and quality of the stated grade.


    Thats what makes this hobby great! Its your collection and you can do it however you want! It's ALL GOOD!!

    Well I gotta run. Got some PSA 9 1974 Football cards to crack for my set. Let's just hope they can pass the test of the Head Grader..................... ME!

    Then in my quest to make the most rip roar'n perfect 1988 Topps football set on the planet right down to the last common, I will rip three more cello boxes and a couple more wax boxes in search of the perfect specimens. Ahh I can smell that Tasty little stick of:

    DEXTROSE, CORN SYRUP,
    GUM BASE, SOFTENERS, NATURAL & ARTIFICAL FLAVORS,
    ARTIFICAL COLORS, AND BHT
    (TO MAINTAIN SOFTNESS)

    And who would've thought the #1 set in the Hobby was none other than................ RAW?


    Take care ALL
    John Clayes
  • swartz1swartz1 Posts: 4,912 ✭✭✭
    Unless those selling raw know what the prior grades were before cracked...

    just sayin...



    Looking for 1970 MLB Photostamps
    - uncut


    Positive Transactions - tennesseebanker, Ahmanfan, Donruss, Colebear, CDsNuts, rbdjr1, Downtown1974, yankeeno7, drewsef, mnolan, mrbud60, msassin, RipublicaninMass, AkbarClone, rustywilly, lsutigers1973, julen23 and nam812, plus many others...
  • celesterussellcelesterussell Posts: 354 ✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>Before we start applauding a move back to the pre-slab days of collecting raw and building sets, understand that those nice raw card prices are primarily driven by collectors or dealers who hope that NM card grades out at a 9, one way or another. >>



    I agree with you 100%. Seems like there is a pretty decent business in buying nice PSA 7-8 cards, crack, and sell raw to a buyer who "thinks" its a lock for a 9. >>



    one million percent correct statement above......
    In the USA all men are created equal but some are more equal than others....
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