MTG poppage... bad cards, good grades :)

Comments

• jasperw Posts: 63

  October 6, 2009 1:35AM

  jared-
  
  well done. nice eye. how do the values of alternate 4th compare? equal to unlimited? revised?
  
  -will

  jasper

  0
• tmmoose Posts: 253 ✭✭

  October 6, 2009 6:22AM

  Wow - that's amazing!
  
  The person who looked at the PSA 6 is the one who normally does my cards. :-)

  0
• Tap4black Posts: 214

  October 6, 2009 7:36AM

  DAMN! Nice grade Jared. Out of curiosity, when did they start doing Alternate 4th cards? I remember busting open a case of starters when the hype for this set first started and we sold thru a ton of it. Not sure what we still have laying around but if you are in need of anything to complete a set, I think we have some nice pieces still in the shop.
  
  LMK,
  
  Len
  Tap4black

  0
• Thulnanth Posts: 502

  October 6, 2009 8:50AM

  Thanks everyone
  
  Valuewise, I would put them above Revised and perhaps on par with Unlimited, on a single by single basis. Of course, that's only for Gem Mint singles - any damage and they're no better than bulk wb stuff. In addition, there's no real big cards (like P9 in Unlimited or even Duals in Revised) so the overall set value is low. Most raw singles tend to be less than mint, as the cardstock is very soft (prone to chipping) and glossy (easily scuffed). In addition, in order to protect the commons and basic lands, Wizards wisely put the rulebook in one end of the starter and the rares on the other end... . As such, the 3 rares are usually dinged, even fresh out of the pack (like you were mentioning about Alphas over in the Librarities thread, Len). I've yet to purchase a raw single worth submitting, fortunately you can still find sealed product around at a semi-reasonable price. In fact, that's one of the reasons why I started on this set... I simply cannot afford to be busting A/B/U/AN/AQ/LG stuff. It's a fun little diversion, but not really worth the money (probably true of a lot of the stuff at PSA - lol).
  
  I probably busted around 8 boxes worth of starters and pulled the best copy of each single for my set. After that, I went back through the cards and set aside every remaining single that seemed worth submitting (lots of OC and tilts, along with regular damage). In the end I had around 180 cards (half of which were lands); I subbed one of each (and all the extra "good cards"). My first sub was at the beginning of this year - they mislabeled them as regular 4th at first, but they did correct it. Prior to that, none had been graded. I wouldn't mind picking up some more sealed down the road when I can, but right now it's not a high priority.
  
  As for the offer - thanks Len. I've had my eye on a Jandor's Saddlebags in your inventory for some time now, as it's the last single I need for my 2nd raw set (the one I'm trying to get autographed... don't ask). It's a little more than I'm looking to spend on a bulk rare (plus shipping), but if we ever work out another deal maybe I can get you to toss it in
  
  Take it easy,
  Jared

  "You consider me the young apprentice,
  Caught between the Scylla and Charibdes,
  Hypnotized by you if I should linger,
  Staring at the ring around your finger" - Sting
  
  Ray Thiel (1964-2007) - the man who showed me more wonderful games & gaming sessions than I ever dreamed possible... you ran out of hit points too young, my friend.

  0
• Osguard Posts: 79 ✭

  October 8, 2009 10:12AM

  

  0
• asian007 Posts: 34

  October 9, 2009 8:08AM

  Hey Jared,
  
  great grades!
  
  Can you scan me or us a 10? I never heard of the alternate either...i'm curious...
  
  my email: gradedmagiccards@yahoo.com
  
  Good job!
  
  Dan

  0
• thedutymon Posts: 4,323 ✭

  October 9, 2009 11:30AM

  Jared,
  Just WOW...I have never even seen the Sports guy's subbing Modern Sports get that kind of return of GEM MINT 10's,
  70 of 73...Again Just WOW!!!
  
  Neil

  Actually Collect Non Sport, but am just so full of myself I post all over the place !!!!!!!

  0
• Hoping Posts: 295

  October 9, 2009 6:28PM

  
  
  Jared , no matter what the subject matter of the cards , a sub such as that deserves full praise .
  
  Jandors Saddlebags eh , i'll try not to keep that thought in my head to long .
  
  Well Done mate . Sweet as a nut .
  ----
  Mark

  0
• Thulnanth Posts: 502

  October 10, 2009 2:30PM

  Hey all,
  
  Thanks again
  
  
  Per Wikipedia...
  
  Alternate Fourth Edition
  Wizards has used Cartamundi as their card printer since Alpha. For some undocumented reason, during the production of Fourth Edition, the company experimented with using other vendors. It is possible that this was because the company was looking for a way to lower costs and gain more control over printing as Magic's playerbase grew larger and more international. Some cards were printed by the United States Playing Card Corporation, and had a thicker stock along with a glossy overcoat on the back. While these cards were not intended to be released, some starter packs were leaked out into public circulation. The cards do not glow under blacklight, unlike normal cards, and did not have the normal dot design on the back
  
  Alas, my scanner died years ago and I've sadly never got around to replacing it - I'll try to take a pic and post it when I can. While I felt all of these cards were worth 10's and that I'm pretty good at grading, I still was blown away that PSA agreed with me so completely. To be fair, the cards do have rounded corners (a common cause of downgrading), but even so...
  
  Take it easy,
  Jared

  "You consider me the young apprentice,
  Caught between the Scylla and Charibdes,
  Hypnotized by you if I should linger,
  Staring at the ring around your finger" - Sting
  
  Ray Thiel (1964-2007) - the man who showed me more wonderful games & gaming sessions than I ever dreamed possible... you ran out of hit points too young, my friend.

  0