if you are thinking about grading cards

[sliqwill]

PSA is apparently the way to go...I know most folks think its a BGS/PSA world anyway, and all the others, aside from SGC (especially in pre-war vintage) are worthless hack graders...

if you want to see the difference between BGS and PSA, here you go...

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...thentic+urlacher+gem+mint&ghostText=&_sacat=0

I would be tempted to buy BGS gems and see how they do when transferred to PSA

 

[urbanmonk]

That and folks get cards graded that don't make any sense (least to me anyway). If it isn't vintage or a RC really kinda pointless IMHO, especially promo pack cards and the like (Sage and companies like that). You can find a lot of those that sell on Ebay for less than what it costs to get something graded, especially the off the wall grading companies. Other problem is consistency and does the grade really mean anything, I've never done it (or had a card graded yet for that matter) but I have heard of folks busting case and sending it back in for grading again because they didn't like the grade and get a different grade back on the card. So there is so much variance to who is grading it and who knows what other variables. That and the different grades between even the big two companies, as PSA doesn't use a half point system. So is a BGS 9.5 equivalent to a PSA 9? That and PSA doesn't break it down into grades on the specifics (corners/centering/etc..) and just gives the card an overall grade. Many collectors go with "BGS for modern and PSA for older cards", but I agree with you as from what I have seen PSA generally will sell higher than a BGS with similar grade on it.

A bunch of these sold for under $2 with Free Shipping with the auction even:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Football-/2..._Sold=1&_from=R40|R40|R40&_nkw=graded&_sop=15

 

[urbanmonk]

Good article here:

http://www.ebay.com/gds/Buying-Graded-Sports-Cards-Avoid-Being-Ripped-Off-/10000000001342856/g.html

 

[sliqwill]

i thought PSA is doing half grades now, not sure about the 9/10 range, but I have seen 8.5 and such...I know about regrades and such, which is why it would be tempting to take a 'top' company like BGS and switch it to PSA if it doubles the value of the card...

as for the other companies, I have seen places that allow you to make your own 'logo' and slabs very similar to PSA, which could cause confusion...

'grading' cards got popular in the late 90s...edge I think was the first to put PSAs into boxes, I know Fleer Authority, UD Graded, and Score got into it, or at least Score did a bulk submission of many rookies because in 2007 there was a ton of Adrian Peterson and Calvin Johnsons out there

and yes, I don't get people sending in, especially 'common' cards from recent years...in the grading 'boom' of the early 2000s I had some cards that were booking $20+ graded, but now it appears you should just buy ungraded stuff and WAIT 15-20 years...

look at what a 1997 Walter Jones SP Authentic PSA 10 goes for...a 2003 Topps Chrome Kevin Williams PSA 10 and other 'key' cards on whatever list PSA is using for their "Top 50" or "Top 100" of the modern era stuff and people doing sets in "The Registry"...HOF Topps RCs from the 70's and 80's are going nuts of late from what I have seen...James Lofton, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana are all selling quite well...I would assume the Marino and Elway RCs are also up, haven't checked...and then 'condition sensitive' sets like 85 Topps Football, 86 Topps Football, 86 Topps Baseball, 87 Donruss Baseball I would assume the common PSA 10s are a bit nuts...

and things that were once crazy, 2005 Exquisite Football, in BGS/PSA Gem grades are down, and those are next to impossible due to how they were packed...

 

[urbanmonk]

I can see grading a condition sensitive set a bit more, though doubt I would ever pay for grading. Personally only see vintage or a high end RC ($100+) being graded, but that just me. But giving a grade for "centering" for modern cards seems kinda odd, as granted I suppose it can happen but not as prevalent as the old days when the processes weren't as sophisticated. It would be interesting to send in a odd ball grading companies card to see what a GMA Gem Mint 10 came out to for in a PSA or BGS. I bet it wouldn't fare very well in most cases. I've even heard there is a big difference between BCCG and a BGS grade, which doesn't follow much logic (though I can understand a "Raw" grade be different as less time taken, but don't understand why one would get a Raw grade on a card at a show).

 

[sliqwill]

BCCG is a 'quick' service that doesn't go indepth and typically a BCCG crosses to a BGS 9 to my understanding

and yeah, after my last post I took a look at 1984, 1985, 1986...1992 Topps PSA 10 searches...an 85 Payton sold for $500...several 'weird' cards exist where its probably a first card of a guy, essentially a common, selling for $100+...nuts

the RCR is a bit cheaper than 'actual' grading and its much easier to 'pop' it out, as it just requires a quick scissor cut as opposed to a screwdriver and possibly hammer to actually 'crack' one out of a BGS holder...there is also a way to 'unseal' the edge of the holder, while keeping the RCR sticker in tact, and swapping out with a 'lesser' condition card then selling at the 'inflated' grade...but I know what can be done to manipulate things...back in 2007 or so I showed how, with fairly common household things (as a single guy I had it in my apartment - didn't have to go buy anything special) I could remove an auto from a DLP product, erase the autograph, and transplant it...all done because there was a guy on eBay trying to get a premium on a Willie Reid Absolute auto that had a "Jay Cutler" autograph on the back...

 

[andy]

Jason - A lot at play on differences in pricing on that card. By no means does PSA sell better across the board.

Urbanmonk - you seem to have a lot more bias against grading than knowledge on the subject.

 

[urbanmonk]

Jason - A lot at play on differences in pricing on that card. By no means does PSA sell better across the board.

Urbanmonk - you seem to have a lot more bias against grading than knowledge on the subject.

To me it is a "too each their own" like many things in the Hobby. I'm just not a fan of grading, will only buy them if I can't find a regular copy. Take up more room to store and all that. Same as unlicensed manufacturers get lower priority when I pick up stuff for my PC, as I'm not going to pay high prices for ITG/Sage/Press Pass kind of products and pick them up when cheap or when trading only for the most part. Not sure where I claimed to be an expert, was just stating my opinion.

 

[benoit1970]

If you live in Canada...it's easier with PSA