Why Do I Collect Low Condition Baseball Cards? It's Pretty Simple... 

Great content ! As a collector I agree 100%. I bought a 1956 Mickey Mantle at the National in an SGC 1.5 and I love it. First and foremost the price I got it for shocked me considering it was at the National and it’s a card I thought I would never have based on my budget.

The best part about buying the lower grade vintage cards is that once you get one you’re happy with - you can delete the search! No more comparisons! No more envy of the higher dollar higher grade. If you found “the one” it’s all over. That card is in your home in your collection and there doesn’t have to be any comparison ever again.

Hi Graig, I agree with you 100% about buying ‘low condition’ cards. I am absolutely happy with PSA 2 and even PSA 1 cards for my collection. There’s such a difference between a low grade and a mid and high grade card prices. ‘Gently loved’ cards are the backbone of the hobby. This is one of my favourite episodes of your channel yet Graig! Thanks for the entertainment. Respect, Peter

Damn!!! You got some Banging Tobacco cards!!! I collect typically 3-up grade-wise but Tobacco cards I am ok with A-3s due to rarity and prices. I go for aesthetics alot of the times when it comes down to lower grades. Keep them vintage coming!! Great video as always!

Exactly. Thanks, Graig. Fantastic video!

Thank you!.. I was just lucky. My 80s..90s...to the 2002 year.. I have all the 93 finest, the upper decks... have been in sleeves, top loaders for many years.... just a hobby... wish I could collect those old vintage.....

I started my vintage baseball collecting by rummaging through low-grade raw vintage bins at shows. I don't mind soft corners at all, even a minor wrinkle or two as long as viewing the card straight on has good eye appeal. I even think vintage cards with too sharp of corners almost look fake to me. Some of those imperfections are what helps them look/feel old! I also have several cards where the only "flaw" is that a kid put their initial on the back in a corner, but otherwise the card looks amazing. As you said, having the card is what's exciting, not how much I had to overpay for it because of an arbitrary number that was one individuals opinion.

Graig, another great video. The main point here is you, me, and many others are COLLECTORS. A collector for the most part doesn’t care on the grade as much as having the card. Many collectors would love to have the older cards in any condition. I totally agree about the older the card the less important the grade. Plus many vintage cards in really nice condition go for more than most collectors can afford. I’m glad most of my collection I acquired long ago. The only thing I would somewhat disagree is if (depending on the card) for a reasonable amount more you might as well get the higher grade IF the card is that much better. A lot of your examples I would buy the lower grade and use the extra money to buy other cards.

Great video…completely agree….some of my favorite cards are my PSA 1s with pinholes…everything else about the card is nice…I’ll take it….have some very nice 2s and 3s as well…it allows me to ‘stretch the budget’ and I’ve generally been happy with the approach…

I saw this video last year and it really got me thinking. I have only been collecting for a short time. I like the old pcl cards from Obak. I purchased a 1.5 that looked like a 4. My friend only goes for highest graded. He purchased a similar card graded 4, but it looked like a 2 . We put them up on eBay . I made a decent profit on my card, my friend’s highest bid was well below what he paid. I eventually was able to purchase same card (with a higher grade), and had money left to buy more cards as investments. Thank you for your insight.

I agree totally Graig. Great content!!

As a set builder in sports and non-sports… It’s the only affordable way to collect… A NM card for 15-30 eachhh bc or more makes a 55 card set over 1000. A modest 2-4 card at 3-10 dollar is a 200-400 set and often looks similar throughout.

Could not agree more here! Most of my collection of 40s-60s vintage football is 2s and 3s, with a few 4s and a couple 1s mixed in. I agree with thr logic that I'll take cards in lower grade in exchange for getting more of the cards I want. The key is being able to find lower grade with nice eye appeal, which is always possible with a bit of patience!

Totally agree. Buying and having ALL these cards for the price of one higher grade card is the way to go. Thx for content.

Wonderful video!

Always love these videos. You make strong arguments. Can’t wait to see the next one.

Well stated, Greg. I think we collect pretty similarly. I go for the best eye appeal in the grade range I can REASONABLY afford. I have an 89 Ken Griffey Jr. in a 9 and am looking to upgrade my SGC 6 Henderson to an 8. Not because a 6 is a bad card. Henderson is easy to find, and an 8 will look like a mint card.

The Musial is a NEWLY GRADED "Good 2", which is an old "VG-EX4". I'll take the 2.

My Musial rookie “only” cost me $320 because I’m happy with a 1. Because of that I also have a ‘52 bowman Musial, ‘50 Feller and Bob Gibson rookie for less than a better condition Musial rookie all together. It helped too that I bought it ungraded.

Decided to cash out most of my modern cards and gonna start re-collecting the 80s cards I had growing up and I'm just gonna grab well centered PSA 7s. They'll look just fine to me in card stands in my office.

With you 100%. I want my vintage cards to look vintage-not like reprints.

The reason there's such a price difference in grades is because there are alot of them on the market. High grades are theoretically considered rare, but the card itself is not. Anything truly rare is not dictated in price by a grading company. In fact, a grade on a truly rare item is pointless, because it would rarely do anything to increase its value. Furthermore, I've heard strong emphasis put on being a collector for the vast majority of people in this hobby for a very long time. People have this mindset that it's always a collector vs investor mentality. Truth be told, a collector can't collect without investing and an investor cannot invest without collecting. In other words, whether you identify yourself as a collector or an investor, you are simply both. Why? How? Because what you're buying has value and is considered an asset that has the potential to increase in value. That is an investment, regardless as to whether anyone acknowledges that or not.

This was awesome. I couldn’t agree more.

Hi Craig, like others I was the same lower grade purchasing & collecting a few 1950’s graded cards over 20 years. I purchased a PSA 4 1954 Topps Ernie Banks Rookie and a 1955 Bowman Henry Aaron back in the early 1990’s and still remind me of their historical significance. I am sending in 1954 Topps Jackie. Robinson, which will probably PSA grade a 2 or 3. I don’t care again due to the historical significance of the man. Looking for that Roberto Clemente RC in lower condition to get slabbed and pass down from generation to generation. Thanks for all the research & interesting info. with the 1940s & 1950s cards

The big reveal with each card was great! You know I'm with ya, low-or mid works fine for me (and my wallet)!

It's like paying an extra $25.00 for getting sprinkles ( jimmies here in Maine) on your $4.00 ice cream; the ice cream will be just as good without the jimmies

I think it makes a big difference what set you are talking about. 1933 Goudeys are thick, square cards with white borders - they look good with quite a bit of wear. But T205s in low grade don't look anything like they are supposed to - seeing one in high grade is quite a revelation.

The Rickey rookie: Not exactly the same. The 9 is centered better. But I wouldn't pay the extra grand for that.

💯 👏 👏 👏Griffey's 1989 UD PSA 8 was sold on ebay several days ago for $10😮

It's definitely a good point. Eye appeal presumably should carry a lot of weight with a collector, perhaps moreso than the technical grade even if the prices are the same. There is some good value in low grade cards. Also, I suspect that it is less likely that a lower grade card has been "doctored" (trimmed, cleaned, etc.) than a higher grade card, since the point of doctoring the card is presumably to get a higher grade that can sell for more money.

Refreshing take on card conditions. Especially with pre-war, I expect some noticeable defects. I don’t buy graded cards and shake my head over the chase for the number on a slab vs. how the card presents. I do like nicer cards when I we are taking 1960s to current sets (I’m collecting Tigers and 1971 Topps, nothing major). Once I get back in the 1950s, condition will become less of an issue, especially if I’m ever fortunate enough to get a Kaline rookie.

For me, all about the centering, even if it’s a card I really want, I won’t even entertain the idea unless it has good centering.

I bought a Jim Thorpe Sports King in a PSA 1 that has paper loss on the back on the corners,looks like it might have been in a scrapbook BUT the writing is all there and it sweet. The corners are a bit rounded too. But I love the card ! IT’S A ROOKIE THORPE AND I HAVE ONE. Now I did pay over a $1,000 for it but for a higher grade it would have taken me out of the game. Like you said the old the card my opinion on the grade versus the fact of having the card doesn’t matter. Buy the card if you like it and enjoy the history of it that it must have taken to get to your collection.

I love low grade cards with strong eye appeal, I picked up a Killebrew RC in a 3 for $150 and it looks fantastic. I was able to turn the savings from a higher grade into a 59 Koufax. Best way to stretch your hobby budget

Great video, couldn’t agree more. Just having the card for us and we love looking at it that’s what it’s all about. Character is everything!

Little late to the show...but excellent!! You are right on point..the higher prices are killing the hobby in my view..in a few ways..and some good in a way..but, the average collector cannot afford thousands of $s for a card with a grade or few higher..some 2s-3s,-4s are better than 6s-7s etc...in my opinion..I'm happy all day long with 2s-3s-4s..or lower..I'm not in it just for money..I enjoy chasing cardboard..great show..

I agree with the modern examples of Griffey and Rickey - the difference in condition is minimal and doesn’t warrant a 10x in price. The vintage tho? Agree to disagree on some of them . The conditions of the Aaron rc was quite noticeable and the discrepancy in grade was very much worth less than a 2x in price. I could justify the Hornsby price difference being 10x given its scarcity and obvious discrepancy in condition but the Griffeys? 10x in price difference makes much less sense given they look identical to the naked eye and were printed in the millions. Great video again Graig!

You and I are on the same wavelength totally!

I've got a t206 Mathewson dark cap in an sgc 1.5. Love it.

I also agree with lower condition cards. I dont have many cards with high grading that are vintage and I love them. Yes, sure I would LOVE to have high graded cards but its not that important to me. I actually went to a show In Burbank a year ago and one seller told me, when I was looking for a rookie Michael Jordan Fleer card. He told me, "why are you buying the lower graded cards?" I told him, for one, the price...Its a big difference in the price as I go higher up in grade numbers and I dont have thousands to spend on the higher grade and second, as long as I own the card....I am happy.

The difference between the PSA 9 and 10 is the Focus on the Lettering and star Logo. Also the color was a shade brighter on the 10. I noticed both of these differences before you even showed the grades so the grades are no big surprise. Maybe try other examples next time? I understand your point but if you go back and look at both Griffy's you can see what I'm trying to explain to you.

I have always bought lower grade T206s and other pre war cards. I agree when they are so perfect they almost look fake. I did buy one of the untouched Black Swamp finds as they look as if they were printed yesterday. My red Cobb polar bear is a SGC fair, Cy Young portrait SGC 2, and Walter Johnson polar bear hands at chest SGC 2.0. Bought them before the Covid price jump and at the prices they are now not sure I could afford them. As you point out you save a bundle by going with a lower grade but to this old guy the prices many times still seem out of reach. By the way love your Matty.

Just grabbed a Yaz and McCovey RC raw, maybe VGish....want a Berra and Musial RCs lower grade....

Great video, could not agree with your line of thinking more. So many lower grade cards look fantastic and for collectors, isn’t that the only thing that matters? I’m with you 100%, a little bit of non distracting wear gives the card character.

As a collector,,,, you buy the card because you just like to collect baseball cards for your PC…,then there are collectors who just what to collect high grade cards,,,, they are collecting the grades, not the card,,,,

I'd take that Matthewson any day, I love it.

Greetings. My name is Jim and I'm Powerless over buying Sportscsrds..... I've been collecting since the mid 80's, and rode along with the ups and downs of the hobby. The early advice of " buy what you like " has stuck with me. Can we compare Mahommes rookies with Montana? We need to determine how many different PM rookies exist. Between the brands, the types, the parallels, numbered cards, variants, autos, SP and more, I can only guess at the total number of DIFFERENT PM rookies exist. Now we need to count the various JM rookies. Hmmm.... it's baffling. I was going thru my cards and saw Stargel and McCovey. Two of the best " wrist hitters " I've ever seen. Now that I've thought about it Banks is in that class. Can anyone add to the list?

Honestly I would rather my vintage PC cards raw. Just something about actually touching and holding the card. Maybe I'm just a little crazy. Hell I enjoy showing em off and letting others get the experience too.

I collect EXMT or better vintage in raw and mostly PSA 7 in vintage in Mays, Mantle, Aaron, Clemente, Ryan, Rose and a few others. And I collect complete sets in EXMT or better. I love my cards, but I'm a collector and an investor. I like this guys videos, he has fantastic videos for finding undervalued vintage cards. But most of his videos are all about money and finding value, so as far as I'm concerned; he's clearly a collector, but also an investor.

I collect, but will "invest" if it is a great deal. My philosophy is, it's a collection for me, it will be an investment for my son. That Henderson-8 will be worth a ton in 40 years, but I won't see it.

Go a step farther, buy raw. 2 steps farther, reprints. 3 steps farther, later cards of the same player, for example: instead of 52 Topps Mantle, buy a 62 Topps Mantle.

I WONDER IF THE COLOR AND SHADING DIFFERENCES ARE DUE TO EXPOSURE OR THE PRINTING PROCESS. THE BETTER CENTERED CARD IS BETTER APPEALING TO ME ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO ONE VASTLY OFF CENTERED. THE WALTER JOHNSON CARD ON THE RIGHT HAD WAY BETTER CLARITY AND WOULD BE WORTH THE GREATER COST. THANK YOU.

When you are talking tobacco cards, realistically the scale is 1-5, not 1-10. For some reason they grade those with a different standard.

man, u just single handedly made all low grade cards rise in value~

Henderson on the right is off centered top to bottom.

I'm with you on all these points. All that said by practice I've not always considered them in my decision making. You have educated me to slow down and keep looking for deals. They do show up.

I don't want to get too in the weeds here but you can’t visually compare two cards like you did with the Musial’s asking which one looks better when the one on the right being framed in black is clearly vastly superior to to two different off color whites being applied against each other. Also, I believe a lot of people are collector’s who look at their collection as an investment even if it’s not in our lifetime therefore we’d like to buy cards not only that we love but also have the best chance of gaining value. So it’s worth shelling out the extra money so at some point way in the future those cards in one way or another take care of you as you did them.

As long as a vintage HOF card is centered, it would take a lot for me not to like it.

Great video Graig! I agree, eye appeal is key. A well centered 2 or 3, especially of a vintage card, is the way to go! My Greenberg rookie from the national was exactly that. Its a 2, but is perfectly centered, without creases, so for half the price of a 3, it was the right card to buy. Your points are super relevant to new collectors who are trying to navigate the post-COVID prices in the market. Thanks for sharing!

A poor '52 topps mantle is worth more than most cards that are in high grade.

....the lower grades that you shown.....is just as good as the higher grade...it`s all a matter of how the grader feels that day

Great griffey example I can relate why would i spend $200 on a 9 when i got my psa 8 for $65 im collecting the eye appeal and presentation over the grade because its all subjective looks like a 9 comes back a 6 so why does the grade matter these days?

My favorite part of my collection is Cubs and Packers team sets. Condition matters for these cards. Outside of my team sets I have some nice cards, but most of the graded vintage are Authentic 1’s 2’s and 3’s. I also buy a lot of raw cards in ruff shape too. When I can add a SGC 1.5 Mantle card to my collection and still have enough in my $100 budget to fill some holes in my 62 cubs set and complete the 59 packers set that’s a great month for me.

Great topic. Lowet grade well centered vintage cards are the sweet spot.

I would luv to see your top 10 cards in your collection based on price value.

Yeah but grading sucks. I’m just talking about lesser condition baseball cards in general.Raw

Agree 100%. Nice to hear a collector’s POV

Why are we so dishonest on eBay and RU-vid now…you like low end cards because that’s what you can afford…no shame in that…if a perfectly centered PSA 1 and a 60/40 SGC 8 ‘52 Mantle we’re both free you’d take the 8 all day long…just facts…

Hey, do you care if the card on the back was glued? Or are you just looking on the front eye appeal? Regards from Germany.

Here’s a question for you Graig- what’s your threshold of how beat up a card can be for you to pass on it? For me, the threshold is when I can’t enjoy the card due to a defect getting in the way. Stuff like creases in the face. I’m totally great with banged up corners, beat up backs, stains, etc. Thanks for the great videos Graig! Matt G

I have no issues with pretty 2's. If it has wonderful eye appeal, I am down! Would love that 1955 T Clemente 2.5. That centering is on point.

I 100% agree with you. I bought a 1960 Mantle base card for $100 two years ago. Its sharp dealer one i trust and have known for 25 years, said it would be a 5 or 6 if it was not for the 3 two sided tape pieces on the back. so that is way it was so cheep. I have many cards that would be Poor, Fair, Good or GV in my collection and few to non that would be graded higher for the same reasons you gave.

Totally agree. I am not an card investor , so as a card collector I just want a nice example of the card I want .

I really like these comparisons you do. I'm a set builder and PC collector but I also like to buy cards as future trade bait. I know it's not really the point you are driving at, but I would appreciate pop counts, just to consider.

The Henderson 8 looked better than the 9. lol

I have a 1954 Hank Aaron PSA 1 which I love! Paid $1,350, it looks beautiful just has bad corners:-)

I really like this podcast. I watch every episode, best thing out there of its type by far in my opinion. Much of what is said is right on. However, to me part of collecting "as a collector" means having something in your collection that has the color, focus, etc. that makes it worth pursuing and viewing in the years to come. Those of higher grade here are not just slightly better in these ways, in my opinion, as stated; they are markedly better to the extent that it might be said it almost makes all the difference. A badly faded Johnson or Cobb (not even getting to corners, centering, etc.) vs. the comparison higher grade cards - just owning the lower grade ones and having some money to buy more faded, perhaps even trashed cards doesn't cut it to me as a rationalization. No comparison as to the lower and higher grade comparison Aaron, Clemente, Musial and WIlliams cards, either - this is agreed on in the video as to the Aaron card, but not so much perhaps as to the others - is this just wishful thinking to justify buying lower grade cards and thinking it's the smart buy as a collector or just fine if only taken from the pure collector's point of view? Even the Griffey 10 is clearly distinguished for the better in my opinion from the 9 in terms of centering, etc.. Beyond that, as previously mentioned, if a comparison from an investor's point of view is added on - and it is a free add-on in a way if as a collector you just want cards with good color (not necessarily 10s or 9s or even 8s, but nice this way with good focus, etc. as well), the relative decrease in values is probably even more advantageous generally for cards like those in this comparison with the higher grade. Even a previous video from this collector chose to explore this difference as a meaningful topic - yet only did so for the cherished lower grade "collector" cards. Yes, from time to time a lower grade card is good enough, or more than good enough, especially at higher value - but let's not fool ourselves either just because we see ourselves as collectors or we limit our budget for cards and don't really want to see relatedly that we might be not buying something worth collecting (or investing in) as a result.

There is something realistic about a low grade card. These cards are 60, 70, sometimes a 100 years so they should show their age. It’s no different than going through your parents attic and finding pictures of your grandparents from that same timeframe and how they aren’t in perfect condition either. I do believe there is nice eye appeal in low grade cards.

I just picked up an 80 Henderson in an sgc 7.5. $150 with perfect centering.

Hornsby was a bad guy.