Great video, Bill. I buy ALL my cards ungraded. For me, the fun is the hunt. I try to buy all cards from sellers who accept returns just in case there is a grade-reducing flaw that was not detectable in photos. The risk is always there, but the wins so far have outrun the losses. And if one is a true collector, really there is no loss. You've merely protected the cards with an artful slab (I'm an SGC guy). Any "win" or "loss" only matters in the eventual sale of the card. And I only sell when I can acquire an upgrade of a card I already own. Thanks for an informative, thought-provoking video. Well done. Take care, Rob.
Thanks, Rob. I enjoyed your thoughts. What you're talking about is awesome and sounds like a lot of fun if you pick up the cards at the right price. I'm with you, I don't really consider it a loss if I don't plan on selling. Thanks again.
I agree 100 percent that I would rather buy a card already graded but you can have bigger "hits or misses" when buying it raw and then trying to grade it. Very interesting video. Thanks for sharing.
Great video. I have had some success buying Hank Aaron raw cards on eBay and grading with SGC. Recently found a 1968 Topps Hank for $61, had it graded with SGC and just came back a 7. You certainly need to be careful, and I only buy raw on eBay from sellers with significant positive reviews.
Hey Mike, thanks for watching and commenting. It's much appreciated. Wow, that was a great pick-up! You definitely won on that deal. You definitely have to be careful, but you're right. I would only buy ungraded cards from sellers with a lot of positive feedback. I usually tend to buy graded cards that way, too.
Excellent, thoughtful video. I feel like when you move that beauty 60 Kaline, you can get more than the VCP because it presents so well. On the Musial, I could see the wrinkle circling around the 250 on the back. Musial is so undervalued in the hobby, you might want to keep that one for a while, since it looks so sharp. Congrats on those Yaz grades!
Thanks for watching and commenting, Dan. I always try to pick up cards with good eye appeal. I believe you're definitely right about Musial, but as a Cardinals fan, I'm slightly biased! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Fantastic video! I strictly purchase raw in the hopes to submit cards in the future, but with grading getting more strict one needs to be more cautious. Some cards out there look amazing in their holders and are being assigned fours and fives. 🤯
I agree 100 percent. I try to look them over very well before I submit them, but sometimes I miss stuff. A lot of guys ask for really high prices for ungraded vintage, too. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts.
Bill, just stumbled across your video. Great rundown for folks new into vintage. I prefer to buy ungraded vintage cards, been doing it for quite some time. I highly recommend taking a lighted magnifying 🔎 glass to any show as lighting is always an issue. The issue I have is some dealers get very offended when you point out flaws in their cards, as well as state "but I paid xxx for this card so I can't go below that". Not my fault, so I walk away from those tables. Surface wrinkles are very hard to detect, like on your Musial. I think with the wrinkle on the back, you could get higher than VCP. Great luck on your 1960 set.
Thanks very much, Brian. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching and commenting. The whole I paid this for it thing bothers me too. I will pay fair market value for a card, and I don't really care that a dealer may have overpaid for a card. I like you just usually walk away. Do you notice too that dealers will often way over price a card for the condition and a lot of them are unwilling to negotiate? It's their card and they don't have to sell it. But, I'm not willing to pay the I don't really want to sell it price.
@@billyballgamesportscards I sure do, very annoying. I will pay a bit of a premium at a big show as I know they have expenses, but some guys are ridiculous.
Every one of the cards looks great Bill! Like you, I tend to buy and submit ungraded cards. Sometimes you lose a bit, sometimes you break even and sometimes you gain value but almost every time you end up with a great-looking card in your collection! Lately, I have been looking to pick up some graded cards, I think there are a lot of great deals out there now!
Yes, without a doubt, especially now that prices are still coming down. I think the opportunity to save a lot of money is still out there, though, when buying the right ungraded cards at the right price. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Enjoy your channel!! Great topic!! How long have you been collecting cards? Who are some of your favorite players in your collection? Why did you choose to complete the 1960 set?
I appreciate the kind words and your support. I've been collecting off and on since about 83 but had a few breaks where I wasn't as involved. I've been collecting Ken Griffey Jr. Since 89. I've really gotten into Yastrzemski lately. I also collectall-timee Cardinals greats and Hall of Famers. There's a lot that I probably like too much. What about you.
@@billyballgamesportscards Thanks for your reply!! I collect rookie cards of Hall of Famers from the 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s. Being from Minnesota my favorite card is the 1955 Harmon Killebrew rookie card as he was my hero as a kid.
@ken-pr2df that's a good one, Ken. I definitely plan on adding that to the collection someday. My plan is to get all the hall of famers from 60 to 90. So many cards , so little time.
Great video. The more I see videos like this I get the feeling that grading has done quite a bit of damage to the hobby. What once would be considered a great looking card is now ruined by a grade that is less than desirable. I guess that helps the buyer, but it makes the hobby just a financial transaction based on grading (and the associated fees) and less about collecting great cards of great players.
I guess it's sad to say that on the extreme end, you might be right. For me and most collectors, though, we want the cards we want, and the grade is less important. But, money is potentially involved, so grading can definitely skew things if a grade can make a 2 dollar card a 100 dollar card. It definitely affects the flip game. I enjoy graded cards, though. I like the looks of them, and I enjoy seeing how accurate I am on my pre grades. My point kind of was to say hey, look at this 1960 Willie Mays card that isn't even "collector" grade but is an awesome card and still has more value than certain "investor" grade cards. Collectors, we want the cards that we want, and in most cases, the grade is secondary. Sorry for the long reply. You got my brain working. Thanks for the comment.
Really appreciate just being real & the thing is, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there. I think all of the cards are great & the Musial & Yaz’s look fantastic. Great video & thanks for sharing your experiences.
Yes, for sure. There are no losses there if I don't sell them. I also think vintage looks great in a tux. I also think a lot of the newer stuff looks nice as well. Thanks for watching.
Great video man - I’ve been learning a lot lately and this was helpful. I did notice the amount of older sellers at shows who want mint prices for torn up cards and I feel bad offering so low compared to their price but it is what it is
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you were able to get value from it. Thanks a lot. I hear you on the prices at shows. It is frustrating at times, but most of these cards aren't hard to find again. I stick to my fair offer that is usually at or slightly above comps, depending on the card. If they say no, I move on knowing I'll be able to find another one.
Hi Bill. Really good analysis of you breaking done the cards you sent in. I use to buy a lot of my raw vintage Orioles cards off of Greg Morris from 2020 - 2022, but stopped last year, as their descriptions of the cards were over graded to what they were when I received them and inspected them. I also think that some dealers, some, are a little shady when they price their cards, knowing that there is something not right with them (Your Katt as an example). Many times, while I'm looking over a raw card, I'll notice a crease or something defective, and the dealer will play dumb. I always use my magnifying loupe when inspecting raw cards. You did show some beautiful Yaz slabs and that 60 Gibson was awesome. Thanks for sharing pal, talk soon.
Thanks, Stephen. I agree with you on your comments about some dealers. For me, I just really have to make sure I look at them closely and trust my eye if I get a good look at them.
Bill, I enjoyed your video, and commentary. The clear storage box is a must have for someone who doesn't have a jeweler s display case as I have. Buying raw on eBay is a 50/50 chance you take. I'm often amazed at the great condition these cards come in. Other times though like with a recent pickup of a 63 Pinson, card photo looks great no chipping on colored border, description Ex no crease. Card comes in with crease and wax not shown in photo. We have amateur sellers, or some who deceive. Buying in person is so much better unless the seller is honest and willing to be your eyes. If its a must have card that is grade worthy, I want to buy it already graded.
I love the idea of graded cards, just too cheap to pay the extra cost, so I buy almost exclusively raw. I can spend $20 to grade or $20 to get new cards. That being said, I have graded a few that are special to me.
I understand that completely! Grading a lot of cards can get very expensive. In the next video, I hope to get out today. I talk exclusively about ungraded vintage cards and how cheap they can be picked up for. This one may be right up your alley. Thanks for watching and commenting. It is much appreciated.
Don't even bother crossing unless you break it out of a slab. PSA and SGC are in a pissing contest and they will knock you down a grade from the other grader. They are grading so crazy now, its virtually impossible to get above a 6 on vintage. 7 is the new 10 Back in 2000, PSA did not take off for divets.
Maybe I'm just an SGC homer, but I think SGC is grading pretty accurate all around right now. Every time I got a grade that was worse than I thought, I found the reason for it when I looked at the card closer. But I do always crack them out of the slab. Thanks for watching!
A while ago, maybe 2 years or less, they charged 30 per card. Then they had it where it started at 30 per card but went down incrementally the more cards you sent it. Eventually, they reduced it back to the 15 bucks per card that we currently have. Great question, and thanks for watching!
Wouldn't it be worth the fee to see what PSA would grade the SGC 3 Musial, since the so-called rear wrinkle is almost invisible? If you got a PSA 5 or 6 ...
I think it got a fair grade with SGC. It just took some close examination to find it. I don't think I could do any better with PSA on it, honestly. I appreciate you watching and commenting. It's much appreciated.
While I have several graded cards in my collection I am overwhelmingly an ungraded card collector. Because grading dominates it has allowed me to spread out my hobby dollars with ungraded cards being typically cheaper. The cost of grading is significant. A fun collection goal I am thinking about starting soon is getting a card of every Cardinals Gold Glove winner since defense is my favorite part of the game.
@@billyballgamesportscards I understand why card values are important to people. It just hasn’t taken hold for me. The cards I do have graded I wanted to have a “certified” good condition card if that makes sense like my Ozzie Smith, Al MacInnis, Isaac Bruce, and Yadier Molina rookie cards. A few of the others was for protection like my 48 Musial, or because there aren’t any real good options for protecting oversized cards like my 78 and 79 family fun centers Ozzie smith cards.
@jon-eriksuermann9844 I grew up fawning over Beckett Magazine every month, so value means more to me than I would like for sure. Fortunately, that's not what it's all about for me. I have thousands of junk wax cards that I live that will never have any value.
@@billyballgamesportscards knowing you have a valuable card is always a good feeling. I remember reading Beckett magazines and thinking I’d never own a 79 topps Ozzie because of how much it was worth.
I think you are asking about the acrylic graded card case. If so, yes, I believe it does have UV protection, but to be certain, you'd need to either go to his website or his RU-vid channel. They would give more of the details than I did on my channel. Sorry, I am not 100% certain.
@@billyballgamesportscardsis it Boonville? I’m guessing because of the hats you wear. I lived in Boonville from the time I was born until I was 7. I still have family there. I make it back there a couple times a year. You know any LeGrants or Snoddy’s? They are all family. Thanks for getting back with me.
@lanceoverstreet1200 I don't really know them. We have only lived he for the last year, but a Snoddy works in my wife's building, the middle school. You probably know who I'm talking about.
@@billyballgamesportscards I know Chais from The Dugout Sports Card shop there in Columbia, I usually make it a couple times a year to his show he puts on, next time I go I’ll keep an eye open for you and introduce myself. Until then, keep collecting!
@lanceoverstreet1200 Sounds good. I need to get to one it's been too long. Next on is August 24th, I believe. I hope to see you there. Thanks again, Lance. I really appreciate your support for the channel.
People grade cards for lots of different reasons. Having a third-party opinion of the grade of a card removes the guesswork and goes a long way to set the value. But there are many other reasons to have a card graded.
@TheRsHACKERZ If a dealer is trying to sell an ungraded 1968 Topps Nolan Ryan at Near Mint, and I think it's an EX card, the price difference could be hundreds of dollars. No one is telling you to grade cards. I like graded cards personally.
