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To grade or not to grade...major dilemma for me.
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36 posts in this topic

I am 53 years old. I used to collect cards, but I stopped back in the early 90s. Rickey Henderson was my favorite player. I have an amazing 80 Topps rookie, and every single other card he was ever on...ungraded. I also have an amzing Fleer Jordan rookie I acquired before the Bulls ever won a championship. Also ungraded. I have Ryan/Koosman rookie, Yount, Bo, Shaq, and several others that are highly desired. All ungraded. 

Utif I'm being honest here, I am scared to trust my card to someone to grade (away from my presence) and risk getting back something other that what I sent in. After all, we are talking about some pretty high end, high dollar collector's pieces here. I see what the high graded cards look like, and skin hasn't touched my cards in years. They're in plexiglass cases in  safe deposit box.

So my question is, do I have to grade them? Is it possible to simply sell them or set up some sort of trust thru an agent and then sell them to a serious collector?

My kids tell me to sell them and enjoy the money. What is your opinion? Thank in advance.

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I think it's really up to you and what you have planned for them in the future. If you want to keep them and create more value from them then you have to let them go and trust the grading company with your cards. If you are not reall interested in collecting, now is as good a time as any to sell them considering the market for nice, unaltered vintage cards is crazy.

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If you sell your cards ungraded; you will get far less money offered then a card that is graded.  PSA is the leader in card grading and will get you the most money back for your cards if graded high.  Since you believe that your cards are that good then you should have them graded.  Unfortunately the grading time will be very long and extremely costly.  The only way to get around that is to spend money on their express service ( whichever grading company you use)  If they belonged to me I would send them to PSA  at their highest and fastest service.  Once you get them back you can sell them on EBAY yourself or go with a high end auction house. There are several really good ones and they have a long list of customers that will get emails or calls to look at your cards.  Big bucks will be yours after you pay the auction company their cut.  Unfortunately you will get a w-2 form from anybody selling your card as the rules have changed and the IRS will want their share along with the state you live in.  Good luck

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I would have full confidence that whatever grader you choose would not purposely switch your card out for another. Just look at whichever company you think will benefit you the most. PSA does sell for more than all others but like mentioned, you will either have to wait a long time or pay a large amount for faster service. The other grading companies will create value for your cards at a reasonable price and have your cards back to you in a decent timeframe. 

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I wouldn't worry about that. Just make a scan of all your cards before submitting them and if they switch it out you will know.  They are not in business the cheat people.  They are so busy right now and they are making money hand & foot.  It should not be a problem.  You will have to take the cards out of the thick plastic slabs you have them in because they have a certain way that they accept cards.  You have to carefully put them in a penny sleeve and then attach a Post-It page marker so that the grader has an easier time removing your card from the card protecter that you put the penny sleeve with card into.  Then you need to put cardboard cut to the size of the cards on both sides with a not so tight rubber band so that it will not move while in transit to the graders.  You can look up on you-tube videos on how to prepare your cards. 

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6 minutes ago, Full Choke Fowl Taxidermy said:

Yeah, I was wondering about that Warren. I wondered if I presented them to an auction or an agent and let them earn their commission. 

I'm going to bet you will have their attention with an 86 Fleer Jordan Rookie.

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Like everyone else is mentioning, to get the most value out of your cards you will need to have them graded. I am not sure how it works, but you can research it: some grading companies go to sports shows and do in person grading. I believe you would wait in line and then sit at a table with a grader, you pay a certain fee to get a pre-grade. If you are happy with that, you can submit the card for grading, and I believe that is the grade the card would get. Also the " slabs" and protection to the card.

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22 hours ago, warren19 said:

be very careful if you decide to remove Ricky from that screwdown, it can sometimes damage the card when taking it out. Your Jordan RC is AWESOME !!

I'd agree with warren19.  The screw down itself could knock the card down 1/2 to 1 point if there are any pressure marks from the plastic pressing down unevenly on the card.  Also would hope that the apparent scratch marks are on the plastic not the card itself.  If you have the patience and are going to have the card graded you may want to consider turning the screws 1/4 turn daily to release the card over time as not to damage the card (risk is probably minimal anyway).  May take a couple of weeks to get it open, just a thought.

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I would have no issue sending those in. The first time is a little scary, but use signature required. You can see when cards are received by grading place. On those cards esp, MJ RC, pay up and use the best/quickest return possible. Don't skimp on grading fees. You are talking about a super high dollar value card. One that big, I would even consider flying in and dropping off card, if it isn't terribly pricey..  you can do walk through... That could be a card easily over $15,000, what is a $1000 to get it graded... could be even more.. so, at same time, you can drop off others if that makes you feel better. Just my quick thoughts.

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Might just be the quality of the pics, but I see a couple concerning things about the jordan...although if you got it before their championships I can't imagine there being any fakes back then.  But that arrow under the fleer logo almost looks the same yellow as the yellow behind the "premier" text right next to it, which is not good.  Should be significantly darker, golden.  But, again, may just be the pic quality and lighting.

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