Anyone Have Their Sport Cards Graded?

[joneo 529]

If so, who do you recommend and why? I have a rookie Jordan I'm thinking of getting graded. 

[Alias Detective 1,179]

I have my own baseball card.  I never got any graded.

[Cloaca du jour 2,064]

Its expensive..i know that

[bostonlager 2,457]

These guys seem to be the leading authority. https://www.psacard.com/

I actually dug all my cards out a couple months ago and started organizing them in cases/pages but have never had any graded. As the dude above said, it is pretty expensive. 

[bandrus1 413]

The rule of thumb is PSA for older, Becket for newer.

 

You only use those 2 service. No others. I just got a card back from psa

[Kopy 489]

What bandrus said. I'm not sure on the older or newer, who's better category. But only use those 2. PSA or Beckett. Anything else will either be a scam. Or it just wouldn't be a credible enough source.

Also, yes. It's very expensive, and with how much the industry tanked about 25 years ago and really never came back around. I think you'd just be wasting your money.

Good luck. It's a hobby I've got very fond memories of, and still hold dear to my heart.

 

[bandrus1 413]

Mass produced $hit is worthless but honestly the market is incredibly strong for highly graded premium cards

 

I'm just looking back into things again and prices are very nuts these days

[Kopy 489]

I got back into it about 5 years ago myself. It was alot to learn again. Everything is numbered, autographed, special somehow (jersey card). Limited run, and like you said. Very expensive. And in the grand scheme of things. How limited is limited? 

I decided the new stuff (the years 2000's or so). I really wasn't interested in.

What I did find though. Was all the cards I wanted as a kid, but couldn't afford. Because of the tank, I now could. When I was young. I only collected rookie cards of players (which is why I couldn't afford much). I wouldn't by sets, or commons, players, whatever. I would save all my money and by 1 card, someones rookie I wanted. That also means I couldn't get much.

Back then, I'd have to pay $200 bucks or more (if it was graded) for a Joe Montana rookie card. So I never got one. Now a couple years ago, (30 years later from my childhood) I was able to get one for $40 bucks. In pretty good condition too. Edges a tad warn. But crease free, still nice paper. It would probably grade for a 7.

 

[Kopy 489]

It's kind of funny. 

I tell my grandson it's gonna be his collection someday, and he says ok and rolls his eyes.

But if I say lets go to walmart, and I'll get you some pokeman cards. He'd sh!t himself and race me to the truck.

 

[bostonlager 2,457]

3 minutes ago, Kopy said:

It's kind of funny. 

I tell my grandson it's gonna be his collection someday, and he says ok and rolls his eyes.

But if I say lets go to walmart, and I'll get you some pokeman cards. He'd sh!t himself and race me to the truck.

 

This is why I have decided to be buried with my cards. No one I would possibly hand them down to would appreciate them or take care of them the way I have so they are going in the ground with me. 

[Cdub100 3,366]

15 minutes ago, Kopy said:

It's kind of funny. 

I tell my grandson it's gonna be his collection someday, and he says ok and rolls his eyes.

But if I say lets go to walmart, and I'll get you some pokeman cards. He'd sh!t himself and race me to the truck.

 

That's cause Pokemon cards are worth more.

[fandandy 3,311]

2 hours ago, bostonlager said:

This is why I have decided to be buried with my cards. No one I would possibly hand them down to would appreciate them or take care of them the way I have so they are going in the ground with me. 

Were I you I wouldn't tell anyone.  They might dig up your grave and steal the cards, and maybe while they're down there, have sex with your corpse too.  Who knows.  People are strange.

[Alias Detective 1,179]

3 hours ago, bandrus1 said:

Mass produced $hit is worthless but honestly the market is incredibly strong for highly graded premium cards

 

I'm just looking back into things again and prices are very nuts these days

I’d enjoy reading more about them.  Can you share your price links?

[SUXBNME 1,322]

I have a few Magic the Gathering cards I'm going to get graded sometime in the future.

[Cdub100 3,366]

6 minutes ago, SUXBNME said:

I have a few Magic the Gathering cards I'm going to get graded sometime in the future.

I've been buying dual lands and reserved list cards. I'd rather buy 3 moxes than 1 PSA 9 Mox

 

I get the lure of graded cards but the juice isn't worth the squeeze IMO

[SUXBNME 1,322]

2 minutes ago, Cdub100 said:

I've been buying dual lands and reserved list cards. I'd rather buy 3 moxes than 1 PSA 9 Mox

 

I get the lure of graded cards but the juice isn't worth the squeeze IMO

Isn't it only like $9.00 or something per card to get graded? 

Also, how are the dual lands holding up in price? I still have 6 or so of them. 

[patweisers44 697]

I wouldn't waste the cash on getting them graded.  All that will give you is some false sense of hope in what the cards might be worth.

[bandrus1 413]

1 hour ago, Alias Detective said:

I’d enjoy reading more about them.  Can you share your price links?

 

you have to search ebay sold listings but here is an example

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1993-Topps-Finest-Refractor-110-Ken-Griffey-Jr-HOF-PSA-10-TOUGH-CARD/372543444747?hash=item56bd51d70b:g:GjAAAOSwzThcHSKk

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-Topps-Update-Mike-Trout-ROOKIE-RC-US175-BGS-10-BLACK-LABEL-PWCC-/401704487709?_trksid=p2047675.m43663.l10137&nordt=true&rt=nc&orig_cvip=true

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1993-SP-Foil-279-Derek-Jeter-Yankees-RC-Rookie-BGS-9-5-VERY-RARE-TRUE-GEM-/382772152475?_trksid=p2047675.m43663.l10137&nordt=true&rt=nc&orig_cvip=true

[MTSkiBum 1,593]

1 hour ago, Cdub100 said:

I've been buying dual lands and reserved list cards. I'd rather buy 3 moxes than 1 PSA 9 Mox

 

I get the lure of graded cards but the juice isn't worth the squeeze IMO

How do you know they are real? The fakes are pretty good now days.

 

 

[Kopy 489]

20 hours ago, Alias Detective said:

I’d enjoy reading more about them.  Can you share your price links?

I use Beckett.com

Check out my cards.com

Deans cards

And of course ebay

I find that using all 4 gives me a good Idea of the mint market value (which Is completely untrue, because no one In there right mind would ever pay full price for a card). But It does give me a cap, which I know never to go over, or even come near for that matter.

And then It also lets me see what dealers are asking for, as well as people who just want to dump the stuff want.

 

[Mark Davis 154]

I have a PSA account and have had some 86 Fleer graded like the Jordan rookie.  To put it lightly, they are VERY difficult on 86 Fleer grades.  I sent in 3 86 Fleer James Worthy cards that were the nicest I'd ever seen, each got a 9.  Some of that set is notoriously tough to get in PSA 10 like Dominique Wilkins, Johnny Moore, the Checklist, etc.

[Drizzay 644]

I wish the industry could go back to the late 80's, but thats a pipe dream.

4 or 5 major brands, maybe a special set or two, and each one with an insert variant.  Then let the popularity of the player drive the market.  It made collecting the entirety of one player's rookie cards easier and more enjoyable.

When next years basketball cards come out, it will be damn near impossible to collect all of the variations of Zion's cards.

And this bullsh!t with jerseys embedded in the card is gay.

[listen2me 23 1,534]

I have a ton of football cards in a box some where.  The only card of any worth may be thr Barry Sanders 1989 Score rookie.  It got up to like 300 around the time he retired.  I thought oh man it should go up and up now after HOF and down the line.  Then cards took a massive dump in value and it shot down to 50 bucks.  I stopped with football cards then.  But I was all the way in on them until age 15 or so.  What a waste of money.

[jerryskids 5,169]

On 3/15/2019 at 7:40 AM, Kopy said:

It's kind of funny. 

I tell my grandson it's gonna be his collection someday, and he says ok and rolls his eyes.

But if I say lets go to walmart, and I'll get you some pokeman cards. He'd sh!t himself and race me to the truck.

 

I feel fortunate that I collected in the late 70s into the early 80s as a young kid.  Back then there was Topps and... that was it.  Topps were manufactured in Duryea PA at the time, about 15 minutes from my hometown.  I had a cousin who worked there who would occasionally bring me piles of cards.  Mostly though I saved money and bought packs of cards with the nasty gum inside.  We traded, flipped, put extras in our bike spokes for sound... simpler times.  Then in the 80s Fleer and Donruss came on, and suddenly it was a big business.  I didn't play that game because I was kinda poor and it was always a hobby to me.  I certainly see the allure though.

My son was like your grandson.  Born in 96, he hit card age right around the Pokemon and Digimon era.  He loved those cards but had no interest in baseball cards.

A few years ago I was cleaning out a closet and found a box with a bunch of random cards.  I went through them, nothing of value.  I think I gave it to Goodwill.  I still have a few decent cards I think, and whoever said they would get buried with his cards got me thinking of what I would get buried with to chronicle my life.  One of the items would be a Ricky Henderson rookie card.  He actually lives in my neighborhood (a lot of athletes retire here) and I can make an argument for him being the greatest baseball player of all time (let me know if you are interested in the argument). 

[Cdub100 3,366]

23 hours ago, SUXBNME said:

Isn't it only like $9.00 or something per card to get graded? 

Also, how are the dual lands holding up in price? I still have 6 or so of them. 

Not sure how much it cost to grade. I might grade some of my cards but I don't buy graded because they are way more expensive vs ungraded.

 

Duel lands spiked in the August September. Took a dip and are back on the rise. 

I also buy sealed product.

[Cdub100 3,366]

22 hours ago, MTSkiBum said:

How do you know they are real? The fakes are pretty good now days.

 

 

I use four things

1. The feel - fakes just feel wrong

2. Bend test - cards should bend and snap back

3. Light test - using you cell phone camera place a card on it. It should have a blue tint

4. Jewel loop - look for the rose pattern and layers.

 

[vuduchile 1,940]

29 minutes ago, jerryskids said:

I feel fortunate that I collected in the late 70s into the early 80s as a young kid.  Back then there was Topps and... that was it.  Topps were manufactured in Duryea PA at the time, about 15 minutes from my hometown.  I had a cousin who worked there who would occasionally bring me piles of cards.  Mostly though I saved money and bought packs of cards with the nasty gum inside.  We traded, flipped, put extras in our bike spokes for sound... simpler times.  Then in the 80s Fleer and Donruss came on, and suddenly it was a big business.  I didn't play that game because I was kinda poor and it was always a hobby to me.  I certainly see the allure though.

My son was like your grandson.  Born in 96, he hit card age right around the Pokemon and Digimon era.  He loved those cards but had no interest in baseball cards.

A few years ago I was cleaning out a closet and found a box with a bunch of random cards.  I went through them, nothing of value.  I think I gave it to Goodwill.  I still have a few decent cards I think, and whoever said they would get buried with his cards got me thinking of what I would get buried with to chronicle my life.  One of the items would be a Ricky Henderson rookie card.  He actually lives in my neighborhood (a lot of athletes retire here) and I can make an argument for him being the greatest baseball player of all time (let me know if you are interested in the argument). 

I can also make the argument that he’s a theiving, selfish piece of sh!t.  I’m sure I’ve told the story here before. 

[Kopy 489]

3 hours ago, Mark Davis said:

I have a PSA account and have hait some 86 Fleer graded like the Jordan rookie.  To put it lightly, they are VERY difficult on 86 Fleer grades.  I sent in 3 86 Fleer James Worthy cards that were the nicest I'd ever seen, each got a 9.  Some of that set is notoriously tough to get in PSA 10 like Dominique Wilkins, Johnny Moore, the Checklist, etc.

2 tidbits on that set you might find Interesting.

That 86 Fleer basketball set.: #1, Is the most counterfited sports card set out there. #2, That set was so rushed to print that It's very hard to find perfect cards. You'll find alot of miscuts, and border off centered.

 

[Hardcore troubadour 12,588]

15 minutes ago, vuduchile said:

I can also make the argument that he’s a theiving, selfish piece of sh!t.  I’m sure I’ve told the story here before. 

Do tell. Love some Ricky stories. My favorite is when he framed his first million dollar check without cashing it. 

[BufordT 371]

33 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Do tell. Love some Ricky stories. My favorite is when he framed his first million dollar check without cashing it. 

When he looked out the window in his NYC apartment he could see the entire state building.

[Hardcore troubadour 12,588]

2 minutes ago, BufordT said:

When he looked out the window in his NYC apartment he could see the entire state building.

That's great 

[Alias Detective 1,179]

1 hour ago, jerryskids said:

I feel fortunate that I collected in the late 70s into the early 80s as a young kid.  Back then there was Topps and... that was it.  Topps were manufactured in Duryea PA at the time, about 15 minutes from my hometown.  I had a cousin who worked there who would occasionally bring me piles of cards.  Mostly though I saved money and bought packs of cards with the nasty gum inside.  We traded, flipped, put extras in our bike spokes for sound... simpler times.  Then in the 80s Fleer and Donruss came on, and suddenly it was a big business.  I didn't play that game because I was kinda poor and it was always a hobby to me.  I certainly see the allure though.

My son was like your grandson.  Born in 96, he hit card age right around the Pokemon and Digimon era.  He loved those cards but had no interest in baseball cards.

A few years ago I was cleaning out a closet and found a box with a bunch of random cards.  I went through them, nothing of value.  I think I gave it to Goodwill.  I still have a few decent cards I think, and whoever said they would get buried with his cards got me thinking of what I would get buried with to chronicle my life.  One of the items would be a Ricky Henderson rookie card.  He actually lives in my neighborhood (a lot of athletes retire here) and I can make an argument for him being the greatest baseball player of all time (let me know if you are interested in the argument). 

He was/is a pot head.  Not that I’m judging.

[jerryskids 5,169]

8 minutes ago, Alias Detective said:

He was/is a pot head.  Not that I’m judging.

I love the John Olerud story. 

Quote

In spring training 1999, Rickey Henderson of the Mets was reunited with first baseman John Olerud, who had been his teammate with the Blue Jays six years earlier. As most people know, Olerud had an aneurysm in college, which required brain surgery. So to protect his head, he was allowed to wear a helmet in the field. As the story goes, Henderson was talking to Olerud one day, noticed the helmet and said “You know, when I played in Toronto, we had a guy who wore a helmet.”

“Rickey,” said Olerud, “that was me.”

https://not.fangraphs.com/the-hendersonolerud-story-three-adaptations/

[Mark Davis 154]

4 hours ago, Kopy said:

2 tidbits on that set you might find Interesting.

That 86 Fleer basketball set.: #1, Is the most counterfited sports card set out there. #2, That set was so rushed to print that It's very hard to find perfect cards. You'll find alot of miscuts, and border off centered.

 

Yep it is for sure.  When I was in college from 92-96 I used to work card shows and did a lot of buying and selling of these.  At one time I totally trusted my ability to spot the fake Jordan's.  I'm sure in modern days the counterfeits have gotten better.  I can remember seeing the first PSA 10 set I ever saw at the national in Atlanta, I think it was 1999.

[Kopy 489]

15 hours ago, Mark Davis said:

Yep it is for sure.  When I was in college from 92-96 I used to work card shows and did a lot of buying and selling of these.  At one time I totally trusted my ability to spot the fake Jordan's.  I'm sure in modern days the counterfeits have gotten better.  I can remember seeing the first PSA 10 set I ever saw at the national in Atlanta, I think it was 1999.

Did you ever get any fakes that were laugh out loud obvious? Just wondering If anything ever came your way that was comical, and you just rolled your eyes and said move along buddy.

I like my scammers to at least put some effort Into It.

[Kopy 489]

I find ebay pretty funny to, sometimes.

Say a Jon Doe rookie card in mint condition is worth $50 bucks. Someone will have a PSA or Beckett graded 10 card for sale for $2,000 grand. They gotta be thinking to themselves when they list that, that it'll never sell. Right? But I see that stuff all the time. 

[bandrus1 413]

Listings are worthless sold prices are what matters

 

And to answer your question a "raw" ungraded card may be worth $50 or less and a 10 could be be worth $2000 very easy depending what it is

[bandrus1 413]

Here is a case and point

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1981-Topps-Football-Joe-Montana-ROOKIE-RC-216-PSA-10-GEM-MINT-PWCC-/352574828573?_trksid=p2047675.m43663.l10137&nordt=true&rt=nc

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1981-Topps-Joe-Montana-216-ROOKIE-RC-EX-EX-MINT-A-/192853740882?_trksid=p2047675.m43663.l10137&nordt=true&rt=nc

[bandrus1 413]

It is because the person looking for the 10 only has about 100 in the world to choose from

https://www.psacard.com/pop/#0|1981 topps joe montana

[vuduchile 1,940]

20 hours ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

Do tell. Love some Ricky stories. My favorite is when he framed his first million dollar check without cashing it. 

Nike used to sponsor him, as they do many other athletes. So these guys get pretty much whatever shoes and clothing they want for personal use from the marketing dept.  But when they go into a Niketown store, each player has a pre set limit on how much they can get during that visit.  Again, it’s only for personal use. Gifts for friends and family are handled through marketing and are more restrictive. Of course, the bigger deal an athlete is, the more he/she gets.  MJ and Tiger could basically back up a truck to a store and load it up if they wanted to, but they never did.  

At that time, Rickey’s career was winding down so his limit was probably a grand or maybe 2.

He came to the Chicago store and picked out a bunch of stuff that went way over his limit, most of which was for the chick he was hanging out with.  So the manager called me to come talk to him.  I explained the deal, of which he was well aware, but didn’t plan to comply with.  I told him he could order whatever went over his limit through his agent and would have surely be accommodated.  He didn’t like that idea and started to get pissy, putting on a show for the friends he’d brought with him.  I tried to compromise by letting him have all the stuff the men’s stuff he selected (supposedly for personal use) and a gift for each of the people who were there with him today.  This was all still over his limit.  

He cussed a little, sort of agreed then said just get me outta here.  So the manager wrote it all up, he signed it then went downstairs bitching and complaining.  

A bit later, the security team called me in to watch some video footage  

It was footage of Rickey.  On is way out, he stopped at the first floor and asked a clerk to get him some soccer sandals for his chick The clerk gave them to him and he put them under his arm and walked right out the door   

Bases weren’t the only thing Rickey was able to steal