Do any of you like graded cards for building/storing postwar sets
 

I really don't intend for this to be another tired graded vs. ungraded thread, but in looking at 60s football sets I want to build, I see that many of them are relatively small and manageable, especially compared to many baseball sets from the same period.

I have always liked the idea of a binder but find myself growing a little leary of them when it comes down to actually doing it. I do have a set in a toploader binder and another set in Cardsaver I s in a Unikeep via 4 pocket pages. Both of these set ups are ok but a little clunky at times.

I am not someone who has ever been big into grading, but last year I bought a complete set that was 100% graded and a large partial of another set...again all graded. From a uniformity and storage standpoint, I am surprised to find myself really, really liking it. My emerging OCD likes the way the cards look in the slabs in those white boxes. I can take them out, stack them, lay them out beside each other, flip through them quickly, etc. The cards and their attributes will always be way more important than the holders in which they reside.

I also started looking on the bay at cards from sets I am interested in and found that in some (not all, but some) cases that PSA/SGC 6- 7 or so graded cards are not that much more expensive than their ungraded counterparts. Not interested in registries or anything like that, but I just view slabs as a means of a decent holder for cards and a reasonable means of storage. I know some don't like how heavy graded cards can get. This hasn't been an issue for me.

Anyone else find graded cards convenient for these reasons?

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For me the value of graded cards is in the guarantee of authenticity and protection against damage. Grading is so subjective that if you are not careful, you will often buy the grade instead of the card so I try hard not to judge the card solely by the number on it.

For small sets, I agree it is pretty easy to look at it if the cards are graded. For large sets, not so easy. This is one of the reasons I prefer raw cards in binders for my post-war sets. I like the ease of pulling out a binder and being able to flip through it without having to deadlift it to pick it up :)

Pre-war sets I have are mostly graded for protection and most are very small in size so easy to look at that way. Besides, it's pretty difficult to find pre-war cards that AREN'T graded these days so most cards I buy are already graded anyway ... I haven't submitted more than a handful of cards to TPGs in my entire life ... I've cracked out a lot more than I've ever had graded.

Good topic for discussion!

jeff

Jeff, if nothing else happens, I hope to generate some discussion here. I hear you loud and clear on all points. I do not buy flips for the sake of the number. Grading, as you asserted, is highly subjective. I have seldom ever submitted anything for grading but will buy cards already graded. In my prewar baseball exploits, I have cracked out many cards in the 2-5 range and have placed them in a binder, and they look awesome. The lithography and the style of the tobacco card backs appeal to me arranged as such. In that particular instance I am able to place the tobacco cards in a penny sleeve and toploader made for tobacco cards and they fit perfectly into pages made for small Bowmans.

Going back to standard size, higher grade 60s football, I have found no such systen that I am satisfied with to this point. So the graded aspect appeals to me in that instance. The card within is of much greater importance of course. The protection, uniformity, and organization are what appeal to me the most.

You mentioned size of set playing into this. I guess that is relative. After collecting 60s baseball with 598 card sets, the football sets of the 60s all look pretty small, relatively. To me a 220 card 1961 Fleer set all graded wouldn't be that big of an issue by comparison, and 62 and 63 Fleer with 88 cards each would be even more doable. These later two sets would each fit perfectly in a two row storage box. [emoji2]

Like you said though, one had to be really careful not to simply buy the flip when buying graded cards. Even if I pursue this, I will still stick to the same standards I always have. Thanks a lot for your reply!

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Most of my sets are less than 200, so I pretty much grade them all and store them in those hard boxes (that take roughly 40 SGC cards and even more PSA cards)... I prefer it this way. Al

That would work well for graded cards.

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I've actually been thinking about this. I would grade all the early and popular sets, rare oddball sets. I think I'm going to put my other older sets in card savers for protection purposes and ease of storage, but grade the key cards(HoFers). The binders are nice but over time the pages curl and all it takes is one time for a binder to slide off a shelf and damage your cards and you'll wish you didn't .


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I have done the Cardsaver for commons and graded stars in boxes method as well. This could be an alternative to all graded. Just out of curiosity, are you comfortable with Cardsaver I s for long term storage? At one time, I used and liked the CardSavers, but some folks on the baseball board scared me off. Any thoughts about toploaders instead (with or without penny sleeves)?

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I hear you on this point! A definite advantage of collecting football cards if you are a set collector is the size of the sets. Compared to baseball they are tiny.

It most definitely makes it more doable to build graded sets that you can actually pull out and enjoy. Once you get to the early 70s set sizes rose rapidly to 528 card that became the topps football set size standard thereafter for quite a while.

jeff

Jeff, that's the truth! Those 60s baseball sets are endless! I have zero desire to ever do one of those again. To each his own, but 70s Topps football holds next to no appeal for me. A couple of designs are ok, but like you said the sets get larger, and I detest the airbrushing of the logos! Someday if I am fortunate enough to have the 60s sets I want, I may venture into the 50s for a couple of Bowman sets.

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Good point, Carl. Some of my newer stars are graded too for protection.

I'm REAL careful with my binders, though, LOL.

jeff

Which sets in the 60s are your favorite, Robert. This thread is in need of some cards!

jeff

Well, I have complete sets of 65, 66, and 69 Topps. Before leaving the 60s, I hope to build all three Fleer sets, 65 and 66 Philadelphia, and 68 Topps. Those are top priorities and will take years. After that, maybe 1961 Topps and maybe 1962 Topps, but I am afraid my OCD and those black borders might just do me in! And there's always 51 and 52 Bowman!

Along the way I will also add a few 1910 Obaks to satisfy my prewar baseball urges.

All subject to change of course, but that is my "plan." [emoji2]

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Well you are going to be busy with these for sure. The Fleer and Philly sets are underappreciated in my view. Curious why '67 is absent from your set list both for Topps and Philly. Just not a fan of these designs?

You know there's 4 Fleer sets, right? 60-63.

jeff

Jeff,

Those sets will keep me busy for quite a while. I really like all of them! 61 Fleer will probably be where I still start. Although 63 is pretty cool, too. I left off 1960 Fleer and both 1967 sets because I am just not a fan of any of them.

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I understand completely. Not my favorite designs either!

Most of my sets are raw but do have some graded stars to share.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/i8...g=w383-h640-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Qf...g=w385-h640-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ui...g=w390-h640-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/xt...A=w370-h640-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sp...Q=w376-h640-no

jeff

Sweet stuff, Jeff! Thanks a ton for sharing. I think instead of everything being graded like I was initially thinking, I believe my commons will be ungraded. Are your raw cards all in binders or do you have any in CardSavers or toploaders? ?

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Right now my raw cards are in binders. Any raw stars are in plastic sleeves inside the binder pages. I am considering moving my small sets from 9 slot binder pages to 4 slot binder pages so I can put each card in a CardSaver first and then into a binder page. Or I may just do that with stars and put the 4 slot binder pages at the end of my binders with the commons still in 9 slot pages.

As I upgrade my sets, Carl's comments about raw cards in binders with no other protection is gnawing on me.

jeff

Yeah, I have to agree with Carl. Of the sets that I do have in a binder, all of them have some type of extra protection. If you are sticking with binders, you will be glad if you add a little extra protection. I really fell in love with the idea of sets in a binder and still love the idea, but the execution never really equals what I hoped for. Whether it is cards in Cardsavers in 4 pocket pages then in Unikeep binders or the Toploader binders, I just didn't like it the way I thought I would. It is hard to explain, but they are just clunky to me. To each his own, but I have tried it both ways and like graded cards/raw cards in Cardsaver I s in white vault boxes/corrugated boxes made for graded cards. Best of luck to you as you upgrade/reorganize. You have a nice collection.

There are some tricks another collector taught me to help minimize the likelihood that your cards will be damaged when in binders and they do make a big difference.

1. Pages should fill up the binder until it is completely rectangular. If they don't, you are using the wrong size binder for that set. If you are in between sizes, pad the inside of the binders with additional paper until they are completely full. This stops pages from curling and/or sliding down inside the binders and potentially bending your cards.

2. Use good quality binder sheets. The thicker the sheets, the less likely they are to bend or slide

3. Put your cards in plastic sleeves before inserting them into binder pages. You can do lots of damage to your cards by dinging the corner when putting them in or taking them out.

4. Always store your binders upright. Binders stored on their side will sometimes bend pages, particularly if you don't make them rectangular

One of the reasons why I like binders is that I put other things associated with the set in it as well. I am working on short write-ups for each set that go in the front of the binder. Also have a page (or pages) for the wrappers for each set. Trying to get a complete run of wrappers too. If there were inserts, I put those in pages at the end.

jeff

Here is one method that some other Net54 members put me onto. I think Adam (exhibitman) was the first. These binders come from unikeep.com. I put the cards (in this case 1953 Topps baseball ) in penny sleeves then into Card Saver I s and then into Ultra-Pro 4 pocket pages. I need to go back and add a little two sided tape, but it works pretty well. I am toying with the idea of using this with my upcoming football sets. The binders are completely closed, light, and stackable. Sorry for the world class photography. [emoji2]

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Here's the alternative method I have been carping about. This is my 66 football set in a 3 row box that is said to hold about 195 graded (although SGC slabs are thicker than PSA). This set is all graded but for 19 or so cards. Anyone could arrange 61 Fleer football and other football sets in the binder (unikeep or otherwise ) or in the 3 row box. Jeff, these are just two options in the universe, but I thought something here might help??

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If you're gonna go graded, those boxes definitely look like a great alternative. I've got some of my pre-war graded sets in boxes too. Others are just stacked on shelves.

If you're gonna go raw and have lots of sets you can't beat binders from a space perspective.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MO...Q=w480-h640-no

jeff

That looks like one good set up and some good stuff, Jeff!! I just ordered another 3 row storage box!