To crack or not to crack?
 

I just got some cards in the mail that I left to have graded at the National. As always, I was happy with some, but extremely disappointed with others. My question is, has anyone ever cracked a graded card out of a holder, sent it away to another company and received a DRAMATICALLY higher grade? I'm really curious if I'd be wasting my time or not...

from what i hear you can even crack it and send it back to the SAME company and possibly get a much higher grade.

If you are planning to sell the cards it may be worth it trying to get a higher grade. If you are planning on keeping the cards then why spend the dough on getting a different grade - in the end you'll have the same card it'll just have a different number on the plastic slab (if they even give it a higher grade). spend the money on more cards!

good luck and let us know how u make out

see this thread:
Upgrades, Downgrades & What the !@#$#$% (Multi-page thread 1 2

2 Tips
 

1.) If looking for the most $$$, get cards graded by PSA (like it or not, they command higher prices compared to any other TPG).

2.) If crossing-over, crack out and send in raw, never submit in other TPG's slab. It seems grading companies want to downgrade other TPG grades as a way of saying, "Look at how tough and respectable we are as opposed to the other guys who duped you with an artificially high grade on this card."

Does anyone know how to crack out of a BVG holder? I love their holders, but they are rock-solid!!!

Thanks!!!

Moe- actually don't know why would want to crack a card out of a BVG holder. They are usually right on with regard to their grading of pre-war cards, but if you do, and want to submit to PSA and SGC and roll the dice, I would recommend a pliers and screwdriver. A pliers to crack the top and create "space" and then very carefully use a long screwdriver to gently insert it and pry apart the slab. try doing this on the edges far away from the card itself in case you slip.

Wear gloves and eye protection!

Thank you gents! It's greatly appreciated.

+1

I took a piece of 'shrapnel' right off the goggle lens when I cracked a BVG holder.

And FWIW, I've:

--Cracked PSA 5 and had it come back a PSA 7
--Cracked a Global 6 and had it come back an SGC 88
--Had cards rejected as trimmed and come back the next time as 7s.

Bvg
 

The caveat with cards that seem too seriously undergraded is that they might have other problems. You might want to examine it more closely. I cracked out a PSA 4 card which I submitted that I thought was at least a 6, maybe a 7, and it came back Authentic Altered.

BVG has the toughest slabs to crack. These are the ones which worry me the most when I try to open as I might damage the card just trying to get the slab open.

I've noticed at the low end, BVG has grade inflation or at least is overly generous with the Good (2) grade. I had a 1924 Willard's Ruth that was BVG 2, and cracked out to PSA 1. Here is a scan of a Harrington Ruth (w/ the wrong flip) that I fully expect go to PSA 1. In fairness, I also cracked out a Sports King Ruth in BVG 2, which went to PSA 2.5.

A while back a demonstration was shown on this forum to crack a BGS/BVG case. It looks dangerous. But frankly, I have cracked out several cards using this method. Some of them ranged in value from $100-$300 in value. This method, scary as it looks, works quite nicely. Here is the link to view the demonstration.

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...ight=crack+BVG

Cy

Cy,

That really helps. Thank you!

Grading - why bother
 

I have had several cards graded by each of the companies. I am amazed at the inconsistency of the grades. At the National I submitted 2 52 topps cards for grading. They were a Mathews and a Dickey. The Mathews was by far the nicer card and I expected a 3 or 4. Mathews came back a PSA 1 and the Dickey PSA 2.5. I was expecting a 2 or 3 on the Dickey. If I could, I would crack open all graded cards and return the baseball card business to the hobby it was intended for. The only good resaon I see for graded cards is that you get some satisfaction that it's real. However, based on other comments on this website, that's not a sure thing either. The only other reason is that you can sell cards for more money if they are graded. At the national I also submitted cards to SGC. While I was standing there another collector was discussing submitting a PSA graded card for their review and grading service. They actually were discussing the possible grades and what the person was looking for. I love the smell of cracked plastic in the morning!