[jchcollins]

To me anymore, it largely depends on your goals for your collection, and when if ever you may want to sell that collection. I own a lot of graded cards simply because for the money I was spending in a lot of cases online, I didn’t want to take risks. But due to the inherent subjectivity in all grading, it’s difficult to put too fine of a point on anything due to the fluctuation in quality which exists anyway.

Currently, my own personal opinion is that vintage grading is more all over the place than it’s ever been. Especially with marquee names like Mantle, Aaron, Ryan, and others - you can send in a super sharp card and you may get a 7 - but you might also get a 4 or a 5. This element of subjectivity NEVER changes with the big names, and many collectors can never quite seem to grasp that.

My favorite place to play these days is with raw, lower technical grade cards that present well and still retain eye appeal. The hidden creases that take an otherwise EX Mays to G. The subtle t/b centering shift that turns a NM+ looking Mantle into an EX-MT card. The bargain especially at LCS’s that can sometimes be had on cards like this can be fantastic.


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