Grading Opinions Needed

[blametony]

Greetings all,

I had a question I wanted to get some opinions on.

I just purchased a '51 Bowman Mantle BVG 4 for 5,700. I think I paid about right for it.

I'm interested in crossing the card over to PSA. Lots of reasons - I have cards on the Registry, re-sale value, general appeal.

My question is this - Do I send the card in the BVG holder as a crossover, or do I break it out and submit it as raw?

Here are my concerns - If I send it in the holder, I'm concerned that the BVG bias would get me a lower grade than if I send it raw.

If I send it raw, I'm concerned PSA may pick up on something BVG didn't see or let slide. Min Size Requirement etc. Or PSA may give it a significantly lower grade because, well, it's PSA.

Any suggestions on how I should handle this.

As an aside, when I say PSA, I mean SGC as well. Same concerns.

Thanks, all.

[swarmee]

Low risk tolerance: crossover with min grade 3.5
Med risk: crossover with min grade 3
High risk: crack and pray

[JollyElm]

If you're concerned with the possibility of "Min Size Requirement," get out your ruler and make sure it is, in fact, the right size. If it falls short, then that would quickly answer your "to crack or not to crack, that is the question" worry. If it measures up correctly, then you would have to consider what other things PSA could possibly see and make a decision from there. Good luck!

[pawpawdiv9]

Nice card.
But the question is, Why didnt you just buy one already in a PSA holder?
I forget how much the fees are???
I been looking at these for several years now, just a tad o/c picky and the print flaws.
You can look at my 51's in my collection. I got a BVG & PSA for comparisons.

[GasHouseGang]

I guess based on the thread on the pre-war side, if you bought the card off of ebay, you can crack it out and if it doesn't grade out the way you want it to, return it for a full refund. Ebay sided with the buyer in another case involving a 1933 GOUDEY Lou Gehrig #160 GAI 7 purchased for over $5K. The buyer cracked the card out of the GAI holder and sent it to PSA for grading. But when PSA said it was trimmed, he returned it for a refund. You could probably argue you bought a card graded a 4 but PSA says it's only a 3, so you're returning it. Here's a link:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=275554

[swarmee]

Don't expect eBay to make the same decision twice... ;-)

[GasHouseGang]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Don't expect eBay to make the same decision twice... ;-)

You're probably right!

[jchcollins]

I would not expect that to straight cross to a PSA 4. BVG, while their grading is not necessarily "inaccurate" - is a lot less bothered by minor issues than PSA is. A card with a couple of light creases that are hard to see can still get a BVG 4 wheras PSA would likely give it no more than a 2. I think you would be lucky to get a 3.5 on that with PSA, more likely a 3.

[samosa4u]

Why don't you just give it to one of those big eBay dealers who gets nines and tens on nearly everything he submits?

[blametony]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Low risk tolerance: crossover with min grade 3.5
Med risk: crossover with min grade 3
High risk: crack and pray

Wouldn't low risk be a crossover with min grade of 3 and medium risk be crossover with a min grade of 3.5?

[blametony]

Originally Posted by pawpawdiv9

Nice card.
But the question is, Why didnt you just buy one already in a PSA holder?
I forget how much the fees are???
I been looking at these for several years now, just a tad o/c picky and the print flaws.
You can look at my 51's in my collection. I got a BVG & PSA for comparisons.

Because a PSA 3 would have cost me several thousand more. If this BVG crosses over to a 3, I'll be happy at what I paid for it.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by blametony

Because a PSA 3 would have cost me several thousand more. If this BVG crosses over to a 3, I'll be happy at what I paid for it.

Similar logic with a cheaper card: Earlier this year I wanted a '65 Mantle 350 in about a 4, and opted to get a BVG 4 because it was way cheaper than a PSA 4, and possibly cheaper than even a PSA 3. Now, my BVG 4 would not cross to a PSA 4, probably would be a solid 3. But it had a lot of eye appeal and harder to see defects, and was something for the PC. So I took the gamble on the BVG slab and perhaps even saved some $ over a PSA 3.

This stuff is not rocket science every time, but I generally look for a card with eye appeal at the right price first, and consider which slab it's in second - especially if for the PC. Many of my Beckett cards get cracked and become raw again anyway.

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by blametony

Wouldn't low risk be a crossover with min grade of 3 and medium risk be crossover with a min grade of 3.5?

If you're happy with a 3, yes. I wasn't sure you were. I would then submit as a crossover with a min grade 3.

[cammb]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Why don't you just give it to one of those big eBay dealers who gets nines and tens on nearly everything he submits?

hahahaha