New here. 1972 Topps entire set questions.

[InkedChick0712]

Hey guys and gals,
First post here. I am honestly excited to be back in the sports memorabilia and card collecting world. My father was a sports enthusiast, and he owned an Upper Deck Authenticated store here in my city for the majority of my childhood. I had the privilege of being around for some private signings, and was an avid hockey card collector when I was a kid. I haven’t really been into memorabilia and cards much as an adult, however. Fast forward to today. I have come upon an entire 1972 Topps baseball series of cards. I have not counted them; however, I believe it is the whole set. I have done extensive research online, and I think I have found all of the cards that are worth something to collectors or those who still care about 1972 baseball players. In this card collection, I am 99% sure I have a gem mint 10 Roberto Clemente card #309. Can someone tell me what this may be worth? PSA says 4k but I have seen much lower that have claimed to be gem mint condition,too. Also, I know it is not practical or worthwhile to get all of the cards in the set graded, but would you recommend getting at least this particular card graded to prove authenticity and value?

Could someone also please let me know what they feel the cards that are worth something in this set may be? I have a list based off of Deans cards.com but I’d like to know what you guys think. Also, if I count these cards and the full set is there, is it more practical to sell everything as a set or break them down into cards worth money and sell them separately? Aside from collectors here in my city, where would you recommend selling any or all of these cards? I have no use for them, but generally speaking the entire set is in good condition with very few frayed edges, rips, tears, or creases and there is probably someone out there that would enjoy having these things. Any advice would be completely appreciated as my father has passed away and I no longer have access to his wealth of knowledge.

Thank you!

[JollyElm]

For the Clemente, you would have to send it off to a third party grader (TPG) like PSA and have the card graded to truly get an idea of value. That way you can see what similarly graded cards have sold for in the recent past. For example, the last ten auctions for PSA 9 Clementes have averaged out at $450. If the card is left ungraded, then the amount you could possibly get for it will be all over the map. As everyone here knows, whenever you think you have a 'mint' card, it usually (read as ALWAYS) comes back as significantly less than that. If you think you have a 10, get ready to get back a 5 from PSA. Ha ha.

[swarmee]

It is better to grade the stars and short prints, if they're of high grade (PSA 8 or better, some even lower). A complete raw set might only sell for $1-2K by itself. Please post pictures of your cards; we'll have a good shot of telling you what your cards will grade.

[InkedChick0712]

Here are a few pics. Lighting isnt great and from the front it does look like the bottom left corner isnt sharp, but it is. You can clearly see that on the back shot. The angle makes the card look bent but it is not. There are no stains, fading, yellowing, etc and centering looks pretty on point to me. Does this help at all?

[savedfrommyspokes]

Unfortunately, the centering of this card from the top to bottom is off. While the card may have sharp corners, etc, if professionally graded, the card's t/b centering will limit it's grade....PSA 7, PSA 8(oc). As Darren mentioned, in the hands of a non-regular vintage card submitter, a card may appear pristine. However, regular submitters are much more able to spot the extremely slight flaws that can quickly down grade a card.

[toppcat]

That Clemente is probably a PSA 6. It's a nice card and looks great raw though, which is how I collect my Topps sets (67-72).