Help Wanted to review cards for PSA submissions

[uhlhockey]

Hello,
So at 62 years old the eyes are getting bad, I had 20,000 cards, Topps baseball, from 1961 to 1968 that are NM-Mint, went thru the best I could and got it down to about 12,000 that I think could be graded.
....However, I know it is a fine line to submitting cards looking to get grades of at least 7 or better. At $10 per submission, getting some of those years commons result in having about a $5 to $7 card.
,,,,,So I am wondering the best way to go about hiring someone with PSA submission experience to go thru the cards and advise on what is really worth submitting.
...Was wondering if anyone has also hired anyone to go thru there cards for PSA...
I am located in Chicago are,
Thanks,
Joe

[Fred]

Did you consider the centering when paring down the list of cards? If they're far off center then you might consider not having the card encapsulated.

You might consider only grading SPs (high numbers), stars, etc that are well centered.

[MichelaiTorres83]

I would recommend doing them in batches and looking at the results. That is a lot of money in grading fees. Submit the best and work backwards to see where you are at.

[swarmee]

PSA bulk is now $8 a card for over a hundred. Seemingly no discount for even thousands. But yes, send in 100-500 and try it. Read the PSA grading standards page on their website. I'm sure someone in the Chicago area will volunteer to view your cards and give them a look over. Post some in the postwar section and we can give you pointers.

[sb1]

7's will not be worth sending, HOFers from that era would need to be 8's and commons 9 or above to really make sense for the expense. Have someone examine them that submits regularly and has done so lately. The proposed submission pile will probably be at 10% of what it now is.

[uhlhockey]

Thanks to those who have replied with tips, suggestions and such.....the idea to do a couple hundred and see what comes back seems like a good idea.
....just wish PSA didn't take like 2 and 1/2 months for bulk orders...65 plus days???.....do they not have enough graders?....they basically don't get paid until an order is done...you would think they would be cranking them out fast....

[swarmee]

Too much demand; Beckett on the other hand takes your money first, then returns bulk specials a year later.

[JollyElm]

Hey Joe...whoa, I feel like Jimi Hendrix,
Why don't you post a couple of large scans of a few of the cards that you feel confident will grade pretty high, and see what some of the folks around here think? It will obviously just be people's opinions, but it might be a way to get some insight as to what you should expect PSA (or whoever) to say.

[uhlhockey]

Good idea....will get some pics set up here soon as I can.....

Someone mentioned 10%....think that's spot on...I guessed that when they are properly gone thru, then maybe 10% or so would really qualify for submission.

Other thing I am going to do.....when I cut it from 20,000 down to 12,000...that was going thru and putting any card to the side that didn't have 4 crisp sharp corners.........now I am going to go in and pull any cards that are O/C....

The one group I am unsure about is.......I have sets from 1964 to 1968 that I got and was told they were put together from vending boxes 40 to 50 years ago and sat untouched for that long.....before I put them in holders it was truely bricks of cards just as you find from a vending box....so I think it may be true...

Some were graded...8's 9's..most notably the '66 Palmer rookie a 9

Was thinking of getting the whole sets graded...but...again....hate to break it up and have 6's...7's..8's..some 9's and loose the nice consistency of how it is now..

[Promethius88]

Lol, I think at any age, going thru 20k cards would make the eyes go bad. I know I can only go a certain period of time without taking a break anymore. For every card I go thru with an LED headlamp and 16x loupe. I've been pretty consistent but I do miss something from time to time.
I agree with most of the comments above but I would suggest just doing 100 so that you get the bulk rate and if you do run into the so called "grader of death" you don't get nailed on the entire sub. If you feel confident at that point, send 200 the next time. Also, keep in mind high numbers, sps, ect that don't have to grade out as high to come out.
I'm down here in Springfield....if I was closer I would be happy to lend you a hand. If you ever get down to this area..or the Peoria area, let me know.
Good luck! Sounds like you have some nice stuff!
Tim

[uhlhockey]

What is the easiest way to post pictures for you guys to see.....I have them right on the computer in a file.
Thanks,
Joe

[uhlhockey]

What is the easy way to post pictures here..the pics are on my computer in a file
Thanks,
Joe

[Promethius88]

When you go to post, look below this text box. There is a "button" that says "manage attachments". Click on that and it will pull up a box where you can upload your pics to the site.

[quitcrab]

Joe... Don't over think it. Find the cards with 4 super sharp corners and PERFECT centering top to bottom and left Right....I would guess your pile of 12,000 will drop to 1000.
Send them in and don't be to disappointed when you get 800 8s , 150 9s , and 50 10s.
Those mint cards are few and far between.
Good Luck
I always have a fellow collector look at my stuff before I make the final decision. He weeds out a lot of cards I missed a defect on.

[uhlhockey]

What is the easiest way to post pictures that I have in files on my computer?
Thanks,
Joe

[uhlhockey]

tried and each time I go to upload file.....it says "upload failed"

[uhlhockey]

to insert an image it says I need a "url" ??

[swarmee]

Most people upload them to another website first. The web link is called a URL. I normally post them on Facebook with the view setting set to "Only me"; then people on Facebook don't see them, but I can use the URL to post them to message boards.
Uploading a photo to this website using "manage attachments" will make it way too small to actually evaluate for condition.

[murphy8276]

Originally Posted by uhlhockey

What is the easiest way to post pictures that I have in files on my computer?
Thanks,
Joe

Upload your pic here and then grab the IMG code for forums and paste it in your post for each picture (you can do multiples in a post). http://tinypic.com/

[uhlhockey]

[uhlhockey]

[BruceinGa]

Good luck, you have what looks like some nice ones.
I'll be attempting the same thing in a month or two but on a much smaller scale.

[uhlhockey]

1967 High's

[uhlhockey]

[chalupacollects]

Nice Choo Choo! actually a lot of nicely centered cards! good luck!

[uhlhockey]

sorry, i posted the pics thru Tinypic and I think they came out upside down and huge....wasn't sure how to adjust?
Thanks,
Joe

[uhlhockey]

Not sure of the policy here, but am I able to post my email address, or ebay email address.. if people want to contact me direct or for more pictures?
Thank you,
Joe

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by uhlhockey

Not sure of the policy here, but am I able to post my email address, or ebay email address.. if people want to contact me direct or for more pictures?
Thank you,
Joe

Yes you can post your email or eBay but it should be done in the correct BST section if you are selling them.

[PiratesWS1979]

WOW, that is one heck of a collection. Congrats on keeping them in such nice shape!!

Wish I was closer in Illinois to help you out because looking through them would be fun. I would start by sending the Mantle's, Mays', Aaron's and so on to get a feel of the grading. Then move on to mid-range stars and key commons. Then send commons that you are 100% positive would be worth the grading/selling fees.

[uhlhockey]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, much appreciated.
was wondering what others thought would be a fair amount to pay someone, when I find them to go thru and advise on what to send to PSA???
...I figure the easiest would be a "per card" price...$0.10...$0.20...$0.25..$0.50....per card...?????????????

I will post me email address....I am not selling anything at this point....but if anyone needs to contact me...

uhlhockey@aol.com

Thanks,
Joe

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by uhlhockey

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions, much appreciated.
was wondering what others thought would be a fair amount to pay someone, when I find them to go thru and advise on what to send to PSA???
...I figure the easiest would be a "per card" price...$0.10...$0.20...$0.25..$0.50....per card...?????????????

I will post me email address....I am not selling anything at this point....but if anyone needs to contact me...

uhlhockey@aol.com

Thanks,
Joe

Unless they make a living in the business I would hope it would be for free.

Also all you have to do to contact someone is click on their user name. You will then have the options of sending a email or PM(private Message) to that person.

[swarmee]

Very nice cards; I would send all of those 1966 High Numbers. The Grant Jackson rookie stars looks really nice. Definitely send an assortment. Cards are really clean and some are slightly off-center.

[PiratesWS1979]

Hi Joe,
I wouldn't pay someone to look through the cards and I assume you don't have the time to go through all the cards and judge condition. If I was in that position, like I said, pull all the Mantle, Aaron, Mays, Clemente, Koufax, Rose, Ryan, key cards you are familiar with and send to PSA. The rest, I would sell in lots on eBay, I would go through thousands to find a handful of MINT commons.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

wow those are 1966 high numbers not 1967 but this is an amazing selection. Not sure what your plans are but I know someone who would pay very nicely (likely over book) for them raw if you are planning on selling.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Much in my opinion depends on your intent. Is it to keep the collection and submit cards because you would enjoy owning as many as possible in high grade, or is it to sell in the near term and maximize the value? I would advise against selling ungraded given how nice some appear to be, for what it's worth.

If your intent is to sell, either yourself or via consignment, it is almost certainly going to be worth grading many of those cards. You might also consider working with an auction house or (not quite an oxymoron lol) reputable dealer, I'm not going to name names here but would be happy to make suggestions.

If your intent is to own, then I concur with the suggestions to start with a select handful of major HOFers and maybe some centered high number commons to get a feel for how grading works.