1952 Topps Collector
 

Always on the lookout for nicely graded 1952 topps PSA basic set. Working on a set and notice some of the Ebay dealers want way too much versus what a card would for for at auctoin. Im all for the hobby but tough to buy a card knowing if you were going to resell at a no reserve ebay auction the next day you would lose 40%. Im ok with losing 15% the next day and even 40% eventually but the next day! :)

who IS this????

whatcha mean
 

im a collector.....

1952
 

I built the set, but ungraded. I did it a card at a time using both eBay and dealers. I did it as a collector without regard to whether I could sell it, either as a set or card by card for what I paid for it.

There are several folks here who have built or are building it, and some building it in master or semi master form

graded / ungraded
 

i note that ungraded dealers are pretty ok market value wise..

whats interesting is how everyone like to gamble..if the card looks halfway decent with just a chance of being a psa 8 and raw and its on an ebay auction , i have seen offers higher than psa 7 level on cards where the margin of error can be 3 points....if the card was in a psa 6 card holder for example it would go for lower..but many psa 6s on scans can look like they have a chance for psa 8s..

its like chase raw cards knowing the odds are long..plus when they see other bidders.i think the lower bidder authenticates the value so it makes it easier for the next bidder to join the fray..

1952
 

You and I are not on the same page. It is just a hobby for me. I build all the Topps sets, and do it with cards that appeal to me. I do not care if an ungraded card might be a 5 or a 7.

I do not care about what some grader who knows less about cards than I do thinks a card should be labeled. If I were involved with cards as an investment or as someone who buys and sells for profit, then the way the hobby is today, it would matter to me. Glad it does not

Keep an eye out for the big auctions if you want to buy a PSA graded set. I'm 5 cards away from a low number 1-310 set with both RED and BLACK 1-80's and am up to about 25 of the highs. Mostly EX condition with a few worse, a few better. Maybe a dozen graded cards in the lot from both PSA/SGC. Sounds like you're looking for a much higher grade than a 4-5............good luck. Tough to find a high grade low number set at a bargain......too many speculators and dealers making money breaking them up.

1952 set
 

I do see that in the Lots on the outside auctions there are certain pricepoints dealers will go too..and the collectors are less competition because they dont need all 6 high numbers in a 6 high number lot. so i do the sweat equity and sell/trade the extra cards at no profit basically but it allowed me to get the cards i needed for much cheaper than dealer or even ebay prices..

the problem with raw cards is sometimes you really dont know what you are getting and id rather pay 70 dollars for a psa 7 holder even though (its still not a sure thing) versus 30 for a raw card for example

PSA 5s are fine for me for certain cards but looked for a psa 7 overall weighted set..

I am just trying to finish the set so far I have the first 310 cards raw and my goal is the high number all graded PSA 1-3, so far I have 33 high numbers all graded I have all the big stars except Mantle.

1952
 

Edward--great progress. Why the switch to graded on the high #s ?

I switched the high numbers to graded mainly for authenticity. And I have a really nice display case for graded cards.

We should have this put on T-shirts, mugs, and hats. I'd buy one.

third party grader
 

yeah i know its tough to deal with third party graders..

but you know whats tough? doing an internet transaction with an online card store that gives their own grades....i never been pleasantly surprised.....always seems to be more issues on the card than what was explained when ungraded versus graded in my experience..now for cards that go for 50 bucks or less getting cards graded dont make sense..but even though i get my money back when unsatisfied its still a pain to spend time in the day and the extra transactionss...plus if i was the seller im sure graded cards get returned less..

Do whatever...
 

"The first thing to do was to forgive myself. Then I said, do whatever you want, it's ok by me"... Jack Handey

i got a deal on the raw first series all 310 cards for cheap, but they were ungraded as a lot, therefore i am keeping them that way.