Posted By:
Dave HornishI guess it depends. On Ebay I almost always want to buy T and E cards in a slab, unless the seller is really a specialist in prewar cards. I am still feeling my way on those.
For R cards both pre and post war I feel confident enoough to buy raw if an opportunity arises. I deslab just about everything I buy, with a couple of exceptions, and keep the flips.
At a show, when I can handle the merch, I usually buy raw.
Most of my prewar stuff would average G at best and I feel more comfortable buying well-loved cards as there is generally less risk of alteration.