Posted By:
PaulI read today about a 1971 Topps set (I know, not vintage) that sold for $10K. All the cards were graded 8. That figure sounded like an astonishing sum for a relatively recent set, even a condition sensitive set like '71 Topps. But then I got to thinking -- how much would it cost to get the whole set graded? The set has 752 cards. So even at just $10 per card, three quarters of the sale price went to the grading company.
My question is, what does it really cost to get 750 cards graded? Are the amazing prices that are reported for large graded complete sets really the result of the added value of the grading? Or are they just the result of the added COST of the grading?