SMR vs. VCP

[Big Six]

OK...I know most feel that SMR is just another marketing tool of PSA. Personally, I only use it as a small part of my evaluation process in determining how much I will spend on a card. Lately, I'm seeing more and more references to VCP. Is it worth buying a membership? How "off" are prices in SMR for say a 1956 Topps Bob Feller PSA 6 versus what's in VCP? I'm sure the swings for high-dollar cards could be pretty substantial, but what about my Feller example...are we talking $5 variance? Frankly if I'm in the ballpark with regard to how much a slabbed card is worth I'm happy. I just don't want to have it happen that I'm grossly under- or, more importantly, over-paying. Thanks in advance for any feedback/guidance...

[BleedinBlue]

In your example, smr = $75. vcp average = $61.19. A 20% difference. Only 2 of the last 17 sales approach smr value and one of those was a bin where an uneducated buyer likely bought the card thinking smr was a good guage. This is not a particularly bad example. I know on t205s smr is higher by up to 100%

[HRBAKER]

I am just not that familiar with any great number of "buyers" that consider the SMR a legitimate price guide. I know that some sellers do when it works in their favor, mostly. I find VCP to be very useful for cards that are traded frequently where it tracks multiple sales. Not so much on thinly traded issues as there can be several factors that may affect a sales price, primarily the infrequency in which they come to market.

For the amount that I use the service, I consider it to be be fairly priced.

[Leon]

I don't know about SMR but VCP gives the actual sale price. It's not a guide in that respect. Now, that being said we all know to buy the card and not the holder. So, if a T206 in vg condition sold for $80 and another one, same type card and same condition sold for $100, you still need to look at each card to determine if the $100 card presented (aesthetically) better, thereby warranting the higher price.

[jefferyepayne]

I've been tracking auction prices on ebay for specific cards/sets I am interested in for a couple of years now so I have a lot of data. I'm getting tired of doing this myself and so have been looking for a better alternative to use as a baseline guide. I've never found the print price guides to be very good.

I find SMR to be wildly inaccurate and so don't think it is a viable price guide alternative.

VCP appears much more promising and useful. I like their overall approach to determining prices but wish they would broaden their analysis to include other auctions and forums. This would help increase the sample size for scarcer cards and make their $$$ values more accurate. I realize this isn't easy to do in some instances. I agree with others that for cards that are traded frequently, the values are much closer to the market value than other sources.

jeff

[irishdenny]

Originally Posted by Leon

I don't know about SMR but VCP gives the actual sale price. It's not a guide in that respect. Now, that being said we all know to buy the card and not the holder. So, if a T206 in vg condition sold for $80 and another one, same type card and same condition sold for $100, you still need to look at each card to determine if the $100 card presented (aesthetically) better, thereby warranting the higher price.

"And the Crowd Roared"

[Vegas-guy]

Does VCP keep track of the different back types on T206s or is it just per player/grade?

[Bosox Blair]

Originally Posted by Vegas-guy

Does VCP keep track of the different back types on T206s or is it just per player/grade?

Hi Reg,

Back types.

Cheers,
Blair

[RobertGT]

I would say the VCP is the closest thing to an accurate hobby guide we will ever get, since it pulls data from actual eBay sales (and no, I don't work at VCP). Here are a few results from my latest graded football cards auction (all started at $9.99) and the corresponding VCP average. Yes you will see price swings - some in your favor and some not. Good luck! Rob

1981 Topps Joe Montana PSA 7: auction sale price - $65.77 / VCP avg.: $59.65
1979 Topps Earl Campbell PSA 9: $152.50 / $154.51
1959 Topps FB Jon Arnett PSA 9: $61.10/ $69.22
1959 Topps Sam Huff PSA 7: $41 / $40.70
1969 Topps Bob Hayes PSA 8: $20.50 / $17.17
1959 Topps Bobby Laynes PSA 8 $38.10 /$39.51