T206 Set - Raw vs Graded

[dougscats]

A lot of great advice here; Luke and Brendan in particular express my own opinions. Let me add:

I collect raw for a couple of reasons:
foremost, I'm a romantic and I like to be able to touch the cards, to sense their antiquity and the spirit they convey;
secondly, generally speaking, if you're patient, you can get a better deal $ on ungraded cards;
lastly, it's a great pleasure to be able to flip through the binder and easily view/reference my collection anytime I'd like.

I've been actively collecting the Monster for a number of years, and as I near completion [516/518] I've realized another thing: I've enjoyed the chase probably even more than I will the attainment of the goal. Fortunately for me, the chase now continues as I'm upgrading about half my collection [having started out collecting lower-grade cards]. So I still have years to look forward to, in the never-ending quest for nicer cards.

I could go on, but I'll end it here, wishing you a bon voyage.

Doug