Does anyone collect raw cards exclusively in this age of TPG???

[conor912]

Often times I can't even find what I'm looking for raw.

[ALR-bishop]

My cards are not "raw". They are cards in their natural state...

[bbcard1]

Call me a cracker unless I am buying for resale.

[Bocabirdman]

Only recently, I have began to accept slabs into my collection. I had found that the remaining T206 are becoming much more difficult to find raw in a suitable condition. I prefer raw but I had to accept a dose of reality. Out of the first 270 cards , I had 3 slabs. I just passed 300 cards and I have added 20 slabs. I still MIGHT liberate them. I dunno........

[Matthew H]

Originally Posted by bbcard1

Call me a cracker unless I am buying for resale.

+1. I have 9 cards still in slabs because they never made it into my collection. I can't wait to get rid of them.

If I had a t206 card graded PSA 8 I would leave it in the holder, but I'll never buy one that high grade, I just don't trust grading at all. I have one old judge that is near mint, but I bought it raw so it gets to stay that way.. If I had a graded 8 old judge and I wanted to keep it, I'd probably end up cracking it, so that I can look at the edges.

[DHogan]

I'm a set builder. My cards for sets are all raw. For my player (Hogan) collection, most are raw. I buy the card. Not the grade or holder. Now that I have a great job. I can buy more.

[Tao_Moko]

I have special tools to crack them but they vary by the TPG which ones I use. Butterknife, jewelers screwdriver, gem hammer and letter opener. Be warned - the Beckett holders are a bear! I've damaged more than one with a slip of the prying device when I first started.

[auggiedoggy]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

My cads are not "raw". They are cards in their natural state...

Yes they are but "raw" is now a commonly used expression. Before TPG, cards were simply cards.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

My cards are not "raw". They are cards in their natural state...

As are mine.


I'm quite handy with a kitchen knife when it comes to removing cards from those plastic cases that the people who get paid for their opinions provide.

Doug

[jerseygary]

When I pick up cards I only buy them unslabbed. I figure if I need to have someone else tell me what it is, what condition it is in and if it even real then I shouldn't be collecting what ever it is. Kind of takes the fun out of it for me. "Fun" is the word here because I tend to only collect for the fun of it. I think the slabs are very ugly and the labels are too "computer-y" for my taste. To me there's nothing as pretty as a free and easy loose stack of '33 Goudeys' sitting on my drawing table!

[tedzan]

This display tells you where I stand on this subject.

I just love to flip thru my albums of card sets contained within quality plastic pages. And for my high value cards,
I prefer high quality mylar, instead of hard plastic rectangles with arbitrary numbers that may not actually reflect
the card's grade.






TED Z
__________________________________________________ ______________________

LOOKING FOR these T206 guys to complete my AMERICAN BEAUTY 460 sub-set

AMES....CAMNITZ....CRAWFORD (bat)....DOYLE (port)....JORDAN (bat)....MARQUARD
McGRAW (port-cap).....McQUILLAN (bat).....TINKER (bat off).....WILTSE (port-cap)

[auggiedoggy]

Originally Posted by tedzan

This display tells you where I stand on this subject.

I just love to flip thru my albums of card sets contained within quality plastic pages. And for my high value cards,
I prefer high quality mylar, instead of hard plastic rectangles with arbitrary numbers that may not actually reflect
the card's grade.

TED Z
__________________________________________________ ______________________

LOOKING FOR these T206 guys to complete my AMERICAN BEAUTY 460 sub-set

AMES....CAMNITZ....CRAWFORD (bat)....DOYLE (port)....JORDAN (bat)....MARQUARD
McGRAW (port-cap).....McQUILLAN (bat).....TINKER (bat off).....WILTSE (port-cap)

A picture is worth a thousand words.

So, I should let the boys loose is what you're inferring?

[ZenPop]

Originally Posted by tedzan

This display tells you where I stand on this subject.

I just love to flip thru my albums of card sets contained within quality plastic pages. And for my high value cards,
I prefer high quality mylar, instead of hard plastic rectangles with arbitrary numbers that may not actually reflect
the card's grade.






TED Z
__________________________________________________ ______________________

LOOKING FOR these T206 guys to complete my AMERICAN BEAUTY 460 sub-set

AMES....CAMNITZ....CRAWFORD (bat)....DOYLE (port)....JORDAN (bat)....MARQUARD
McGRAW (port-cap).....McQUILLAN (bat).....TINKER (bat off).....WILTSE (port-cap)

That's awesome, Ted.

I have yet to acquire a graded card. I will bid on one, every once in a while... but I collect for the love the designs and the team and/or player. The "raw" ones are mostly more affordable and I usually don't spend a lot, so I'm guessing that there's a much less chance of fakes making their way into my collection. An odd scrawl or kid's name can actually add to the charm of the card. (not all the time, mind you... ha ha)

[Leon]

I have most of my more expensive cards graded. I like an impartial and experienced TPG looking at them to see if there was anything I missed. I only want altered cards if I know they are altered. No, of course TPG's aren't perfect, but they fit my needs perfectly. Also, since I don't collect high grade I very rarely worry about alterations in my collection. (of course there could be one or some but I am just not worried about it). I still have hundreds, if not thousands of raw cards.

And yes, Travis, we call cards that aren't professionally encased, raw.

[kmac32]

My W572 collection is completely raw while my E121, T 207 Cubs, and various Elmer Miller cards are slabbed.

[aelefson]

I have no graded cards. I will not even look at graded cards for sale.

Alan

[WWGjohn]

My whole collection is unslabbed with just a few graded when I could not find anything else. Like many others I'm a set collector and unslabbed is the only way I casn come close to a complete set.

John

[tbob]

All of my E (caramel) and M and D card sets are in slabs, all of my tobacco card sets except the 1909 Obak set and T210s are raw in binders...

[ullmandds]

Interesting concept...it would be a great way to narrow your focus...as many cards just are not available raw?! As much as I hate slabs...they have become a way of life.

[VintageGamerN00b]

I'm putting together a '59 Topps set as a gift for my dad and am presenting it in custom binders. Unslabbed cards are so much prettier than PSA graded ones, in my opinion. I'm not necessarily opposed to graded cards if I'm collecting to resell, but for vintage cards that will stay in my collection (or that of someone I know), I only buy ungraded.

I would imagine the majority of the forum members here share this view, especially because many of them are as good as or better than the graders and would never pay $15 to be told something they already know.

[travrosty]

There is no such thing as raw. They are baseball cards.

[g_vezina_c55]

For my T206 set i collect almost only raw cards. I buy graded card only when it is for the high valuable cards.