Help/Advice buying ungraded vs. graded

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by pokerplyr80

Sounds like a good plan. I agree with you on the registry. I will never be competing for the top overall set in any category. But I like having the list right there of what I have and what I need. It is also nice to have cards in the same case. Looks better, and they're easier to store.

you can easily have the number 1 set in lots of cats...there are plenty of cats that have no sets in them...I have the number 1 1954 topps HOF set..but I also have the only ONE...lol (of course someone will read this and can top me now but you get my point...)

[pokerplyr80]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

you can easily have the number 1 set in lots of cats...there are plenty of cats that have no sets in them...I have the number 1 1954 topps HOF set..but I also have the only ONE...lol (of course someone will read this and can top me now but you get my point...)

Fair enough, I suppose I should have said no major sets. I am tied for the #1 spot in the Ken Griffey, JR rookie set. 5 cards all 10s. Only the upperdeck is worth much so I think I'm tied with a couple of hundred people.

[2dueces]

TRIAPD

The registry is a powerful drug

[1952boyntoncollector]

registry is like a checklist....even in old sets they had checklist cards......registry is card collecting in a sense...

[iwantitiwinit]

My feeling is that the grading services have been around for so long now that most vintage cards have, for the most part, (with the exception of those raw cards held in personal collections) been submitted for grading. Those vintage cards not currently residing in TPA holders are not in holders for a reason, they have been altered. Given that, it seems to me that the risk of purchasing non-altered raw cards is in no way worth the far less probable potential reward. Obviously others have other opinions and other reasons for preferring raw over graded. I try and look at it logically and see no true valid reasons for buying ungraded, especially if you intend on spending say $75+ for commons and say $500+ for stars. As far as the registry goes I couldn't care less, I just want to make sure that my dollars are spent on an unaltered product.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by iwantitiwinit

My feeling is that the grading services have been around for so long now that most vintage cards have, for the most part, (with the exception of those raw cards held in personal collections) been submitted for grading. Those vintage cards not currently residing in TPA holders are not in holders for a reason, they have been altered, Given that, it seems to me that the risk of purchasing non-altered raw cards is in no way worth the far less probable potential reward. Obviously others have other opinions and other reasons for preferring raw over graded but to me I try and look at it logically and see no true valid reasons for buying ungraded, especially if you intend on spending say $75+ for commons and say $500+ for stars. As far as the registry goes I couldn't care less, I just want to make sure that my dollars are spent on an unaltered product.

Just because a card is in a TPG holder doesn't mean it's not altered. It means no alteration was detected, which might say more about the grader than the card. I will leave the stories for another time....

[PowderedH2O]

I disagree with the notion that most high dollar cards are graded. I didn't grade a card until a few years ago. Many collectors put together nice runs of sets in the 70's through the 90's with no grading and feel no desire to have the cards graded. Their attitude is "Why should I pay someone to tell me what I already know?" In some ways they are right.

Considering that you are talking about relatively inexpensive cards in many cases, why worry about the registry? You have more freedom without it. I have some registry sets. A few months ago I paid $211 for two cards to complete a PSA set. You could buy raw cards almost as nice for less than $10. I have $2K sunk into a $300 set.

Make the set how you want and get what you want. Forget the registry.