Mid-Grade Collectors

[71buc]

Adam the 1955 Mays is my favorite Mays card. It’s a thing of beauty. I have one in a SGC 6 slab I purchased long ago. I collect raw cards when I can inspect them in hand unless I win them from Cleansweep. Otherwise I buy PSA/SGC 6s on line. Cards in those slabs have become pricey, at least for me, lately. I settled for a nice centered 1954 Banks PSA 4 last year that was nicer and cheaper than many PSA 5 and 6s I’ve seen. That 4 now sells for a similar amount that a 5 or 6 would have cost me last year. I don’t think that rookie cards of Banks, Clemente, Gibson and their ilk will return to pre-pandemic prices so I maybe lowering my standards and start buyin nice 4s and 5s.

[jb67]

I sold some of my vintage basketball (profits too good to pass on) during the big upswing in prices and redirected some of the profits to cards in the mid to lower grade with nice eye-appeal. Trying to refocus my collection on rookie cards.

I believe mid-grade is not a bad way to go in the future as high-grade prices of some cards are going to be too expensive for most. I believe the demand for mid-grade cards will be strong as more collectors jump on the band wagon.

[irv]

Originally Posted by jb67

I sold some of my vintage basketball (profits too good to pass on) during the big upswing in prices and redirected some of the profits to cards in the mid to lower grade with nice eye-appeal. Trying to refocus my collection on rookie cards.

I believe mid-grade is not a bad way to go in the future as high-grade prices of some cards are going to be too expensive for most. I believe the demand for mid-grade cards will be strong as more collectors jump on the band wagon.

Very nice cards, David!!

I would have no issue owning any of those!

[jchcollins]

I got out of the prewar business for the most part earlier this year, and reinvested some of those proceeds into random cards that have been on my list in one way or another for years. Probably the biggest thing was upgrading my '56 Mantle gray back (from an SGC A to a SGC 4) but the rest were just things I had never gotten done: Reggie Jackson RC. '55 Bowman Banks. '71 Clemente. '72 Hank Aaron...

[smellthegum]

Great cards fellas, I'm really enjoying this thread! jb67's 4.5 Aaron in particular is just fantastic! (so are many others, but that one just jumps out at me). I'm finding that mid-grade looks better and better as I age and my eyesight diminishes...it's getting harder to see with the naked eye those minute flaws that used to drive me nuts!

I collect mostly ungraded but here are a few encased mid-grade favorites that I've picked up along the way.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by smellthegum

Great cards fellas, I'm really enjoying this thread! jb67's 4.5 Aaron in particular is just fantastic! (so are many others, but that one just jumps out at me). I'm finding that mid-grade looks better and better as I age and my eyesight diminishes...it's getting harder to see with the naked eye those minute flaws that used to drive me nuts!

I collect mostly ungraded but here are a few encased mid-grade favorites that I've picked up along the way.

Great cards, I especially like that Pafko!

[gustomania]

Sold some duplicates and picked up this beauty

[IgnatiusJReilly]

Originally Posted by gustomania

Sold some duplicates and picked up this beauty

That’s a sharp 4.5. Nice work!


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[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by gustomania

Sold some duplicates and picked up this beauty

Beauty! I have the '56 Clemente in a gray back 4.5. I really love the half grades. In many cases they aren't terribly more expensive than VCP for the full grade, and they are usually fantastic looking cards.

[Tere1071]

Delete, had problems uploading images.

[jb67]

[QUOTE=gustomania;2047014]Sold some duplicates and picked up this beauty

Great looking Koufax. Well done!!!

[DeanH3]

Originally Posted by gustomania

Sold some duplicates and picked up this beauty

Nice grab! I had that one on my watchlist. It's a beauty!

[IgnatiusJReilly]

Originally Posted by jb67

I sold some of my vintage basketball (profits too good to pass on) during the big upswing in prices and redirected some of the profits to cards in the mid to lower grade with nice eye-appeal. Trying to refocus my collection on rookie cards.

I believe mid-grade is not a bad way to go in the future as high-grade prices of some cards are going to be too expensive for most. I believe the demand for mid-grade cards will be strong as more collectors jump on the band wagon.

What an amazing group of cards. That 1.5 Mantle is insane! Definitely one of the nicest I’ve ever seen in that grade.

While we are in a very heated market, I have been unwilling to part with any of my cards. My 1956 Topps set was built around the idea that mid grade cards were affordable but that boat seems to have left the dock these days. I’m taking a wait and see approach before adding more vintage. I really really want a 54 Banks in a 5 or 6 but I don’t think I can swing it at these prices.


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[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by 71buc

Adam the 1955 Mays is my favorite Mays card. It’s a thing of beauty. I have one in a SGC 6 slab I purchased long ago. I collect raw cards when I can inspect them in hand unless I win them from Cleansweep. Otherwise I buy PSA/SGC 6s on line. Cards in those slabs have become pricey, at least for me, lately. I settled for a nice centered 1954 Banks PSA 4 last year that was nicer and cheaper than many PSA 5 and 6s I’ve seen. That 4 now sells for a similar amount that a 5 or 6 would have cost me last year. I don’t think that rookie cards of Banks, Clemente, Gibson and their ilk will return to pre-pandemic prices so I maybe lowering my standards and start buyin nice 4s and 5s.

A 3 worked just fine for me.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

A 3 worked just fine for me.

Great, great card! Nothing wrong with that at all. The last year or so, I have been going this direction, too.

[wdwfan]

I probably posted way earlier in this thread saying that I strictly collect raw stuff in the Ex range. Well, well. My how times have changed.

I sold off a bunch of my newer, modern stuff and picked up my first graded cards about a week ago. Now I'm hooked. I find that it's so much easier to move vintage graded. Heck, I'm having trouble moving my ungraded Ex or better stuff (want to move it and buy vintage graded).

I find that I like the 5-6 range with focus on eye appeal. This was my first pickup. I paid a whole lot for it ($375 including tax) at the LCS, but I've been able to pick up a few other random vintage graded, and now I have 6 graded cards.

When considering graded, I always thought I'd like the look of SGC with the black frames. But I got one in hand, and I don't like it. Plus, I'm very CDO. So I want everything the same (PSA).

Anyway, I love vintage and collecting mid-grade stuff.

[DeanH3]

Originally Posted by wdwfan

I probably posted way earlier in this thread saying that I strictly collect raw stuff in the Ex range. Well, well. My how times have changed.

I sold off a bunch of my newer, modern stuff and picked up my first graded cards about a week ago. Now I'm hooked. I find that it's so much easier to move vintage graded. Heck, I'm having trouble moving my ungraded Ex or better stuff (want to move it and buy vintage graded).

I find that I like the 5-6 range with focus on eye appeal. This was my first pickup. I paid a whole lot for it ($375 including tax) at the LCS, but I've been able to pick up a few other random vintage graded, and now I have 6 graded cards.

When considering graded, I always thought I'd like the look of SGC with the black frames. But I got one in hand, and I don't like it. Plus, I'm very CDO. So I want everything the same (PSA).

Anyway, I love vintage and collecting mid-grade stuff.

Nice Splendid Splinter. One that is on my watch list to eventually add. Congrats!

[thecomebacker]

Got the J-Rob from another member here:
.

[Exhibitman]

That 52 Robinson, and I say this with an unblemished record of staunch heterosexuality, is fabulous.

[IgnatiusJReilly]

Originally Posted by thecomebacker

Got the J-Rob from another member here:
.

Wow, that’s a strong group of cards. Nice job!


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[jb67]

[QUOTE=thecomebacker;2040856]Got the J-Rob from another member here:

Those are some stunning cards. The eye-appeal J-Rob, Willie and Ted are tremendous.