grade or not ?

[Smarti5051]

I would recommend grading them. Otherwise, I foresee a scenario where a low feedback seller (your heirs) lists an "Inherited baseball card collection" (without any history of selling sportscards) that just happens to have a bunch of good looking, ungraded key HOF cards from the 50's and 60's. It smells like a scam, and the answers they would get from your uneducated heirs will not assuage many concerns. I think the cost of grading will easily pay for itself.

[raulus]

For the noteworthy cards you listed, grading might not be a terrible choice. It makes them easier to sell, and you probably make back your grading fees, plus maybe a little extra by way of increased sales price. If you're talking about commons from this era in grades 3-4, then I would probably skip getting those pieces graded.

I suppose you should also figure out where to get them graded. I won't offer much advice other than to observe that PSA historically carries a premium over other graders, although that premium is declining, and for some issues and some grades, you might argue it no longer exists. So the premium for your specific cards here might not be all that noteworthy.

The good news is that at present, if you meet the bulk pricing requirements, you can get them graded for $19 each at PSA, and the value cap is $499 per card, so you might be able to get most (or all) of these to work under that value cap. Unfortunately, bulk is only available if you're a member of PSA's club, and have an order of 20+ cards. If you're not a club member, then it's $25 per card.

If you're a gambling man, and not in a hurry, you might consider whether it makes sense to get them graded right now. Grading prices have been declining lately, and they might drop further. Plenty of debates around here about how much further they can theoretically drop.

Others will also observe that if you're not in a hurry, then you might wait to see what further developments are in store for the market, because 5, 10, 20 years from now a new grader or system might become king of the mountain, in which case getting them graded now could be a waste of your money.

There's also a lot of raging debates around here about whether graders are grading particularly harsh at the moment, with some asserting 1-2 grade discounts compared to historical grading standards. At the same time, if your cards are in the 3-4 range, then there might not be much of a discount, if any. So that might be another reason to wait - in the off chance that they re-adjust and become more reasonable in their grading. Just so you don't get them in now and get dinged with 2s and 3s instead of 3s and 4s.

[JollyElm]

Some great insights so far.

I suggest posting pics/scans of the main cards, so people here will get a better idea of what they are assessing. The main factor at the moment would be what your cards could grade at (number-wise). If they slide past the aforementioned 'value cap' of $499 (at PSA), then you will be hit with upcharges. So, any decisions to be made are also reliant on your budget.

[larietrope]

Thanks to all for your input.

[Snowman]

Yes, grade them. But do not send them to PSA right now. You'll get murdered on the grades. PSA 2s are the new norm for VG-EX cards with no creases. I just picked up a beautiful 1957 Clemente in a PSA 2 holder that was recently graded. Absolute jaw dropping incompetence with what is coming back from PSA in recent months for low to mid grade vintage cards.

Send them to SGC and you'll get fair grades. Everyone loves to point out that a PSA 4 outsells an SGC 4, but what they overlook is the fact that an SGC 4 still outsells a PSA 3.