NonSports Forum

Net54baseball.com
Welcome to Net54baseball.com. These forums are devoted to both Pre- and Post- war baseball cards and vintage memorabilia, as well as other sports. There is a separate section for Buying, Selling and Trading - the B/S/T area!! If you write anything concerning a person or company your full name needs to be in your post or obtainable from it. . Contact the moderator at leon@net54baseball.com should you have any questions or concerns. When you click on links to eBay on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. Enjoy!
Net54baseball.com
Net54baseball.com
T206s on eBay
Babe Ruth Cards on eBay
t206 Ty Cobb on eBay
Ty Cobb Cards on eBay
Lou Gehrig Cards on eBay
Baseball T201-T217 on eBay
Baseball E90-E107 on eBay
T205 Cards on eBay
Baseball Postcards on eBay
Goudey Cards on eBay
Baseball Memorabilia on eBay
Baseball Exhibit Cards on eBay
Baseball Strip Cards on eBay
Baseball Baking Cards on eBay
Sporting News Cards on eBay
Play Ball Cards on eBay
Joe DiMaggio Cards on eBay
Mickey Mantle Cards on eBay
Bowman 1951-1955 on eBay
Football Cards on eBay

Go Back   Net54baseball.com Forums > Net54baseball Postwar Sportscard Forums > Postwar Baseball Cards Forum (Pre-1980)

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 10-04-2021, 09:46 PM
hawaiian bam bam's Avatar
hawaiian bam bam hawaiian bam bam is offline
Al
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 297
Default What’s an acceptable grade for vintage cards?

When it comes to vintage graded cards what is acceptable norm/lowest you would go for cards from the 50s and 60s? Example for 53 topps do you try to get psa 5 or 6? 1955 topps, psa 5? 1960s cards, maybe a little higher like psa 7 or 8? 70s cards maybe psa 8 or psa 9? Etc etc. I know we all want psa 9 and 10s but realistically what do you go for most? Thanks

Last edited by hawaiian bam bam; 10-04-2021 at 09:48 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 10-04-2021, 10:11 PM
JollyElm's Avatar
JollyElm JollyElm is offline
D@rrΣn Hu.ghΣs
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 7,331
Default

Get ready for a slew of trite responses telling you to, “Buy the card, not the slab,” “Collect whatever makes you happy,” etc.
__________________
All the cool kids love my YouTube Channel:
Elm's Adventures in Cardboard Land

https://www.youtube.com/@TheJollyElm

Looking to trade? Here's my bucket:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/152396...57685904801706

“I was such a dangerous hitter I even got intentional walks during batting practice.”
Casey Stengel

Spelling "Yastrzemski" correctly without needing to look it up since the 1980s.

Overpaying yesterday is simply underpaying tomorrow.
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 10-04-2021, 10:20 PM
Cmvorce Cmvorce is offline
Chris
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: Texas
Posts: 400
Default

I think it depends on what your goal is and what you can afford. My ultimate goal is a complete set run of Topps 1952 - present. I’d love for every card to be near mint but that’s unrealistic with my budget.

Most of my 50s and 60s cards are in the FR to VG range if raw or 2 - 4 if graded. I think there are plenty of cards out there in PSA 1.5 or 2 slabs that look just fine for my collection. I’m more about consistency in my collection. The majority of my graded 52 Topps are PSA 2 - 3. My 1954 Topps are SGC 2.5.

My 70s - present cards are all raw but are generally consistent in their condition. Early 70s mostly GD / VG working up to Mint in the mid 80s and beyond.

All my prewar stuff is PSA 1-2. It’s all I can afford if I plan on getting everything I want and I’m ok with that.

I don’t think there is a universally acceptable response.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 10-05-2021, 04:24 AM
swarmee's Avatar
swarmee swarmee is offline
J0hn Raff3rty
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Niceville FL
Posts: 6,902
Default

The higher the PSA grade, the more likely it's actually altered and should be a 0.5. And day by day, as cards are exposed on Blowout, your "high grade" cards turn into pumpkins at midnight and you have to keep fooling yourself that PSA is actually a reputable company.
__________________
--
PWCC: The Fish Stinks From the Head
PSA: Regularly Get Cheated
BGS: Can't detect trimming on modern
SGC: Closed auto authentication business
JSA: Approved same T206 Autos before SGC
Oh, what a difference a year makes.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 10-05-2021, 06:39 AM
bobsbbcards's Avatar
bobsbbcards bobsbbcards is offline
Bob F.
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,987
Default

This is what I shoot for.

T206 - PSA 4
1941 Play Ball - PSA 6
1948....er....49 Leaf - PSA 5-7
1948 thru 1951 Bowman - PSA 7 (1951 Mantle is a 6)
1952 Bowman - PSA 8
1953 Bowman Color - PSA 8 (except for Whitey)
1953 Bowman B&W thru 1955 Bowman - PSA 7
1951 Topps Red/Blue Backs - PSA 8
1952 Topps - PSA 6
1953 thru 1956 Topps - PSA 7
1957 Topps - PSA 8
1958 thru 1959 Topps - PSA 7
1960 thru 1961 Topps - PSA 8
1962 Topps - PSA 7
1963 thru 1967 Topps - PSA 8
1968 Topps - PSA 9 (except Ryan)
1969 thru 1970 Topps - PSA 8
1971 Topps - PSA 7
1972 thru 1979 Topps - PSA 8

For subsets it varies greatly. Some, such as the 1951 Topps Team cards in PSA 5 are pricey enough. For others, such as 1959 Bazooka, authentic suits me just fine. I like cards that look nice in the holder, but I won't pay extra for "OMG, that's the best freaking card I've ever seen in my life can I give you my children and a stack o' dead presidents for it?!?!?"

Last edited by bobsbbcards; 10-07-2021 at 05:19 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 10-05-2021, 06:54 AM
ALR-bishop ALR-bishop is offline
Al Richter
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: San Antonio
Posts: 8,946
Default

I think your response exceeded trite Bob
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 10-05-2021, 10:27 AM
ASF123 ASF123 is offline
Andrew
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Chicago
Posts: 481
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by JollyElm View Post
Get ready for a slew of trite responses telling you to, “Buy the card, not the slab,” “Collect whatever makes you happy,” etc.
I'm gonna go with "Al clearly has a lot more money to spend on cards than I do."
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 10-05-2021, 11:07 AM
Gorditadogg Gorditadogg is offline
Al Stein
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago
Posts: 1,871
Default

I generally like mid-grade raw cards, but as you say it depends on the years.

I am fine with VG/EX to EX for 30's, 40's and early 50's, and EX to XMT on late 50's. For 60's cards I collect XMT to NM, and 70's it is NM to NMM.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 10-05-2021, 12:34 PM
Hxcmilkshake's Avatar
Hxcmilkshake Hxcmilkshake is offline
St@n Go.len
 
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Florida
Posts: 844
Default

Whatever I can get a deal on usually low to mid grade is fine by me

Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 10-05-2021, 01:10 PM
Harliduck's Avatar
Harliduck Harliduck is offline
John Otto
J0hn Ot.to
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Marysville, Wa
Posts: 1,679
Default

Jolly called it right...the cliche collect what you love...

For me its -

80s - Mint
70s - Ex EXNMT. (5 to 7 range) mostly 6
57 to 69 - VG/EX EX (4 to 7 range) mostly 5
54 to 56 - VG to VG/EX (2 to 5 range) mostly 3
52 to 53 - G to VG (1 to 4 range) mostly 2

Hard rule - 57 up...no creases

Even though this gets brought up often, I enjoy seeing others standards...
__________________
John Otto

1963 Fleer - 1981-90 Fleer/Donruss/Score/Leaf Complete
1953 - 1990 Topps/Bowman Complete
1953-55 Dormand SGC COMPLETE SGC AVG Score - 4.03
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 10-05-2021, 01:25 PM
nolemmings's Avatar
nolemmings nolemmings is offline
Todd Schultz
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 3,720
Default

My targets:

1970-77 MT (although nm-mt acceptable for 1971 Topps)
1960-69 NM-MT
1950-59 NM
1930-49 EX-MT
1920-29 EX
1910-19 VG-EX (although I usually seek higher--this is the floor grade)
pre 1910 VG

obviously this is just a guideline--eye appeal comes first. Also, there are issues pre-1950 and some test and regional issues thereafter that require a more flexible approach, as they are not as frequently found. Pretty much anything post-1950 topps/bowman is so readily available I don't usually deviate unless I see a card I believe to be noticeably undergraded (again, eye appeal).

EDITED TO ADD: I should say that I have so soured on graded post-war cards that I now often buy raw. In those instances, I realize that some of the 1970's cards I buy are probably unlikely to merit a "9", but I have no intention of submitting them and even less intention of paying grossly inflated prices for some flip when millions of a particular card are out there and a beautiful copy can be had far cheaper.
__________________
If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on the other. - Ulysses S. Grant, military commander, 18th US President.

Last edited by nolemmings; 10-05-2021 at 01:36 PM. Reason: Additional info
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 10-05-2021, 02:07 PM
packs packs is online now
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 8,317
Default

Always going to depend on the card:



Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 10-05-2021, 02:32 PM
steve B steve B is offline
Steve Birmingham
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: eastern Mass.
Posts: 8,083
Default

Grade? What's that?

Ok, all kidding aside, I don't limit things to any one part of the range. I have at least one that wouldn't grade (Very sticky tape adhesive residue. It's not leaving that penny sleeve anytime soon) and a few that are pretty nice, maybe mid grade, maybe better? The last few years I try to stick to maybe VG or better, but wouldn't pass up something that wasn't as long as the price was good.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 10-05-2021, 04:25 PM
IgnatiusJReilly's Avatar
IgnatiusJReilly IgnatiusJReilly is offline
Matthew
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Newbury Park, CA
Posts: 591
Default

This is a fun topic. Setting aside extremely difficult sets and caveats about eye appeal, this is how it breaks down for me:

T206 - 1941 PB : 2-4 [*very* eye appeal dependent]
1948/49 Leaf - 1955 Topps : 5
1956 Topps - 1961 Topps : 6
1962 Topps - 1967 Topps : 7
1968 Topps - 1977 Topps: 8
1978 Topps - 1986 Topps: 9
1987 Topps - Current: 9-10

Of course there are tons of exceptions blah, blah, blah, but if I were to coarse grain average over my collection this is what would come out. I don't have the nicest collection but I think the cost-benefit balance is struck well for me with that breakdown.
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 10-05-2021, 04:54 PM
G1911 G1911 is offline
Gr.eg McCl.@y
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 6,302
Default

P-vg+, raw. Any higher than that, and I’d be happier with a lower grade card that brings me the exact same joy as a card with sharp corners, and pocket the cost difference. Cards I have in nicer condition are always available for downgrading. Cards in slabs are cracked out or flipped for the same card without a case that costs far less for the exact same thing.
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 10-05-2021, 07:59 PM
homerunderby homerunderby is offline
member
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 83
Default

I'll go EX to EXMT for 50's and 60's, VG or better pre-war. Mostly raw unless I get a deal on a slab (which I promptly break out of the slab so I can display it in my binders).

Sometimes I'll tolerate even P-F for rarities like 1964 Topps Venezuelan.

I only collect Yankees.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 10-06-2021, 10:17 AM
thatkidfromjerrymaguire thatkidfromjerrymaguire is offline
John Donovan
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 458
Default

For me, EX is the perfect condition for postwar cards....they are crease free, mark free, and typically have good overall eye appeal...and can be found cheaper (and more easily) then NM versions of the same card.

But, when it comes to vintage cards, pretty much ANYTHING goes. There is a sizable market for ALL grades. Unlike modern where nobody really seems to want anything less than NM or Mint, there are enough low grade collectors in the market that you can typically sell/trade anything you decide to part with if you change your focus, direction, etc.
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 10-06-2021, 10:52 AM
rugbymarine rugbymarine is offline
Ian H@ll
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Southeast PA
Posts: 460
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by IgnatiusJReilly View Post
This is a fun topic. Setting aside extremely difficult sets and caveats about eye appeal, this is how it breaks down for me:

T206 - 1941 PB : 2-4 [*very* eye appeal dependent]
1948/49 Leaf - 1955 Topps : 5
1956 Topps - 1961 Topps : 6
1962 Topps - 1967 Topps : 7
1968 Topps - 1977 Topps: 8
1978 Topps - 1986 Topps: 9
1987 Topps - Current: 9-10

Of course there are tons of exceptions blah, blah, blah, but if I were to coarse grain average over my collection this is what would come out. I don't have the nicest collection but I think the cost-benefit balance is struck well for me with that breakdown.
This is close to my thoughts. I tend to aim a little lower in some areas (Pre-war) and maybe higher elsewhere with specific cards.

I have another general guideline that I follow: I aim for the NICEST looking card I can afford between $100 - $250. For most cards in the era I collect the most (post-war vintage), that means there's a nice range of grades/condition that I can look for. I'm even fine buying a lower grade card if I think it looks nice than the one I already have. This price range does not apply to key cards to your collection (Ruth, Jackie, Mantle, pre-war, most HOF RC before 1960,.....you get the idea).

As much as I can, before I buy, or aggressively bid on, a card, I'll ask myself, "In a year, will I want to upgrade this card?" If the answer to that question is anything but definitely NOT, I usually won't go for the card. It's kind of hard to explain, but I guess that's why this question has so many different answers.
__________________
Bought from: orioles93, JK, Chstrite, lug-nut, Bartholomew_Bump_Bailey, IgnatiusJReilly, jb67, dbfirstman, DeanH3, wrm, Beck6
Sold to: Sean1125, sayitaintso, IgnatiusJReilly, hockeyhockey, mocean, wondo, Casey2296, Belfast1933, Yoda, Peter_Spaeth, hxcmilkshake, kaddyshack, OhioCardCollector, Gorditadogg, Jay Wolt, ClementeFanOh, JollyElm, EddieZ, 4reals, uyu906
Reply With Quote
  #19  
Old 10-06-2021, 12:02 PM
Bestdj777 Bestdj777 is offline
Chris
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 2,567
Default

I generally shoot for a PSA 1 or PSA A or ungraded.
__________________
Mantle Master Set - as complete as it is going to get
Yankees Game Used Hat Style Run (1923-2017): 57/60 (missing 2008/9 holiday hats & 2017 Players Weekend)
Reply With Quote
  #20  
Old 10-06-2021, 08:15 PM
Popcorn Popcorn is offline
Christopher
Chr.is Gl@sby
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 190
Default

I’m cool with beaters. Never been a condition snob.
Reply With Quote
  #21  
Old 10-07-2021, 11:53 AM
vintagebaseballcardguy's Avatar
vintagebaseballcardguy vintagebaseballcardguy is offline
R0b3rt Ch!ld3rs
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,512
Default

I used to think I had to have cards that were in really top condition. As I have aged, I have gradually lowered what I felt like I had to have. Now, I'm to the point that I am content as long as the card is whole. I prefer no writing or staining on the front or paper loss. Outside of that, I am pretty satisfied to own a copy of a given card. All in all, I like set building, and there are so many sets I'd like to build before I am done. If I am too picky about condition, most of those sets will never happen for me.
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old 10-07-2021, 03:08 PM
Kutcher55 Kutcher55 is online now
J@son Per1
Member
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 643
Default

There's no right or wrong answer here. Some guys like cards that others wouldn't condescend to use as toilet paper. It depends on your budget as well as how you choose to allocate the funds that are disposable to you. It also depends on your overall goals are as a collector and if you're trying to make $ or hold the cards until you pass on, or somewhere in between.
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old 10-08-2021, 08:17 AM
bmattioli's Avatar
bmattioli bmattioli is offline
Bruce Mattioli
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Hartford CT
Posts: 382
Default

I'll take any card I don't have regardless of condition. I'm currently working on the '53 Topps set and I'll take any grade to complete it. Send me your beaters LOL..
__________________
***********
USAF Veteran
84-94
***********
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old 10-08-2021, 09:08 AM
metroac metroac is offline
M@rk K3mm3rl3
member
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Brunswick, Maine
Posts: 90
Default

One of the things I like most about net54 is the joy that many members take in acquiring cards that I could only describe as "beat up." You're just not going to find (m)any 19th and early 20th century cards in top condition. So if you're interested in Old Judges or T206 or caramel cards (and you're not a young gazillionaire), you take what you can find.

I sold off a long run of Topps and Bowman sets in 1997 and dropped out of the hobby for 10-12 years. When I got back in, I started to collect sets that 1) I liked, 2) were small, 3) that I hadn't collected previously, and 4) that didn't have to be in beautiful condition in order to be enjoyable (or that really weren't available in top condition -- like most strip cards, for example).

The first set I did was the R312 pastels. Most I have raw, but I have graded examples from PSA 2 to PSA 5. They're beautiful cards, IMHO, but they show their age. Next, I did the R346 Blue Tints, an ugly set that looked like it needed some love, but that I wouldn't have to fuss about condition to work on and enjoy. I put together a set of 1937 Wheaties Series 9: sixteen cards, including a Dimaggio, and maybe the prettiest cards ever issued. I also collected Post Cereal baseball and football cards. They were generally cut from box backs by 10-year-olds (or their moms), and if I could find cards with fairly complete borders, I was happy. No point in looking for PSA 7's and up. (Also true of Exhibit cards, which I also collect and enjoy.) And I collected things that weren't made of cardboard -- Armour and Salada coins and '56 Topps pins. I didn't feel the need to have a TPG adjudicate the difference between Ex, ExMt, NrMt, NrMt-Mt, and Mint. Not "cards" exactly, but similar and fun.

I find that I wouldn't like to collect "modern" cards (for me, those after about 1966 or '67) that weren't in nice condition. I once had all those sets in very nice shape (before the 3rd party grading changed the hobby), and I just wouldn't enjoy owning them with creases and rounded corners.

So, what condition is acceptable in vintage cards? "Vintage" means different things to different people, but for me the answer is "Whatever floats your boat (and fits your budget)."

Last edited by metroac; 10-08-2021 at 12:12 PM. Reason: typo, wording
Reply With Quote
  #25  
Old 10-10-2021, 03:30 PM
wdwfan wdwfan is offline
Emlily Ell.is
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,041
Default

For me, I try to go with Ex. If I'm spending money, I want it to be something I'm proud of and not just to have to fill a set/hole in my binder. I also don't deal in graded. Strictly raw.

That said, I've bought collections before and sold off cards I needed cause they didn't meet what I was looking for. I've sold off cards that were VG-Ex or VG (and I can't tell you how many I've thrown away that had creases, wrinkles, writing, paper loss, missing corners, etc.). I know nobody collects the junky cards, so that's better than them sitting in a box.
__________________
Anyone on Twitter? Here's my new handle
@1millionrangers

I have done deals with: snowman, exhibitman, roquan, vintagetoppscards, bobsbbcards, sayitaintso, tsp06, gorditadogg, 4reals, bnorth, clydepepper, jcfowler6, jimmer77, tsp06, Bartholomew_Bump_Bailey, swk473 plus others.
Reply With Quote
  #26  
Old 10-10-2021, 05:45 PM
egri's Avatar
egri egri is offline
Sco.tt Mar.cus
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 1,785
Default

I'm a bit all over the place when it comes to condition. I have cards that look like they got run over that I love, and cards in great condition that I'm ambivalent about. Plus, with lowgrade cards, I know they were flipped against walls and stuck in bicycle spokes and otherwise played with; they didn't just sit in a shoebox (or visit the card doctor).
__________________
Signed 1953 Topps set: 264/274 (96.35 %)
Reply With Quote
  #27  
Old 10-10-2021, 06:05 PM
jayshum jayshum is online now
Jay Shumsky
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: NJ
Posts: 2,704
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by wdwfan View Post
For me, I try to go with Ex. If I'm spending money, I want it to be something I'm proud of and not just to have to fill a set/hole in my binder. I also don't deal in graded. Strictly raw.

That said, I've bought collections before and sold off cards I needed cause they didn't meet what I was looking for. I've sold off cards that were VG-Ex or VG (and I can't tell you how many I've thrown away that had creases, wrinkles, writing, paper loss, missing corners, etc.). I know nobody collects the junky cards, so that's better than them sitting in a box.
For the right price, I would bet there are people who would have bought the cards you threw away. Personally, I would pass on paper loss and writing, but creases and wrinkles would be fine for me.
Reply With Quote
  #28  
Old 10-10-2021, 07:12 PM
wdwfan wdwfan is offline
Emlily Ell.is
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 2,041
Default

Not from me, or so it seems. I've tried and tried, and usually at 1/3 or more off comps. Same with buying. But it is what it is.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jayshum View Post
For the right price, I would bet there are people who would have bought the cards you threw away. Personally, I would pass on paper loss and writing, but creases and wrinkles would be fine for me.
__________________
Anyone on Twitter? Here's my new handle
@1millionrangers

I have done deals with: snowman, exhibitman, roquan, vintagetoppscards, bobsbbcards, sayitaintso, tsp06, gorditadogg, 4reals, bnorth, clydepepper, jcfowler6, jimmer77, tsp06, Bartholomew_Bump_Bailey, swk473 plus others.
Reply With Quote
  #29  
Old 10-18-2021, 06:02 PM
HOF Yankees's Avatar
HOF Yankees HOF Yankees is offline
Jake Dahl
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 364
Default

50s/60s Good-EXMT myabe NM depending on player and set I am happy with low to mid grade maybe some in NM but thats few and far between. I like Raw ungraded, reason I like the card in its natural form. I use to be condition snob but when i realized how much it costs to own some of these old cards I lowered my standards a tad. I like a full in tact card with no paper loss a some creases or scratches are fine but not severe. I like to page through my binders and read the card backs and look at the fronts as well
__________________
Collecting these

Pre War/Post War Yankees/Highlanders Cards and Memorabilia

1960 Topps Baseball set

Any other cool sports cards and memorabilia

Last edited by HOF Yankees; 10-18-2021 at 06:04 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #30  
Old 10-18-2021, 06:22 PM
bnorth's Avatar
bnorth bnorth is online now
Ben North
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 9,788
Default

Anything worse than this I consider not buying.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 20210909_103038(1).jpg (72.5 KB, 180 views)
Reply With Quote
  #31  
Old 10-20-2021, 07:27 AM
orioles70's Avatar
orioles70 orioles70 is offline
John
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: At home...where else would I live
Posts: 623
Default

This is without a doubt the worst condition card I have but it really is priceless to me and is proudly displayed in my office.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Reply With Quote
  #32  
Old 10-20-2021, 10:28 AM
Exhibitman's Avatar
Exhibitman Exhibitman is offline
Ad@m W@r$h@w
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Beautiful Downtown Burbank
Posts: 13,042
Default

I want them to look like they did when i was a kid: no better than ex on most older cards and the Mantles all p-vg as they were when I pulled them out of bargain boxes. The cards from when I was a kid in the 1970s have to be pack-fresh: For every seven cards there has to be one centered, clean, crisp card, and the rest off-centered (every Nolan Ryan I ever pulled from 1973-1979), miscut, print-flawed (e.g., 1976 Topps George 'Snow Day' Brett), and every seventh card wax-stained or gum-stained (preferably the Mike Schmidt cards, which always seemed to be the case when I was a kid; is there a 1975 wax pack Schmidt that doesn't have a stain, 'cause all of mine had stains?). If I owned a 1976 Schmidt that was centered or a Jackson without that print flaw in the color band it would just feel wrong.
__________________
Read my blog; it will make all your dreams come true.

https://adamstevenwarshaw.substack.com/

Or not...

Last edited by Exhibitman; 10-20-2021 at 10:32 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #33  
Old 10-20-2021, 10:57 AM
BobbyStrawberry's Avatar
BobbyStrawberry BobbyStrawberry is offline
mªttHǝɯ h0uℊℌ
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: USA
Posts: 2,297
Default

My personal taste in vintage cards often does not correspond to which number a grader decided to give a card. In my experience, the older the card, the more this is true.

Like this guy...been around the block, but a nice image and it's even centered!

Reply With Quote
  #34  
Old 10-21-2021, 06:09 PM
HOF Yankees's Avatar
HOF Yankees HOF Yankees is offline
Jake Dahl
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 364
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry View Post
My personal taste in vintage cards often does not correspond to which number a grader decided to give a card. In my experience, the older the card, the more this is true.

Like this guy...been around the block, but a nice image and it's even centered!

i like that one
__________________
Collecting these

Pre War/Post War Yankees/Highlanders Cards and Memorabilia

1960 Topps Baseball set

Any other cool sports cards and memorabilia
Reply With Quote
  #35  
Old 10-21-2021, 09:46 PM
BobbyStrawberry's Avatar
BobbyStrawberry BobbyStrawberry is offline
mªttHǝɯ h0uℊℌ
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2020
Location: USA
Posts: 2,297
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by HOF Yankees View Post
i like that one
Thanks Jake - it definitely has character!
Reply With Quote
  #36  
Old 10-22-2021, 06:58 AM
jchcollins's Avatar
jchcollins jchcollins is offline
J0hn Collin$
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: NC
Posts: 3,223
Default What’s an acceptable grade for vintage cards?

The variety of responses is to be expected and part of what makes collecting great. For me personally (though not 100% as I generally avoid true beaters...) the old maxim that used to and may still be on the OBC page holds true - "Most of us would all surely like to collect NM cards, but..."

But. Reality gets in the way quickly, and if you are not a collector with Bezos-like resources, you might not be able to maintain a high grade vintage card pace for very long.

My own personal condition preferences play a huge role in what is or is not acceptable for the sets and singles I go after. My #1 condition criteria is usually nice color and sharp image focus on the card, things like corners and centering are secondary and behind that. In terms of professional grading, I generally think that a 6 is a very high grade on most vintage from the 1960's or earlier; here the card is going to be squared up and fairly sharp, devoid of crease or wrinkles, and maybe a touch OC. With other graded singles and especially going back into the 1950's - the 3 to 5 range if graded is probably more my wheelhouse. There you will find the best mix of eye appeal and affordability, at least in my opinion.

For the sets I'm working on (right now 1967 and '72 Topps...) the commons are probably going to average VG-EX range. I don't like big ugly creases or cards that are obviously miscut - but in that example of a set with nearly 800 cards - there are going to be some here and there that slip through that criteria. It's just too much to deal with, and a random card here or there that's P in a VG-EX set is not going to bother me at all.

Bottom line, does the card retain eye appeal, look good to me, and have a place in my collection? For the pricier stuff, it's really more about the individual card and how it strikes me. I have a '58 Mantle / Aaron that presents about EX on the front, but would probably grade a 2 or something in that range due to some album residue on the back. Fine with me, it's still a fantastic, beautiful card.

I would also agree with what others have alluded to here, in that as I get older...(I'm 44, have been collecting since age 9 in 1986) condition especially with vintage just matters less. In terms of satisfying my nostalgic needs for dopamine hits - anymore a VG-EX raw card isn't necessarily going to be worse than a graded PSA 6 card for say...a 60's Hall of Famer. It just isn't. So why spend the extra cash when the goal is to accumulate more cards?

Last thing I will say about condition is I think there is a conspiracy of cognitive bias going on around about centering, which was started by professional grading companies 25-ish years ago. I don't like miscut cards, but have never been a centering fanatic and am usually going to be happy with 70/30 one way. Back when I first got into vintage cards in the late 1980's - nobody, and I mean nobody - gave the first ripe F about centering outside of miscuts. You looked for the cards with the nicest image and sharpest corners first; centering was a consideration usually only after that. But fast forward into the 2000's and we've done a 180 - in large part I think to the subtle mind games and qualifiers of an outfit like PSA. "Oh, this card is NM-MT, but for the centering. There is something wrong with it, go get another one!" Sorry, but I think this is a sham being perpetuated on the hobby. Yes, perfectly centered cards are beautiful. My only point is that those which are not - are not also somehow totally ugly and inherently un-collectible. At least IMO. #ExitSoapbox

Go after whatever condition cards make you happy and enjoy collecting!
__________________
Postwar vintage stars & HOF'ers.

Last edited by jchcollins; 10-22-2021 at 07:26 AM.
Reply With Quote
Reply



Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Seriously WTF is this? Card doctors are acceptable now? T205 GB Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions 22 03-05-2020 01:53 PM
What card flaws are acceptable for your PC? Vintagevault13 Postwar Baseball Cards Forum (Pre-1980) 21 11-25-2013 06:02 PM
Strip cards - acceptable cuts Archive Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions 1 09-29-2001 12:38 PM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:28 AM.


ebay GSB