posted on April 17, 2002 10:39:19 AM new
A graded card means that a third party (such as PSA, SGC, Beckett, or one of the dozens of others) have viewed the card, slabbed it (meaning putting it in thick protective plastic) and have assigned a grade to it. Different companies have different grades. For PSA, a Grade of 10 is the highest, and these cards tend to sell for many times over their high catalog price. Many companies go on a 1-10 scale. SGC goes on a 1-100 scale. One new company, SCD/Krause, says they have a grade of 11 on a scale of 1-10, but they have not assigned it yet (interesting marketing trick)
Ungraded means that a professional 3rd party company has not graded it. This is usually assigned by the dealer, and the standard grades are Mint, Near Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor.
Ungraded cards are probably more open to interpretation. Someone may present a card as Mint, but it may be no better than Excellent or Near Mint.
Check out http://www.beckett.com for more information about grading. Hope that helps. Trai is incorrect with their definition.
posted on April 17, 2002 10:45:30 AM new
Graded cards were sent to a professional grading service who rate the card, then put it in a hard plastic shell with the rating, and name of service. Supposedly they're worth more when graded because the grade is more subjective coming from a reliable third party. That idea is basically hogwash. If I'm buying a card I can determine with accuracy the condition of a card, and don't need a grading service to tell me, then pay them to tell me. Anyway, it's a scam. The coin industry has been using it for years, but eventually collectors will realize it is money down the drain.
posted on April 17, 2002 10:51:20 AM new
If you are going to Buy or Sell graded cards you want to use ONLY two of these companies,PSA or BCG (Beckett). These Companies CONSISTENTLY get Higher Bids than the other companies for similar grades. Are they better graders? maybe. Do collectors have more faith in there grading? Yes.
posted on April 17, 2002 02:29:18 PM new
Interesting thread. As it turns out, I have a friend who works for one of the companies mentioned above (he's a professional card grader). He says that "grading" is highly overrated and that anyone who does a little research into standards and qualities of cards could tell the "wheat from the chaff." It doesn't take a professional to see if a card is centered...all it takes is a ruler...(his words)...There is the "subjective" element in grading other factors AND the graders are trained professionals...BUT, the astute buyer should be able to observe those qualities. On the other hand, I've found, as a seller, that even if you have a pristine card in perfect condition, if it's not graded, it will only bring about half (if that much) of the actual value. So...the market speaks, I guess, and if a card is a "good" one, it's best to have it graded.
posted on April 18, 2002 04:09:27 AM new
Great help, thank you all for your time and effort. I bought a box to sell, only 2 are in plasic, so I think I will call them all ungraded. I am out of my depth, and don't want to misrepresent any of them.
