General Forum

A few things on my point of view on grading before my dilemma.  I have bought some vintage, 60's  or older (VG and lower) cards that are graded  Either because of the card was a good price no matter if it was raw or graded. Or because buying online i cant see it in person so i wanted another opinion that it was real. Or I had no other option as the card only came as graded because it would be rare. ex a signed vintage card.

1st to start off i have never sent in a card to be graded and never will.

2nd the only thing grading is good for to me is a bit more security that the card or signature on the card you are buying online is real.

3rd To me the grade giving by a grading company is one persons opinion at one point in time and could change at any point.

4th I have no plans ever to sell any of my cards.

So to my dilemma. I prefer my cards raw. so you would think that i would Jump at the chance to crack them out and free the cards from the graded slabs. But no i have not done it. Either because im scared of damaging the card or for some reason I have to sell them as i know the graded /authenticated ones are easier to sell. But i have no plans to ever sell.  Part of me wants to free them from their slabs and another part of me says thats not a good idea because it shows a grading company thinks the card or signature is real. 

Has anyone else had or has this dilemma? I know a lot of people like graded cards and just as many do not. Not sure if im alone on this issue on if you dont like graded cards and buy one do you crack it out of its slab?

I may not be the right person to answer this because I like both.  First off I am not a set collector.  I have sent cards in to get graded.  The cards I have sent in are ones that I wish to preserve or ones that may increase the value of the card.  I do sell many cards and have sold some graded as well as raw.  My suggestion would be keep the ones you have in slabs in the slabs and maybe purchase a lower quality of the same card you have slabbed.  I have done this as well mainly because some of those lower grade cards that I like need some lovin' too.

I would also keep them in their slabs. Just for preservation purposes.

I haven’t sent anything in personally in years (since pre pandemic when I could submit in a group sub for $6/card). That was mostly for the sake of having something “new” to chase for a small player collection. Now, I have bought slabs for the same reasons you have. If the slab is for authenticating an autograph I haven’t cracked it out. I have cracked a few graded set cards out because I wanted the card to be stored with the rest of the unslabbed set. No regrets. The exception has been some vintage Aaron, etc. I feel it’s best to leave those be, someone will sell them when I’m dead. I’ve seen lots of collectors crack and hang on to the “flip” by sticking it a sleeve behind the freed card so they can at least remember where it came from. If you don’t think you’ll regret it they’re your cards and don’t be afraid to do it. Plenty of tutorial videos online and it’s not as difficult as it is scary!

If it's a card that I need to go in one of my collection binders, I won't hesitate to crack it. Otherwise I keep it in the slab until I decide what my end goal with the card is. 

Every single graded card I've ever had has been cracked open. That includes a Gem Mint 10 to help complete a set. No, I did not pay a premium on it; got less than raw. Break them free!

I bought a bunch of early to mid 60s Phillies for less than $3-$4 each that were PSA graded, and I have 3 higher-value cards (Sparky Anderson RC, Stargell/Hernnstein RC, Shirley/Jackson RC) that were also PSA graded. The aforementioned $3-$4 cards were busted out. The others, since they do have a higher premium in slabs, to make it easier for whoever winds up selling them down the road, whether that's me in my retirement days or my son after I'm gone (or someone after him), I'm leaving those slabbed. (Freeing the $3-$4 cards didn't change their value/sell-ability at all.)

It is obviously personal preference, but I would say my rule is if it lowers the value (potential resale) of the card to free it, leave it.

The only slabbed cards I have are on display.... look nicer that way. 

I'll tell this story again. The slabbed cards I've obtained have been at regular ungraded prices (or less). One day I decided I wanted to free them to put them in my binders. Instead I thought I'd take them to my LCS and trade them straight up for an ungraded version.  The LCS owner said he won't do it because he has very little demand for graded cards.

So I cracked 'em and freed 'em.

I'm pretty much here on my line of thought.  Leave it in the slab unless the slab lowers the value.  If I need to complete a set and need a card outside of a holder I would just instead buy one ungraded.  I'm all for opening up sealed items to enjoy what is inside (just look at my YouTube channel) but with graded slabs you get to enjoy your card in a nice clear protective case.

On a side note I think grading companies are misrepresented as grading based on "opinion" when most of the grade parameters are very specific and surface condition is overlooked by many that think cards were unfairly graded.