[discodanman45]

There is a big movement among vintage collectors right now to ignore the grade on the label and buy the card inside the slab. I think it is generally a positive thing, but people need to be careful of this. As someone who grades vintage cards, the cards inside the holder don't look the same as the card when it is raw. Slabs can sometimes mask very serious issues like bends and if you buy cards online, creases can be very difficult to see and the color can be less vibrant.

I think this is a very good strategy for truly scarce or expensive cards. If I am looking for a 1933 Goudey Ruth, eye-appeal is everything. If you are buying a common card like a 1971 Topps Hank Aaron, I would suggest going for a better condition cards instead of overpaying for a beautiful looking PSA/SGC 2 to 3. I would personal just be patient for a really nice 5/6 for that card.

Right now it is seeming that a lot of people are just looking at the 2 to 4 grades to try to find a high eye-appeal card for cheap. The problem is that a lot of other people are doing the same and driving the prices of these cards 2/3 times over comps. I am personally just collecting oddball stuff right now like 50's and older Wheaties and just buying up raw cards. My graded collection will be a lot smaller in 2025. Trying to move into much rarer cards for graded and more player runs in top-loaders for the 50's to 80's.