Buy the card and not the grade movement

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by VanLingoMungo46

Been looking for a 48 Leaf Ted for much of the year. Finally grabbed the 1.5 a month ago and very pleased. My objectives for this card was to favor centering and registration as most important and to avoid unsightly stains and ink blots, especially around the player image. I got this card for around 1/3rd the price of what the bottom card will get on the open market. Pretty stoked not gonna lie.

That is one whale of a card. Beautiful - congratulations!

[vintg]

Originally Posted by VanLingoMungo46

Been looking for a 48 Leaf Ted for much of the year. Finally grabbed the 1.5 a month ago and very pleased. My objectives for this card was to favor centering and registration as most important and to avoid unsightly stains and ink blots, especially around the player image. I got this card for around 1/3rd the price of what the bottom card will get on the open market. Pretty stoked not gonna lie.

as others have said, WELL DONE !!!

[VanLingoMungo46]

Thanks guys. I used to own a PSA 2.5 a few years ago but I like this one more. I’m a big proponent of “even” wear in lower grade cards. In other words, corners that all have similar rounding rather than maybe one big corner ding and 3 sharp ones. Same idea when it comes to centering and staining.

[vintg]

the leaf williams has eluded me for over a year.

i do have the dimaggio, musial, and spahn LEAFS

[tconte]

Great looking Leaf Ted Williams! Congrats!


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[towerymt]

Originally Posted by towerymt

Has anyone run across a 2.5 that looks amazing? I think every single one has been awful. As in, no question why it's low grade.

I finally found one that exists...but it isn't mine.

I didn't catch the ebay listing back in October, which I would have probably bought for the $700 asking price.

[Mahomie]

Recently picked this up at a card show - it presents pretty well despite the grade. Color and registration are solid, too.

[BlowoutBuzz]

And I wouldn't be all hung up on one grading company, either, given the issues that can come with volume.

[vintg]

Originally Posted by Mahomie

Recently picked this up at a card show - it presents pretty well despite the grade. Color and registration are solid, too.

i'm stumped.

why/what "issues" am i not seeing for the "1" grade ???

thanks

[towerymt]

Top edge, center. Surface & edge damage, both sides.

Back, near bottom, is that writing?

Can't tell if there are wrinkles or not.

Nice even corner wear, and very nice centering

[Mahomie]

Originally Posted by vintg

i'm stumped.

why/what "issues" am i not seeing for the "1" grade ???

thanks

Honestly not sure, other than what you see in the scan and what's mentioned below.

Originally Posted by towerymt

Top edge, center. Surface & edge damage, both sides.

Back, near bottom, is that writing?

Can't tell if there are wrinkles or not.

Nice even corner wear, and very nice centering

No writing (just surface scratches), and no wrinkles.

When I asked the dealer how much he was asking, he just checked comps on his phone and quoted a price based on the grade, which I was definitely ok with.

[raddoc25]

Really strong market for centered high grade vintage. Only card I wanted from the REA auctions ending last night was a centered 1957 Topps PSA 7 Mays for my PC. Comps are $650-850 so, you know, I thought I was safe bidding $1200. Ended up selling for $1300+ (including buyer's premium) and I wasn't even the 2nd highest bidder.

[Sluggerrr]

Originally Posted by raddoc25

Really strong market for centered high grade vintage. Only card I wanted from the REA auctions ending last night was a centered 1957 Topps PSA 7 Mays for my PC. Comps are $650-850 so, you know, I thought I was safe bidding $1200. Ended up selling for $1300+ (including buyer's premium) and I wasn't even the 2nd highest bidder.

Yes, as a patient buyer, it has become difficult. You wait for the right card to pop up then the final sale price blows past what you were willing to pay. I'm beginning to talk myself into settling on certain cards.

[raddoc25]

Originally Posted by Sluggerrr

Yes, as a patient buyer, it has become difficult. You wait for the right card to pop up then the final sale price blows past what you were willing to pay. I'm beginning to talk myself into settling on certain cards.

If card is rare, you gotta be willing to open the pocketbook or else you might be waiting awhile.

Looking at the pop report of the 1959 Topps Mays for example, there's about 811 PSA 7s which is already kinda rare since 6000 are graded. But, probably only about 2% of those are dead centered so you're talking maybe 15-20 that I'd even be willing to buy. That dead centered PSA 7 might show up once a year or once every two years.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by raddoc25

Really strong market for centered high grade vintage. Only card I wanted from the REA auctions ending last night was a centered 1957 Topps PSA 7 Mays for my PC. Comps are $650-850 so, you know, I thought I was safe bidding $1200. Ended up selling for $1300+ (including buyer's premium) and I wasn't even the 2nd highest bidder.

I don't know where you are getting your comps. The last sale under $1000 was over a year ago and that was 967.20. The last sale under $1200 was in August. The card ended on the high end of where they have sold but still in the range of recent sales.

[raddoc25]

Originally Posted by rats60

I don't know where you are getting your comps. The last sale under $1000 was over a year ago and that was 967.20. The last sale under $1200 was in August. The card ended on the high end of where they have sold but still in the range of recent sales.

No.

2/5/25 Ebay $656.99
2/2/25 Ebay $854
1/28/25 Ebay $643
1/18/25 Ebay $709.20
1/13/25 Ebay $800

That's THIS year alone. I wouldn't bid on any of these due to the centering.

$660
$690
$707.77
$750
$750
$800
$715
$671
$640

Just going back to October 2024. If you want additional comps.

So, it's not hard to find a PSA 7. But, none of those are even what I would call well-centered, muchless dead centered.

[VanLingoMungo46]

I believe raddoc is talking about the 1959 Mays but he had a typo referencing the 1957 card in one of his posts. The '57 is a much tougher card and is indeed well north of $1K for a PSA 7, where the 59 is quite ubiquitous and cheaper.

[raddoc25]

Originally Posted by VanLingoMungo46

I believe raddoc is talking about the 1959 Mays but he had a typo referencing the 1957 card in one of his posts. The '57 is a much tougher card and is indeed well north of $1K for a PSA 7, where the 59 is quite ubiquitous and cheaper.

Ah you are correct. Sorry about that. I am indeed talking about 1959 Topps.

A $1300+ sale as you can see from the above comps is quite high.

I was also outbid on a nice 1971 Topps PSA 8 last night. Went for close to $2200. Can usually get one for $1600 if just you cared about the grade.

[towerymt]

Here's one I had on my watch list that I did not buy ....kinda crazy result in my opinion. PSA-4 is probably wrinkled if it looks better than a 4 typically looks.

$511.01
https://www.ebay.com/itm/37603941591...vip=true&rt=nc





Last 4 auctions I see -- average $333. $511 is 50% above average.

$330. soft corners, typical 4.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/29709640015...vip=true&rt=nc

$280. soft corners, o/c. typical 4, on the low end due to poor centering
https://www.ebay.com/itm/30613419976...vip=true&rt=nc

$370. super sharp, but o/c.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/25682198110...vip=true&rt=nc

$355. square corners, well center. very nice looking 4.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/38792044828...vip=true&rt=nc

[Sluggerrr]

I can top that. The below example went for $665 on Feb 24, according to 130point. I wasn't the winner. For some reason old ebay listings redirect to new listings for me so I can only provide the image from 130point.

[IgnatiusJReilly]

From my experience, the eye appeal premium has gone way up and deservedly so. People are opening their minds to look beyond the grade on the slab and using their eyes to make decisions. On the downside, you see lots of cards listed on eBay with “eye appeal” in the title but the card does not live up to the expectation.


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[Mahomie]

Originally Posted by BlowoutBuzz

And I wouldn't be all hung up on one grading company, either, given the issues that can come with volume.

very true

[raddoc25]

Originally Posted by IgnatiusJReilly

From my experience, the eye appeal premium has gone way up and deservedly so. People are opening their minds to look beyond the grade on the slab and using their eyes to make decisions. On the downside, you see lots of cards listed on eBay with “eye appeal” in the title but the card does not live up to the expectation.


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Yup, lots of cards listed as "well centered" but off center 70/30.

I guess the question is whether this is a fad or a permanent shift in the vintage market. My guess is that the eye appeal premium will stay. As card population increases, it becomes harder and harder to stand out. PSA 7 is an amazing grade for a 60 year old card but the pop count is already above 800 on the 59 Topps Mays and will only get higher. You can spend $2300 and get yourself an average PSA 8 (pop of 398) or you can "overpay" for a dead centered PSA 7 at $1300 (my guess is fewer than 50 of those 800 PSA 7s will have that kind of centering). The centered PSA 7 is definitely more rare than an average PSA 8 and probably close to the pop of a PSA 9 (pop 46)..

[Jibbers23]

I’ve been wanting to get into vintage but with eye appeal being everything I don’t know how to transfer that to buying online. There’s ways to make pictures of cards look better and some things you can’t see until you actually get card in hand.

I know a lot of the auction sites give a little rundown on the card but it usually seems to be generous towards the seller. For me the most important thing about eye appeal for my PC is color and registration which is a lot harder to see online than say centering.

I would prefer to shop at shows but I have a physical disability so that option is out. Anyone figure out a good way to navigate eye appeal over the internet? Some sellers will allow returns on eBay but there cards always seem to be drastically overpriced unless I am missing someone.

[raddoc25]

Originally Posted by Jibbers23

I’ve been wanting to get into vintage but with eye appeal being everything I don’t know how to transfer that to buying online. There’s ways to make pictures of cards look better and some things you can’t see until you actually get card in hand.

I know a lot of the auction sites give a little rundown on the card but it usually seems to be generous towards the seller. For me the most important thing about eye appeal for my PC is color and registration which is a lot harder to see online than say centering.

I would prefer to shop at shows but I have a physical disability so that option is out. Anyone figure out a good way to navigate eye appeal over the internet? Some sellers will allow returns on eBay but there cards always seem to be drastically overpriced unless I am missing someone.

The downside with eye appeal becoming more important is the trickery some engage in. Scans can hide pinholes and wrinkles. Those PSA 2's that look like PSA 7s? They almost always have a faint or not-so-faint wrinkle. I've been sticking to higher grades that shouldn't have any wrinkles, hidden or not. A lot of pictures of off centered cards are taken at an angle to hide the centering. It's amazing how everyone's centered cards are shot straight on but the off centered ones are shot at an obnoxious angle.

In the end, the responsibility lies with you, as the buyer, to ask the questions before you purchase. "Can I see a picture of the card straight on?" "Does this card have any wrinkles or surface defects?" "Can I see more pictures of the card?"