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Getting baseball cards graded? (1 Viewer)

JoeSteeler

Footballguy
I have 2- 1989 Upper Deck Griffey cards and 4- Maddux 1987 Donruss rated Rookies that i want to sell.

What is the best way to get these graded? I figure once they were graded I would see them on ebay.

Thanks for any info.

 
I have 2- 1989 Upper Deck Griffey cards and 4- Maddux 1987 Donruss rated Rookies that i want to sell.

What is the best way to get these graded? I figure once they were graded I would see them on ebay.

Thanks for any info.
Man, I wanted that 1989 Upper Deck Griffey card so bad when I was a kid. I remember it selling at the local baseball card store for like $100 back in the mid-90s. Any idea what it is worth today?

 
I have 2- 1989 Upper Deck Griffey cards and 4- Maddux 1987 Donruss rated Rookies that i want to sell.

What is the best way to get these graded? I figure once they were graded I would see them on ebay.

Thanks for any info.
Man, I wanted that 1989 Upper Deck Griffey card so bad when I was a kid. I remember it selling at the local baseball card store for like $100 back in the mid-90s. Any idea what it is worth today?
http://www.psacard.com/CardFacts/Item/39836/ken-griffey-jr-star-rookie-1989-upper-deck-1-baseball-cards

according to this...

MINT - $50

GEM MINT - $300

 
My Mike Schmidt rookie card, I have 3 of them - GEM MINT $22000

My George Brett Rookie card, I got a handful of them - GEM MINT $27500

How the heck does one get a card graded 'GEM MINT?'

 
I submitted about 15 cards 10 years ago and only one came back gem mint 10. Fortunately it was a rare Nolan Ryan. Was worth a couple grand back then, haven't checked it in forever. Getting them graded makes them easier to sell, but if the grade isn't high don't expect to get rich from a few cards.

 
I submitted about 15 cards 10 years ago and only one came back gem mint 10. Fortunately it was a rare Nolan Ryan. Was worth a couple grand back then, haven't checked it in forever. Getting them graded makes them easier to sell, but if the grade isn't high don't expect to get rich from a few cards.
what is the best company to use for grading?

 
I submitted about 15 cards 10 years ago and only one came back gem mint 10. Fortunately it was a rare Nolan Ryan. Was worth a couple grand back then, haven't checked it in forever. Getting them graded makes them easier to sell, but if the grade isn't high don't expect to get rich from a few cards.
what is the best company to use for grading?
it was beckett then psa when i graded mine . a bgs 10 was huge

 
I just started looking into this too. Not sure of they ever do them at card shows? I have the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie that I want to get graded but don't like the idea of putting it in the mail.

 
I just started looking into this too. Not sure of they ever do them at card shows? I have the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie that I want to get graded but don't like the idea of putting it in the mail.
To sell the Jordan you'd need to get it graded. There are too many fakes out there. In fact, most all of the ungraded Jordan's I've seen on ebay in recent years were the counterfeits. I used to buy and sell in this set to make extra money in college so I learned the easiest way to spot them. It's the little ^ symbol in the fleer premier logo on the upper right of the card. The counterfeiters never perfected the way to put the off color into it the way the original cards had. Most fakes have that symbol in yellow rather than kind of a orange tint.

I still use PSA when I grade but I rarely do it anymore. I have some 1986 Fleer basketball, 1981 Topps, and various other cards graded. I have the #1 ranked 1992 Team Pinnacle graded set on PSA, just always loved that set.

For the guys asking about Gem MT 10's, they are VERY difficult to get. It's especially hard if you're dealing with cards that chip or flake on edges or corners like the 1986 Fleer with the red corners and blue edges or the 1992 Team Pinnacle with it's black borders and corners at the bottom. It's a little easier with cards like the 1989 Griffey with white borders. You have to really check the centering both front and back before you begin. If both are solid then carefully examine the corners with a very skeptical eye. If there is any doubt, it's not going to be a 10.

 
I just started looking into this too. Not sure of they ever do them at card shows? I have the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie that I want to get graded but don't like the idea of putting it in the mail.
To sell the Jordan you'd need to get it graded. There are too many fakes out there. In fact, most all of the ungraded Jordan's I've seen on ebay in recent years were the counterfeits. I used to buy and sell in this set to make extra money in college so I learned the easiest way to spot them. It's the little ^ symbol in the fleer premier logo on the upper right of the card. The counterfeiters never perfected the way to put the off color into it the way the original cards had. Most fakes have that symbol in yellow rather than kind of a orange tint. I still use PSA when I grade but I rarely do it anymore. I have some 1986 Fleer basketball, 1981 Topps, and various other cards graded. I have the #1 ranked 1992 Team Pinnacle graded set on PSA, just always loved that set.

For the guys asking about Gem MT 10's, they are VERY difficult to get. It's especially hard if you're dealing with cards that chip or flake on edges or corners like the 1986 Fleer with the red corners and blue edges or the 1992 Team Pinnacle with it's black borders and corners at the bottom. It's a little easier with cards like the 1989 Griffey with white borders. You have to really check the centering both front and back before you begin. If both are solid then carefully examine the corners with a very skeptical eye. If there is any doubt, it's not going to be a 10.
Great info, thanks. I have the orange tint. I remember buying them in packs when I was a kid and kept them in a box with my baseball cards. Years later, ESPN did a story about card prices and showed that 1986 Fleer set was one of the better ones to have. I dug through all my cards and luckily found some of them.

 
I just started looking into this too. Not sure of they ever do them at card shows? I have the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie that I want to get graded but don't like the idea of putting it in the mail.
To sell the Jordan you'd need to get it graded. There are too many fakes out there. In fact, most all of the ungraded Jordan's I've seen on ebay in recent years were the counterfeits. I used to buy and sell in this set to make extra money in college so I learned the easiest way to spot them. It's the little ^ symbol in the fleer premier logo on the upper right of the card. The counterfeiters never perfected the way to put the off color into it the way the original cards had. Most fakes have that symbol in yellow rather than kind of a orange tint. I still use PSA when I grade but I rarely do it anymore. I have some 1986 Fleer basketball, 1981 Topps, and various other cards graded. I have the #1 ranked 1992 Team Pinnacle graded set on PSA, just always loved that set.

For the guys asking about Gem MT 10's, they are VERY difficult to get. It's especially hard if you're dealing with cards that chip or flake on edges or corners like the 1986 Fleer with the red corners and blue edges or the 1992 Team Pinnacle with it's black borders and corners at the bottom. It's a little easier with cards like the 1989 Griffey with white borders. You have to really check the centering both front and back before you begin. If both are solid then carefully examine the corners with a very skeptical eye. If there is any doubt, it's not going to be a 10.
Great info, thanks. I have the orange tint. I remember buying them in packs when I was a kid and kept them in a box with my baseball cards. Years later, ESPN did a story about card prices and showed that 1986 Fleer set was one of the better ones to have. I dug through all my cards and luckily found some of them.
so what u want?

 
I just started looking into this too. Not sure of they ever do them at card shows? I have the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie that I want to get graded but don't like the idea of putting it in the mail.
To sell the Jordan you'd need to get it graded. There are too many fakes out there. In fact, most all of the ungraded Jordan's I've seen on ebay in recent years were the counterfeits. I used to buy and sell in this set to make extra money in college so I learned the easiest way to spot them. It's the little ^ symbol in the fleer premier logo on the upper right of the card. The counterfeiters never perfected the way to put the off color into it the way the original cards had. Most fakes have that symbol in yellow rather than kind of a orange tint. I still use PSA when I grade but I rarely do it anymore. I have some 1986 Fleer basketball, 1981 Topps, and various other cards graded. I have the #1 ranked 1992 Team Pinnacle graded set on PSA, just always loved that set.

For the guys asking about Gem MT 10's, they are VERY difficult to get. It's especially hard if you're dealing with cards that chip or flake on edges or corners like the 1986 Fleer with the red corners and blue edges or the 1992 Team Pinnacle with it's black borders and corners at the bottom. It's a little easier with cards like the 1989 Griffey with white borders. You have to really check the centering both front and back before you begin. If both are solid then carefully examine the corners with a very skeptical eye. If there is any doubt, it's not going to be a 10.
Great info, thanks. I have the orange tint. I remember buying them in packs when I was a kid and kept them in a box with my baseball cards. Years later, ESPN did a story about card prices and showed that 1986 Fleer set was one of the better ones to have. I dug through all my cards and luckily found some of them.
If you want to send me a high res scan I can look at it and guesstimate what grade it would get. The 1986 Fleer usually they are very hard on because any little minor flaw is shown in the red and blue edges and corners. If you can get an 8, it's a very nice card.

 
I just started looking into this too. Not sure of they ever do them at card shows? I have the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie that I want to get graded but don't like the idea of putting it in the mail.
To sell the Jordan you'd need to get it graded. There are too many fakes out there. In fact, most all of the ungraded Jordan's I've seen on ebay in recent years were the counterfeits. I used to buy and sell in this set to make extra money in college so I learned the easiest way to spot them. It's the little ^ symbol in the fleer premier logo on the upper right of the card. The counterfeiters never perfected the way to put the off color into it the way the original cards had. Most fakes have that symbol in yellow rather than kind of a orange tint. I still use PSA when I grade but I rarely do it anymore. I have some 1986 Fleer basketball, 1981 Topps, and various other cards graded. I have the #1 ranked 1992 Team Pinnacle graded set on PSA, just always loved that set.

For the guys asking about Gem MT 10's, they are VERY difficult to get. It's especially hard if you're dealing with cards that chip or flake on edges or corners like the 1986 Fleer with the red corners and blue edges or the 1992 Team Pinnacle with it's black borders and corners at the bottom. It's a little easier with cards like the 1989 Griffey with white borders. You have to really check the centering both front and back before you begin. If both are solid then carefully examine the corners with a very skeptical eye. If there is any doubt, it's not going to be a 10.
Great info, thanks. I have the orange tint. I remember buying them in packs when I was a kid and kept them in a box with my baseball cards. Years later, ESPN did a story about card prices and showed that 1986 Fleer set was one of the better ones to have. I dug through all my cards and luckily found some of them.
Also you may want to pull your Barkley, Malone, Olajuwon, Drexler, etc to look at. Also, there are certain cards in that set very condition sensitive. For instance, the Dominique Wilkins in 9 or above sells for more premiums than the other cards because the players in that part of the sheet (Wilkins, Spud Webb) tend to be off center top to bottom. Also cards 1 and 132 which are the Kareem and the Checklist are premiums in good grades. I've been looking for a good checklist to buy.

 
I have 2- 1989 Upper Deck Griffey cards and 4- Maddux 1987 Donruss rated Rookies that i want to sell.

What is the best way to get these graded? I figure once they were graded I would see them on ebay.

Thanks for any info.
Probably not worth it for these cards. I've never had a card graded but I think it costs maybe 25 bucks, which is probably what these are worth unless you get graded a 10.

 
I bought boxed complete sets for my son, who was born in 1989, for the first 10-15 years (really can't remember) of his life. Never opened. Hopefully some gems in there.

 
Watching some geek examine a card with a magnifying glass figuratively made me sick. I prefer to collect common football cards now from the 1970s with horrible airbrushing.

The Griffey Jr. card was the very first Upper Deck card I got when I opened my first pack. Maybe I will try to sell cards someday.

 
I have 2- 1989 Upper Deck Griffey cards and 4- Maddux 1987 Donruss rated Rookies that i want to sell.

What is the best way to get these graded? I figure once they were graded I would see them on ebay.

Thanks for any info.
Probably not worth it for these cards. I've never had a card graded but I think it costs maybe 25 bucks, which is probably what these are worth unless you get graded a 10.
Agreed--I have a stack of that Griffey card, They once were the dream pull and now just have no market demand (notice I say demand not value)

Your best bet is EBAY to determine if a card is even worth grading. If you have said card, go to EBAY and see if there is even a demand for the card, before bothering grading it. Sure they may be listing at $500 for a PSA 9 card, but are there any bids on it?

Not to derail, but man I miss Upper Deck and now for Football, I will be missing Topps. These exclusive product deals suck and Panini having Football is just a stab in the heart.

 
I still have some amazing rookie cards from when I was a kid. I think they're worth about $5 collectively
If you are lucky, someone may be willing to buy them from you for one dollar. That is the other thing that turned me off on the idea of ever making any money on cards. Would I ever be able to sell them?

 
Back when the "grading" thing took off about 15 or so years ago I used to send a lot pristine cards in, wait two months and finally get them back only to see most were 8's or lower and not worth the cost of sending them in. If you were lucky, you pulled a 10 and made a killing, was a little mini-bubble for a while. Used to buy cards like Jordan rookies off ebay and send them in for the hopes I landed a 9 or 10 for a giant markup, no such luck most of the time.

At the time, BGS grading, was just getting started and sold for a siginificant discount to PSA. Made some money buying BGS high rated cards, breaking them out and sending to PSA and reselling. That is until I did it with a Jordan rookie that PSA sent back saying it had been trimmed to make it look more centered. Was pissed, BGS refused to admit a mistake or regrade the card. So I stopped bothering with it, just seemed like yet another racket after that.

 
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I used to collect football cards, and the really nice ones I would ship off to PSA. It may have changed over the years, but I paid $$ to be a "dealer" type where I could send cards directly to PSA, they would grade them, and then ship them back to me. The catch there is I paid a fee to be a "dealer" (or whatever term it was back then) then I paid a fee to ship cards to be graded. The more you sent the more discount you got. But it also depended on the turn around time you wanted. If you wanted it graded fast it cost a lot, so you'd likely only do that for high dollar cards. You could send them in bulk (for like $6 or $8/card) and it would take several weeks to get them back. So there are fees involved.

If you weren't a "dealer" then you had to find someone who was and have them agree to send it in for you (maybe pay them a few bucks to do so). You couldn't just send them in yourself without being a "dealer." For all I know, that process may have changed over the last 12 or so years since I was heavy into this. :shrug:

Not sure how Beckett or other grading services did it.

 
I am very surprised grading is done that way. I would never do that. I am going to mail an expensive card and hope to get the exact same card back and in the same condition I sent it in and not have it get lost in the mail? Too much can go wrong.

 
I have 2- 1989 Upper Deck Griffey cards and 4- Maddux 1987 Donruss rated Rookies that i want to sell.

What is the best way to get these graded? I figure once they were graded I would see them on ebay.

Thanks for any info.
Wouldn't even bother grading those anymore.

You would need to get a 10 to make it worth your troubles and even then it's not like you can get a crazy amount for a 10 of those cards anymore.

If you are really dead set on taking the gamble you have a 10

Griffey 10 $300

Griffey 9 $35-$45

Griffey 8 $20+

Maddux 10 $60

Maddux 9 $7

Maddux 8 $3

Those are the prices you can fetch currently on ebay for those grades

When you factor in cost of grading/ebay fees/paypal fees.....right there the Maddux simply does not have the ROI to be worth grading

So you are left with the 2 Griffeys

Let's say you send them in and get a 9 on both.

You will sell them both and after all the work and fees you maybe break even?

If you get an 8 you are in the red.

You get lucky and hit a 10 you maybe make $200? If you get reallllly lucky with (2) 10's you make about $400-$500

If you still wanna take a chance you have a 10 on your hand, take a magnifying glass and comb through the card (this is assuming your naked eye didn't see any bent corner or off centering already) look through your magnifying glass and the second you see any blemish of any sort, stop and go to the next card. repeat.

If you are 100% confident you have a 10 on your hand send it in...you most likely missed something and will get a 9.

Enjoy the cards, sell them as a lot, hope to get $100 and save all the troubles you will go through with grading them.

 
I am very surprised grading is done that way. I would never do that. I am going to mail an expensive card and hope to get the exact same card back and in the same condition I sent it in and not have it get lost in the mail? Too much can go wrong.
That's why I always write my name on the back.

 
I have a few I need to get checked.

I have a jordan taking BP with the Sox pre retirement. ..wonder if it's worth anything

Welp.....i just google apparently it's worthless and my complete sets of 92 and 93 are also

 
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