Single Cards or Packs Better

[yoshimoshi]

So if you have booster packs with known cards inside of the packs, meaning it’s not random. You know which cards are in the pack. Say for example multiple promos that come in one booster pack. Is it generally speaking more value to open the booster pack and get the single cards graded, or get the sealed pack graded?

[muk]

@yoshimoshi

So if you have booster packs with known cards inside of the packs, meaning it’s not random. You know which cards are in the pack. Say for example multiple promos that come in one booster pack. Is it generally speaking more value to open the booster pack and get the single cards graded, or get the sealed pack graded?

There isn’t a clear universal answer for that, it depends on a handful factors.

If the cards inside are known to be very hard to grade, but the premium only comes in PSA 10, or if the sealed pack in on itself is way more scarce than the cards inside, you might be better off leaving it sealed. An easy first step would be to

1. Look up how hard they are to grade (PSA 10/9/8 ratio)
2. Add up the values of the most likely grades + grading cost
3. Compare that to the sealed pack price.

That said, you can always open a booster later down the road but you can’t un-open it.

[xileets]

These kinds of answers are the best to get, and yet, so not satisfying at the same time…

[yoshimoshi]

@muk

@yoshimoshi

So if you have booster packs with known cards inside of the packs, meaning it’s not random. You know which cards are in the pack. Say for example multiple promos that come in one booster pack. Is it generally speaking more value to open the booster pack and get the single cards graded, or get the sealed pack graded?

There isn’t a clear universal answer for that, it depends on a handful factors.

If the cards inside are known to be very hard to grade, but the premium only comes in PSA 10, or if the sealed pack in on itself is way more scarce than the cards inside, you might be better off leaving it sealed. An easy first step would be to

1. Look up how hard they are to grade (PSA 10/9/8 ratio)
2. Add up the values of the most likely grades + grading cost
3. Compare that to the sealed pack price.

That said, you can always open a booster later down the road but you can’t un-open it.

Can you do an example with cards that come in a booster pack that are not random?

I can’t find any. But my knowledge of the sets are very limited.

I only know of one such example. And the example doesn’t have examples of the single cards or packs graded.

[muk]

@yoshimoshi

Can you do an example with cards that come in a booster pack that are not random?

I can’t find any. But my knowledge of the sets are very limited.

I only know of one such example. And the example doesn’t have examples of the single cards or packs graded.

Well you’re one funny dude. I assume if you ask such a specific question, you should be the one to know some examples already?

Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any boosters per se, but many sealed items in general that have known contents. Like sealed promos, starter decks or gift boxes, which is basically the same thing.

If you only want to know the answer for one specific item, you could’ve asked just that. Although I doubt that anyone can give you a definitive answer when the price data is lacking like you say.

I’d like to add that in Pokemon, graded sealed items seem to have a considerably smaller buyer pool than graded cards or ungraded sealed items. Due to a number of factors, like uncertainty about grading standards and a lack of aesthetically pleasing cases (for the longest time), grading sealed items and buying them just wasn’t very attractive. On the Japanese side, where PSA is still using these godawful cases that fold the long flap booster packs, graded boosters frequently go for less than ungraded ones.