I have a Latias collection that I’ve always kept in a binder aside from a couple that I had bought online and were already graded. I’ve always enjoyed being able to just flip through the binder and look at everything together, but with several of the cards being relatively valuable, I’ve started to wonder whether I should go ahead and grade them just so that they’re encapsulated and secure from any risk of damage from sitting in a binder (however little that may or may not be). There’s something to be said for the unique feeling of seeing the raw card and having everything together, but I’m not sure how to weigh that against the value of grading a card. Part of me feels that because two of the cards are already encapsulated that I might as well grade the other valuable cards, but another part of me is (maybe irrationally) afraid that there’s an off-chance they get damaged during the grading process, and whether it’s even worth it in the first place.
For aesthetic and appeal, ungraded and binder collection all the way. For monetary value and security, graded all the way. Nothing prevents you from grading in the future (though rising prices may mean you pay a little more for getting it graded down the road). I personally prefer binder collections to graded collections. I have my mix of both for sure, but the binders have always made me much happier when looking through them. When I look at my graded cards, all I see is $$$.
To answer your question: I’ve experienced a somewhat similar situation. I have PSA 8+ quality raw master sets of everything from Ruby through TRR. There are tons of cards that would easily get PSA 9s, and there are certainly some 10s, too. But I haven’t graded any of them. If you’re using the right binders, sleeves, and storage techniques, your cards won’t get damaged. I never worry about that, at all. So if you’re wanting to grade only for protection reasons, then don’t bother. If you want to grade cards so you can resell them and then replace them with lesser condition binder copies, then go for it. Personally, I love the feeling of seeing and handling (in sleeves) NM raw cards. I’ve even done the reverse of what you’re contemplating: I’ve cracked well over 100 (probably over 150) PSA 8s for my binder sets. The cards in my binders are super well-protected – I don’t worry about it at all. As long as your storing them adequately, then you have no reason to worry either.
@odnihs, great question and at the end of the day, its all really down to preference.
As others have already noted here, there are many reasons to go in either direction with your collection. The key to happiness with it however is really up to you and what works. Factor in all the different aspects of each, weigh out the pros and cons, and the choose based on what suits you as a person. In the case of myself, I do mainly graded things. Binders are fun too, but my main singular pokemon I go for I enjoy being in slabs. For some, the bulkiness is annoying and its costly to grade. Etc etc etc.
Point being is theres no right way to answer this or go about it, rather its just about what suits you and how you want to push your collecting moving forward.
I have a huge binder collection and my thoughts are. There’s no point in grading until you’re ready to sell. But if you plan to use PSA then you might want to submit months before wanting to sell. (Wait times)
I use these to keep cards in top loaders and cardsavers to keep them easy to display and well protected from damage. They are BCW picture binder pages for 3.5x5 pictures
A lot of people are pro-binder for aesthetics so I’ll pitch in an opinion for pro-graded for display. I do both binders and graded but I find that, on an individual card level, I prefer graded. With a good stand, graded cards display similarly to a piece of art. For me, there’s a very different aesthetic appeal between the two, binders have a beauty of seeing all the cards together but an individual graded card allows the artwork to shine on an individual basis. No wrong answer for sure but wanted to put my 2 cents in as well.
As for grading binder vs. graded, it just comes down to which of the two risks you’re more comfortable dealing with. Most cards, like 99.99% of them, don’t get damaged when they’re being graded. It does happen but very rarely. Keeping them in a binder also has risks which you know already. It’s the devil you know and the devil you don’t, ultimately comes down to whatever you’re comfortable with. It’s hard to say what is worth grading and isn’t but my general rule of thumb is to grade whatever I want to keep in that condition forever i.e. a gold star latias so that it maintains that level of condition and therefore value. Everyone’s different but that’s my rule of thumb.
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and perspectives! I think I’ll keep a raw binder set and maybe just look for some high graded slabs to get the best of both worlds (sorry @zorloth looks like I’ll be in the market for a raw gift box latias ex now too). Not sure what I’m going to do about the english gold star though (I have a psa 8); I’d be deathly afraid of cracking a psa case for the first time on such an expensive card. Obtaining a 9 or a 10 is only getting harder these days too…
Afraid in terms of hurting the card? Don’t be worried about that. If you do it correctly, you’ll be fine. I’ve never damaged a card through cracking it out.
If you’re afraid of lowering the value of the card, don’t worry about that either. PSA 8 = raw price. If you want the card in your binder, go for it .
Really depends on what you plan on doing with the cards. If you ever plan on selling, I’d probably grade them. If you never feel like you’regonna part with them, keep them in a binder for maximum enjoyment. You’ll definitely want to invest in a non ring side loading binder and some nice sleeves though.
If I was in your position it would depend on how I wanted to show off the collection! If I want it to be easily accessible, moveable, and thumbable (my word for flipping through pages and actively enjoying the collection), then I’d keep things in binders or Ultra Pro binders/top loaders for the more expensive cards in the collection. This gives me the freedom of transportation, accessibility, and enjoyment that comes with binder collections!
If you’re looking to keep the value of a card and lock down its condition to maximize value, getting the cards into a sealed case and preserving their security/condition over time is the benefit of grading your cards. I have a bunch of both but my most valuable cards are always graded and kept in a pelican case. Hope this helps!
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also would love to see this collection