So here’s my thing. From so many high end collectors I’ve spoken to from around the world, it seems like graded cards would be what to get if you’re a collector.
My thing is that, unfortunately, I’m so picky & there’s only just a few select cards that I’d like to get, but of course, they also happen to be some of the rarest & expensive ones to get. (Well, between 10-25k PSA 10).
So I’ve been thinking, because spending that much is just not gonna happen, would rather buy another car lol or invest it in the stock market, etc. So what do you guys think about ungraded cards as far as a “collector”? I was thinking, the slabs just look good, & there’s information & accuracy behind it, like population & grading. But would you guys get that similar feeling if you got it ungraded & bought a beautiful hard case to go with it? Like a magnetic clear case or something of the like. How do you guys view these as a collector? Slabs vs ungraded cased beautifully.
Because it would certainly save someone thousands & thousands, & you have the card you want to keep. So I’m 50/50 on taking this route. At the end of the day, I’ll either go the ungraded route (saves money), wait years to possibly one day get a good deal on a PSA 10, or… don’t get any of them at all & keep myself all that money I earned for whatever I’d like in life lol.
Many, if not most, collectors have these cards in the 10-25k range only have them because they got them when they were in the 100s of dollars, and in many cases less. They just happened to have the gumption to keep the cards when they went up to 1k, 5k, 10k etc.
It’s important to factor this into your perspective when considering which cards are desirable and which cards you want to go for. Another important thing to note that this forum and it’s users skew towards the collector end rather than the investor end. The two sides have crossover of course, but it’s perhaps not the correct place to seek investor advice as that’s not what we do here. You are of course fee to seek this advice, but just something to know.
I consider myself a collector and don’t care about slabs. I like to collect old japanese sets, and put them in binders. Don’t let others “devalue” your efforts just because you are not slabbin’
Yeah I’m not looking for cards as an investment or business, hence; being very selective with the cards I’d like. They’d be for keeps. (Maybe one day in the future I may sell) but you know. It’s for personal use, to admire, etc. but obviously if I had the choice to admire them as a PSA 10, I’d choose that, not because of any money, just because it simply just feels better, feels legit (even if your ungraded card is virtually flawless), that co-sign feels good. But I do see people spending thousands (of course they’re comfortable with the money they spend), & for me that’s unrealistic. So unless prices drop dramatically which I don’t see happen, then I just have to make a decision.
Only slab 10 I have that’s part of my top 5 is my Psyduck Munch. I then wanted the Arceus Victory medal PSA 10 which I do have, but then found out about one of the Arceus Art Academy cards & I liked those better, & of course way more expensive, so now I want to sell my PSA 10, because in my mind I don’t want 2 of the same Pokémon, it’s like having a 2nd best, would rather get my money back lol, but that’s a personal thing. Then I found out about the Space Pikachu Art Academy (I think), but found out about the Raincoat Pikachu Art Academy, all too expensive.
The only card I can afford to buy that’s in my top 5 is the Ancient Mew first correction PSA 10, but they’re just too rare, none out there for sale atm. But I can get it ungraded though. So… That’s where I’m at with it.
But I just did want to know collectors views on it though, not as an investment, but just more as a personal view.
There is no definition of what a “collector” has to own. You are a Pokémon card collector when you collect and own Pokémon cards.
Not going for a PSA 10 copy doesn’t make you any less of a “true” collector. If picking up those cards in high grades doesn’t feel right, then it probably also isn’t the right decision.
There’s a ton of other ways to collect and put your own spin on it. Just to name a few; you could for example consider picking up lower grades that don’t cost so much. I really like your own suggestion of picking up raw cards and putting them in a nice case as well. Alternatively, have you considered a binder? I’ve heard lots of people enjoy binders.
So, because I thought, a few weeks back, that I’d start collecting PSA 10’s only, I actually bought this case (like a small waterproof protective black briefcase) with the foam in it & slots to safely store slabs, but you can also store ungraded. It’s a nice touch to it all. Graded or not.
Ask yourself this first, are you collecting for your own pleasure or you’re planning to invest?
If it’s for pleasure you don’t need to buy PSA10 or graded cards for that matter, I have a large collection of rare cards IMO, the only graded ones I have are 3 Japanese Ancient Mews because they were like $15-$20 each at the time and I wanted to display one on my desk, all others are double sleeved with KMC/Dragon Shield perfect fits and Dragon Shield deck protectors, same goes for my very expensive Arabian Nights MTG collection, double sleeved (both Dragon Shields) inside an Ultra-Pro album, conditions? From MP to Mint, my satisfaction? Through the roof.
My latest project which I’m doing slowly is to complete a 360-card album like a Pokedex of sorts with the Gen.1 and Gen.2 Pokemon with my favourite art, one of each of my favourite art energy cards and some fillers of other favourites, a relatively inexpensive project, as a rule of thumb I avoid cards with a super limited print run unless I already have them.
The phrase I’ve heard thrown around is buy the card not the grade.
Buying graded or not doesn’t make you any less of a collector so if raw cards are more in your price range I say go for it. Good luck getting those cards.
If it’s something I intend to keep personally then I really don’t care about the number on the label, as long as I’m happy with how it looks. For example, I have a PSA 5 Mew gold star that has a bend in one corner. It’s not very obvious and the card looks great, so I’m happy with it.
Learn to enjoy lower grades, it makes life a lot easier. If you dont want to pay thousands of dollars for plastic and a marginal difference in condition, then don’t.
If you are looking to collect PSA 10’s only, you are either gonna have to shell out a lot of money, and/or have a really small collection.
Keep in mind that “Pack Fresh” is PSA 8-9. They cost much less, while still being “investable”.
Collectors on this forum are about as varied as they come. We have people collecting Pikachu Illustrators and Trophy Kangaskhans, to others who collect individual sleeves and modern cards.
Magnetic clear cases are nice, as are side loading binders. Might take some trial and error to find your ideal way of collecting, and what to collect in particular.
I totally agree with this. Some of my favorite cards I own are in a PSA 8 or 9. I also bought them a while ago, but the cost difference between them and a PSA 10 was not worth it, especially since they had the face appeal I was looking for. Some of the PSA 9s, I look and wonder why they even got a PSA 9 instead of a 10.
I would suggest looking for and buying a clean and relatively cheap PSA 8-9 before you go balls to the wall spending 5+ figures on one card. I think you’ll be shocked at how clean even PSA 8s are
Nothing novel to add here, but I wanted to say slabs can be nice for displaying for sure but I just don’t have the space or insurance policy to store hundreds of slabs! And the really high end stuff (not that I go there), I’d be too scared to display anyway. Been collecting 10-15 years and binder gang all the way. Double sleeved in an ultrapro zip
100 %. Buy a couple of relative cheap slabs, see them for yourself and you can develop your own expectations on how you want your collection to look like. Everyone is different, there is no right or wrong way to collect. Do what makes you happiest the most.
I used to collect when I was in school, I’m 34 now. Found my old binder & wondered, after 15/20 years, how much these cost, safe to say they went higher lol. All vintage stuff. But then I got into the high end rare stuff & got sucked into that world. So I’m selling my binder, now thinking of actually selling the two PSA 10’s I have & getting the cards I want (most anyway) ungraded & just looking at a nice elegant way showing it off that can also fit in my black waterproof case (where I now store my slabs/cards). The magnetic hard cases are kinda cool, just seeing what other things are out there. I’m not the type to show off the cards in stands or on the walls, I like storing it away but when I pull them out, I do want it to look real good.
That’s where I’m at with it.