WOTC - What is worth grading?

Hey all,

I’m a long time collector who has recently returned to the hobby and is looking to get, potentially, hundreds of cards graded.

Im wondering what is “worth” getting graded.

Back in 08/09 I remember even for 1st ed base most didnt bother getting commons/uncommons. Mainly holos was what people would have graded.

It seems now like all 1st ed base cards would be worthwhile?

I have 2 legendary collections complete and 1 rev holo complete set. Would it be worthwhile getting every single card graded, just the holos/rares from the normal set, and then the entire rev holo set? (you can check it out here - YouTube

For unlimited wotc sets, is it just the holo’s worth while?

I’m asking, purely because the cost quickly adds up on these.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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tldr: grade all wotc holos in good condition

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Hey @shreddy, that would depend on the condition of the cards you have and what you plan to do with them I guess (hoard, sell, etc.)?

If it’s unlimited, I think I’d stick with the holos that are potential 9/10s as compared to grading everything. There was a discussion a few days back about the availability of base unlimited, and my personal conclusion is that it’s just too plentiful in supply at this current point in time (2020). However, if you look at Blastoise PSA 10 for example (I mostly focus on the base set blastoise artwork, so my POV is biased towards that as well), the price premium really went up over the past 2 months.

PSA 10 will affect PSA 9, but given the availability of unlimited base, I’d stick with that and not grade cards that are “8 and below” if you get my drift. 1st edition base is an entirely different animal.

However, from my post count, you can tell I’m super new to this, so I’m also looking for advice from the more informed community here!

As I always say with Base Unlimited: a chance is made that - to the uninitiated - they could be Shadowless or even Base 2000 ~

Jesus, have you seen how much Black Star Venusaur’s have gone up?

what are they going for now?
I got some free mint ones in a deal a while back.

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I would say there are a few categories of cards:

* Tier 1: grade in any condiiton
* Tier 2: grade if Near Mint or better
* Tier 3: grade if it has a shot at a PSA 9
* Tier 4: grade if it has a shot at a PSA 10

Over the last few years, and especially the last few months, A LOT of cards have moved from the lower tiers to the higher tiers.

These days it seems like just about every WOTC holo is at least tier 2.

I think most non-holo set cards (with some exceptions) could be classified as tier 3 now.

It seems like very few WOTC cards are tier 4 now. Maybe something like Unlimited Gym Challenge energy cards? Lol.

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This is a really good suggestion. I would agree with this mostly. I think some WOTC cards are still in tier 3, but ALL holo cards should basically be graded at this point if near mint or better unless you want a binder collection.

For me, I plan on grading all my WOTC cards that aren’t creased or damaged, I will do energies last for WOTC. When I got back into collecting cards in 16’, I was only buying tens of shadowless but stopped after spending 1k.

@bartallen2, that’s true, I think shadowless is pretty much common knowledge by now but Base 2000 not so much.

The problem is the premiums associated with Base 2000 versus Base Unlimited is probably not as high as Shadowless versus Base Unlimited for instance, given that the difference in value of the latter is much more easily understood.

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I mean a few months ago they were going for around £40ish, but now it’s £50-140 (not to mention the sealed cards are going anywhere from £300-500! All that is left is for sealed Entei to increase (which I’m still baffled it hasn’t) ~

Generally I would only grade if it’s to be a 7 or better… except for really popular species where there is a market for lower grades ie charizard, blastoise, snorlax, dragonite etc.

This pretty much!

I mean it’s definitely preferable to grade the high value cards, but eventually all cards will go up in value and even lower grades will be desirable. If you have a vintage wotc card in decent condition, it’s best to get it graded to preserve the condition and increase the value when selling.

Not too hard to figure out if you have a good sense of what the card will grade at psa. Then just compare the difference of selling raw vs in the predicted grade and take into account the grading, shipping, insurance etc fees and time it will take.

I think any popular Pokémon species is worth grading.

Your LC holos and reverses are definitely worth grading if clean, non holos might be too though if you think they will get 10s. Id have a look at sold listings to determine if they can make the value you’re after.

I think it’s really personal choice. I have a lot of holos that could do well if they were to be graded but I like having them in a binder instead. Maybe the real question is, “are you going to try and sell that card once you get it graded?” If I wanted to sell a lot of my cards I probably would have them graded prior just to have that increased value. I’m not planning on selling mine so I just leave them safe in my binder.

Thanks for EVERYONE who has responded, just logged in and caught up on everyones reply!

So my 1st edition base set, i honestly would probably never sell this ever. Im likely to have this till the day I die haha.

Is there a good resource/video that shows the grading process and conditions of cards so i can get an idea of predictions of grades.

I have a mix of cards i want for my own collection and then doubles or cards i dont collect that i would like to get graded (if worthwhile) and either sit on as investments, or sell to put towards the 1st edition cards i want to buy.

Thanks everyone.

www.psacard.com/resources/gradingstandards#cards

The standards are made more with sports cards in mind, but you can look that over and kind of get a feel for how Pokemon cards are graded too.

In general, a card will only be a 10 if it is nearly “perfect” (extremely minimal whitening on the back border of the card, no scratches or print lines on the holo, well-centered, etc.). A 9 is a card that is pretty much pack fresh but may have at least one notable flaw or compiles more minor flaws. An 8 could be a pack fresh card that came out of a pack with significant flaws (multiple print lines + notable whitening on the back for example) but is usually a card that took at least some damage after being taken out of a pack.

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Self-grading is more about experience. The more you send, the more accurate you can guess the grade. Of course grading is subjective and different from person to person. This website will tell you the grading standards PSA abide by:

www.psacard.com/resources/gradingstandards#cards

Good luck with your subs!