When to Grade and other Helpful Grading Tips (for modern cards)
When to grade:
My philosophy for grading is that I do not grade base cards. I will only grade inserts (such as refractors) and autograph cards. Also, I’ve stopped grading football cards, because I found that the grading premium of 2X is mostly reflected only in the baseball market. The other trend that I have noticed is that BGS graded cards are getting better premiums than PSA graded cards. While I don’t really have a preference for either, I think you should go with what the general population likes better.
Tips for Grading:
1. Get a loupe. While I personally don’t use it, I would recommend getting one if you don’t have a friend who has a sharp eye.
2. Have a friend who has a sharp grading eye go through your submission.
3. Some people wipe down their cards for fingerprints before they submit the card.
4. Keep an eye out for grading specials such as PSA’s $5/card special and BGS’s $5/card special.
5. Eyeball a card for centering for both top/bottom and right/left. If you can’t tell, use a ruler.
Grading can be quite profitable. I recently bought a Bowman Sterling ref David Price auto for $60 and got it graded 9.5. I then sold it for $210.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Agree. Nice blog entry! 
nice picture you found Zeeck. The funny thing is I know the collector who owns that outfit... (no it ...
I love to test... 
Comment by Zeeck on 20 March 2008:
Great tips. #5 is of the utmost importance in my experience, regardless of company. So many times I see people get cards graded expecting a much higher grade than what they got, and it was the centering that killed them. I’ve had experiences where I’ve gotten better grades than what I expected where, despite less than perfect edges or corners, the centering was dead on.
Comment by ernieren on 20 March 2008:
Great stuff.
Only thing i can add is Vintage through PSA sells better than BGS . But as said above new items sell Better through BGS .
Comment by lumm0x on 21 March 2008:
Another amendment to tip #5 would be to also watch the back of the card for centering. I had a very nice Walter Payton RC suffer simply because of the back centering. From the front the card was a “9″ candidate and the back of the card killed it.
Comment by rainmanesq on 23 March 2008:
you forgot the magic tips for wiping down your cards…toothpaste, armor-all, and your personal favorite- WINDEX….yes, they work