When in the market for vintage cards, many collectors prefer to purchase graded cards on ebay.  It makes sense to do this because a third party has given the card a meticulous inspection so it takes some of the responsibility of describing the condition of the card out of the hands of the seller.  This is a good thing for both buyer and seller as grading is quite a subjective matter to begin with.

That all said, which graded cards should you buy?  I like PSA the best for several reasons.  First and Foremost, it is the most popular of the grading card companies.  If you do a search for graded sports cards on ebay, you will find the vast majority of them are graded by psa.  They must be doing something right!  Because of the popularity of psa, reselling a psa graded card is easier than selling one from a lesser known company. 

Although many collectors disagree on how to grade cards, what sets PSA apart from all other grading companies, is that they grade cards with quailifiers.  Qualifiers are what one can call "natural occuring defects" that are very common to find with cards fresh out of the packs that were manufactured in the 1950s through the 1980s.  These defects are so common, that one can argue they are not really defects but simply the results of how cards were manufactured way back when.  The qualifiers include centering, print dots, stains, and print lines.  There are two kinds of centering defects.  One is OC (Off Center) and one is MC (miscut).

For some reason, collectors have paid a premium over the years for perfectly centered cards since they are indeed so rare.  But these cards were really manufactured that way and in my mind, are part of the what gives vintage cards personality.  I am not talking about defects that are so significant, that if they occured in any other product, you would immediately send it back to the factory for a refund.  I am talking about centering that is off, but the card is still complete.  Print dots that show, but do not really take away from a card's appeal. 

PSA uses these qualifiers to distinguish between natural occuring defects and general wear and tear that comes from handling cards.  So a card can be an 8 (NM-MT) and OC (off center) at the same time.  Other grading companies incorporate these qualifiers into the actual grade of the card.  So a card could have great color, sharp corners, clean edges, no surface wear, and still be a 6 or 7 due to a qualifier such as centering. 

What makes purchasing cards with qualifiers so appealing, is that you can often get pack fresh graded gems for a fraction of the book value of the card.  If you are not that nit-picky about qualifiers, and do not need to own a "rare" centered card, but still want a card with sharp corners and edges, and great eye appeal, set up favorite searches with "PSA OC", "PSA MC", "PSA PD", and "PSA ST" and you will find that vintage cards with that new card look are available for dirt cheap prices. 

How do I know this?  Here a couple of examples of purchases I have made in the last couple of years on ebay. 

1)  1972 Nolan Ryan PSA 7 OC  $26.00

2)  1968 Roberto Clemente PSA 9 OC $23.00

3)  1968 Mays/Mantle PSA 7 MC  $32.00

PSA recognizes that qualifiers were a natural part of the vintage card manufacturing process and should not be considered when grading a card other than as a foot note.  This makes PSA number 1 in my book.   Because so many collectors view qualifiers as defects that detract from a card's value, it also makes PSA Qualifier Graded Cards a great bargain!!!!