Back in May of 2006, I sat in front of my baseball card collection with a blank expression as to "where to go from here" with my card collecting.  My most cherished cards were sitting in screw-down and top loaders and well protected from any outside forces that could ruin them, such as water, smoke, sunlight, etc, etc.  Yet, the same question had kept coming into my head over the past few years as to what and where can I take my collecting interests from here?  What a new level of my beloved hobby could I achieve with regard to collecting?  I had been in the hobby for 30 years, mainly as a collector.  I had experienced so many changes in this field that it would be hard to explain all of it in this writing, however, the real metamorphosis for me came as "an experiement" when I acquired my first graded card...a 1979 "9" Gary Carter card.  For many card collectors, this is "just another" card, however, for me, it was like a light went off that there was something special about this. Could this be the "evolution" for the hobby...a new higher caliber, top grade form of collecting?  My feelings were to investigate and explore this possible change and it was going to start with ebay.  Simply put:  Is Converting my Collection from non-graded cards to having only Graded Cards in my best interest?  Is it in anyone's best interest?

I have collected for many years and been a member of ebay since 1998.  I have participated in hundreds of auctions selling and buying a variety of items, but mainly baseball cards.  As a collector, I basically bought much more than sold and it was fitting that ebay would be the place to start my exploring this newer field of the hobby.  I was familiar with ebay and the process that takes place.  Not only would it be a universal medium inwhich I could be in contact with many other collectors, it would allow me to find hundreds of various cards and collectibles.  I also visited a local card dealers in my town.  It just so happens that the largest dealer in the state lives in the same town I live in, and has been a friend of mine for over 20 years. He started off by telling me:  "Grading cards will kill the hobby and put it in the same failed categories for hobbies as stamps and coins"......I used his statement as a premise into conducting this investigation.

I began my investigating into whether having graded cards was worth it by doing a lot of reading both on the internet and a variety of publications.  For anyone to get a good feel for what the graded card industry is all about, I strongly recommend they check out a variety of internet writings by a variety of people that have sent cards for grading, or better yet, worked for some of the major card and authenitcation companies.  I found that there is a market for graded cards, especially top condition cards.  Sometimes, the prices people would pay for the cards was "insane".  A graded "10" card could run thousands of dollars. 

Internet sources were wonderful in that I could back track on the source to locate other sources and find out fresh perspectives about the graded card hobby.  There is a variety of pro and con issues toward grading cards in the hobby--too many to go into in this short guide, but enough to give the collector some solid information as to whether they would want to convert to graded cards.  The number one reason many feel converting to graded cards is worth it --is that it eliminated the "subjectivity" of card grading.  Many collectors, like myself, grow tired of a variety of people telling them there card was MINT, when in fact, it was really EXMT.  Many times surface scratches are totally unaccountable for when selling a card.  Photographs of cards on the internet still does not serve justice to the actual condition of the card.  It cannot display surface issues and if corner fraying has started. Furthermore, there are too many "amatuer" collectors on the internet that have determined to grade the cards they sale at there own discretion.  Many do this innocently, but still have lack of experience in what actual card conditioning should be.  Grading a card and revealing a condition for it can be complex.   Most sellers don't really know the difference between a MINT card and a EXMT card.  Having graded cards takes the guessing out of the hobby as to the condition of the card.  This creates a confidence for the buyer and the seller. 

Other sources on the internet along with visits to local businesses, revealed that having cards graded brought in a level of "investment" for the hobby.  A collector now has a way to have a card be a real investment based on the market grade of the card.  This is good in that the premier players' cards tend to always hold a strong market value, regardless of what baseball as a sports market does.  Some players that many collectors tend to point to as "investor cards" are:  Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax, and many others.  A collector can now "target" high end graded cards of certain ball players and have a qualified investment.  Rookie cards of the 1963 Pete Rose card in PSA 8 grade can bring in an excess of five thousand dollars.  There is enough money out there to make this a serious investors market. 

Other reviews toward having graded cards versus non graded cards point to the fact that the "older cards" in the hobby can now be realized with a centralized grading system.  Ever have a T205 card and think it is beautiful, only to find out that many of those cards may have been spliced or have human tampering on them?  Grading cards takes away the counterfieter, the card doctor, the print error, and many other mistakes that can occur on a card.  Buyers could never tell what the problem with a card was---until it was submitted for grading and authentication.  This protects the hobby as well as the buyer.

Some of the most common negative statements toward converting to a graded card collection come from the usual things:  Money.  It takes alot of money to invest and to convert to totally graded card collecting.  I can tell you that by the end of the summer of 2006, I was out five thousand dollars upgrading, what I thought, was a solid card collection.  I sent many cards in for grading and bought many graded cards as well.  As my critic collector friend put it to me:  "It is expensive..."  He wasn't kidding.  On an average, a Hall of Famer common card could cost on five dollars in mint condition ungraded, now costs fifteen to thirty dollars in the same mint condition graded.  It is expensive and this sets a collector up for the next trap: 

Buying expensive items and maintaining an expensive collection means constantly adding new expensive graded cards.  No longer will I be able to shop for raw ungraded cards because I know the value and grade of them is not "in line" with the market until it has been authenticated.  In otherwords, to keep a nice collection---nice, I will have to continue on the course or path to graded cards.  In the past I could shop with twenty dollars and come away with a nice card--maybe gradeable, maybe not.  Now, after converting, twenty dollars makes a starting bid on a nice graded card!  Once you convert to graded cards, you will be locked into graded cards.  Good or bad, it makes a difference in wanting to know what value and condition you truley have for a collection. 

Other criticisms for converting to graded cards seem to evolve alot around what grading company and who to believe.  Undoubtedly, PSA, or Professional Service Authenticators is the nations top grader of cards.  There are many internet writings on these services that evaluate the type of service you can expect, turn around time, cost, and reviews of there company.  Collectors Universe is a member of NASDAQ and really pertains to the investor.  I find PSA service is good and the turn around times usually very fast.  I watch out for specials so that I can get my cards graded cheaper.  The criticism is that there are many grading companies out there waiting to snatch your hard earned dollars.  What's worse is that many of these other companies grade defective or doctored cards and then try to seduce the buyer into getting a good deal for the card.  Like anything else, the more knowledge you have about card grading, the less likely you'll be taken in and ripped off.  There is many things to dispell about the variety of grading companies that will have to be covered in a future guide.

Finally, as I mentioned in a previous guide, the magazine and card review value guide book can vary and often confusing for the collector.  I recommend you use three guides when converting.  The guide of what a well-known national dealer and what his asking/selling price are for the cards; the high book value in Beckett--which usually runs in the "7" or "8" range for grading; and maybe one other collector magazine of your choice, such as Tuff Stuff.  I like the variety and it makes for less confusion when you have a three-way system of evaluation.

To summarize, the negative points of converting can be that it is expensive and lead a collector into a collecting trap of only expensive cards.  Furthermore, the variety of grading authenticating companies can lead to confusion for the collector.  No matter the negatives, I feel the positives out weight them because it gives the collector an investment and eliminates the subjectivity of the card grade.  Furthermore, it provides a safe haven against card fraud and makes the hobby safer and stronger.