I just purchased some PSA graded cards for the first time (which is exciting in its own right!! 
). I also have my old binder collection from as a kid. I really like the PSA cards. Its cool that they are protected, in better condition, etc. BUT I also like the raw cards, as you are not āsealedā off from the card. Feels a little more personal. Idk.
Just curious on some of your thoughts. Do you prefer graded cards or raw cards for your personal collection?
PSA for gradable cards (english/japanese) and raw for non-gradable cards (foreign/not recognized by PSA). Best of both worlds. 
You should try grading your own cards gradedā¦it becomes ADDICTING!
Iāll give you a simple answer that I think will probably apply to ~95% of people here.
If the cards are extremely valuable (through some combination of desirability / scarcity / condition) then having graded cards is a no-brainer. I mean, my card collection right now based on market prices is worthā¦ way too much money. Iām obviously going to protect my financial assets. Having my cards graded gives me peace of mind.
But when it comes to keeping large collections in which no individual card is worth an especially significant amount of money, then keeping cards raw (in binders or a box) is a no-brainer. As long as no individual card is worth too much money Iām not going to sweat it if itās ungraded. You save a lot of room in storage space. And yes, you even have the option ofā¦ touching your cards. Which is nice on some level, but something I would never dream of doing if the card was super worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Itās funny you bring this up because a number of years ago I purchased a complete mint set of Shadowless Base Set for my personal binder collection. I purchased this in addition to the 1st edition base set I had been collecting. I liked the idea of having one set graded and one in my binder collection.
The problem isā¦ Shadowless has just gotten way too valuable to leave ungraded, and Iām about to send all of my holos into be graded by PSA, because theyāre all in amazing mint condition and should all be 9s and 10s. Itās actually crazy how long Iāve allowed these cards to go ungraded but Iām about to change that, because I need to protect my assets.
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I plan on it. Worried I may end up spending waay to much money on grading. lol
That is very cool!
I totally understand the need to protect an investment. Right now, I am merely buying cards I think are fun. So they dont cost tons of money, and I like being able to ātouchā the cards. haha
Donāt get me wrong, graded is top notch for most aspects (preservation, authentication & quality) but there is just something about opening a binder with the collection all available at your fingertips and not stacked in bulky cases.
I personally prefer ungraded cards for the simple reason that they take less space in my binders, but if I canāt find the ones I want ungraded, I donāt mind buying graded cards at all. Personally I only grade cards I have multiple copies of and are worth grading, which doesnāt happen often as you can imagine. I donāt want the risk of having the post lost. Not saying this happens a lot (so far just 5 out of over 500 packages), but there is always a risk when sending them, and I donāt want to take that risk for very expensive cards I finally own after more than 1.5 year of searching every day (which also means they are very hard to replace in case you loose them). I prefer ungraded copies above no copies at all. So the only card Iāve graded so far (apart from the #21 WotC Moltres, my favorite artwork of all existing PokĆ©mon cards), is the 175/XY-P Pikachu with Event Organizer stamp, because I had two copies in my possession.
Greetz,
Quuador
For me it depends on the cards. I have a few Iād love to grade but until PSA recognizes other languages, Iām stuck leaving them raw (hereās looking to my favourite set!). That being said, Iām sure that one day if I could grade themā¦ I will.
It just gives me peace of mind on conditions and protection.
I agree with this. Preservation and card value aside, a binder collection is more enjoyable to flip through than a big box full of graded cards.
Also, screw this virus that keeps posting shenanigans at the end of my posts. 
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Graded cards are so much more satisfying for me. Itās like they could go into a museum.
At this point, if Iām going to ever get something ungraded Iām going to make sure itās in good enough condition that it would be worth grading if the value were to rise.
I usually do both for most cards. Anything significantly valuable is graded. Then again I have 2 different binders with 1st ed base charizards. 
I can only speak for me and Mā
We love only graded cards. Especially our Chinese ones 
I grade most of my cards (at some point or another)ā¦ and then send the ones I want encased to PSA 
Iād prefer RAW cards, ungraded, despite the value. In that way I can but them in my binders and hold them in my hands (carefully).
Graded cards are beautiful to look at, but I find it more fulfilling to keep my cards in binders/portfolios. I like having my cards together, like a family
Binders, better known as The Devils Motel where cards go to die, are for paper not valuable collectibles.
I think raw is fine for most cards youāll find (though I donāt like ring binders unless itās real chaff) and graded is more for the crown jewels of a collection or maybe something with a lot of sentimental value. I find it really strange when super common, super low value cards are graded as collectors items. Maybe thatās just my background though.
Good point! Once I discovered a probinder, I never looked back!
personal preference has always been raw, but I will take the plunge and grade one day, hopefully sooner rather than later