I have the option to buy a large lot of base 1st edition cards non holo (basically a complete set minus holos) in near Mint + condition or a similarly priced small lot of 6 1st ed base holo cards not the big ones (it is gyarados chansey machamp zapdos poliwrath) but they’re probably psa 6 quality.
Which would you guys go for as an investment gradable non holos or non gradable holos
“Near mint” non holos are not necessarily “gradeable”. Probable PSA 6 quality holos (except Machamp) are gradeable.
That is true I will ask the seller for some more pictures. Lets say that hypothetically they are psa 9 quality, would those be better than some psa 6 holos?
6 quality 1st base holos are always gradeable,
www.pokemonprice.com/CardsForSet/98247308-89bc-4ec3-8826-f9d55d1be471/1999-pokemon-game
Filter by 6 for the specific holos, add up the total price
filter by 9 for non holos, add up the total price
also if you’re planning on grading these cards, remember that you’ll have to grade 79 cards if you’re getting a whole non holo set(excluding energy) whereas you’d only have to grade 6 holos. That is a humongous price difference lol
If its not for personal nostalgia and strictly investing. 1st edition base set Non Holo Sets are currently selling for $600+ and thats non graded. If you really do believe theyre NM+ that is.
1st ed NM+ non holo sets are always sought out. Also, you can always find 1st ed base set holo / non graded machamps, poliwraths etc in bad condition if you choose for a reasonable price anytime. I would also keep the non holos in a set and not split them up but Im sure you know that lol Id personally go with the non holo set I would see that being a good move.
ps - you stated “non gradable holos” so im assuming that the holos are in poorer condition than you thought and youre not willing to grade them. Thats what I was speaking on. Sometimes you may see a psa 6 but they can come back much much lower or not even be graded at all for many minuscule dinks and scratches you dont notice over pictures online. Thats happened to me at times with cards I thought I graded correctly because I couldnt see them in hand. Id ask to see more pics if you havent already of all the cards youre trying to purchase. Cards are tough to grade through a computer screen. Every pokemon card has the ability to grow no matter what condition its in, especially 1st. ed Base Set holos. If youre looking to flip for a quick buck then Id go with the non graded set as of right now. Just check on how good those holos really are and if they are indeed gradable you may want to consider that route as well.
That is true, but with the 6 holos, I would probably just make a non graded binder with them, the others would be just for investing. Saying that outloud makes it seem like I am more emotionally attached to the holos haha
I would probably go with the holos as long as their aren’t any major condition issues that would end up a psa 3-4.
Also, you named 5 holos, what is the 6th holo?
oh I meant psa 6 quality holos
I am going to post some photos of the holos, I would love some pointers on if my psa 6 estimate is correct. I am sorta new to psa grades compared to some here
And here is some of the non holos from the other lot
Thanks for the pictures those help a lot! I would not grade most of those at a psa 6 imo. From what Im seeing even lower on the majority of them. That one machamp in the middle seems as though it can pass for a psa 6 maybe, other than that one I dont see 6’s. On another one I see some corners slightly dented/torn at the end which drops the grade dramatically. And there is some severe silvering on the front edges on most of them, aside from some being off centered. I would say 5 of these are below a psa 6. For anything I would say 1 or 2 arent even gradable imo seeing as though these are the things I can see over the computer alone and there are things Im missing probably. If the rest are gradable I would say psa 1 - 4? The gyarados, the poliworth and that the last machamp at the end are pretty banged up. Lets see what everyone else has to say about it though. Thanks again for those pics!
Edit: I see you posted pics of the non holos. Those do look NM! 1st ed. base set complete Non Holo Sets are going for a nice amount atm but it fluctuates a lot depending on how mint so really check them closer.
In the end it really depends on a lot of factors. We dont really know how the market will shift with each of these individual cards we can only see sales history and what the sales history shows on banged up 1st ed base set holos not graded (that you named above) is pretty low from what I see compared to what truly NM non holo 1st ed sets are going for as of right now. I use ebay watch count to see sales history if you need a reference. Zapdos 1st ed holo sells for good money even messed up. And thats not to say that 1st ed base set holos wont be INSANELY high prices no matter how messed up the card looks in the future haha so again it really comes to a lot of factors and how you look at it. Its a tough decision lol I see why you asked the question 
but if it were up to me id go with the NM non holo set for now.
I dont belive those are even close to PSA 6
Honestly it’s hard to tell what those holos would get. I can’t see extreme holo scratching which is good, but those backs are done in lol
if you choose to buy those, I’d expect 3s/4s and hope for 5s/6s
The grade doesn’t matter, you buy them at the right price.
If they want too much then pass.
Buy cards, not grades.