TCGplayer NM for Modern and then TCGplayer LP for everything else. Not worth the extra premiums when my goal is to enjoy the cards and for the most part this is a very enjoyable condition. But for the record, I do return the cards when they dont meet the criteria TCGplayer puts out there.
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I always aim for the best condition which I can financially justify. Oftentimes that is PSA 10, but occasionally it goes much lower. For example my graded Japanese gold stars have grades between 3 and 10.
I enjoy the finality of collecting 10s (can’t get any better outside of gimmicks like black labels) and that 10s are the standard for most collectors. But I don’t think it’s useful to exclusively focus on a single grade, especially when moving down to lower grades can drastically decrease the price you pay for certain cards.
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I really like this answer. Best grade that makes financial sense.
I prefer PSA 9 for Vintage English if it’s staying in the slab, or PSA 6-9 if I am cracking it out for a binder. For Japanese, I tend to prefer PSA 10s as I find that Japanese PSA 9s are more likely to have noticeable edge and corner wear compared to English PSA 9s from the same era.
I can’t get behind the ridiculous Vintage English PSA 10 multipliers for marginal improvement in condition.
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I started out collecting 8s as they were a decent option in 2020/2021. I liked the eye appeal of a PSA 9 much more and never enjoyed looking at my 8s, so I switched to 9s in 2022. Now I’m a strict 9 guy
This is for vintage obvi.
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depends on what I’m looking for. if you’re talking binder collection, some 5s and 6s even have nice foils. Some 7s are too scratched. it really depends on the face appeal. When it comes to slabs, if I WANT to collect a slab, I’ll probably be OK with a 9, and maybe an 8. It’s more about the price for collection pieces, but I prefer binder collections to slabs.
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I typically let the most expensive card in a set (graded cards) decide what condition I go for so I do not overspend or get into trouble looking for low pop cards. This is also the reason why I go for PSA9s most of the time!
Sgc 9.5 and 10 only.
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When I started collecting in my adulthood at first I didn’t care for condition.
Is when I first saw the difference between a poor card right next to an excellent one in the same page of my binder that the problem of condition crossed my mind.
My first upgrade issue was replacing the cards I own in exc/nm state, so that the front of the binder would eventually be pretty good to look at.
Then one day I just decided I would go for the A tier NM stuff and I’m still whipping myself for that decision. The jump in price from an exc to a top tier nm is impressive and unreasonable.
That decision is due to the thought I’ve made about “eventually selling in the future”.
I don’t want to deal with problematic customers for condition, so I’ll just know I’m giving away all cards in NM state.
As things are right now I’ll prefer my collection to be buried with me when I die, or to better say, I want to be buried with my collection, right in the basement of my house with the concrete I’ve already bought. But I had a flashforward one day.
Summary
I see myself 30 years or so in the future. It’s a saturday, I’ve finished my morning coffee, double and pitch black as my hope for the future. I’m smoking a cigarette while reading the newspaper and grumbling about politics when suddenly my son comes to me with a worried face. He asked me “dad I’ve found a new home for me and my girl, we want to go live together” I look at him straight in the eyes, every thought in my head disappears and time stops flowing for a moment.
“It’s beautiful son, so why are you worried?” “it’s money dad… I don’t have enough for the advance” A shiver runs down my spine but I can’t flinch in front of him “don’t worry about that, I’ll help you out” I say. But it’s not so easy. I know how it works, a lifetime saving is not enough by this time in my life. I have to get extra money. But how? I can’t sell my car, I still have around 10 years of working ahead of me, I need that wreckage. Then I have an idea. I still have my pokemon cards collection. I can sell that to increase the funds.
And here it is, older me, with tears of joy in his eyes selling one of the material things he cared the most in the world for the sake of his son’s future.
And this is why I collect everything in NM.
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Serious question for those of you who only collect 10s and 9s. How often do you admire the back side of your cards in the slab? For my cards, the only time I look at the back is when I buy it and sell it. Besides that, I just like to admire the front of the card. The reason I ask this is the large premiums between a 9 and a 10 or an 8 and a 9 typically is from defects on the back like minor whitening on the corners and I am just curious why you feel the need to justify the extra price for collection pieces (since most on here always claim that they will never sell) for a part of the card that you probably dont look at often.
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Binder collectors seem to be outnumbered on this thread (and maybe on the forum in general!) So heres me trying to even the odds:
I buy 95% of my cards mint raw off TCGPlayer or Ebay, from sellers i know and trust or from listings with great pictures. Since I’m a set collector there’s a huge volume of non-holo cards. Ive always found NM copies to be perfectly acceptable for binders.
Holos are more of a crapshoot raw obviously. I usually take the risk on the first purchase by buying raw with no photos from a seller I trust. If the card isn’t up to my standards, I’ll buy and crack a slab that’s PSA/BGS/CGC 8 or 8.5.
I actually never considered buying the higher value items on my wishlist in a lower grade to save money, but after reading @jabby 's testimonial above it’s something i might consider for the big ticket items ive got categorized as “Pipe Dream” haha! If they look sharp in a binder then that’s all that matters to me.
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It’s definitely worth looking at lower grades from time to time. You never know what you’ll find in the heap of junk slabs out there. I’ve gotten some great deals that has saved me $1000s at this point. I like my high grade slabs I’ve collected, but I still enjoy building up the binders as well as it’s more enjoyable to look through overall.
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I collect vintage 10s due to
- pop grows grows so slowly
- condition is often better than a 9
- price increases in $ term are higher (i dont have time to sell 30 $170 cards for the same profit)
- there is no better alternative (bgs is trash)
- greater sense of accomplishment
Cons
- tougher to sell in the market unless paying exorbitant fees with an auction house
- safety risks with people robbing
- mailing risk when selling
- only 2 or 3 copies sell a year (low pop cards)
I do buyer less grades of rare cards (eg snaps, aa cards)
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Also a binder collector. I would say that the lowest I go for is what is described in Mercari JP as “No noticeable scratches and stains”. I think that roughly translates to PSA7-8 with a lot of sellers being a bit more conservative with the listing. I feel I have been lucky enough to find these deals where the seller is just cautious about the card condition and lists it for cheap only for the card to be in a NM condition.
Also since I am filling my binders, I don’t feel the need to pay premium for graded cards, so I acively hunt for raw, good looking copies.
Cheers!
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I used to collect raw LP>NM but now I only collect raw NM and PSA 9 and above. I think as the years have passed by I now prefer to wait to buy a card and make sure I obtain it in NM rather than just buy a damaged or LP copy.
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In my opinion, it is really the holo that makes the difference between 8, 9 and 10. And hence I look at it, I am happy to pay the premium.
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LP+ → NM for binder sets depending on the rarity. I’m exclusively a binder collector so stuff like edge/corner wear especially on the reverse doesn’t bother me at all; but a crease is a deal breaker
Same here. I go for 9’s usually, 10’s if it’s affordable.
I’m a sucker for clean cards, I want a pristine holo
For binders I’m very lax. As long as there’s no giant crease and the holo doesnt look like its had sandpaper taken to it, then they all largely end up looking the same as you flip through a binder.
For graded cards I go for 9s as I find them the best bang for buck.
For modern, thats all binder as there is nothing remarkable about any grade of a modern card.
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To echo some of the binder collectors here I shoot for NM or PSA 8-9 generally speaking. That said, I have a bunch of LP-HP commons that I picked up for $1 because I was already buying a higher priced item from a seller and liked the art.
If I’m buying a slab to keep as a slab I want a 9 or 10 depending on the price, population, and attachment to the card.
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