Vintage Graded Football Cards

Vintage football cards

  • Home
  • About Vintage Graded Football Cards
  • Contact
  • Most Watched Graded Football Cards on eBay
Home » Collecting Graded Football Cards Offers Collector Peace

January 19, 2013 by Eamonn Donlyn

Collecting Graded Football Cards Offers Collector Peace

Collecting Graded Football Cards Offers Collector Peace

Collectors are all bonded by the same ‘rush’ of the hunt for treasure, or a great hunch validated.  The rush of opening a new pack and finding that one unexpected gem, or making a big deal that turns out in your favor over time.  So when graded cards became the norm back in the 90’s, the traditional collectors (especially vintage specialists) understandably had some reticence: ‘Send my valuable cards away for someone else to evaluate?’

Vintage collectors have profited nicely from the graded market, for example this 1948 Leaf Roy 'Rebel' Steiner selling for $19,159 in 2009

But while sending your cards away used to seem painful (I likened the process to turning in a term paper and awaiting the teachers red marks)… in actuality the process adds another rush to the card-lovers life.  Once you’ve opened the packs, you get a second chance at the same rush once the graded version comes back with news on the condition, whether it be a new card or a vintage staple!

The graded market provides a great dimension for vintage cards, and has opened up the collecting world to more casual collectors over the last 15 years.  Getting a vintage card returned in a high grade doubles the rush of the unique find in a new pack!

On the business side, grading takes SOME of the ambiguity out of the buying and selling process, especially since so many deals are conducted online.  A uniform system, albeit not perfect, also allows dealers to comfortably invest in a deal and know they won’t have to take a major loss due to a counterfeit or shady customer most of the time.

As mentioned in our investment article, PSA, Beckett Grading and SGC are the most trustworthy options when purchasing on the graded market.  While some higher graded cards come with a premium price tag, you have to factor in the cost to have the card graded, and the number of cards available with the condition of the card you are purchasing.

For example, consider the 1971 Topps Terry Bradshaw Rookie Card.  Without a doubt the 4-time Super Bowl winner would garner many a collector.  There have been 1,888 total submissions of the Bradshaw RC card to PSA.   While 384 of them came back as pure NM-MT 8 a mere 18 of them have been graded a MINT 9, with only 3 having been granted the holy grail GM MINT 10.  That’s not a typo, only three!

So while PSA has a pricing guide that list the NM-MT 8 at $425 and the MINT 9 around the $4,800 range, the PSA 10 doesn’t even have a price in their guide.  As with every publication in the card market, including Beckett, the guides are just that- -a  guide.  While they may be followed exactly for recent cards at times, the vintage and graded markets dictate the prices just as much as any guide could.

PSA notes that a PSA Gem Mint 10 Bradshaw rookie sold for $18,233 in 2006 and a PSA Mint 9 Bradshaw rookie sold for $6,485 in 2009.  A PSA NM-MT 8 #156 Bradshaw sold for $907 in 2012.  As you can see the market prices are quite different from their listed prices above, and that makes sense since only 3 PSA 10’s are in existence.  Don’t forget that Steeler fans are insanely passionate, a factor than cannot go unnoticed.

While the Bradshaw RC is just a microcosm example of the graded world, there are countless other examples that lead you down the road of investing in graded cards, for a multitude of reasons.  Trust, uniformity, and accuracy are a few of the key words for supporters.

Even newer issues are valued much higher when it comes to the graded market, but you still have to be savvy.  As we all know, just because a card comes fresh out a new pack, doesn’t mean that it is going to be in GM MT 10 condition!  SP Authentic has been proving this over the last 15 years pretty consistently.  But, while last year Cam Newton stormed onto the scene with values that skyrocketed beyond belief (his ’11 Topps Chrome 1/1 Superfractor Autographed rookie card was listed with a starting price of $12,000 upon release), there are 172 PSA 10’s of his 2011 SP Authentic.  These can be had for as little as $15 now, after demanding a higher premium last year.  Of course, this is not his best card by any means, it just shows how fickle things can be when supply is so prevalent, from set to set and year to year.

Newton's regular issue might be abundantly available, but this Gold Auto edition is the only 1 of it's kind listed by PSA in GM MT. Of course, it comes with a $3,500 price tag on ebay in January of '13
’58 Topps Jurgensen RC is listed at auction for $3,000
Notice the OC qualifier drops the value on this one at auction down to $550

The printing presses are still not perfect by any means, so qualifiers exist to account for a card in nearly great condition minus one rare flaw.

The details for PSA’s qualifiers, with O/C being the most common.   The centering of any card can drastically impact the value.  The side-by-side comparison of Sonny Jurgensen’s 1958 Topps is a great example. A qualifier generally knocks a card’s overall grade and value down about two points.  In other words, a 9 o/c is worth about what a 7 would sell for.

In summation, your investments will be easier to re-sell or trade even if the player’s value drops, if the card is graded.  By no means do graded football cards guarantee stability.  All cards are subject to market fluctuations or player performances, but the graded world can provide you some security when it comes to moving the products over time.  And if you buy a few or even a bulk lot of vintage cards, you can send them off for grading and get that same rush as opening a new pack all over again.

Click here to see vintage, PSA-graded football cards on eBay.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Search

Posts

  • 1976 Topps Walter Payton Rookie Card Rising in Value
  • Undervalued Vintage Football Cards
  • Recent NFL Retirees Worth the Rookie Card Investment
  • Most Popular Hall of Famer Rookie Cards
  • Collecting Vintage Football Cards is Always Trendy
  • Top 5 Football Rookie Cards of the 1960s
  • Best NFL Rookie Cards of Defensive Players
  • Vintage Dallas Cowboys Rookie Cards
  • Investing in Joe Namath football cards
  • Where to Buy Football Cards of Investment Quality
  • 1935 National Chicle Football Cards: Investing in the NFL’s early history
  • Top Football Rookie Cards of the 1980s
  • Top 5 1970s Football Rookie Cards
  • Top 5 Football Rookie Cards of the 1990s
  • 1980s, 90s Football Rookie Cards: Any Worth Buying?
  • Collecting Graded Football Cards Offers Collector Peace
  • Football Cards of Coaches: The Best of All-Time
  • Investing in Football Cards: The Basics
  • 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Jim Thorpe
  • 1933 Goudey Sport Kings Red Grange
  • Top 5 1950s Football Rookie Cards
  • 1953 Bowman football set: A colorful rarity
  • Five Veteran NFL Rookie Cards Worth the Investment
  • Why Saving for a Grade 9 or 10 Is Worth the Wait
  • 1962 Topps Ernie Davis
  • Dick Butkus Rookie Card
  • Joe Montana Rookie Card
  • 1955 Topps All American Jim Thorpe
  • 1955 Topps All American Four Horsemen
  • 1966 Philadelphia Gum Gale Sayers Rookie
  • 1948 Leaf Sammy Baugh
  • Jerry Rice Rookie Card Best of 1980s Crop
  • Jim Brown Rookie Card
  • Joe Namath Rookie Card Stands Tall
  • 1984 Topps John Elway Rookie Card: Beginning of an Era
  • 1984 Topps Dan Marino Rookie Card
  • 1962 Topps Fran Tarkenton
  • 1972 Topps Roger Staubach Rookie Card
  • Bart Starr Rookie Card Among Trio of 1957 Topps Icons
  • 1935 National Chicle Bronko Nagurski
  • 2000 SP Authentic Tom Brady
  • 1888 Goodwin Champions Harry Beecher: The First Football Card
  • Johnny Unitas Rookie Card Among Greatest Ever

RSS Sports Collectors Daily

  • 2022 Panini Playbook Football Showcases Booklets, Autographs
  • LeBron 2013 Finals Jersey Nets $3.68 Million
  • One of Hobby’s Top Graded 1953 Topps Sets Set for Auction
  • Sports Card Addiction Cost Federal Agent His Job
  • Notes: Purdy 1/1 Pulled as Other NFL Rookies Gather to Sign; Big Strider RC Pulled; CSG Price Update; ’60s MLB Flannels at Auction; More
  • Brief Box Break: 2022 Illusions Football Hobby
  • Card Back Q&A: Dwight Gooden Talks Pitching Perfect Game, Rewriting Record Books, Playing Nintendo All Day
  • T206 Set, Gehrig Cards, High-End Memorabilia Part of New SCP Auctions Catalog
  • The Brick is Back: 8 1952 Topps Pack Lot, Other Vintage Unopened Up for Auction
  • Brief Box Break: 2022 Impeccable Football

Copyright © 2023