When it comes to collecting and investing in baseball cards, one of the most important decisions collectors face is whether to keep their cards raw or get them professionally graded by a third party service like PSA. There are pros and cons to both approaches that collectors must weigh based on their own priorities and goals. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the key factors surrounding raw vs PSA graded baseball cards.
Raw cards maintain their original form as issued by the manufacturer without any third party authentication or encapsulation. This allows collectors to physically examine the card itself to assess factors like centering, corners, edges and surface without any barrier. For some collectors, this hands-on inspection ability is a big advantage of keeping cards raw. Raw cards also avoid any grading fees associated with professional authentication services.
Raw cards lack the assurance and verification of authenticity and grade that comes with professional third party grading. Without a grading label, there is uncertainty surrounding the exact condition and quality of factors like centering, corners and edges. Counterfeit or doctored cards could potentially pass as genuine raw cards as well. From an investment standpoint, the lack of a verified grade also makes raw cards harder to accurately price in the marketplace compared to equivalent PSA graded cards.
When cards are submitted to PSA, they undergo a rigorous authentication and grading process. PSA uses optical light technology, digital imaging and trained human graders to thoroughly examine each card. Any signs of doctoring, reprints or alterations can be detected. Each card is then assigned a precise numerical grade on the widely recognized PSA 1-10 scale based on its centering, corners, edges and surface quality.
The PSA holder also protects the card and prevents any further wear or damage that could occur when raw cards are continually handled. For high-end valuable vintage cards, this preservation factor is very important to long term collectors. PSA slabs give buyers confidence that the card remains in the same condition described by its assigned grade.
On the investment side, PSA grading has become the gold standard for the hobby. PSA population reports provide transparency into the number of a particular card graded at each level. This data allows for easy price comparisons and market valuation of equivalent PSA graded cards on the secondary market. Consistently strong demand from serious collectors has driven values of top PSA vintage cards into the six and seven figure range in recent years.
Of course, the tradeoff is cost. Having cards professionally graded by PSA involves submission fees that can range from $10-$20 per card depending on the turnaround time selected. For high-end submissions, express fees of $100 per card or more are common. The costs add up quickly for larger submissions. There is also the risk that a card may grade lower than expected or receive a disappointing grade, negatively impacting its potential resale value compared to equivalent raw cards.
For collectors focused solely on personal enjoyment of their raw card collections, the lack of grading costs is a definite advantage over PSA holders. Some collectors also prefer the aesthetics of raw cards outside of slabs. When it comes to long term investing, appreciation of values, and ease of pricing and selling on the secondary market, most experts agree PSA grading provides clear benefits over raw cards in the modern hobby landscape.
The choice between raw cards and PSA really depends on an individual collector’s goals and priorities. For budget-minded collectors or those with PC/personal collections, raw cards may make the most sense to avoid grading fees. If an intention is to build an investment portfolio, then PSA offers transparency and marketability advantages that can significantly boost returns long term. A balanced approach incorporating both raw and graded cards is an option as well for collectors who enjoy the benefits of each approach. Both have a place in today’s hobby, but PSA grading has emerged as the gold standard for serious vintage card investors.
The raw vs PSA debate is a complex one with good arguments on both sides. The exploding popularity of PSA in the past decade has created a robust marketplace for vintage graded cards, but raw cards maintain their intrinsic value as well. For most collectors and investors, a combination of raw cards for personal enjoyment paired with PSA submissions of high-end key issues has proven an effective long term strategy. With care taken to avoid counterfeits and doctoring, raw cards still offer affordable accessibility to the hobby. But PSA provides authentication, preservation and marketability that is hard to replicate for truly high-end vintage cardboard. A balanced perspective considering individual goals ultimately guides the raw vs PSA decision for each unique collector.
