Hobby Quick Hits Ep.159 Turning Raw into Graded

SPEAKER 1: Hobby quick hit, delivering their breaking hobby news directly to your in laws.

SPEAKER 1: I know those hot drops from the car shops.

SPEAKER 1: We've got you covered your Hope John, a new name.

SPEAKER 1: Welcome to episode 1 59. Hobby Quick Hits Bat on the tail end of Balin.

SPEAKER 1: Bronchitis slash really bad cold. But, doing ok, had to miss a, a card matches, a week ago, very unlike me, but, was unable to talk. Didn't want to cancel the whole show. So special. Thanks to Jeremy Lee of sports cards live for jumping in the copilot seat with Danny and doing sort of a national wrap up show.

SPEAKER 1: Catch that on, on all the platforms. It's, been out now a little bit. So, great episode and, sort of historical and in the sense that it's the first time, a podcast has ever appeared on a Sports Car Nation platform that I did not appear in, which is kind of, kind of cool and weird at the same time.

SPEAKER 1: So, thanks to Jeremy Lee for jumping in there, I'll be back, Jeer Barring something else popping up. I'll be back on the next one. But, today we're gonna talk about, you know, I do these Q and A episodes on this program.

SPEAKER 1: This is not a Q and A episode but one of the past questions asked, you know, what kind of thing do I like to do within the hobby that I take a lot of satisfaction from? And my answer, I mean, it's hard to give one answer.

SPEAKER 1: But the answer I gave was, you know, buying a raw card or acquiring a raw card or even opening the pack with the, you know, where the cards are raw and then sending that to get graded it and getting a, a really good grade. There's, there is a satisfaction in that full disclosure.

SPEAKER 1: Some of, you know, obviously a good portion of that is financially motivated, right? You just, you know, if that gets a high grade, the value of the card goes up.

SPEAKER 1: Now, when I say my satisfaction in this, it's a two-way street or, you know, a double edged sword many times I do that with the purpose of not selling that card that's going right to the PC, either raw or, or graded. So it's not only, only 100% financially motivated, but maybe it's a card that I'm not keeping and it's gonna go into my show inventory and I do that with.

SPEAKER 1: And, you know, that's obviously a good thing when it gets a high grade I don't think we have to apologize, for that so that the episode is gonna kind of talk about my process if it's something you're looking to do, if you're not already, maybe some tips on how to do it and that sort of thing.

SPEAKER 1: So that's what today's episode is gonna be about. Not, not too long but, gonna cover, cover, tackle that, topic. So, before we get to all that, we're gonna hear from our great sponsors, Mojo Brake.

SPEAKER 1: Get the news, the release schedule and then we'll talk about turning raw into slap.

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SPEAKER 1: Hey guys, John Newman here, Moo's prices are already great, but to save an additional 10% off, anything in their store use the code quick hits. That's qu IC Khits. Check out the full service store that's open seven days a week in Santa Clara, California or the website at Mojo break dot com.

SPEAKER 1: All right, you got me this week doing the new release schedule for the next two weeks. Let's start with August 15th. We got 2023. Sage Artistry football blaster. 8 16, we've got 2023 Panini immaculate college football. Staying on the 16th, we also have 2023 tops.

SPEAKER 1: Archive signature series, retire, hired player edition baseball 2022 23 tops UEFA Club competitions, Merlin Chrome soccer. Also on the 16th, 2021 22 upper deck stature hockey. Moving to the 18th, we have 2023 leaf exotic football. Also staying on the 23rd, we have 2023. Panini chronicles racing 2023 Panini.

SPEAKER 1: It's football 2023 tops, pristine baseball 2022 slash 23 tops, UEFA women's Champions League. Chrome soccer. Also on the same day, 2022 23 upper deck black diamond hockey. Moving to the 25th. We have 2023 leaf hybrid baseball, Pokemon, scarlet and violet obsidian flames build a battle stadium, Pokemon, Scarlett and violet obsidian flames builder battle deck.

SPEAKER 1: Also on the 25th, 2023 tops garbage pail kids chrome also 2023 top stranger things season 4, 25th, staying on that 2023 wild card. Wild chrome draft football. Also on the 25th yu-gi-oh Speed, dual streets of Battle City.

SPEAKER 1: And on on the 28th, we have 2023 tops Cosmic chrome baseball and tops UEFA Club 2022 23 competition stadium club, chrome soccer. So that gets you all the way up to the 28th, a good double digit in, amount of products there. Choose your weapon, as I always say. And happy ripping.

SPEAKER 3: Let's go around the hobby verse and catch up on this week's hobby news order in the court.

SPEAKER 1: All right, most folks by now have heard that, Panini has filed suit against Fanatics for antitrust violations. Well, Fanatics has fired back and is counter suing them. It's very convoluted to a non legal person.

SPEAKER 1: That's why on September 1st, my guest on Sports Carnation will be the hobby lawyer, Paul Lesco and he's gonna make it a lot easier for us for us to understand and, and breaking it down, in terms we can, understand and also give his opinion legally, on what to expect and, and what he thinks of this suit and countersuit.

SPEAKER 1: So that's, you know, shameless plug nine slash one on Sports Car Nation. That'll be, Paul and, very intelligent, very enthusiastic.

SPEAKER 1: And, gonna break it down, like I said, for us, Will Elmore of Colorado during the pandemic.

SPEAKER 1: I said, man, you know, a lot of these comments are not as popular cards or lesser value cards. They just ended up in a box somewhere and almost never to be seen again.

SPEAKER 1: And he had a better idea and he said, you know what I'm gonna make some belts and, using a combination of cards and like milk carton plastic, he made these rugged belts and you can custom order them if you have a favorite player or team or sort of, an idea of players you want as part of a belt you would wear.

SPEAKER 1: Will Elmore, is, is now doing that, with, cards and making belts and I saw pictures, very cool. I don't own one but might have to see about a Jackie Robinson belt. But again, they use real cards. So maybe you can use some reprints to make, a Jackie Robinson belt. But, you search Will Elmore, baseball card belts, you'll, you'll see what, this gentleman's doing out of Colorado.

SPEAKER 1: All right, the highest bringing Michael Jordan type one photo just completed at Leland's.

SPEAKER 1: It was a photo from his debut. His, first game against the Supersonics has him sort of, dribbling up the court with a defender draped by his side that closed at a new record for Jordan type ones at 100 $42,000.

SPEAKER 1: We've seen these type one photos be really one of the latest things to really take off and become more desirable, more collected, bringing higher values at auction, houses and auction sites and, not my thing.

SPEAKER 1: I mean, if I, if I did them, it would be, you know, Jackie Robinson, photos and those things bring some, some serious cachet. So they're kind of big, they take up a lot of space. And I think the biggest thing I size wise that I'll have this part of my inventory probably be exhibit cards.

SPEAKER 1: But again, these things are, are becoming very popular. So, you know, we, we need to talk about them.

SPEAKER 1: Another thing we need to talk about is a scammer out there. Be weary.

SPEAKER 1: A person posing as Orioles world series winner, Gary Roenicke, former world series winner, Gary Roenicke, and selling authentic air quotes. Baltimore Orioles used game used equipment, not just his own, but even other players.

SPEAKER 1: I know he sold a, a bat that was allegedly game used by Cal Ripkin, but it wasn't, a matter of fact, he's usually not sending, so people will pay this gentleman money thinking they're sending it to Gary Roenicke. Another name comes up on the paypal account and people don't get their stuff.

SPEAKER 1: So authorities are involved, but be careful if someone, poses as Gary Roenicke and tries to sell you a Orioles authentic game used equipment. Most likely not going to be the case. You're not going to get your stuff and you're gonna be out your money, at least for the time being.

SPEAKER 1: Now, our feature presentation today's topic is again, came from A Q and A episode about something I do in the hobby that gives me satisfaction on a personal level.

SPEAKER 1: Now, more than one thing obviously gives me satisfaction. The thing I'm gonna talk about giving racks to people giving, just donating stuff to, you know, children's house. But there's a lot of things, you know, sharing information, doing the podcast, gives me satisfaction, adding a card to my PC, gives me satisfaction.

SPEAKER 1: There's double digit ways I get satisfaction in the hobby. But, you know, the one I answered, I'm not even necessarily saying this is number one, but they said sort of on a, a deep personal level.

SPEAKER 1: Again, giving away stuff donating to charity is probably first and foremost, you know, but this on a sort of a personal hobby, level is what I answered that question with. And it's, you know, taking a raw card.

SPEAKER 1: However, I acquired it, whether it was pulling it out of a pack or buying it, raw from either a collector or fellow dealer, at a show and then submitting it to grading and getting a, you know, a high or decent grade on it. And I wanna always say high grade, right?

SPEAKER 1: Because sometimes we'll send vintage cards with some more years in, in mileage on them and get a, a good mid, mid tier grade and be very ecstatic about that too. So it doesn't always have to be about nines and tens. Although those are nice. But, you know, it, I wanted to cover more ground than that.

SPEAKER 1: And so that's a, a big thing for me and I, I take a little satisfaction from it because there's a skill, you know, like it or not, there's a skill involved in that. In other words, if you're buying a card from a dealer, whether you're a collector or a dealer, right?

SPEAKER 1: You ask if it's in person, you asked to see it, you take a look at it and you, you know, in your own mind, you, you're determined if number one you're still interested in it.

SPEAKER 1: And, maybe a price you're looking to pay for. And hey, I can, you know, this isn't graded, but I'm going to, if I get it, I'm going to in turn submit it for grading, because I think it's a candidate or I think if I get it for the price, I'm hoping for, it'll be beneficiary to get it slapped and it is an art and a skill and, you know, not to pat myself on the back.

SPEAKER 1: I think I've, you know, if you do this long enough and I've done this almost 40 years, I think it is 40 years now.

SPEAKER 1: Not grading for 40 years, but in the hobby for 40 years, you get to know the terrain, the landscape. You, you, obviously you've handled a lot of cards in your lifetime that long and, and you get to know sort of how certain companies make grade cards, and which candidates, which cards are better candidates for different, different grading companies? Right. You now have to deal with just one.

SPEAKER 1: I deal with typically 2 to 3, in what I do but, you know, some people are loyal to just one. Only, nothing wrong with that, either right to each, our own.

SPEAKER 1: So, you know, going to a show and whether it's buying a raw card from someone that comes up to my table and you know, says, hey, are you buying and you look through their case and you pull out a couple of things and, and grated cards too, but in this case, we're, we're talking about raw cards and you, you buy a few raw cards and then in turn, you know, maybe get a better look at them when you get home, you sort of buy them maybe at a show with like, hey, I gonna buy it.

SPEAKER 1: Right? Or worst case scenario. Even if I don't submit it for grading, I can put it in my case raw and still do. Ok. Right. So it's not always with the grading principle in mind, but maybe that's at the top of, of the Liston, right?

SPEAKER 1: There's satisfaction when you buy a, maybe a, a few cards off a collector and then you in turn submit one or, or more for grading than they do. Well. Right. Because sort of makes your life a little bit easier. Let's, let's be very transparent. Right.

SPEAKER 1: Same thing with a dealer. Right. Well, you know, you, you're dealing with a dealer, got a lot of graded cards in his case, but he also has some raw cards. Right. What's the first thing you probably think of? Right. At least I do. And it doesn't mean I'm right. But the first thing I think of when I see a dealer who deals with a lot of graded cards, but also as raw ones, right.

SPEAKER 1: The first thing we think about is, oh, well, the raw ones didn't make the cut for grading. So that's why as the graded ones that made the cut and now these raw ones are gonna be kind of in rougher shape or maybe even beat up or have defects, especially if they're newer cards, or modern or ultra modern. Right?

SPEAKER 1: And not always the case. Folks, that's the one thing I want to say here that is not always the case because I can tell you I've bought from dealer acquaintances, raw cards when they're heavy graded dealers. But maybe they just bought those, you know, recently those raw cards and they just haven't got a chance to submit them or just didn't do it. Maybe got a little lax or just, you know, dragging their feet a little bit.

SPEAKER 1: Believe me, I've bought plenty of a raw card from a dealer I would say is a heavy graded dealer.

SPEAKER 1: And in turn sent that raw card in and got a very high or good or satisfactory grade from it. So don't always discount it that, hey, this dealer has 75% graded cards in his cases.

SPEAKER 1: So the 25% of raw cards he or she has, will, will not be grading candidates. I don't think, I'm not saying it's not, you know, it's the first thing I think of too, but it's not always the case. Don't sort of write some a dealer or cards off when you see 3 to 1 graded to raw ratio doesn't always work that way. Even though it's kind of your pops up in your mind, I'm guilty of it too.

SPEAKER 1: But go in open minded if that's sort of your mindset because I can tell you I've bought plenty of a raw card in that situation that is now and, and I'm very happy with how it turned out. So don't always just assume, I mean, we do that. I'm guilty of it sometimes but try not to assume because you can come out sort of, of the head.

SPEAKER 1: And again, when we talk about, you know, turning a raw card into a slab card, it doesn't always have to be financially motivated. I like to do that with, with Jackie Robinson cards that I have no intent to resell, other cards that I have no intent to resell.

SPEAKER 1: You know, I collect Hall of fame graded rookies. That's my PC. I tend to buy them already graded, but I'm not gonna lie. I've bought Raw Hall of Fame Rookie cards and graded them myself. And, again, you know, don't truthfully it's cheaper to do it that way.

SPEAKER 1: That's the other thing I want to talk about with this topic.

SPEAKER 1: It's cheaper. If you, if you're gonna buy a card already graded, you're sort of paying for that. You're paying that price, right?

SPEAKER 1: You can buy a raw card. Let's be honest. In most times, not every case, most cases cheaper than a graded version of that card.

SPEAKER 1: And you know, if you get a diamond in the rough and you can and then submit it for grading yourself, you have most likely paid a lesser price than buying the grade that you got. So it's a good way to save money. It's fun too. Right. I think if your grade cards, you know, some of the fun is looking at that card and kind of assessing it.

SPEAKER 1: We, we all do this right. We say, oh, I think that's gonna get a 70, I think that has a chance at a 10. This is a vintage card. If this gets a five or six, I'll be ecstatic because I paid only this much for it and I think it's got a shot right. That anticipation that lead up and build up that we submit the cards to our grading card.

SPEAKER 1: Company of choice and we await the grading card results and we kind of measure it up to our predictions or what we thought it would pull. And in some of those cases we've all been there. Right.

SPEAKER 1: Sometimes it does even better than we, we do the grade we put and other times, unfortunately, right, we say, oh, man, I thought, I think this will get a seven and we get back a five or six and, and hopefully not worse, but probably sometimes lower. So, but that's the fun, right? Kind of seeing how our assessment skills, right?

SPEAKER 1: We all think we're, we're, we're, you know, armchair graders and it's a good way to sort of test our metal against the actual people who get paid to do that job. So that's fun too. I'm one of those guys that will look at the grades before I even get the cards back on the grading card website. Some people don't like to do that.

SPEAKER 1: I'm a bulk subber for SGC and I will tell you 80% of the, the subs I get from other people.

SPEAKER 1: You know, when the grades come in, I will ask those folks, hey, do you want to know how you did? And they're like, nope John, I'll, I'll wait till the cards are back and I pick them up.

SPEAKER 1: I can't do that. I don't have the patience, you know, kudos to those folks that have that willpower and patience. I'm soon as I get a notification that grades have popped. I'm, I'm seeing what they were and how I did and, and comparing notes to what I thought, they would get before I ever get them, in hand.

SPEAKER 1: So, iii, I guess I don't like surprises, as much as other people do. So, that's me. But it's really fun. And again, I, I want to iterate as we kind of wrap this, topic up is if you're not into grading cards, nothing wrong with that. Right. Hobby your way.

SPEAKER 1: You know, I've, I've said this story, I'll give you the, I'll do the clip notes version here when grading first hit the hobby scene.

SPEAKER 1: I was, I thought it was a money grab. I told customers in my store that it's ridiculous. You're throwing your money out. You can give me your 20 bucks. I'll tell you what shape your cards in.

SPEAKER 1: I was anti Grady. But, you know, now it's a different story and I think Grady serves multiple levels, multiple purposes besides the financial aspect. Right? Authenticity. Verifying that something is real protection. Right. Keeping that thing, protection.

SPEAKER 1: A lot of these plastic cases have some UV protection and, so it makes your cards last longer and I'm sure the value aspect, probably is number one on most people's lists as well. We can't, we can't ignore that fact either.

SPEAKER 1: So, changing a raw card into a slab card, is some of the most fun I get to do, in my personal hobby, business wise on my business side as a dealer and even in my personal collection, just in cards that I'm keeping, I don't care what the grade comes back as I'm, I'm just keeping, the card.

SPEAKER 1: It's not for sale. So I wanted to kind of delve deep, tips again. Don't write off a dealer even if you see a heavy graded presence on their raw inventory, make deals with people, right? Collector to collector trade nights, buying cards, right?

SPEAKER 1: Ii, I acquire cards from collectors that come up to my table from, from other dealers and opening packs, right? Those are all those cards that are raw that I acquire that way our potential candidates for grading. And so don't, don't call, call close off any avenue.

SPEAKER 1: Look at your local marketplaces like Facebook marketplace, even Macari, sometimes you will find collections for sale on those sites and there's some diamonds in the rough, in many of those cases. And so, it's a fun thing if if that's the the lane you choose and the road you wanna travel down. So as always, not that I'm in, I don't believe in experts, but I'm very experienced.

SPEAKER 1: Any questions, feel free to contact me or the show, it will help you out as best we can. Thanks. Thanks for your time and, we'll see you soon.

SPEAKER 1: All right. Thank you for listening to another episode of Hobby Quick Hits. Wanna give out our Social Media starting with our website, which is www dot supports car nation podcast dot com.

SPEAKER 1: Facebook. You can follow us at www dot Facebook dot com, forward slash sports coordination podcast, forward slash Twitter. We are at Sports Card, NAT T one. So it's Sports Card nat I one Instagram at Sports Coordination Podcast. Or you can email the show hobby quick hits at gmail dot com again. Thanks for listening.

SPEAKER 1: We'll see you next week.