What's more important on a certified autograph card, the card or the autograph?

On eBay there is a $600 certified autograph card from an in-demand title, with one of the rarer important signers. I'm not calling out the auction specifically, so no link. These are general questions about autograph quality vs card condition and/or card rarity.

This card was graded. The card is rated 9.5. The autograph is separately graded as an 8. The signature has either faded, or never took properly, or had a bad pen, hard to say which one, but it shows streaks and blotches. The asking price for the mint graded card is roughly three times the book of the ungraded card.

So is an almost pristine condition graded limited card with a somewhat damaged signature preferable to an almost pristine signature on a lesser condition graded limited card? If you were looking for that card, graded or ungraded, but could have only the better card or the better autograph for the same price, which one do you take?

For me it's the better autograph. I'd rather take a damaged card, than a damaged signature, but then again I might leave it either way.

What if that card only had the 9.5 condition grade? Would that make the signature seem better to buyers? Should the card still earn a huge premium because of a high condition score when the autograph scores average or less? What if it was never graded at all? Thoughts?

I don't collect autograph cards as a main interest but I have some and there are a couple I'm looking at as a possible next purchase. I would rather have the better card so it's okay if the autograph skips a few times/faded or maybe a little shaky as can be the case of an older signer. However, even assuming I have hundreds to burn, I'm not paying $600 for a nice card with a streaky signature. For $600, it better be nice all around.

Rarity would be a factor. I have bought a few rather beat-up promos because I'd never seen them before (and haven't since) but then they were also cheap ($4-10). If there were only 5-10 of an autograph card and it had a soft corner or nicks along an edge, I might go for that.

I tend to look for early signatures that are on card. Tessa Thompson HEROES card means more to me than Tessa Thompson Thor release. Jennifer Tilly (on card) Family Guy is preferred over Jennifer Tilly (sticker) RAZOR.

Still, it is a combination product and I am not really interested in collecting damaged cards. Not really going to freak out between a grade 7 thru 10. If the card stands on it's own even a low grade will produce a good value. I have a 3.5 comic book that sells for over $2k.

quote:

Originally posted by mykdude:
I have a 3.5 comic book that sells for over $2k.

Getting away from the topic, but since no one is really commenting anyway, maybe I could ask you about comic book grading. Of course comic books are graded for the same reasons that a card might be graded, authentication, condition and money. However it seems so counterproductive to the product that I don't understand how it works or why there isn't some better way of handling it.

Once a comic book is graded and encapsulated, it can't be read. People collect first edition books too and I'm sure they get them authenticated if necessary, but do they get them graded? Do they put them under glass and never open them again? I don't know, but I don't think they are going to PSA with them. A graded comic only shows the front and back cover and the pages in between are just in there.

The other thing I don't know is how much those pages in between that you no longer can see effect the condition grade? The most important part has to be the cover condition and I'm sure you can't be missing pages, but what happens if a couple have creases? What happens if one or two pages have a tear? Deductions probably, but once graded and sealed, who would ever know when the book will never be opened again?

Seems to me card grading is a lot simpler and more trustworthy than comic book grading since at least you still can see the whole card, even if you may not agree with the evaluation or the deductions.

The entire comic is graded. Damage inside is noted on the label. Most comics are not worth getting graded but given the recent market for key issues especially from the 60's and 70's it is smart for a collector to have some things slabbed.

I have three key comics from the 70's with Stan Lee signatures that are graded and authenticated. The three would currently sell between $5k and $6k.

Recently saw a .5 grade Spider-Man 129 sell for $600.

You can break them out just like with cards but further damage means a drop in grade. People who get every comic slabbed are morons but there is still a strategy to the process once comics start reaching a certain price range.

Same thing with grading cards.