I recently inherited a very large collection of cards that my father collected but is no longer on this earth. I have been doing a lot of research and would like to have the serious sets authenticated.
The full sets are as follows.

Addams Family 1964 66/66 cards
Beverly Hillbillies 1963 66/66 cards
Civil War News 1962 64/80 cards + checklist
King Kong 1965 56/56 cards
Lost in Space 1966 55/55 cards
Munsters 1964 16/16 stickers
Munsters 1964 70/72 cards

There are at least 30 more sets of cards in the collection not to mention all the loose cards but I priced and these are the king of the hill.

Please let me know which is the best company to go with.

Question:
Which authentication company is the industry leader and most recognized?

Choices:
PSA
SGC
Global Authentics
CSA
GMA

 

For vintage cards you definitely want to go with PSA.

I think PSA is probably the best known, I'm not sure if Global Authentics is still in business. I thought I heard that they were closed, but I could be mistaken.

I wonder why you didn't list Beckett Grading Service as a choice?

Card authentication has always been an issue with me and I have always struggle to come to grips with the concept.
If I'n buying why do I want to pay (usually) twice as much for a card that I can see by a scan what condition it is in and then, when I receive it have to break it out of its so-called "slab" just so that I can put the card away in an Ultra Pro page?

And if I'm collecting and already have the card why do I need to pay someone to tell me what condition the card is in?

Even if I decided to keep it in its slab why wouldn't I want the whole set graded and not just one card? And if I had a 90 card set in individual slabs how do I store them in a convenient state? And even if I got the entire set in a one only slab how do I look at my cards and riffle them through my fingers and read the backs if they are sealed in a plastic case?

Thank you but no thanks!!

PSA is first and Beckett second. I wouldn't even consider the rest on the list.

I've used PSA and was very happy with them. I would look the sets over well and if you judge them to be VF or better grading is a good idea. Grading is not cheep and you would not get much added value for cards in a lesser condition. Look for obvious flaws such as folds, rounded corners and general wear around the edges. Just MHO, not an expert.

I won a pack of Six Million Dollar Man cards from Topps Vault and due to the high value ($600+) prospective buyers wern't interested unless graded.

Beckett is a few miles down the road from me. They are competent & less expensive than PSA so you might consider them (since you live in TX)

I only see an advantage to getting very high grade cards slabbed... They would have to be very near mint for me to even consider it.

quote:

Originally posted by John Tirohn:
I've used PSA and was very happy with them. I would look the sets over well and if you judge them to be VF or better grading is a good idea. Grading is not cheep and you would not get much added value for cards in a lesser condition. Look for obvious flaws such as folds, rounded corners and general wear around the edges. Just MHO, not an expert.

I won a pack of Six Million Dollar Man cards from Topps Vault and due to the high value ($600+) prospective buyers wern't interested unless graded.

Ok I was finally able to get to the cards and have them scanned. Here is a link to the card scans. Let me know what you think.

http://s1298.photobucket.com/a...ag59/jrodriguez1981/

I think that you have a good number of very nice cards there and they all to be in good condition too. I must say that there a couple of sets there that I wouldn't mind seeing in my collection!
Did you say that you had about 30 more sets of this vintage?

quote:

Originally posted by btlfannz:
I think that you have a good number of very nice cards there and they all to be in good condition too. I must say that there a couple of sets there that I wouldn't mind seeing in my collection!
Did you say that you had about 30 more sets of this vintage?

Ok I just uploaded the master card list when we had a 3rd party come in and do an inventory. You can check it out.

Curious what you've decided to do about slabbing these vintage cards... And why?

Theres no doubt that they are all authentic except maybe the Munsters stickers (which have been counterfeited & sold on the market)
But yours look to be authentic too.

The cards in the scans look to be in at least excellent grade. Many may be in Ex-Nrmint grade.
They don't appear to be in near mint condition which would be my criteria for slabbing (for future resale)

Would you be getting the cards graded because they are protected & the enhanced appearance in the slab cases?
I think the grading companies charge at least $6-7 per card.

quote:

Originally posted by BILLZEE:
Curious what you've decided to do about slabbing these vintage cards... And why?

Theres no doubt that they are all authentic except maybe the Munsters stickers (which have been counterfeited & sold on the market)
But yours look to be authentic too.

The cards in the scans look to be in at least excellent grade. Many may be in Ex-Nrmint grade.
They don't appear to be in near mint condition which would be my criteria for slabbing (for future resale)

Would you be getting the cards graded because they are protected & the enhanced appearance in the slab cases?
I think the grading companies charge at least $6-7 per card.

Well from what I have seen you can have a higher asking price when the card has been verified and secured.

If you would look at that master list and let me know your thoughts on the top 3 that are worth being slabbed. My personal opinion is

Hogans Heroes
Munsters
Lost in Space

As far as selling them I will try on Ebay. When I was younger in my early teens I went to countless non sport card shows with my dad. I have looked online and cannot really find as many as there were in the Houston area.

Seems PSA is the way to go.

quote:

Originally posted by BILLZEE:
Curious what you've decided to do about slabbing these vintage cards... And why?

Theres no doubt that they are all authentic except maybe the Munsters stickers (which have been counterfeited & sold on the market)
But yours look to be authentic too.

The cards in the scans look to be in at least excellent grade. Many may be in Ex-Nrmint grade.
They don't appear to be in near mint condition which would be my criteria for slabbing (for future resale)

Would you be getting the cards graded because they are protected & the enhanced appearance in the slab cases?
I think the grading companies charge at least $6-7 per card.

As for all the other cards that are near or complete sets I will just sell on ebay.

LOL
Good Lord though there is a endless amount of spare and dubplicate cards from the new era of non sport cards.

I am talking about boxes stacked on boxes of cards.

For those I will keep doing more research and setup a table at a card show and sell them as singles on the spot.

OK now I understand your resale postion. Hogans Heroes are scarce in all grades and desirable.
Would start with grading them and your best condition Munsters stickers (also scarce)
If you happen to have the Civil War News checklist & its sharp, I'd get that slabbed too!

If the card grades below a PSA 6, I don't think you will recoup the grading fee on Munsters and LIS singles, but you could prove me wrong...

quote:

Originally posted by BILLZEE:
If the card grades below a PSA 6, I don't think you will recoup the grading fee on Munsters and LIS singles, but you could prove me wrong...

Yes, you have to be careful about grading cards, there are many cases where it will hurt you as the bloom has worn off the rose in general. Many collectors don't like slabbed cards period and vintage cards understandably can grade a lot lower than a modern day collector might find acceptable. Its not that older cards may not be in as good a condition as the peer group, it's just that modern collectors don't like anything less than 9. Many good vintage cards have production flaws and wear that keep them in the mid number range and its darn near impossible to get high grades.

You should shop around for buyers first and than determine from the interested parties if they require grading. The only compelling reason is if they are worried about counterfeits, but if you have inherited such an old collection the volume of sets should provide supporting proof. Unless you know for a fact that grading the cards is going to make you a higher profit above what it will cost you, it may not be worth the added investment at all.

quote:

Originally posted by BILLZEE:
OK now I understand your resale postion. Hogans Heroes are scarce in all grades and desirable.
Would start with grading them and your best condition Munsters stickers (also scarce)
If you happen to have the Civil War News checklist & its sharp, I'd get that slabbed too!

If the card grades below a PSA 6, I don't think you will recoup the grading fee on Munsters and LIS singles, but you could prove me wrong...

Ok I scanned the Civil war check list
Take a look at it and tell me what you think.

quote:

Ok I scanned the Civil war check list
Take a look at it and tell me what you think.

Its nice enough to get it graded. White margins, decent corners, okay centering,
& no pencil marks or erasures. Probably the most valuable single card you have there.

Dont think authenticating them will raise the value at all. You will most likely spend more to authenticate them that you would get just selling them. (if selling them is your plan)