opinions on getting low quality moc's graded (big pics )

[**Delboy75**]

Im wanting to put a set of 12 backs together that won't break the bank.
As long as they are original (not resealed), and display ok in a case then im happy enough.

I have 4 12 backs so far, leia, darth, jawa and ben that i picked up months ago from Gary Smith.

Now they all have some faults, bubble dents, cracks, warping, tears, pin holes & creases,
but as i was on a budget i was happy enough with the price i paid for them.

I want some acrylic cases, and was going to buy them from UKG.
But after looking at their site im now debating to just pay the £20 and have them graded too?.
Now obviuosly they are not going to grade well, but at least if i decide to sell them buyers have the security of knowing that the items legit.

Im not sure how much acrylic cases are, im guessing about a tenner a pop.

what would you do?

Here's the figures. (photo's & descriptions are from gary, i hope he doesn't mind me using them.

1. ben
flaws:
Punched. Slight bend to card. Some marks where a sticker has been removed in the top left corner. Pin hole and scratch in the 'A' of star wars. Pin hole in top of card. Bubble has a heavy dent in the top right

2. Darth
Punched. pin hole in the middle of the 'A' of star wars. Scratch just above the A, and another pin hole to the top right of the punch hole. The one in the middle is slightly enlarged. Looks worse from the back. Bubble is dent free but is cracked on the bottom left hand side

3. jawa
Punched. Slight bend to card. Messy pin hole to the right of punchhole. Bubble coming away from card on the top right and down the right hand side for about an inch. Also has a couple of dents.

4. leia
Punched. Wave in card Several heavy dings/dents to bubble, crack across the top. Pinhole and scratch above the A of 'star' . leia's Limbs and gown are minty white. Torso is slightly yellowed.

So what would you do?, i want acrylic cases so they can stand on a shelf, but is it worth paying the extra for the grade that i know is going to be low. Im not really into graded stuff, it would just be for resale purposes.

 

[burnsy]

Nice start Del.

I'd get em graded mate. If you're gonna be spending the money anyway you may aswell
spend that little bit more and you never know you may get one or two ok grades?

They will normally do a discount if you get them all done at the same time.
I've been in contact with them about some.

 

[gustie]

they dont look at all bad aprt from being wavy

is there no way of steaming the card straight? wonder if an iron would work lol

 

[**Delboy75**]

they dont look at all bad aprt from being wavy

is there no way of steaming the card straight? wonder if an iron would work lol

lol, good idea but i wouldn't risk it.
They look more wavy in those pics than they look in hand. But then again not all the little flaws show up in the pics.

I may send one in and see what it gets, i wouldn't get them all done at once cus with postage both ways it will be about £100 :?

 

[PhantomShadow]

Don't send them for grading for 2 reasons.

1) A pile of heavy books placed on those cards (obviously not the bubbles) should flatten them out a bit. Also an acrylic case will hold them in place.
2) I don't know how UKG would grade them but there doesn't seem to be any consistency with grading, so the wavy cards (even flattened) will probably not get as good as grade as a mint one, so if your gonna spend the cash on acrylic cases, why pay double for a grade which probably isn't going to be high?

but then again, I don't like grading

 

[**Delboy75**]

Don't send them for grading for 2 reasons.

1) A pile of heavy books placed on those cards (obviously not the bubbles) should flatten them out a bit. Also an acrylic case will hold them in place.
2) I don't know how UKG would grade them but there doesn't seem to be any consistency with grading, so the wavy cards (even flattened) will probably not get as good as grade as a mint one, so if your gonna spend the cash on acrylic cases, why pay double for a grade which probably isn't going to be high?

but then again, I don't like grading

Yes i thought about books, think i will give it a shot.

I'm not a big fan of grading either.
I have no idea how grading works, but my theory was that by paying an extra tenner now i 'could' in the future get a slightly better sale price.

 

[spoons]

Don't send them for grading for 2 reasons.

1) A pile of heavy books placed on those cards (obviously not the bubbles) should flatten them out a bit. Also an acrylic case will hold them in place.
2) I don't know how UKG would grade them but there doesn't seem to be any consistency with grading, so the wavy cards (even flattened) will probably not get as good as grade as a mint one, so if your gonna spend the cash on acrylic cases, why pay double for a grade which probably isn't going to be high?

but then again, I don't like grading

Ditto

You'd be wasting your money geting them graded. The fact that they are not mint should be all the authenticity any future buyer needs - I've yet to see a warped repro :wink:

Good luck with hunting the rest down

 

[weasel]

Those aren't as bad as I was expecting from your description at the start.
I don't think they would necessarily get ridiculously low grades, possibly bar those with cracked bubbles. Mind you as Phantom said, grading can be a bit ehhh 'hit and miss'.
It's your call at the end of the day, cos it's your money. If your going to buy cases for them they should display well, does it matter if they are graded?

Personally I prefer my stuff graded (or to come from someone I trust) but the premium for graded stuff (bar the really rare/saught after items) tends to start at about AFA 80/85 and those MOC's aren't gonna get those sorts of grades.

Your call though!

 

[Anonymous]

When they go in those acrylic cases aren't they held down at the sides in a slot? if so that may sort of hide the wavyness?

 

[weasel]

Yeah they are, it hides a bit of it but I have graded figures that are still wavey.

 

[tiefighterboy]

First apply spray starch to the front and back of the card back...Place thin plastic on top 0f card...then place heavy object on top.....works very well and no damage from the spray starch.

 

[PhantomShadow]

My 2 LL carded figs are the worse condition figs I have. One is warped due to water damage, the other the bubble is falling off. Both would be a waste of money getting graded - AFA would probably give these the lowest scores possible. UKG might just say they are rare with a low score.
Anyway both are in acrylic cases and display ok. Putting books on the warped one probably wouldn't work due to the water damage.

Not the best condition cards but considering they were a lot cheaper than mint one (which would be impossible to find), I think they display ok with out a grading sticker ruining the case

 

[**Delboy75**]

Yeah those look pretty good.

So where's the best (read cheapest lol) place to buy acrylic cases?

 

[spoons]

UKG do the cheapest cases, but they do one size fits all. If you want a narrower case go to Oscar

 

[gustie]

those ERGs look nice in those



did u print off the name tag in the bottom of the cases and put them inside?

 

[SNAGGLE]

Personally, I would consider getting the two better cards graded, Ben and Darth. Like you said, for an extra tenner at UKG this will cement the authenticity of the cards. You are bound to make the difference in cash on any future sale of the pieces. I would rather buy an AFA or UKG 50 over an ungraded example anyday. Not everybody can afford AFA 80-85 etc, and I think they look very displayable. They are 12bcks afterall.
Snag
Very nice ERG's btw Phantom 8)

 

[spoons]

I wouldn't be so sure of that Snag, I've seen ungrader beater cards sell for more than low AFA graded stuff

 

[Bollux]

i guess the problem with a low graded afa is that its an authentication of poor quality!

 

[SNAGGLE]

I wouldn't be so sure of that Snag, I've seen ungrader beater cards sell for more than low AFA graded stuff

I know Spoons, it is strange the way it works :? Not forgetting though the U grade craze that all but decimated the world of beater cards At that time beater cards were going for far more than they were worth all because of loose U grade figs.

i guess the problem with a low graded afa is that its an authentication of poor quality!

I guess it is Bollux, but I still would rather have authentication of a poor quality piece (especially a 12bck) than a poor quality piece with no authenticity and doubt in my mind.

The trouble with AFA and grading in general is that the grades are not consistent, for example, I would be happy to own AFA UKG 50-60 cards for the following reasons;
1. They would be more affordable for my budget.
2. They display more than fine for the less fussy collector.
3. They are still a nice slab of history and memories in that condition. The wonder of vintage collecting for me, is mainly due to the fact that carded examples still survive in any condition
I for one would be happy to see a wider range of graded stuff from AFA50 - AFA85 and higher.
Snag

 

[spoons]

fair points snag - I'm also happy to have a few beaters in my collection