How do you find

How do you find a person to grade your cards?
I inherited Piedmont, Old Mill, two Sweet Caporal. one Hindu and one Philadelphia Caramel Co backs.
I have; Cobb-Detroit, Dooin-Phila Nat'l, Jennings-Detroit, Elberfeld-N.Y.Amer, Stovall-Cleveland, Evans-St.Louis, Ames-NY (all 3)
Reulbach-Chicago, Brown-Chicago, McGraw, N.Y.Nat'l, Durham-NY Nat'l, White-Chicago, Evers-Chicago, Oldring-Phila.Amer, Wagner-Boston, Wagner-Pittsburg Nat'l, Becker-Boston, Hummel-Brooklyn, Grimshaw-Toronto, Hooker-Lynchburg, Bowerman-Boston Nat'l, Turner-Cleveland, Herzog-Boston (sweater), Smith-Shreveport and about 12 more.
I also have 18 of the T210 (I think) They have red borders. All from Fort Worth, Dallas, Waco, Galveston and San Antonio.
I realize good condition brings the best prices. But, I can not tell a good card from a poor card. They all look good to me although, the Texas group has lots of nicks in the red borders.
I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and I'm sure there are many knowledge card collectors in the area but, I have no clue how you hire somebody. Any information would be appreciated. Jan

From the looks of your list Jan, the collection you inherited has plenty of value. Good idea to get them graded. Are you looking to sell them right away? If so, I liked Jay's suggestion in the other thread to let an auction house handle them. Many of those companies will have the valuable cards graded for you at no additional expense. I would advise against negotiating a private deal; better to let the market determine their value. I'm sure others will have helpful suggestions in this thread about having your cards graded.

As for the cards themselves....

Jan wrote:Wagner-Pittsburg Nat'l

Is this the one with the Philadelphia Caramel back? Looks like this?

yes, that's the one I have with Philadelphia Caramel Co. back.

Jan wrote:yes, that's the one I have with Philadelphia Caramel Co. back.

Good news - that card is probably worth over $1000

In nice condition (no creases, no paper loss), multiples of that. Definitely have that E95 Wagner graded, regardless of the condition it's in.

Jan wrote:Cobb-Detroit

The Cobb is also a valuable card. Which one of these is it?




Sorry, I'm getting carried away. Maybe someone else will actually answer your question

Hi Jan,

Do you possibly have a scan a The Wagner card? After reading Ben's response I take it the Wagner you have is not a T206.

I also agree with the auction house route, for a bigger house REA, they tend to like lots with value over $1000, which you should have there. The up front fees are minimal to none. They will also give you upfront money. April auction.

A smaller auction there are quite a few but Barry Sloate runs a nice one. I have yet to find one that does not charge you an upfront fee.

Ebay is always an option, if you don't want to sell them yourself, there are some board members that would be willing to help with excellent feedback and a great history.

Good luck with the cards,

Lee

Congratulations on a nice collection. Just so we understand your needs - You asked about having them graded. Are you looking to sell them or keep them? If you're looking to keep them, the easiest solution would be to submit them to SGC (http://www.sgccard.com) the submission process is straightforward and you don't need any sort of membership.

I live in the D/FW area, could come take a look if you wanted some help.

edited to add: (post #100!)

Hey Jan, just wanted to say good luck, whatever you choose to do with your inheritance (I say keep the cards!). And thanks for sharing. Let us know if you have any more questions, or if you need some opinions regarding the appraisal of your cards. Must be loads fun sorting through an original collection like that!

That is true Jan.
Unless there is a pressing need to sell right now, it is likely a better financial bet to hold them for a couple of years. This is because our hobby has taken a dip in prices recently, after being a good investment for years. And many forcast a return to that growth, because the hobby's popularity remains high.
But I would check with Mark on this. He seems to keep his fingers on the heartbeat of financials.