Library · 4 pieces · Page 1 of 1
Grading primers, collecting strategies, and market analysis — everything we'd tell a friend just starting out, plus what we're watching this week.
A step-by-step checklist for buying raw T206s, with notes on T205, T207 and T3 Turkey Reds. Covers the 1-7/16 x 2-5/8 inch size check, brown front text, brand and factory matching on the back, a 30x loupe, a black light test, faked aging, and the reprint tells sellers leave out.
One Heritage catalog in September 2026 sold seven 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 cards, from SGC Authentic to PSA 3. Here is what each grade and grading company brought, and what a collector should take from a sample that small.
A buyer's checklist for raw vintage at shows and private sales: what to pack, five checks for edges, corners, surface and UV, what PSA and SGC call each alteration, and when to walk away.
Heritage closes September 18 and 19, REA on September 20 and Memory Lane on September 26. Run these five checks first: premium math, centering, label era and qualifiers, alteration status and a comps-based ceiling.