Stop Grading Ultra-Modern Base Cards: You're Lighting Money on Fire
Let’s be real. Grading ultra-modern base cards—especially en masse—is one of the biggest wastes of money in the hobby today. If you’re still sending stacks of 2023-24 Topps, Upper Deck, or Panini base rookies to PSA or BGS thinking you're sitting on gold… you need a reality check.
The Harsh Truth: Supply Kills Value
Here’s the deal. Base cards from the ultra-modern era (roughly 2018 to present) are printed in volumes that would make junk wax blush. We're talking millions of copies, with more parallels, inserts, and reprints than ever before.
Even a PSA 10 isn’t special when everyone else is submitting the exact same card. Go check eBay. There are pages of PSA 10s sitting there for $10–$20. After grading fees, shipping, and seller fees? You might break even—if you're lucky.
Do the Math
Let’s break it down:
PSA grading fee: $19–$25 (if you’re using bulk)
eBay fees: 13.25% + shipping
Your time: packaging, waiting, listing, etc.
All for a card you bought for $1 and might sell for $18—if it's pristine.
And if it comes back a PSA 9? Congrats, you now have a $5 card with $25+ of sunk cost.
The Flipper Fantasy
Many are still hooked on the dream of finding “the next Luka” or “the next Connor Bedard” and flipping PSA 10 base rookies for hundreds. But guess what? Most players don’t pan out. And even if they do, their base cards are so overgraded that the market quickly floods.
You know who profits? The grading companies. They love bulk base submissions. It's easy money for them—and a paper cut to your wallet.
What You Should Grade Instead
If you want to play the grading game smart:
Focus on low-pop serial numbered cards
Short prints (SPs), rare inserts, or parallels
On-card autos
Vintage (especially pre-1980)
Cards with strong eye appeal and long-term collectibility
Grading should add value, not just validate a card's condition. If the graded version sells for only $10 more than raw, it’s probably not worth it.
Collect Smarter
Unless you're grading for personal collection or nostalgia—totally valid reasons—then stop throwing money at slabs for mass-produced base cards. You're not investing. You're donating to the grading companies.
Want to make your money count? Learn what’s truly rare, what has low pop, and what’s worth the wait. Until then, leave the base rookies raw—and keep your wallet intact.