Multiplying Houdini Card
This card sold on December 30th for $67.00 on Ebay. It’s now on Ebay this week for $295.00. Maybe in 6 more weeks it will be $3,000.00. I get it before the price goes up again. And you thought Tommy Downs was the King of Coins.
Condition is everything. If it was a grade 10 (Gem Mint), it might be worth $3000. The description claims its condition is G/VG which is a grade 2 (Good) to 3 (Very Good). Based on condition and price, I’d pass. BTW, you can also get a grade 4 for $450 and a grade 4.5 for $575 on eBay.
There’s something about those grading card companies that I just don’t trust. Some are good and some are a little shady.
As for being a Gem Mint 10 of this card, that would be hard to find. I’ve seen many over the years and they all had problems. The biggest fault is the centering of the card. As for the ones on Ebay, I think they have been for sale for a long time with no takers.
Difficult to find indeed; 6 is the highest grade that I am aware of for that card by PSA.
I was thinking of having some of my Houdini cards slabbed, but I couldn’t decide which company to use.
Do you think if a magic related or Houdini card is slabbed, would raise raise the price of the piece?
To grade or not to grade is a difficult decision. If it is graded/slabbed from a reputable company like PSA, it authenticates the card and should increase its value. At a minimum, cards of any value need to be in protective cases so they can be preserved, handled and displayed.
I can see the card increasing in value in the general card collecting world. It may be different with magic collectors though. If they, magic collectors, aren’t familiar with either comics, cards, photographs etc. being slabbed, they may not understand the concept of slabbing.
I have my cards in one inch Lucite screw downs with the card in a mylar sleeve. They seem to do the trick, sort of speak.
Have you used PSA to grade anything? What is the cost to have a card graded?
We know your cards speak for themselves. They are authenticate and are basically slabbed (Lucite screwdowns) and protected without the grading. Having them graded would only verify and validate the condition, but may not be necessary for magic and Houdini collectors. I have only bought graded cards.
I went over to the PSA site, again, and got a headache with all the pricing, shipping etc. I’ll have to stick to my holders till I have time to figure out what the next step would be. I rather work on getting all the cards together and writing a book about them.
That probably will never happen either as I can hardly find time for this blog.
I don’t blame you. I also looked at their pricing today and it gave me a headache as well; They are definately the most expensive. I would much rather see you spend time getting your cards together and writing a book about them. Reserve a copy of the book for me.