REA is a fantastic outlet but I dont think major auctions/houses are a good indicator of the Hobby's health or what prices normally go for. You generally see a wide range of emotion that dictate the value at auction. On the other end of that spectrum, shows and conventions are usually where you can throw the price guide out the window. What I mean is that often times the sticker price isn't reflective of what you should be paying either, just a starting point. I'd do research on a site like ebay or another that tracks past sales of graded cards (the site mane escapes me right now, sorry about that) to judge how much you should pay.
However, 70% of the hobby should be about research into the cards you want to collect before going out to acquire them. I'd also say that while doing this, realize that some opportunities only come by once or twice but being aware of that isn't always easy. Good luck!
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