A few more comments on the TCDB…
There is definitely a steep learning curve for beginners entering cards into their collections and wantlists. The actual trade mechanism is pretty awesome though (especially the trade matching feature). It took me a month to figure out how to use the collections and start to enter my traders. There are some helpful posts and even some YouTube videos on how to get going with it.
And the average value feature has gotten much better in the past six months. It was worse than useless before. Now it synchs with sportslots sales as well as user entered sale prices. So usually it’s in the ballpark and a quick comparison to eBay completed listings can verify. This matters because some traders exclusively trade by the TCDB average value, and when they were way off you couldn’t get anywhere. And most traders, if they are looking at value, use the values as a general guide for trade matches.
It would be great if more pre-war and vintage traders joined. I don’t know if it would make much of a difference for trading (the Net54 BST area makes more sense when dealing with higher value and rarer cards), but the checklists need attention. And high volume low grade or low value trading might be easier to do, especially for non-sport sets. That is an area over there that could use attention for sure, and would actually be idea for non-sport traders.
I don’t know how modern collectors do what they do. When you look for a top prospect from your favorite team who hasn’t even played a single big league game yet and see they have more cards than Schoolboy Rowe or even 20-year-vet Brooks Robinson, well, that’s a lot to keep track of. Multiply that by 1000 or so for the year, and then do it again when the season turns. God bless ‘em for filling out all those checklists.
I don’t collect football cards. But I did from 85-89, almost as much as I collected baseball. I bought several near sets from those years recently and have been passively trading for the rest on TCDB (add-ons to other trades). I nearly have every football card I could ever want. And I’ve easily tripled my hickey collection since joining, unloading a ton of 90s hockey I didn’t want in the process. Often, if you add up the time spent and postage and then look at eBay, you could easily conclude that I could buy this stuff more conveniently. But as BillyCoxDodgers3B said, “ That site is a refreshing way for me to unwind. Who knew there could be some relaxation in sorting through all that junk wax I had been ignoring for over 30 years? I find things I need for various projects, simultaneously ridding myself of material I never thought there would be an eager outlet for…
Another nice aspect of the site is that, by and large, the TCDB community is overwhelmingly friendly. You'll end up meeting a lot of people you'd never find through pre-war sites. Dabbling in nearly-worthless material is also great for reducing any smugness that might be lingering in the air! Nobody dares to affect a holier-than-thou attitude when swapping Willie Ainsleys. I'd almost wish someone would try to; it would be hilarious!”
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