OBC - Old Baseball Cards Membership

[Mountaineer1999]

Hi all,

I was thinking about applying to OBC and wanted to get opinions. I am sure there are some OBC members or previous members here on NET54 and was hoping a few could share their experiences. I wanted to get a feel for the site as I did not want to waste their time and go through the application process if its not for me.

Any thoughts much appreciated.

[LuckyLarry]

Hi Donnie I am one of the “charter" members of OBC 1991.

Most of the time “trades” are not accomplished in the traditional manner. We mainly trade through Random Acts Of Kindness (RAOK) meaning if a member has a card you need he might send it to you. You acknowledge receipt through our yahoo groups email server, and then check the senders list to see if you have something for them.
You also might send out your duplicates via RAOK to other OBC members, who in turn acknowledge receipt, and then check your list to see if they have something to send in return. If they do not have something to return, many members will keep a mental note to keep an eye out for “return fire” to send your way.

OBC is not for everyone. Lots of ‘50s ‘60s and ‘70s baseball cards are sent via RAOK. More and more members are now trading football basketball hockey and non-sports cards too via RAOK. More and more members are moving into pre-war cards as well. Some pre-war cards are sent RAOK and some pre-war are traded via more traditional methods. Cards traded via RAOK are normally in collector grades G-VG.

Discussion of newer cards (1981 and newer) is not allowed, although there is a yahoo groups list for these newer “UV” cards.

Of course I have developed many great friendships over the years and OBC is about so much more than just cards. We have a great turnout each year at the Nation Convention. Many dealers see an OBC hat or OBC shirt and welcome us to their bargain boxes, and we have a shared network of dealers we shop at. I am sure there are dealers who see an OBC hat and hustle us off too lol!

Members include advanced collectors, and also members just starting their ‘60s and ‘70s sets. I would say most of us are set collectors, but of course we do have player and type card collectors too.

OBC is not for everyone, but we are actively searching for new members. Any more questions please ask. Also thanks to Leon for his continued support of OBC!

Larry

[SMPEP]

Guru - I'm going to have to call you out about overgrading! The T213 - that's a Tipton 10. But the Stan Williams? No way! The card is intact. There's no paper loss. No major creases. You can easily tell you the player is and what team they played for. Basically "just pen" is the only flaw.

I know grading is subjective, but from a Tipton 10 I expect multiple major flaws - not just one major flaw. That drops this to a 7 (at best) in my book!

Cheers,
Patrick
(Also in OBC)

Ps - On a more serious note - Guru gave you a great summary. I have nothing to add.

[Leon]

This board (and I) are huge fans and supporters of our OBC friends. I know when I see one of them, or bunches of them, I am in friendly company.

[ALR-bishop]

I applied but got rejected

[LuckyLarry]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

I applied but got rejected

Please tell me you are joking.
Larry

[Griffins]

I applied too, and was rejected. I had a lot of '50's dupes I didn't want to sell and was happy to give away, but I never made it in.

[ALR-bishop]

Anthony-- maybe Bob( bobbsbbcards) is a member. That would explain why we did not make the cut

No, not kidding.

[Mountaineer1999]

I will take them Anthony j/k
I am kind of in the opposite boat.. It looks like a solid group and the people I have made trades with have been great. I just dont have too much to work with at the moment other than 1972 Topps so I've tried to work off that.

Larry. Sent you a PM as I went ahead and submitted my application.

[Griffins]

In the years since I've become friends with about a dozen members, all some of the best people I've met in the hobby. I've seen the OBC group at dinner at Nationals, and agree it's a solid group.

[LuckyLarry]

Anthony and Al: Let me look into this. I will email our facilitator and find out what is up. Were your applications accepted?
Larry

[HercDriver]

Yeah, something seems a bit strange with that. I was in charge of the Advisory Committee for many years, and I don't ever remember anybody not getting in. The only reason guys didn't make the cut is because they didn't put down any references. Basically, make a few trades with guys, and you're in.

Take Care,
Geno

[ALR-bishop]

I just never heard back after supplying some requested info. No big deal at all. I just trade cards with Anthony to pass the time. Sometimes Bob

Actually, like Anthony, I just tend to give cards away. I sometimes mail cards I do not know what to do with to Bob...just to annoy him. I hate throwing stuff away.

Plus, my trade/want list is problematic. Larry, Anthony and Bob have all the stuff I still need :-}}

[JTysver]

I joined last year. I can say that it has been a great experience.
Moreso than just the idea of collecting cards, throughout the group there is a large font of knowledge, a passion for vintage cardboard, a desire to complete sets, and a healthy cameraderie.
It is a very active group and it also is a very caring group. Often if a fellow member is in need or just a pick me up, members jump to their need.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to travel much and don't live in the same part of the country as many other collectors, but many OBCers meet up with others when they do travel.

The best part about the club is that it essentially is collecting the way it was meant to be. It harkens back to the days of collecting for the joy of collecting. One would not find a lot of slabbed products making their way back and forth, but every so often one does pop up in someone's mailbox. Moreso, the club mostly collects raw cards.

If there is a trade, it is not a value for value trade. It usually is something that just feels right.

[obctom]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

I applied but got rejected

Al, when & why were you rejected?? Your name doesn't ring a bell but then again my memory is...um...what were we talking about again?? Seriously, we don't usually out and out reject anyone, so I am curious what happened.

I've been the New Member Coordinator for OBC for the last several years. There have a been a few guys that applied who either never followed through with getting references from OBC members (we require 3), or they were more interested in sharp NM cards, which we don't have. More often than not as of late, guys who don't know any OBC members apply, and then when I contact them with advice on how to search through our database to find a match for a simple swap -as a first step to getting an OBC to recommend them - they just never follow through (not saying any of these descriptions fit you, though. )

The only real rejection I can recall lately was when a dealer wanted to be voted in as a member just in order to be named one of our certified dealers (that's NOT how we choose certified dealers). We had a lot of bad feedback about his behavior at shows, and he was rejected. He then threw a temper tantrum & chewed me out for giving him the news.

[Griffins]

Larry- thanks, but it was 2000 or so. Dan Austin (I think) got back to me a few years later and said there had been some glitch in the system, or a changing of who approved new members, but at that point I'd given the cards away. Chris Stufflestreet always teased me about being rejected by OBC. I ended up with a few of his sets and am working on completing them but I'm doing it slowly. Otherwise my collecting focus has diverged a bit from the groups and I don't think I have anything to offer.
If there is a group that fills wantlists/trades for KBats and Square Frame Ramly's I'm all over though!

[obctom]

Originally Posted by Griffins

I applied too, and was rejected. I had a lot of '50's dupes I didn't want to sell and was happy to give away, but I never made it in.

Anthony, I don't recall the circumstances of why you were turned down. Is it possible that you didn't have three recommendations from OBC members? That's one key requirement of our application process, even if you just wanted to give your cards away; and in order to get three recommendations from guys you'd never dealt with before, or who didn't know you, we usually advise that you make a small trade (nothing major) with members in order to build up that rapport. But if the recommendations weren't there, then the Advisory Council members can't vote on membership. that's usually the biggest hangup when someone applies - they need to have three recommendations.

See my reply to Al, but let me also explain here to anyone reading that, other than a dealer with a bad attitude, I don't remember us flat-out rejecting someone. What usually happens is the scenario I described above: someone will apply & not have three recommendations because they've don't know any of the guys in the group. When I explain that they should reach out to a few members and make a very minor trade, in order to build rapport & thus get recommendations, many times they never respond to me & never reach out to get the recommendations; the 3 recommendations are a required part of the application process. We've left applications up on our site for months a time waiting for applicants to finish up but eventually we will remove the application - but I do usually try to reach out & get the applicant moving.

I can recall few guys who applied, but when I explained that we don't have EX-MT cards to send out - or even that we really aren't a traditional trading group, they decided OBC wasn't the best fit and withdrew.

We're always happy to receive applications for membership, and the guys here on Net54 (especially Leon) have been very supportive of us.

PS I'm the New Member coordinator for OBC, so if you apply, the first e-mail you'll get will be from me ;-)

[ALR-bishop]

Tom-- no worries. Me finding 3 references in the hobby would be tougher than my want list

I do remember after hearing about it I did a search for OBC and the first thing that came up was On Line Booty Call :-)

[obctom]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer1999

Hi all,

I was thinking about applying to OBC and wanted to get opinions. I am sure there are some OBC members or previous members here on NET54 and was hoping a few could share their experiences. I wanted to get a feel for the site as I did not want to waste their time and go through the application process if its not for me.

Any thoughts much appreciated.

I can't add much more than what Larry (aka Guru) and others have said about our group, other than to say check out our website at oldbaseball.com to get a feel for what we're all about, if you haven't already.

Two big things about OBC: 1) We make very few traditional trades; most of the cardboard we move is through RAOK (random act of kindness) and 2) If you're OK with "well-loved" cards, you're in the right place. NM condition isn't really our thing, although some members like the dangerous sharp corners.

If & when you apply, I'll be sending you a rather lengthy e-mail explaining things in a lot more detail (I'm the New Member Coordinator).

The best thing about being in OBC? The camaraderie. We're not just fellow collectors, we're friends, all 150+ of us - even if we've never met in person.

[obctom]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

Tom-- no worries. Me finding 3 references in the hobby would be tougher than my want list

I do remember after hearing about it I did a search for OBC and the first thing that came up was On Line Booty Call :-)

That's the secret, password-protected dark corner of OBC ;-)

[jchcollins]

I'm a former member of OBC; was active for probably 3 or 4 years in the early 2000's. I quit because quite honestly, I could not keep up with all the Random Acts of Kindness. I was not reciprocating in-kind. Then when I got back into the hobby after grad school a few years later, I had less money to spend in general and had somehow acquired a taste for cards with sharper corners. But I can't say enough about the group. What a great bunch of guys, and vast wealth of baseball card information. Occasionally I still hit up the site for articles or if there is something specific I'm looking for.

-John


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Griffins]

Tom- like I said, no big deal and it was later explained that the person in charge had had problems with his email blocking applications, or was too busy or something like that. I think I had 2 recommendations and ebay feedback was allowed for the 3rd. I would've pursued it further but by that time I'd given away the dupes and was collecting in a different way. It is a great group and friends in the group like Chris Stufflestreet (RIP), Josh Levine, Geordie Calvert and others are a testament to that.

Edited to add- I'll agree with John, the articles are a great resource, especially George Vrechek's. I've gone back to that page many times over the years.

[jchcollins]

I was Chris Stufflestreet's OBC "mentor" when he first joined 10-15 years ago. Yes, RIP and what a wonderful guy. We had many a long chat through private message about our card collections, childhood memories, the direction of the hobby and things like that. I was shocked one afternoon to read on a message board about his passing. We had fallen out of touch and I had no clue for several months. He was a really genuine guy and always willing to talk about cards. I hope his family is doing well today.


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[hangman62]

I too was OBC member for a while

great club, great people..but not for everyone

I could never get over the RAOK thing....to send off a 61T hi#..and get nothing back ... just not right to me

I went along for a while..but it just never evened out over time

I always felt ,Topps and Bowman call them " trading cards" for a reason

However, there are a few more internet card trading/collecting sites that do it the " normal way " .... these are better for the collector that wants to use - card condition/ value/price guide to line up a " fair " card swap .

[obctom]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

I was Chris Stufflestreet's OBC "mentor" when he first joined 10-15 years ago. Yes, RIP and what a wonderful guy. We had many a long chat through private message about our card collections, childhood memories, the direction of the hobby and things like that. I was shocked one afternoon to read on a message board about his passing. We had fallen out of touch and I had no clue for several months. He was a really genuine guy and always willing to talk about cards. I hope his family is doing well today.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I hope so too. After his passing, about 2 years ago, I got a call from his mother. Seems Chris' ex didn't get along with her & there was a power struggle over his daughter.

She asked if I could send her the OBC logo, which I did, and she had it added to his tombstone. RIP, Chris. Just a great guy. He is missed.

[bnorth]

I really like the idea of OBC. Just not the being in a club part. Like mentioned in a earlier post I think it would take up too much time. Being a seasonal worker I have way too much time part of the year and little to no time other parts.

I have given several members here free cards and have received free cards from several members. I also enjoy trading but for me that is much harder than just giving cards away. I just can't figure out the weird restrictions some put on trades.

After all that I will say the OBC crowd sounds like some great people.

[mrmopar]

I am one of those that may have applied in the past and was turned off by the 3 references. I probably didn't recognize 3 people by name at the time, but imagine I have dealt with many members through message boards, ebay and such over the years since I became an online card collecting presence around 1996 or so. Prior to that, I was a card shop or mail order presence dating back to the late 70s. I will admit that I don't particularly care for beater cards though. I don't mind a small amount of wear and I don't need graded cards, but missing portions/rips, heavy creasing, paper loss and such just detract too much from a card for me. I guess the only exceptions would be anything too rare and/or valuable that finding a decent copy would be cost prohibitive.

I do spend a small amount of time online each week at a number of sites to relieve stresses of the real world and slowly build on the collection (mainly through buying on ebay) but don't always find extra time to follow through quick enough on things the way "trading clubs" or sites would expect. My collection is mostly stashed away and hard to get to anything specific due to storage constraints. I would love to be more active with trading, providing scans of items of interest to others, stories, information and such, but just can't find items when the discussion comes up. My ultimate goal of complete access to and organization of my collection will likely never come to be, but if it ever does, count me in!

[LuckyLarry]

Donnie: I got you message and hope to see you soon as an OBC member!
Tom: Thanks for the follow up with Al and Anthony.
Larry (they call me Guru over there)

[ALR-bishop]

There is a variation to the Fridley Die cut, ask Housley, Dingman or Vrecheck.

[grainsley]

I got this card unannounced, from Guru, and was just a little disappointed it only got a 7 by GGS. Billy is my Hall of Mediocrity guy, which I thought would give it an automatic 9. Apparently not. (Billy was a great guy!) Guru is one tough grader.

Seriously, as a 15-20 year guy, my report is that this is a GREAT bunch of guys, who take care of each other in times of need, with no drama, I think I have met maybe a dozen of them max, but each time it was like saying hello again to someone you have known all your life. In its own way, it is a life-changer.

Grant

[Mountaineer1999]

Thanks Larry and thanks to everyone for all the feedback. It has been a very informative dialogue. I also looked up and got to read about Mr. Stufflestreet, a name I had not heard before today, and some of the things he had written. Very sad.

[HercDriver]

It's true that we send things out, not knowing what you will ever get in return. If anything. But I can tell you, you will be surprised by something, someday. I got a starter set of like fifty 1953s in Ex or better from one guy a long time ago. He also sent me some C46 cards out of the blue. I could never approach his list, not sure I ever sent him anything. A bunch of us teamed up once to buy one of our old-timers a T206 Magie for his Phillies collection. Yep...just gave it away, here you go! One of the highlights of the year is the Christmas Exchange, where we all get somebody to send to. The limit is $10...I've never seen anybody that could say they spent $10, it's always more. Maybe not in money sometimes, but in thought. I still have a cool scrapbook made up from one guy, filled with T-card beaters that I just love. Anyway, I was deployed to the Middle East one year for Christmas and ended up getting not one, but a ton of Xmas Exchange packages!

The best part is just hooking up with guys in your travels, and catching a beer or a game. When we were trying to sell our house in Florida, we heard we were supposed to bury a St Joseph in our yard. Instead, we had an OBCer over for dinner, a Catholic priest from New Orleans, who would get the kids King cakes each year. He slept over, and we sold the house two days later...so don't bury a saint, just have grub and beers with a priest. I have probably met over 50 OBCers, and it's always like meeting a college friend, even though you don't know them. I would never hesitate to offer up my guest room to any of them...ever.

So it's not about a fair trade. What VCP says this card is worth. Sure, some guys collect "good stuff" and they are welcome, but they get it. I actually have one of the hardest lists to hit in OBC and send out "more" than I "get." But what I "get" isn't measured in cards. Who cares? I like friends better than cards. And that's what you get in OBC. You get friends...

Take Care,
Geno

Originally Posted by hangman62

I too was OBC member for a while

great club, great people..but not for everyone

I could never get over the RAOK thing....to send off a 61T hi#..and get nothing back ... just not right to me

I went along for a while..but it just never evened out over time

I always felt ,Topps and Bowman call them " trading cards" for a reason

However, there are a few more internet card trading/collecting sites that do it the " normal way " .... these are better for the collector that wants to use - card condition/ value/price guide to line up a " fair " card swap .

[NateMack]

I am an OBCer, simply stated, I love the group! I enjoy sending cards out and I really enjoy when the mail brings a package. The guys are an encyclopedia of knowledge and are glad to share. I am in a couple other groups that focus more on trading and that is also fun, so there are is something out there for everyone.

OBC Rules!

Thanks,
Nate Mack

[RedlegsFan]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I really like the idea of OBC. Just not the being in a club part. Like mentioned in a earlier post I think it would take up too much time. Being a seasonal worker I have way too much time part of the year and little to no time other parts.



I have given several members here free cards and have received free cards from several members. I also enjoy trading but for me that is much harder than just giving cards away. I just can't figure out the weird restrictions some put on trades.



After all that I will say the OBC crowd sounds like some great people.

Bmorth,
Sounds like numerous members in the group. Several of us are active card collectors during winter months with nothing to do but shovel snow. Then, ironically dont dig into cards much during the baseball season, because of seasonal work or elevated frequency in family obligations.

Very diverse group. All connected by the passion for the hobby, its cards and the sports they depict. Some just like the social or "club" aspect, and others sorta prefer to stay out of the buzz and just git down to the biz and do cardboard stuff...

We love the exposure on Net54, and love the people in this hobby. As an advisory committee member, I'm always excited to see new member applicants.

Thanks,
Wes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JTysver]

Originally Posted by mrmopar

I am one of those that may have applied in the past and was turned off by the 3 references. I probably didn't recognize 3 people by name at the time, but imagine I have dealt with many members through message boards, ebay and such over the years since I became an online card collecting presence around 1996 or so. Prior to that, I was a card shop or mail order presence dating back to the late 70s. I will admit that I don't particularly care for beater cards though. I don't mind a small amount of wear and I don't need graded cards, but missing portions/rips, heavy creasing, paper loss and such just detract too much from a card for me. I guess the only exceptions would be anything too rare and/or valuable that finding a decent copy would be cost prohibitive.

I do spend a small amount of time online each week at a number of sites to relieve stresses of the real world and slowly build on the collection (mainly through buying on ebay) but don't always find extra time to follow through quick enough on things the way "trading clubs" or sites would expect. My collection is mostly stashed away and hard to get to anything specific due to storage constraints. I would love to be more active with trading, providing scans of items of interest to others, stories, information and such, but just can't find items when the discussion comes up. My ultimate goal of complete access to and organization of my collection will likely never come to be, but if it ever does, count me in!

I think moreso that OBC recognizes these cards. There are a couple people who collect mostly torn or ripped up cards, but most are set collectors who want a whole card for their sets. Most of what I receive is roughly VG to Ex or so. However, I do receive some that are Tipton Mint, and those always make me smile.

[obctom]

Donnie - looks like we are having some problem with the OBC application page. I asked Brian Betza to contact you, but I figured I'd post here as well. I've asked our webmaster to look into it. For some reason, none of us on the Advisory Committee are seeing any new applications - even a test application I created. So, hang tight & hopefully we'll get it ironed out quickly. It's on our end; you aren't doing anything wrong.

I think somebody forgot to feed the hamster that powers the wheel that runs the internet this week.

[obcbobd]

Hi

Been in OBC since 1999. I know at one point there was a cap at 150 members, but that is no longer the case. If someone really wants to join, and doesn't know anyone, just send a couple members emails asking to trade. That's how I started out, I believe with Geno Wagner. We do consider ourselves more of a group of friends, rather than traders, which is why we have the reference requirement, we also ask that people understand and are ok with sending out (and receiving) cards randomly. And despite what some may have you believe your cards do not have to have holes, mustaches etc. Usually, G/VG is about average.

Also, anyone applying should mentioned Net54 as we have a lot of members in both groups. And most (perhaps all) like Leon as much as he likes use :-)

If your on the fence give it a try!

Bob Donaldson

p.s. Hi John Collins and Ralph G. miss you both!

[Mountaineer1999]

Thanks Tom,
Brian reached out this morning to let me know. You see my value as a member already.... not even in the door yet and identifying problem areas.