Questions from a Youngster

[KMayUSA6060]

Let me preface this post by apologizing for the length of it.

That being said, here we go. My name is Kyle. I'm 21 years of age (22 on Sept. 1st; presents in the form of cardboard are welcome ) from the Akron, OH, area. No, this is not an introduction, just a little background for me and my collection. I collect anything from Jim Thome, Cleveland Browns/Cavs/Indians, and modern baseball, to vintage baseball and even Pre-War baseball.

I attended my 2nd ever National this year in AC, and had a blast. My girlfriend and I met a lot of great people, developing some quality connections. Throughout our time there conversing with different dealers and collectors, many people were shocked that a 21 year old collected vintage/Pre-War (most of my targets at National fell in those categories). I shared with them my reasons for interest in those eras and in certain cards from those eras (ex. T207 Grover Hartley was my grandpa and uncle's manager in the minor leagues in '40 and '39 respectively). While I added some amazing cards to my collection from these great dealers, it made me even more hungry for cards.

I've been bitten by the bug in recent months, constantly wanting to purchase or organize. As a 21 year old, with 21 year old income, the purchasing part is difficult (especially because I'm in the market for an engagement ring, and have been matching any amount of money spent on cards and putting it into an engagement ring fund). Thus leading me to type this post, and consider the following questions.

1) For those who collect, do you fund any part of your collection through flipping?

2) If you don't flip, do you do anything special - other than just saving - to fund your collection?
- For example, I've made and sold pallet wood homeplates to help fund the engagement ring. I'm considering continuing this to fund my collection once I buy the ring.

3) How can you tell if a vintage or Pre-War card is authentic or fake? Graded cards obviously bring more of a premium, yet raw cards can be risky for an uneducated soul such as myself.

4) How do you organize your priorities/wants and stay on budget? Is it as simple as staying disciplined, or are there little tips and tricks?

I'm always looking to learn, especially when it comes to this hobby. Any advice is welcome! Thank you in advance!

[clydepepper]

Kyle - Most of what you have asked will come from experience and any experience involves a certain amount of risk.

So, decide what you have as disposable funds and stick to it.

Don't be afraid to make offers for less than what is advertised...some buyers will act offended, but, hey, it only hurts for a little while.

Starting out, I would recommend doing as much research as you can on whatever item you intend to pursue.

There is no replacement for doing a proper amount of 'leg work'. This involves watching realized prices from both auction houses and ebay.

Auction Houses usually have archives you can search but ebay has 'sold items' which only goes back so far. Either resource, however, will bring you a 'snapshot' of the market for that specific item.

There are a lot of Net54 members who are very happy to see new blood in the hobby and will treat you fairly. They are a great source of hobby knowledge.

Don't ever be afraid to ask.

Good Luck,
Raymond

[Mark70Z]

You'll possibly get endless opinions on how to collect, but I'll just give my perspective.

1. I personally don't flip to gain money for my collection. I do, every once in while, sell something that no longer fits into the PC.

2. I save and have a budget for how much I spend on collecting. For me it's just a hobby so I don't want to go in any type of debt for cardboard and/or memorabilia.

3. If you're not that educated on the raw I'd personally purchase in slabs, possibly lower grade, at first. Purchase some low grade cards raw that are authentic and start the learning process.

4. Really it is about being disciplined. Also, don't get discouraged if you don't come out on top on something you really want. It's all just stuff anyway.

As I'm sure you heard, "collect what you like" and it'll be good...

[vintagerookies51]

As a 19 year old college student, I can relate.

1. I have "flipped" cards several times if I think I got a really good deal on it to begin with, and didn't absolutely need the card. For the most part, I've sold cards about a year or so after getting them to fund for other cards I want. I've noticed that cards are a decent investment, especially pre-war HOFers, so if you sell a card a year after buying it you'll make some profit.

2. Other than that, I just try to work as much as I can, and save money when I can. Did make a small investment in silver but that's about it.

3. Some are easier to tell than others. For certain cards, like my Jackie Robinson collection, I prefer to buy graded. But with all the knowledgeable T206 collectors on the board, I've become pretty good at distinguishing counterfeits from authentic cards, and prefer to buy those raw. You'll learn a lot from the people on the board.

4. I have a somewhat small want list, but occasionally I'll buy stuff I want. For example, I'm mainly focusing on Jackie rookies, but I recently bought a 1933 Ruth because it's one of my favorite cards in the hobby. I just keep in mind that if a Jackie rookie within my price range comes, I can always sell the Ruth to fund for the cards I "need".

[glchen]

Here's my advice:

(0) Don't go into debt buying cards. Don't use money you need for other necessities (like food and rent) to buy cards. Purchase your girlfriend's engagement ring first, and don't skimp on that because there was a card you HAD to buy.

OK, now that is out of the way...

(1) Prices have gone up considerably recently, where it is becoming harder to harder to flip unless you purchased a while ago. Saying that, it is still possible to find a good deal here and there. However, when you are collecting, you should try to focus in a certain area if possible. That way, you can become somewhat of an expert in that area, both in determining authenticity of those types of cards, and seeing when cards that in that area are a good deal. Then if you have the funds, you can purchase some cards for resale later. However, as before, you shouldn't take too much risk in that for example, you need to re-sell within two months or you can't pay your credit card bill or something like that.

(2) The other common way to fund your collection via cards is buying cards in lots. For example, an auction may be selling a lot of 15 cards, but you only want one for your collection. You buy the lot for that one card, but re-sell the other 14. As long as you do your due diligence in determining what you can re-sell the lot for, you can often come out ahead in cases like this.

(3) As others said, this often takes experience. Usually the best way if to have purchase raw cards, and "get to know them." That is when you see and feel authentic cards in front of you, you can get to know what is real and what is fake. For example, the paper stock is different. There are black light tests that you can do because modern paper fluoresces while paper stock from prewar does not. Some modern type fonts did not exist in prewar, and so forth. So how do you start out getting authentic raw cards? Purchase from trusted, well known dealers. Avoid sellers on ebay with low feedback. If the deal seems to be too good on ebay, it is usually because it is, and the experienced buyers are avoiding those listings because they know the card isn't real (or at best, it's trimmed/altered).

(4) Be disciplined in your purchasing, and none of this "what the heck, let's put in another bid!" Determine a price that you think is the reasonable price for a card, and stick to that price. If the card is on ebay, using a sniping tool, and then forget about the auction. Sniping avoids the psychology where you feel you need to put more bids on a card.

Good luck!

[bravos4evr]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

1) For those who collect, do you fund any part of your collection through flipping?

2) If you don't flip, do you do anything special - other than just saving - to fund your collection?
- For example, I've made and sold pallet wood homeplates to help fund the engagement ring. I'm considering continuing this to fund my collection once I buy the ring.

3) How can you tell if a vintage or Pre-War card is authentic or fake? Graded cards obviously bring more of a premium, yet raw cards can be risky for an uneducated soul such as myself.

4) How do you organize your priorities/wants and stay on budget? Is it as simple as staying disciplined, or are there little tips and tricks?

I'm always looking to learn, especially when it comes to this hobby. Any advice is welcome! Thank you in advance!

Nice to meet ya Kyle and glad you enjoy collecting old stuff!

now to your questions!

1- not me, not yet, I rarely sell anything unless it's stuff that I got in a lot I have no interest in (I bought a lot of Braves autographed baseballs for example, that also included a Kevin McReynolds ball, and since he's a Met, I'm trying to move it, but I don't acquire to flip for profits to fund other stuff)

2-I actually just started running Karaoke at a local bar on Sun and Mon nights for the express purpose of using that $$$ to fund my T206 collection, so yes! (crap I just noticed I have to leave soon to go do just that!)

3-there is no easy way to answer this, you just have to study and learn, but this place is a treasure trove of knowledge and if you have a question, ask here and someone will always help you out! (but for really old stuff, beware of clean white creases and uniform brown colors, that can be a giveaway to fakes being aged recently)

4-This is the toughest thing IMO, in all of card/baseball stuff collecting: focus.....
I used to collect all sorts of stuff when I was younger, but then I slimmed it down to just rookies, but that got boring. Then I quit collecting for awhile, when I came back I made a decision to stick to Braves stuff and T206. That doesn't mean if i find something else at a price I like i won't buy it, but I willstop and think about if it's something I really want or just an impulse buy. YMMV

Hope that helps!



P.S. get off my lawn!

[steve B]

My comments added in red

Steve B

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

1) For those who collect, do you fund any part of your collection through flipping?

I used to do a bit of that, mostly buying big lots of Junk to work towards sets and selling the leftovers when I got too many. Flipped some stuff that was better when I got it, but it wasn't usually planned. Pretty much stopped when my first child was born, sales had slowed on junk lots anyway.
2) If you don't flip, do you do anything special - other than just saving - to fund your collection?
- For example, I've made and sold pallet wood homeplates to help fund the engagement ring. I'm considering continuing this to fund my collection once I buy the ring.

That sounds like a good plan. I haven't done much special to fund the collection, but I started when things were cheap and most of my income was available to spend. I've had stretches of relative inactivity when prices have jumped a bit too much or I was more into another hobby

3) How can you tell if a vintage or Pre-War card is authentic or fake? Graded cards obviously bring more of a premium, yet raw cards can be risky for an uneducated soul such as myself.

If you have some focus, it's a bit easier. Becoming familiar with older cards is much harder today than it was when I started, Back then most dealers had stacks of old stuff, and it was seldom in any sort of holder unless it was a star or in really nice condition. So pretty much anyone interested could handle hundreds of prewar cards. Today they're generally in some sort of holder, and the prices don't usually allow for access to large lots unless you get a find or buy a big lot from an auction. Handling the cards you want to collect even if they're in bad shape is probably the best way to get a feel for what's "right" and what's not. I'm lucky in having the sort of mind that picks up the physical details well. Without that it's a lot more work. I'd say buy some commons in G-VG, maybe nice looking but creased, but whatever you can afford. Handle them, get familiar with the feel and look of them, and you're well on the way. Don't be afraid to take a chance, especially a small one on a card you like. (What a small chance is is up to you) At the same time, don't think you must buy a card if it doesn't seem "right"

4) How do you organize your priorities/wants and stay on budget? Is it as simple as staying disciplined, or are there little tips and tricks?

I've rarely done that. I've always been on a comparatively small budget, so I've become mostly an opportunist collector. My wants are pretty much any card I don't have yet. I sometimes prioritize something, like when there was a local auction I'd pick maybe 10 things I was interested in, figure out how much I was willing to pay and sticking to that. If I lost earlier items or won them for less than I'd expected I might go a bit more for one of the later items. That list would change during the preview, some cards weren't as nice in person, others were more interesting. Sometimes a lot would get little interest and I'd go off my list for a bargain. Don't rule out local antique auctions, flea markets, shows for other hobbies (Yes, I've bought cards and baseball memorabilia at bottle shows, stamp shows, even at a restauraunt china show. ) So my collection is fairly eclectic.
Some people work much better and are happier with a more focused collection, I've done that a bit with my other hobbies. It's really up to you what and how you collect. There's a very wide range of collection types on the board, and that's part of what's cool about it.

I'm always looking to learn, especially when it comes to this hobby. Any advice is welcome! Thank you in advance!

[EvilKing00]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

1) For those who collect, do you fund any part of your collection through flipping?

2) If you don't flip, do you do anything special - other than just saving - to fund your collection?
- For example, I've made and sold pallet wood homeplates to help fund the engagement ring. I'm considering continuing this to fund my collection once I buy the ring.

3) How can you tell if a vintage or Pre-War card is authentic or fake? Graded cards obviously bring more of a premium, yet raw cards can be risky for an uneducated soul such as myself.

4) How do you organize your priorities/wants and stay on budget? Is it as simple as staying disciplined, or are there little tips and tricks?

I'm always looking to learn, especially when it comes to this hobby. Any advice is welcome! Thank you in advance!

1-i rarely sell / flip, only to make some room or if i have doubles.

2- funding my collecting with my job

3 - fakes take time and exp to spot, buying graded cards will help, esp till u learn

4- take your time, i personally collect t205,s & babe ruth - not sure what will b next after i finish the t205 set. probably t3's

Like many have said everyone collects differently - collect what u love is the most important thing. And just some advice for a 21 year old:

You have plenty of time to buy cards and build your collection, take your time. Make sure u pay your bills, and take care of your girlfriend first. Ahh to be 21 again.., enjoy yourself your only young once.

The first rule to collecting is there is no rule. Collect what you like and if you want/need to flip cards, and are successful at it, to help fund the hobby it certainly can help off set the costs of collecting...which can be quite expensive depending on your collecting focus. Study the market, understand what things should sell for roughly in certain grades, and use the resources at your disposal to track sales/trends in the market. If you can afford it, try to focus pick-ups to HOF'ers and always buy things you can afford and would be happy to keep in the event you can't sell quickly or the market changes. Don't over extend yourself financially, as already mentioned but, as with most things in life, a little calculated risk can sometimes yield the greatest rewards. Just do your research and remember that sometimes the best deal is the deal you don't make. These are just general things that I always try to keep in mind, and they seem to serve me pretty well.

[Yoda]

Take your National experience and try to establish a relationship with the solid, straight shooting dealers. I presume you picked up name cards at the show and can make contact. Why not buy a low grade T206 from one you met and liked and start taking about the set. You might never get off the 'phone. The amount of knowledge out there is astronomical with this board being at the sharp end of all things prewar. Best of luck.

[KMayUSA6060]

You guys are fantastic. I'm on this board quite often, constantly reading different threads to pick up little tidbits of knowledge. Y'all never disappoint with the vast amounts of experience that is shared.

I appreciate the advice to stay humble and in my lane. Rest assured, my girlfriend is my #1 priority, and will definitely be taken care of (my wallet is crying as I type this). I am also fiscally responsible, and bills are always knocked out.

Any other advice/comments are definitely welcome!

[JollyElm]

Here's a great little something to keep in mind…

When you're at a card show, wait until the closing moments when all the dealers are just beginning to pack up all of their stuff, and then start negotiating like crazy with them for things you had your eye on. Most of the time you can grab up some great deals in these waning moments, because they're happy to rack up that last minute revenue even if it requires them to become very, very flexible.

Good luck and welcome aboard!!

[nat]

"1) For those who collect, do you fund any part of your collection through flipping?"

No. I don't trust myself enough to bet that I'm going to make money on a card. I treat all of them as pure consumption. My advice if you want to try it would be to only buy a card if you would be comfortable adding it to your collection at the price you are going to pay for it, should you not be able to move it.


"2) If you don't flip, do you do anything special - other than just saving - to fund your collection?"

No to this also. My collecting interests are inexpensive enough that saving isn't really necessary either. Baseball card collecting can be very expensive, but it doesn't have to be. It really depends on what kind of a hobby you want this to be. Personally, I'd just like to have fun with it; competing on PSA registries and the like sounds stressful, and I'd rather not do it.


"3) How can you tell if a vintage or Pre-War card is authentic or fake? Graded cards obviously bring more of a premium, yet raw cards can be risky for an uneducated soul such as myself."

This is really the big question. Since I buy low-dollar cards I buy raw all the time; low prices reduces the risk of fakes/reprints, but doesn't eliminate it.

On-line, you can avoid most scams by being cautious. If it's "being sold as a reprint", it's a reprint. If it's an ungraded T206 Wagner (etc.) it's a reprint. If it's expensive and ungraded, be very careful and investigate thoroughly. If it's expensive and they have limited feedback, be very cautious. Many (but not all) of the scammers on eBay won't click the "Original" designation, filtering your searches for that will eliminate lots of them.

On eBay, be very careful with people who don't usually sell cards. They will sometimes think that they have something original, and their listing won't be suspicious, and they'll have lots of good feedback, but since they don't often handle cards they might not be able to tell real cards from fakes. Sometimes they do have good stuff, but if buying raw look at what they usually sell and proceed with caution if you see lots of lawn gnomes and christmas ornaments.

The best advice when looking at the cards themselves really is to know what you're looking at. Most reprints have obvious problems, and familiarity with the set (and sometimes the specific card) will help you spot them. For others, I find a 60x magnifier helpful. Printing technologies have changed over time (and vary from issue to issue) and it's hard to fake things at the microscopic level. Under magnification it's usually easy to tell modern cards from pre-war originals. Here too you want to be familiar with the issue: know what originals look like under the magnifier, know which sections are solid ink and which use a dot pattern, etc.

A black light is also useful. Pre-war cards won't glow *brightly* under a black light. Get used to what the specific issue looks like under the light, it's not as simple as "glows/doesn't". Some post war cards will glow a lot, some will glow a little, others won't at all. For some issues the cardboard doesn't glow but the ink does (once looked at a 1986 Topps under a black light for some reason; cardboard was invisible but the ink looked like special effects from Tron).

"4) How do you organize your priorities/wants and stay on budget? Is it as simple as staying disciplined, or are there little tips and tricks?"

If you can tell other people how to stay on budget you should really write a self-help book, make millions of dollars, and buy whatever cards you want.

But one important thing to remember is that, unless you're going after really really rare stuff (which, of course, I never do), there's always going to be another one. Don't feel like you MUST buy this one; you don't have to. And the chase is half of the fun anyway, don't feel bad about missing out on a card because it went over your budget. That just means that you get to keep chasing it.

[Bestdj777]

I started getting into cards right around the same age as you (I'm 32 now). My advice is so your research--both on the engagement ring and the baseball cards. For rings, I went with a diamond broker and saved many, many thousand as a result, leading to a nicer ring and some more baseball cards.

For cards, I set a monthly budget and have that money forwarded to a separate bank account, meaning I don't have to touch my regular account to buy cards and I somewhat stay fiscally responsible. I rarely flip cards as I've been stuck holding duplicates on too many occasions as a result. I do buy lots and sell the cards I don't need sometimes--I just make sure that the math really does work before making the deal.

Enjoy the hobby but keep in mind that there are so many things that are more important than baseball cards...

[Billy5858]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

I started getting into cards right around the same age as you (I'm 32 now). My advice is so your research--both on the engagement ring and the baseball cards. For rings, I went with a diamond broker and saved many, many thousand as a result, leading to a nicer ring and some more baseball cards.

For cards, I set a monthly budget and have that money forwarded to a separate bank account, meaning I don't have to touch my regular account to buy cards and I somewhat stay fiscally responsible. I rarely flip cards as I've been stuck holding duplicates on too many occasions as a result. I do buy lots and sell the cards I don't need sometimes--I just make sure that the math really does work before making the deal.

Enjoy the hobby but keep in mind that there are so many things that are more important than baseball cards...

Good advise

* Mantle Master Set 391/398 WOW!!

[KMayUSA6060]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

I started getting into cards right around the same age as you (I'm 32 now). My advice is so your research--both on the engagement ring and the baseball cards. For rings, I went with a diamond broker and saved many, many thousand as a result, leading to a nicer ring and some more baseball cards.

For cards, I set a monthly budget and have that money forwarded to a separate bank account, meaning I don't have to touch my regular account to buy cards and I somewhat stay fiscally responsible. I rarely flip cards as I've been stuck holding duplicates on too many occasions as a result. I do buy lots and sell the cards I don't need sometimes--I just make sure that the math really does work before making the deal.

Enjoy the hobby but keep in mind that there are so many things that are more important than baseball cards...

I like the separate bank account idea. I have 2 bank accounts already, and have been looking for a 3rd and final one offering a Cash incentive for opening an account, just for the purpose of another checking account for cards and a savings account for other stuff (ex. my Huntington savings account is strictly for the Ring).

I'm going to PM you about the ring/diamond. I have some questions about that... Haha. Nice Mantle collection by the way!

[KMayUSA6060]

I've seen a couple people mention the Black Light method for determining fakes when it comes to vintage/Pre-War.

How do you do this at a show, or is this an at-home method while bringing a magnifying tool would be used at a show?

[Leon]

Very smart indeed. Keep this attitude and you will do fine (in life too).

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

You guys are fantastic. I'm on this board quite often, constantly reading different threads to pick up little tidbits of knowledge. Y'all never disappoint with the vast amounts of experience that is shared.

I appreciate the advice to stay humble and in my lane. Rest assured, my girlfriend is my #1 priority, and will definitely be taken care of (my wallet is crying as I type this). I am also fiscally responsible, and bills are always knocked out.

Any other advice/comments are definitely welcome!

[x2drich2000]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

1) For those who collect, do you fund any part of your collection through flipping?

2) If you don't flip, do you do anything special - other than just saving - to fund your collection?
- For example, I've made and sold pallet wood homeplates to help fund the engagement ring. I'm considering continuing this to fund my collection once I buy the ring.

3) How can you tell if a vintage or Pre-War card is authentic or fake? Graded cards obviously bring more of a premium, yet raw cards can be risky for an uneducated soul such as myself.

4) How do you organize your priorities/wants and stay on budget? Is it as simple as staying disciplined, or are there little tips and tricks?

I'm always looking to learn, especially when it comes to this hobby. Any advice is welcome! Thank you in advance!

1). Ok, I'll admit to flipping cards to help fund my collection, however, it seems like for every $100 I make flipping, I spend $200 on my own collection. I will also point out a few obvious things to keep in mind that I think some tend to forget. 1. Just cause you sold a card for X, doesn't mean you made X amount. 2. It takes time - both in finding cards to buy at an attractive price and also in selling. Make sure your are comfortable with the amount of time spent compared to the amount made. 3. Know the lowest amount cards have sold for before you buy. This will give you a minimum amount you can use to figure out how much to spend. 4. Before buying, don't forget to factor in fees, both on the selling side (eBay, PayPal, shipping, etc) and the buying side (buyers premium, tax, shipping, etc) and add in a certain amount as a cushion/anticipated profit margin.

2) I don't do anything special. Given my personal circumstances getting a second job isn't an option, but with flipping I have the flexibility to scan and list when I have the time, energy, and desire.

3) As mentioned previously, the more you handle cards the more familiar you'll get.

4) Right now, my main collecting focus is quite narrow and the cards are not easily found, therefore when something comes up I need, I usually will do whatever I can to get it unless it is way outside my budget. For the rest of the sets I'm working on, I generally won't even pay market so it has to be a good deal, then I'm left deciding whether to flip it or keep it.

One other thing I'll add, make sure your girl really wants a fancy engagement ring before you spend a lot. There is a lot more to getting engaged and married than just a ring. My wife never wears jewelry and she would feel very uncomfortable and anxious wearing an engagement ring of any significant value. As a result, I barely spent anything on her ring, but made sure the proposal itself was special, in our own unique way.

DJ

[ALR-bishop]

I started buying my first cards in 1957 from a corner sore at the end of our block. I wonder what the guy behind the counter would have said back then had I asked him how I should go about collecting baseball cards

Hope you enjoy your collecting KMay. It has always just been a hobby for me and I like it that way.

[bravos4evr]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

I like the separate bank account idea. I have 2 bank accounts already, and have been looking for a 3rd and final one offering a Cash incentive for opening an account, just for the purpose of another checking account for cards and a savings account for other stuff (ex. my Huntington savings account is strictly for the Ring).

I'm going to PM you about the ring/diamond. I have some questions about that... Haha. Nice Mantle collection by the way!

I got one of those AMEX bluebird cards that I only use for my paypal account, I have to load it manually so it makes me really think about my budget when I'm waiting in line to stick cash on it.

something to consider

[nat]

Blacklight is a strictly "at home" thing. It has to be dark to use it, so it won't help you at a show. Take a loupe with you though. It's easier to use and gives you better information anyway.

[KMayUSA6060]

Thank you all, again, for all of the tips, advice, and experience.

I was thinking about why I started this thread, and it hit me. I have a lot of interests (very raw woodworking skills, sports fanatic, sports cards, politics, etc.), which sports and sports cards being the most common theme in my life. Part of being younger is having the freedom (somewhat) to explore income methods. My parents always told me to do what I love in life, and I'll never have to work a day. And that's part of why I started this thread, is to explore the option of maybe working with cards for a living, or at least provide a solid supplementary income with cards.

Now I am completely aware to just enjoy collecting. And I do. Trust me. But if I can make some money off of it as well, without jeopardizing my collection/collecting, why not?

The other reason for creating this thread was just to get some tips and tricks about collecting and the hobby in general. I'm trying to stay more focused, and the tips are definitely helping.

[Touch'EmAll]

Buy what you can comfortably afford.

Go for PSA & SGC - keeps away doctored cards

Buy the best condition you can comfortably afford.

I know a lot of set guys out there, but consider sticking to big name players.

Its ok to only acquire a few cards per year.

Remember centering is very important.

Good luck & have fun!

[Billy5858]

Originally Posted by bravos4evr

I got one of those AMEX bluebird cards that I only use for my paypal account, I have to load it manually so it makes me really think about my budget when I'm waiting in line to stick cash on it.

something to consider

+1 Great idea....... My PP account is
still connected to my checking account
NO BUENO!!

[ls7plus]

Very good advice all the way around. Also, stay in touch with the threads on this board with regard to counterfeit third party grading service holders and indications as to when a PSA or SGC holder has been opened, a card substituted, and the holder resealed.

Best of luck to you,

Larry