condition of cards collected

[Archive]

Posted By: joe

1st of all I love the scans of all the cards posted on this site. I sometimes wonder if I set my sights to high on cards in better condition. I know when I started collecting over 30 years ago, I and most collectors strived for the highest and best condition on cards collected. Since I have found this site I see more and more cards with tears, pieces missing and creases, raw and graded. Some of these cards are rare, others are not. I applaud the collectors who collect lower graded cards I guess my question is, is it always price or the collector just wants the card no matter what condition and does not care about resale value? I don't want this post to offend anyone, I have cards in lower condition, example SGC 10 Houtemann Glendale, not vintage, but scarce, or Ty Cobb Sports Kings in SGC 30.

Any comments appreciated

Thanks joe

[Archive]

Posted By: Brett

I collect low grade pre war cards. I don't have the tens of thousands of dollars to by high grade cards. I just think the lower grade cards look neat in used shape. When i see a real t206 PSA 8 for example, it just looks like a reprint in a way, i think the lower grade cards have more character with slightly rounded corners, and maybe a crease here and there, doesn't bother me. I guess later on i will gradually start to upgrade, but low grade is fine for me because I don't collect these cards to sell 3 days later and make a profit, i collect them because i like them !

[Archive]

Posted By: Dustan Hedlin

I'm pretty new here, as I just started collecting 206's about a month ago. Starting off, I'm buying lower grade (PSA 2/3, SGC 30/40) cards right now for a few different reasons. I want to be sure that this is something I will stick with for a while, and if it isn't, I don't want to have spent a bunch of money on stuff I don't want. Also, I don't have the money to spend on PSA 5 and up of most cards, especially the HOFer's that I want. Right now I am looking for a nice Evers, and I can't see spending $200 or $300 more for a grade or two higher if I find a PSA 2 that is eye appealing to me. I also somewhat agree with the previous poster about the higher graded ones. They just don't have the same feel of the ones that are a little beat up. They're 100 years old; they're not supposed to be perfect. I'm about 85% sure that my 206's will never leave my collection, so as long as I'm happy with the look of the card, that's all that matters. The only reason I'm only buying graded stuff right now is so I don't slip up and buy a reprint or a trimmed card. Once I get more familiar with those, I'll start buying raw ones, hopefully cheaper.

[Archive]

Posted By: Ray

In my own, very humble opinion...I feel the same way as Dustan and Brett. First of all, I don't have the huge bank account to support buying high grade stuff. Secondly, a pre-war card looks "wrong" to me in a 5 or 6 holder. Most look no different to me than a reprint made a few years ago and have a lot less character in my opinion. My only concern when buying pre-war is that the card is not altered, has minimal staining, minimal paper loss, and no writing on it.

[Archive]

Posted By: joe brennan

Money is the driving force for me. I buy the best that I can afford and most of the time it is T206's in the PSA 4 range for commons. I will splurge for a few HOFer's in 3-4. If a PSA 1 or 2 has great eye appeal and paper loss or glue on the back thats ok with me too. I recently bought 2 HOF's with PSA 6 fronts in PSA 1 holders for under $80 each. I would rather have that damage than a heavily crease card for the same grade. Buy the card and not the holder.

A scared man can't gamble and a jealous man can't work.

[Archive]

Posted By: Al C.risafulli

Depends what I'm collecting.

For 1938 Goudey, I'm constantly upgrading, looking for the highest-grade cards I can find within my budget level. My set stands right now at a 5.8 grade (PSA), although I have many 7s and a few 8s. I'll often upgrade within the grade, for example replacing a 6 with a nicer 6.

For my HOF set, which is probably my key set, I look for the highest-grade card that makes sense based on my budget and the era. This means I try and obtain 1960s to the present cards in SGC 88 and above, 1950s I'll take lower, and prewar even lower than that, right down to SGC 10s, depending on the card. The more scarce the issue, the lower grade I'll take.

For my T205 set, I'm building it in low to mid grade, mostly SGC 40 and below, although I've managed to get a couple higher, almost by accident (buying a raw card that grades well).

When I latch onto T206s, I often get them in even lower grades than that - mostly raw, mostly in fair to good condition. No reason, other than I kinda think it's cool to have a 100-year-old card that's been well-handled and hasn't been tucked away without seeing the light of day for all this time.

-Al

[Archive]

Posted By: anthony

glad to hear im not the only "budget buyer" out there...i like eye appeal, period. as long as it looks good on the front, i'll allow the minor crease or paperloss, even some minor pencil marks on the back. i'll splurge for certain cards and get a higher grade, 9 out of 10 of my t206 hofer's are grades of 50/4 sgc, or 4 psa and gai. i do have a 1914 cj ty cobb that looks like a 4 or higher but has a smudge on the bat, cant tell if its a caramel stain or a "finger dirt/oil" but it definitely looks good

[Archive]

Posted By: Anonymous

I've only slightly read over the other posts in this thread, but from my point I simply collect the cards where I can find them. I prefer at least to have all four corners, but in the case of the 1928 Star Player Candy cards, finding the card at all is the challenge. Then there is of course the 1921-23 E220's:



The E220's are the proverbial ugly redheaded stepchild, but I collect them because they have pictures of the players not found in any other set and their production with the varying lengths, widths and miscuts are unlike any other set.

I also do not have a big bank account and I realize that, for the most part, cards had for years only trade and not monetary value. If, over the years, only the most avid collectors kept their cards in top shape, then most cards are going to have corner wear, at least a crease or two and any possible other flaw picked up over the years. The cards pickup their own personality and appearance over time. I, frankly, would rather have a lot of cards in mid-grade shape than one in top grade. I like quantity and I also don't have to worry in most cases if the card has been altered or bleached.

[Archive]

Posted By: RayB

I like to think of the lower grade cards as "well loved" rather than "worn". Seems to me that the low grade T-206, for instance, really looks proper and real and right as a card with flaws. Dings, Creases, and stains really don't bother me.
Don't get me wrong; a nice condition T-206 is a beauty to behold but there is something just a little unreal about. Those low graders are what my eye has been looking at for so long that it just looks right; the way they're meant to be.
For A few of the newer guys to the set that have posted here, who have approached it from the bottom up on a budget; keep at it and patience. I now have in the neighborhood of 160 different by plodding my way through the low graders over the last two or three years myself. I marvel at these cards; sometimes having to shake myself to actually believe I own them. And I've been collecting one set or another for 35 years. The low grade T-206's have done that for me.
Check out my humble low grade PSA effort here:

http://www.psacard.com/set_registry/display_cards.chtml?rsetid=33376&alltime=no&rank=43&tied=0&requesttimeout=9999

RayB

[Archive]

Posted By: jay behrens

I am sort of the anti-collector, in that instead of trying to upgrade my cards, I am looking to downgrade. If I have 2 cards of a player, I will keep the lower grade of the two, if presentable, and sel the higher grade one so I can get more bang for my buck.

I've been on both sides. In the 80s I wanted the best. Today, I want the worst. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I still collect the lower grade cards. I just like the look and feel of well loved card. As someone else mentioned, PSA8+ cards look pretty, but they also somewhat like reprints and they are very sterile looking.

Jay

Growing old is not optional, growing up is.

[Archive]

Posted By: Geno

I tend toward the lower end of the scale - as a matter of fact, if you have any T202 center or end panels you don't want, let me know so I can "build" some T202s for my binder!

Take Care, Geno

[Archive]

Posted By: James Gallo

Like a lot of the others here I like the look of low to mid grade cards.
With my cracker jacks I had a base set and have been filling in the holes. I pretty much wouldn't buy any card under SGC 30 PSA 2 as my goal is probably to have an average VG set with some higher and some major cards lower.
My Johnson have a SGC 70 or better front but a good amount of paper loss to the back so it's in a SGC 10 holder. This doesn't bother me at all as if the card was perfect I wouldn't own it.
Ideally at some point I wouldn't mind upgrading but it would have to be a card that looks nice otherwise I would rather keep what I have.

Unlike some of the others here I think you should have a few higher grade cards in your set. I just picked up a SGC 84 and it just looks pretty amazing, when I see the SGC 88-96 I Am in awe. So I advise everyone to have at least 1 high grade card in their sets.

I also agree that at this point I would rather but several low grade cards then one minty card.
If a higher grade example turns up and it is a card I need I have often just bought it, as it fills a hole and also gets me a good looking card at the same time.

With my E90-1 set I will likely just keep it at the SGC 30 level as there are just so many cards that are way to hard to find in higher grades.

I do enjoy buying raw stuff and getting it graded and I have only had a problem with one card (Which I should have returned right away).

Low to mid grade with a touch of higher grade is what I like.

James Gallo

Looking for 1915 Cracker Jacks and 1909-11 American Caramel E90-1.

[Archive]

Posted By: Bob D

Definately lower grade. My 33 Goudeys are about VG (HOFs less) and my T206s are P-G. Part of it is price, I just can't see paying $50-100+ for a common card, even if I have the money. I think a pre-war card looks best in about Ex conditon anyway and if there's some writting on the back by a 10 year old kid from 1910 all the better.

[Archive]

Posted By: warshawlaw

Some cards are just too rare to quibble about condition; you take them as you find them. I have some atrocious Zeenuts, for example, but try finding them in high grade.

For easier sets I buy the best I can afford. When I say "afford" I mean afford and be willing to pay. I can't afford a T206 Wagner in any condition, but I could afford many other high grade T206s but I cannot stomach paying for them. Not a slight on those who do the registry thing, just not my preference. I'd rather have 10 vg HOFers than 1 near mint one. For me it is an either-or situation.

[Archive]

Posted By: Scott T

...but I enjoy my ultra low grade T206 collection immensely.

SGC 10
136 cards
28.3%

SGC 20
122 cards
25.4%

SGC 30
115 cards
24.0%

SGC 40
83 cards
17.3%

SGC 50
22 cards
4.6%

SGC 60
2 cards
0.4%


Scott

[Archive]

Posted By: Gilbert Maines

Doesn't it depend in part on how many cards you want to own? It does for me. If all of my cards were in even ex condition, the set value would be so high that I would not feel comfortable keeping them in the house.

Then what would I have? A set that I could visit! And in between visits, I could enjoy scans of my cards. Heck, for me, enjoyment of scans is for YOUR cards.

[Archive]

Posted By: joe

Thanks to all who responded to this post. Looks like I'm in the majority, cost, scarcity of the card and what can I be satisfied with in the end.

Joe

[Archive]

Posted By: T206Collector

I am trying to complete the T206 set in SGC 40 or better condition -- that is a net score, not that no card would be below SGC 40. For example, for every SGC 30 I've got, I need to have an SGC 50. I'm a little over half way there. If I had the rest of my T206 set graded, I'd be pulled way down. So, I am upgrading, slowly but surely, the remainder of my collection.

With respect to condition, cost is certainly a factor. However, I do want to say that SGC 80's and higher tend to look altered to me. My perfect card is an SGC 60 with slightly and evenly fuzzy/rounded corners.

[Archive]

Posted By: Ricky Y

When I started collecting it was to complete my Topps Baseball set from 1970 - 1980 and I wanted them as close to mint condition (whatever that means these days...) as possible. Still dabble in upgrading those from time to time.

In terms of vintage stuff...from the inception, since I was never intending to complete sets...I was happy with acquiring ones that appealed to my eye irregardless of the grade...and didn't strive for any sort of uniformity.

I'm making a slow attempt to acquire a 33 Goudey set in F-G condition and I'm perfectly happy with those. My HOF exhibits are being corralled in the similar manner although at a slightly higher grade.

I have my type cards slabbed and a lot of them was acquired prior to the grading...most came back in the F-VG+ range..and I'm a happy camper.

Ricky