Hello - Entering vintage collecting.
 

Hello -

Located in South Florida and as the name states - new to vintage. Prior to now my collection was made up of cards collected as a kid in the 80's - 90's. I ended up revisiting my collection during the COVID spike and got back into collecting.

With that being said - over the past few months I have taken a lot of time to organize, sort and do something with my collection. Where I ended up is sending massive orders to COMC and sending a majority of my slabs to vault(s). The project led me to the answer I think everyone here eventually finds..... I want to move my collection to cards that have more significant/lasting value.

Ultimately I want to build a respectable Jackie Robinson collection and could use some guidance. I have a list of 10-12 Jackie Robinson cards that I would like to own. I built the list using various articles, PSA set registry values and what appeals to me. Eye appeal is most important to me but I also would like to have a decent grade along with the cards.

A few questions:

- For auction houses I am currently registered with REA, Memory Lane and HA. REA currently has the Spring auction ending 4/23 with a lot of nice cards. How do AH compare to eBay/PWCC/Goldin? From what I can tell AH may have higher final price due to the buyers premium but ultimately AH are where the higher valued cards go.

- Are there any specific shows that are suggested for vintage? If I was wanting to buy a number of cards at once for cash I am assuming finding a collector or going to a show with a list are my best options.

Thanks and looking forward to the journey.

Welcome to Net54.

I suggest you register with several additional auction houses. Off the top of my head, I believe each of these auction houses currently has an auction in progress: LOTG, SCP, Lelands, Huggins & Scott, Collector Connection, Mile High, & Hunt. And, these are not the only additional auction houses I would suggest you register with.

Also, I suggest putting a WTB (Want-to-buy) post in the B/S/T section of Het54.

Welcome aboard and Great advise

I would also use this website that provides info including starting and ending of auctions of alot of different auction houses and other interesting info

https://www.auctionreport.com/

Welcome fellow Floridian. I live in Palm Beach Gardens. A Jackie Robinson collection is a worthy goal but an expensive one. Good advice by others on using AHs, reliable and the best material. Good luck. John

Recommend you put an eBay watch alert for Jackie Robinson and you'll be aprised daily of new additions of his cards. When one comes up you like, act fast.

I think you should make sure you have a good understanding of values before buying. You can get past sales on Ebay fairly easy. You might also want to look at Vintage Card Prices (https://vintagecardprices.com/)

Basically, before buying make sure you are educated about authenticity, grading and pricing

Good luck

Unless you have unlimited money or, limited time and patience...wait for your reasonable price. Figure out what your price is for whatever condition card you're looking.

Look at recent sales and sales going months/years back to see not only what the market is, but where it's been. We're currently in a rather hot market for guys like Jackie and even if we're past peak, we're not very far past peak and the comedown isn't looking to be quick.

If you start to sacrifice on quality for a cheaper/obtainable card you may not be happy in the long run and you'll get into constant upgrading loops.

If you get impatient you may throw money at the collection just to get it in hand. Unless it's a very rare card or it rarely comes to market, you're going to find your card at your price (or near it) eventually. A 1952 Topps Jackie is a high-end card with a high-end price, but you will always find one for sale in many places without looking hard...if you have the loot they're asking for.

Re: Hello - Entering vintage collecting.
 

Welcome to the dark side. Some of us have websites like the one below. Feel free to browse and ask questions. Collect what you like and don't worry about investment returns.

I also use hibid.com and sign up for select "alerts" for these items from various auction houses. HiBid tends to have a number of smaller or regional auctions and I have picked up several items I would have otherwise missed.

Welcome to collecting vintage. I also live in South Florida and have a vintage YouTube channel. I visit every card shop and shows in the area. Any way I can help let me know. Here is a show I attend monthly
https://youtu.be/7uSjg8_craQ

Welcome to vintage land. It's the best!

I'm also a big Jackie Robinson collector, and like you, I'm also obsessed with eye appeal. Unfortunately for us, that means we have to pay well above "comps" to get copies that we like, assuming by "eye-appeal" you mean centered cards without obvious flaws like creases, paper loss, markings, etc.

In my experience, I generally have to pay at least 1.5x "comps", and more like 2x, 3x, or sometimes even as high as 5x to get the cards I want. It just all depends on the card itself and how difficult that particular card is to find centered, and timing/luck. Sometimes you can find some good deals though, if you're patient (~1.5x comps). But you will almost never see a centered Jackie card that is free of major eye sores selling for average comps. The vintage market is ALL ABOUT eye appeal. You can have 3 copies of the same card in the same grade selling in the same auction go for $1,000, $2,000, and $3,000 entirely because of eye appeal. Vintage collectors are much quicker to give the middle finger to the number on a slab than modern collectors. That works in both directions. If a card looks over graded, like most do with old certs, then it will typically sell at a discount. If it looks under graded, be prepared to pay as if it were at least a full grade higher. That's pretty much how it works in these parts. If you're willing to buy nearly centered cards (~55/45) as opposed to dead centered 50/50 cards though, you can save quite a bit, as those do not sell for as much of a premium as truly centered copies sell for. But you'll still pay a premium for a 55/45 card, especially if it's 50/50 left/right and 55/45 top/bottom.

Definitely take the time to study the nuances of how vintage cards are graded. That knowledge is essential as a buyer, in my opinion.

Here are a few of my Jackie cards. Sorry, but these are not for sale :)

Great advice.

This is what I need to hear and continually tell myself. I may see a card at a grade/price that seems fair but it just doesn't catch my eye and if I buy that card I will always think that and will always be looking to upgrade.

I don't want that with these cards.

Thank you for the advice everyone. I look forward to learning as I go with an understanding of the importance of researching prior to making any decisions.

That is a great collection and something to build towards!

Most Topps Robinsons are plentiful--so shouldn't be any problems-- His RC will cost you some dead Presidents---(Yeah, a majority of the flashy modern cards are a flash in the pan) but there are tons of overpriced vintage too, just not has much--LOL--

Beware!

Sure, it starts innocently enough with Jackie Robinson. But sooner or later that's not enough and you are searching the bowels of the internet for guys like: "Bonehead" Merkle, "Three Finger" Brown, and "Wahoo" Sam Crawford.

Good Luck!

This Board is a great support group to advise against the perils of card addiction.

Says the addict. :)