Posted By:
andy beckerhey paul,
i have been thinking about your question for a bit now. tough choice.
it depends on your finances. if you need the money for the house, i would suggest selling off the graded cards and replacing them with lower grade raw cards. that may not satisfy your collecting desire, but in the overall scheme of life i think your prospective home is worth more to you than your cards.
if you want to try to swing it without selling off your cards, i would suggest a collecting hiatus until you have the downstroke for the house.
the problem, in my estimation, is replacement cost once your finances become more stable. if the market continues to rise, replacing cards 5 or 10 years from now may be cost prohibitive. even if you can afford the cards, you may be soured paying $80 each (or whatever) for sgc 50 commons.
ultimately, i think you have to prioritize your finances (obviously) and do a mini reality check.
i'm sure your collection is as important to you as mine is to me, but if keeping your collection intact means a different lifestyle for your family....then i'd be calling mastro/rea and selling off the whole shebang.
you will always be able to say "i had a t206 set", regardless of whether or not you still own it, and that is something to be very proud of.
good luck paul.