Quote:
Originally Posted by Bicem
Research everything before you buy anything. Find the cards that really speak to you.
OldCardboard.com
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A big +1 there! The more exposure you have to the immense amount of prewar cards available, the better able you will be to decide what path to pursue. I collect HOF'ers and stars, because I like to hold the history of the game (through those who have made the greatest impact upon it) right in my hands--Leon is an elite type card collector. There's no right or wrong way to collect. It can bring immense pleasure (sometimes mixed with nearly proportionate frustration) and substantial value appreciation over time, if you are concerned with that aspect. If the latter is a factor in your desire to collect, go so far as to study other collecting fields and what they have done over time (I think you will find that card collecting has evolved in a very similar manner to the coin hobby--the latter simply became organized about 120 years before ours).
If you are attracted towards truly rare items, study how often such items appear in the major auction houses' catalogs, together with POP reports (PSA and SGC), and the sales that have been recorded over time (vintagecardprices.com is great for this, but just googling a card will give you quite a bit of info. Maintain some continuing searches on EBay as yet another indicator of how often you can expect a card from a given set to pop up for sale.
Best of luck in your collecting,
Larry