New Member Back in Hobby after 20 years

[George Baseball]

Hi Guys, I didn't see an intro thread so I'll start with this.

First, I am a lifelong die-hard Boston Red Sox fan. I was at the 7th game of the 1975 world series, and at the 1st game of the 2004 world series. I started collecting baseball cards in 1967, another legendary year for the Sox. When I was a kid, Yaz was God. You could literally trade a Yaz in the schoolyard for hundreds of cards.

In the late eighties with most of my original cards destroyed from "Shooting" them against a granite wall in the schoolyard at recess, I started to collect the 67 set again. I was doing pretty well with many fine examples of 6th and 7th series cards. At one point with the set near completion I had to sell portions of it for graduate school, and I think I got taken pretty bad but I had no choice at the time.

Grading and the internet did not exist and this was 1990-91. I also collected 68-69-70 but those in total are not in the fine condition of my 67's.

I have many fundamental questions about the hobby as it exists today. I am going to start working with trying to get my 7th series cards graded, see how that turns out and then upgrade to what is satisfactory to me. I believe many of my 7th series cards are mint, but who knows.

I have had them in 4 screw non recessed holders for the last 20 years. I recently randomly took some of them out to examine them and they slid right out, and were not at all damaged by storing them in this method for so long. Contrary to some horror stories that I have read, (cards sticking and being ruined) probably started by the people that produce other kinds of storage products. Can one believe anything that one reads in this hobby in 2011? That's why I'm here...to get straight advice and learn...and contribute when I can.

I'll post my questions in another thread.

Happy to be here.