Question about starter set

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Posted By: RC

I know it is mostly personal preference, but I have one card of the "Monster" and am considering trying to get a "few" more. Do you believe it is silly to buy cards known to be trimmed but otherwise in decent condition?
I don't plan to sell the cards unless I would be upgrading, the family will have to deal with them when I'm gone someday!
I wouldn't consider buying trimmed except for the fact of trying to keep within a pretty strict budget.
Any thoughts are appreciated.

RC

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Posted By: rob

To each his own, RC.

Not silly if you like them and are comfortable in the amount you pay for them. Do what makes you happy, that is what collecting is all about.

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Posted By: T206Collector

You can keep within a pretty strict budget keeping to SGC 30's and lower -- they will be regularly under $30 each. And, here's the kicker, if your trimmed card looks really nice, it will cost you more than you should be paying for a trimmed card.

You're better off buying cards with beautiful fronts, but back damage that lowers the technical grade to 30 or lower but still presents like an EX+ card.

Good luck!

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Posted By: Jeff Prizner

also, if you do ever need to bail out and sell off cards, I think low grade would be much more liquid than trimmed cards.

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Posted By: Steev M.

Go for SGC 20's and 30's. You will be able to find some very nice ones albeit with minor back damage and will have no problems when it comes to selling them. Pricewise for common 20's are $20-$25 and for 30's $28-$35. Do try to go with SGC as you get more bang for the buck.

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Posted By: Zach S.

I have to echo T206collector when he says go with lower grade cards that have a really nice front and some back damage as they present well yet don't cost as much.

I also like the idea of sticking w/ SGC graded cards because you're less likely to get a fake or altered card and SGC tends to sell for a little less than PSA graded cards. Plus, I personally like the way the SGC holders look around a T206.

Another good tip (that I've learned since being a member of this forum) is to buy low grade lots from the B/S/T area here. Most of the guys around here tend to give better deals than eBay, etc.

Good luck!

Zach S.

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Posted By: RC

Thanks for the advice guys, as usual, this board is the best for info.
Not to mention some of the more entertaining posts over the last week or so.

RC

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Hey there, RC,

Lots of folks seem to be collecting graded cards. I don't. Many of these folks seem to know what they're doing, so they may well be doing what you should consider.

I prefer collecting unslabbed cards. For a while I'd just not ever bid on a slabbed card. Eventually I bought one, because it was going for less than I recalled ungraded ones... When I got the card, I broke him out of the slab. I've done it many times more, since then.

Slabbed cards resell better. Much better. They don't pick up dirt, grime, spilled coffee... the cards are safer. Some folks like how they display. And there's the set registry stuff.

Unslabbed cards are easier to move around. I can spread them out by series, sort them by team, by portrait. True, you can do that with slabbed cards, but not as easily. If you handle and examine the unslabbed cards it is easier to develop a degree of expertise in determining which cards are authentic, and which are bogus. Unslabbed, the cards store much easier. The cards fit in 9 or 15 space pages for a ring binder. Mine migrated from that to a small business card box, and they're stacked by team, not alphabetically. That is not an easy way to have them when you first deal with the white boarder set, but that seems to be how the cards were sorted years ago, and it is easier to follow the evolution of the set. I have over 500 T206s in the space that many collectors have 8 or 10 slabs.

I'd suggest getting a few cards both ways, and then figure out which style is best for you.

Here are the Chicago Cubs T206s.... difficult to do this with slabs.

Frank.

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Posted By: RC

Frank,

What a great looking group of cards!!

I too am not convinced that grading is the way to go, this has been debated considerably in other posts. I love to be able to handle the cards, etc...

I just had a friend today encourage me to, at the very least have my best cards graded, he was almost to the point of paying for the grading service himself!

I don't care for the idea of paying a fee to have cards graded when I could use that money to buy more cards for my collection.

Everyone here can support their reasoning for collecting the way they do, I think it all gets back to personal preference for your collection.

Thanks again for a look at your cards, it would be neat if everyone put a photobucket in their signature to check out all the incredible collections this group has acquired.

RC

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Scott Gutwein emailed me, liking the looks of that pile of Cubs cards. He says he's interested in putting togther the T206 Red Sox, which is a managable feat. Speaker and Kleinow might be a bit tough... Scott, here's the Red Sox for you... I "added" a few backs on the edges to fill it out a bit, there aren't but a few Red Sox cards...

Frank.

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Posted By: dennis

frank thanks for posting the t206 cubs,i'm using it for my computer background.

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

You're quite welcome! This time of year is always the best, for Cubs fans... sounds like Kerry Wood can't start Monday in Cincy. I'm going up for that game. I'm a Cardinals fan, but also a traditionalist. I think Opening Day should ALWAYS start with a game in Cincinnati. And it will tickle me if the Cubbies win that day. Last Cubs game I saw in Cincy was won by the Cubs. As the Cubs came off the field as they congratulated one another, some serious Cubs fans were behind the dugout. One, in a Cubs jersey, held up high a blue and white " W " flag, like the one that flies on the pole back home after a victory... gotta love tradition!

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Posted By: Rob L

Hey RC,

I just started the T206 set two weeks ago. I bought a Cy Young card (bare hand) in VG condition from Sports Cards Plus several years ago. After looking at this board for the last couple of years, I decided to bite the bullet. I have decided that going with G to VG grade is the easiest way to go. Even Fair cards are okay if the front is in decent shape. In the last week, I have a picked up a PSA 1 Cy Young Portrait (looks like a PSA 2), a PSA 2 Walter Johnson Portrait, an ungraded GD Mathewson (white cap), a group of six Poor to Good ungraded cards and my current favorite, this GAI 2 Cobb red portrait:



I think that the lower to mid grade can be done relatively economically [right :]. Anyways, good luck with it.

Rob L

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

A nice looking red portrait!

If you ever upgrade that, hollar at me, please. That's one I lack, and he would suit me just fine.

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Posted By: Rob_L

Thanks Frank. If I upgrade this Cobb, you'll be the first to know.

Take care,

Rob L

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Posted By: Joe Pelaez

Let the set happen.
You sound like you already have an idea of how you're going to handle the enjoyment of the search.
And talking about handling, Frank is right.
The more you handle the raw cards, the more you'll understand and learn about what you're handling.
If you master the raw, the plastic will be a piece of cake.
First of all, you'll have the edge over most of the collectors that rely on a third party to do the research for them.
Third parties are generally very good at what they do, but they have been proven to not be fool proof.

In due time after you study the card, study the font and it's color, study the ink, smell the card, feel the weight, and watch your confidence grow. ... in due time you'll be able to grade your own cards and detect what some graders might miss.

By reading what Frank types out, I can sense the pleasure and enjoyment that he experiences during his quest.
The fun of finding a card that fills an empty slot.

RC, that's what I'm hoping for you.
Have fun with the Quest, and let the set Happen.

Joe

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Scott,

I owe you an apology. I've fouled or polluted that scan of Red Sox cards. One of them belongs to the Boston Nationals... If you figure out which one, I'll get the cards back out and redo the scan for you. Sorry about that.

Frank

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Posted By: Scott

Hi Frank,
I believe you tried to slide a Buck Herzog in there. Thanks very much. Scott.

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Busted.... He was in the wrong Boston pile.

Good Eye!


FW

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Posted By: RC

Great pictures and info from everyone. Thanks for your interest.

I believe I've decided to try for a subset of T206 Reds for now. The "Monster" would be a bit daunting for me.

This, along with trying to fill in my '33 Goudeys should keep my habit in tact.

Thanks again, RC