T-206 HOFer's/Prewar Advice

[MBMiller25]

you might want to be a type collector and just focus on HoFers.

Thanks for your response, can you expand on what this means?

[mintacular]

Based on your past post-war posts it seems like you are condition-sensitive which makes collecting pre-war on a budget more of a challenge. Make sure you find a grade that has enough eye appeal for your liking and stick with that grade. Then figure out which cards you want in that grade and voila there you go. Back collecting if fun but very expensive, figure out whether you personally value the different backs or would that $ be better spent on nicer grade/star players, etc. HOFERs are always a safe bet. Type collecting from my understanding is a category of collecting such as "HOFERS" "HINDU BACKS" "CATCHERS" "PITTSBURGH PIRATES" I.E. a subcategory of collecting a certain set

[phikappapsi]

Best advice I have as someone that transitioned to pre war a few years ago. Buy a "hodgepodge" of HoFers from multiple years, sets, sizes, colors etc and eventually you'll settle into what really draws you in naturally. For me, it was signed 1939 play balls (love ink against the black and white) and higher grade T206...

Who knows, maybe you'll fall in love with E121, exhibits, goudey, T cards etc etc... Remember, there's basically 40 years of baseball in "pre war" so cards come in many eras, shapes, sizes, styles... And not one of them is the "right" answer for everyone.

But I'd recommend doing your "browsing"/test buying on HoFers, this way, once you figure out what you really like, you can recoup your investment on the cards you no longer feel fit your niche.

[teetwoohsix]

Originally Posted by phikappapsi

Best advice I have as someone that transitioned to pre war a few years ago. Buy a "hodgepodge" of HoFers from multiple years, sets, sizes, colors etc and eventually you'll settlement what really draws you in naturally. For me, it was signed 1939 play balls (love ink against the black and white) and higher grade T206...

Who knows, maybe you'll fall in love with E121, exhibits, goudey, T cards etc etc... Remember, there's basically 40 years of baseball in "pre war" so cards come in many eras, shapes, sizes, styles... And not one of them is the "right" answer for everyone.

But I'd recommend doing your "browsing"/test buying on HoFers, this way, once you figure out what you really like, you can recoup your investment on the cards you no longer feel fit your niche.

+1 and great advice. That's actually how it happened with me (except no focus on Hof'ers, just different types of pre-war cards).

Sincerely, Clayton

[GregMitch34]

I thought "type collecting" was getting one (or more) example of as many different issues of cards as possible.

[Leon]

As a fairly focused type card collector of baseball cards from 1900-1949 I think what you are doing is going to be fun. I had the same question when I started; should I try for higher grade cards or more cards? I chose more cards. One thing you might consider, and what I primarily do, is get cards that have really nice eye appeal and are not technically high grade. That way you get the best of both worlds....and your budget can go further. A card with a blank back and paper loss on it (who really cares) might grade a 1-2 but have a 5-6 front. Those are great cards for me to own. Also, and very importantly, there are a ton of collectors that collect just exactly what I described, so guess what? When you go to sell them there will be a lot of demand. At the end of the day, as almost everyone and myself say, collect what makes you happy. If I can ever help please let me know. Also, my type card collection can be seen at

http://luckeycards.com/personal.html

there is a scan under every description. best regards


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