Am I the only one???

[Rookiemonster]

I kind of came to terms with it . You know like I'll get afford a t206 Wagner or a 1952 topps mantle . If I could I might try for more then one . What gets me some times is if I buy a card like 1960 sandy Koufax and I feel excited about it .
Then you see some one with a high end run of all his cards . It demoralizing a bit .

[Joshchisox08]

Originally Posted by Rookiemonster

What gets me some times is if I buy a card like 1960 sandy Koufax and I feel excited about it .
Then you see some one with a high end run of all his cards . It demoralizing a bit .

This is precisely what I was getting at.

[Orioles1954]

I work in this hobby. I have seen and been around it all. There will ALWAYS be someone with something better, nicer, greater, etc. There will ALWAYS be someone with endless amounts of money who doesn't appreciate what they have. That's when you have to make a decision. Will I appreciate and want what I have or will I seek to compare myself with others? The former will bring satisfaction while the latter will never bring contentment.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by Orioles1954

I work in this hobby. I have seen and been around it all. There will ALWAYS be someone with something better, nicer, greater, etc. There will ALWAYS be someone with endless amounts of money who doesn't appreciate what they have. That's when you have to make a decision. Will I appreciate and want what I have or will I seek to compare myself with others? The former will bring satisfaction while the latter will never bring contentment.

+1

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by Orioles1954

I work in this hobby. I have seen and been around it all. There will ALWAYS be someone with something better, nicer, greater, etc. There will ALWAYS be someone with endless amounts of money who doesn't appreciate what they have. That's when you have to make a decision. Will I appreciate and want what I have or will I seek to compare myself with others? The former will bring satisfaction while the latter will never bring contentment.

+1 there. Plus, if you're interested in obtaining quite valuable cards, there are basically two ways to do so. You can have more money than you know that to do with and be on "the trailing edge" of the market, so to speak, buying such cards as the '52 Topps Mantle for $400,000 in PSA 8, just because you can, and want the best available, or you can try to be on "the cutting edge," going outside the box, pursuing cards that are rare to extremely rare, yet currently very quiet in the marketplace. You just have to think outside the box, focusing primarily upon rarity, significance and the best condition you can find or afford.

I remember when the 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth came out of the chute in the Copeland auction, circa 1991 (?), and went for $6,000. The majority of us were thinking along the lines of "what in the world is that, and why would anyone pay six grand for one?" The buyer was on the cutting edge, rather than the trailing edge (can you say $694,000 for one graded poor to fair now?), whether he knew it or not. Go back twenty years via a reputable price guide and you will find T 210 Joe Jackson's valued in the low four figure range, rather than six, and E107 Youngs and Wagners similarily priced.

John J. Pittman adopted this as his philosophy in coins. A chemical engineer with Eastman Kodak, he was never able to afford the mega-priced "trophy" coins of his time, so instead focused upon the rare and significant in the highest grade possible in quiet areas of collecting that were within his price range. After five to six decades, he had amassed a collection which brought about $40 million collectively in several auctions following his death.

Best of luck,

Larry

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by ls7plus

+1 there. Plus, if you're interested in obtaining quite valuable cards, there are basically two ways to do so. You can have more money than you know that to do with and be on "the trailing edge" of the market, so to speak, buying such cards as the '52 Topps Mantle for $400,000 in PSA 8, just because you can, and want the best available, or you can try to be on "the cutting edge," going outside the box, pursuing cards that are rare to extremely rare, yet currently very quiet in the marketplace. You just have to think outside the box, focusing primarily upon rarity, significance and the best condition you can find or afford.

I remember when the 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth came out of the chute in the Copeland auction, circa 1991 (?), and went for $6,000. The majority of us were thinking along the lines of "what in the world is that, and why would anyone pay six grand for one?" The buyer was on the cutting edge, rather than the trailing edge (can you say $694,000 for one graded poor to fair now?), whether he knew it or not. Go back twenty years via a reputable price guide and you will find T 210 Joe Jackson's valued in the low four figure range, rather than six, and E107 Youngs and Wagners similarily priced.

Best of luck,

Larry

good advice!

[Joshwesley]

Originally Posted by ls7plus

+1 there. Plus, if you're interested in obtaining quite valuable cards, there are basically two ways to do so. You can have more money than you know that to do with and be on "the trailing edge" of the market, so to speak, buying such cards as the '52 Topps Mantle for $400,000 in PSA 8, just because you can, and want the best available, or you can try to be on "the cutting edge," going outside the box, pursuing cards that are rare to extremely rare, yet currently very quiet in the marketplace. You just have to think outside the box, focusing primarily upon rarity, significance and the best condition you can find or afford.

I remember when the 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth came out of the chute in the Copeland auction, circa 1991 (?), and went for $6,000. The majority of us were thinking along the lines of "what in the world is that, and why would anyone pay six grand for one?" The buyer was on the cutting edge, rather than the trailing edge (can you say $694,000 for one graded poor to fair now?), whether he knew it or not. Go back twenty years via a reputable price guide and you will find T 210 Joe Jackson's valued in the low four figure range, rather than six, and E107 Youngs and Wagners similarily priced.

John J. Pittman adopted this as his philosophy in coins. A chemical engineer with Eastman Kodak, he was never able to afford the mega-priced "trophy" coins of his time, so instead focused upon the rare and significant in the highest grade possible in quiet areas of collecting that were within his price range. After five to six decades, he had amassed a collection which brought about $40 million collectively in several auctions following his death.

Best of luck,

Larry

Incredible....

What's the next card to go up in value like the Ruth of the Mantle.... or has everything basically topped out?
If you had 10k to spend right now and were for-casting a card that would potentially sky rocket 20-30 years from now what would that be...

Just for fun. lol

[conor912]

Originally Posted by Joshwesley

Incredible....

What's the next card to go up in value like the Ruth of the Mantle.... or has everything basically topped out?
If you had 10k to spend right now and were for-casting a card that would potentially sky rocket 20-30 years from now what would that be...

Just for fun. lol

Probably a question for it's own thread, but it's hard to even speculate. I'd say Ruth and Mantle are unquestionably #'s 1 and 2 in terms of popularity. Number three is less clear. A case could be made for Cobb, I suppose. The next one may very well be specific issue-based than player based, but, that said, what the hell do I know?

[MR RAREBACK]

lets start the thread

[t206fix]

When it happens to me, I just remember that it's just cardboard

Also, I look at others' collections and drool, but there are a few (very few) who look at my collection and slightly salivate...

[Jeffrompa]

It can be frustrating . There are some serious 24/7/365 collectors that have some deep pockets .

[chipperhank44]

As a collector with a limited budget, I have found that the only way to close the gap is with hard work. My strategy is as follows:

Rule #1: Don't look for cards in the same places as high rollers (Heritage, REA, etc.) Look at smaller auction houses and grind out garage/estate sales.

Rule #2: Search more often and with less precision. Grind out ebay searches. Be the first one to see that steal of a BIN. Or be the only one who grinds out a search as generic as "old baseball card" or "vintage baseball". Everyone can search "Ty Cobb", not everyone (especially not your high roller competition) will grind through thousands of listings to find that one special card with no player name in the listing.

Rule #3: Be knowledgeable enough to buy ungraded cards. If you know your stuff you can buy ungraded and cut your competition in half (especially those high rollers who only buy graded). Never leave home without a loupe and a black light.

[Eggoman]

Originally Posted by chipperhank44

As a collector with a limited budget, I have found that the only way to close the gap is with hard work. My strategy is as follows:

Rule #1: Don't look for cards in the same places as high rollers (Heritage, REA, etc.) Look at smaller auction houses and grind out garage/estate sales.

Rule #2: Search more often and with less precision. Grind out ebay searches. Be the first one to see that steal of a BIN. Or be the only one who grinds out a search as generic as "old baseball card" or "vintage baseball". Everyone can search "Ty Cobb", not everyone (especially not your high roller competition) will grind through thousands of listings to find that one special card with no player name in the listing.

Rule #3: Be knowledgeable enough to buy ungraded cards. If you know your stuff you can buy ungraded and cut your competition in half (especially those high rollers who only buy graded). Never leave home without a loupe and a black light.

ABSOLUTELY! I STILL enjoy the hope-against-hope of finding SOMETHING at a Garage/Estate Sale/Flea Market or dingy, dumpy antique shop, whatever...because Hey! YAH NEVER KNOW!

[Laxcat]

+1 to Rule #3

If you are frustrated already, searching 1000's of random listings will make you go mad.

My advice: don't buy a bunch of readily available stuff. If your budget is not depleted from over purchasing you have a higher chance of snagging the card you really want.

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by Laxcat

My advice: don't buy a bunch of readily available stuff. If your budget is not depleted from over purchasing you have a higher chance of snagging the card you really want.

Agree with this. This is nothing against anyone who collect T206s or 33 Goudeys or 52 Topps. Those are all iconic sets, but I love the obscure or esoteric. If a collector can find an interest in something other than baseball, there are lots of really rare or obscure cards that won't cost thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

My family is lifelong auto racing fans. I started going to races when I was just a couple months old. There are cards on my want list from the iconic 1972 STP racing set that have been on my want list for a while, even though they may only be worth a few hundred dollars. For me, I can get just as much enjoyment out of a really rare $300-500 card that took me years to find as I can buying a card worth far more money that can be bought any day of the week on eBay or shows up several times a year at auction.

[jsq]

you mention loupe and black light to determine if a card has been tampered with. i vaguely recall reading in another collectible paper area that a black light worked extremely well to detect doctoring of the paper.

could someone elaborate if this is accurate with baseball cards? and specifically how effective it is?

also, does the the black light pick up on these same anamolies inside a slab?

and do the grading companies use a black light on all higher end value cards?

just wanting to understand,

thanks
jsq

Originally Posted by chipperhank44

As a collector with a limited budget, I have found that the only way to close the gap is with hard work. My strategy is as follows:

Rule #1: Don't look for cards in the same places as high rollers (Heritage, REA, etc.) Look at smaller auction houses and grind out garage/estate sales.

Rule #2: Search more often and with less precision. Grind out ebay searches. Be the first one to see that steal of a BIN. Or be the only one who grinds out a search as generic as "old baseball card" or "vintage baseball". Everyone can search "Ty Cobb", not everyone (especially not your high roller competition) will grind through thousands of listings to find that one special card with no player name in the listing.

Rule #3: Be knowledgeable enough to buy ungraded cards. If you know your stuff you can buy ungraded and cut your competition in half (especially those high rollers who only buy graded). Never leave home without a loupe and a black light.

[Rookiemonster]

I was able to spend the most Money I ever spent on a card last year . It was to obtain my Grail 🏆. I did it by literally saving my change and selling things on Ebay. It took years ! At first , But once I applied the method of save and sell I got what wanted ( 1951 Bowman willie Mays psa 2) .

The only regret ? I focused so hard on it I wouldn't buy any other card or pack . I passed up so many great deals I seen along the way .

The brights side ? I feel like I have new life and buy little cheap cards I like or even 50 to 80 dollar cards ( from time to time ) . I don't feel guilty like man I could be saving for _________ . You fill in the blank lol .


So I gave my self some time before I focused on the next card on the list .

[ALR-bishop]

When outbid I tend to think, thank goodness some idiot outbid me on that and saved me all that money

[Laxcat]

Originally Posted by jsq

you mention loupe and black light to determine if a card has been tampered with. i vaguely recall reading in another collectible paper area that a black light worked extremely well to detect doctoring of the paper.

could someone elaborate if this is accurate with baseball cards? and specifically how effective it is?

also, does the the black light pick up on these same anamolies inside a slab?

and do the grading companies use a black light on all higher end value cards?

just wanting to understand,

thanks
jsq

Here is pic of a black light. I think paper made after a certain year has whitening agents added. The newer stuff will "glow" under UV light. The Comiskey is an a16 and the Morrell is a 1972 TCMA reprint.