Anyone else feeling raw is their only option these days?

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by todeen

I still prefer raw rather than slabbed. I never made the jump, and then the scandals broke and I just continued buying free range cardboard. Sometimes I see cards graded of an average Joe, and I wonder how in the world they are worth $100 or more than an ungraded copy. That's a premium I'm not willing to pay.

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Free range cardboard! That's the funniest thing I've seen on this site in a very long time! I knew I wasn't alone from comments I've seen in other threads and now in this thread. I've built a pretty nice collection over the years, but this is just fun for me. I don't have retirement riding on this, nor do I think of my collection as part of my portfolio. Yes, I do have some slabs in my collection, but I much prefer to touch and smell collector grade cards. The cards I've picked up lately aren't high grade or designed to impress anyone else. They are just decent copies I found at decent prices, and I truly enjoy owning them. If you like high grade, then look away!

[todeen]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

Free range cardboard! That's the funniest thing I've seen on this site in a very long time! I knew I wasn't alone from comments I've seen in other threads and now in this thread. I've built a pretty nice collection over the years, but this is just fun for me. I don't have retirement riding on this, nor do I think of my collection as part of my portfolio. Yes, I do have some slabs in my collection, but I much prefer to touch and smell collector grade cards. The cards I've picked up lately aren't high grade or designed to impress anyone else. They are just decent copies I found at decent prices, and I truly enjoy owning them. If you like high grade, then look away!

Those are beauties!

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[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by todeen

Those are beauties!

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Thanks very much!

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[mortimer brewster]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

I much prefer to touch and smell of collector grade cards.

Totally agree. There is nothing like the smell of mildew on old cardboard.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by mortimer brewster

Totally agree. There is nothing like the smell of mildew on old cardboard.

Yes, sir. I can also see that I can't type. I meant to say the touch and smell. Oh well, you got my meaning.

There are, of course, many ways to enjoy this hobby, and I don't pretend that my way is the only way. I am now 47 (yikes!) and find myself returning to the type of collecting I enjoyed as a younger man in his very early 20s, perhaps late teens. In many instances, I am just happy to own a decent example of a card. Additionally, I have come to view my cards as ephemera much as I do the photos and programs that I own. I particularly enjoy collecting relics of the 50s, and cards happen to be a big part of thst---though not the only part. As the baseball "hobby" has progressed, collectors have accepted some standards to be applied to cards and their value that aren't present with other pieces of ephemera.

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[scmavl]

Mike, I think you'd be surprised how much you could get for that Koufax. Even though the corners may not be perfect, you just don't find many examples so well centered. Nice spread you've got there!

[71buc]

Thanks Jarrod, I paid $5 for that Koufax. Which certainly serves to reveal my age. A few of my corners have been dinged over the years as well.

[ASF123]

Mike - if cards of that age that look that great are considered "not in good condition," you know there's something wrong with people's perspective.