Best hobby advice you've received.

[Harliduck]

I can resonate with just about everything mentioned here. As a set collector one thing that was discussed here years ago really changed my approach and strategy -

*Keep your sets condition consistent. If you want a VG set, make them ALL VG...PSA 9...then PSA 9, EX raw (my preference), hold EVERY card to the same standard. Nothing worse than thumbing through a set and the condition is all over the place! For my initial sets it was the opposite mentioned above, my stars looked better than my commons...set looked like crap. The card next to your Mantle in the binder better look sweet!

[Oscar_Stanage]

Originally Posted by Harliduck

*Keep your sets condition consistent. If you want a VG set, make them ALL VG...PSA 9...then PSA 9, EX raw (my preference), hold EVERY card to the same standard. Nothing worse than thumbing through a set and the condition is all over the place! For my initial sets it was the opposite mentioned above, my stars looked better than my commons...set looked like crap. The card next to your Mantle in the binder better look sweet!

It is not realistic these days for a lot of people to collect the Monster in VG-EX/EX. If my key cards are 1-2s, does that mean I should not add a John McGraw that is EX-MT?

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Harliduck

I can resonate with just about everything mentioned here. As a set collector one thing that was discussed here years ago really changed my approach and strategy -

*Keep your sets condition consistent. If you want a VG set, make them ALL VG...PSA 9...then PSA 9, EX raw (my preference), hold EVERY card to the same standard. Nothing worse than thumbing through a set and the condition is all over the place! For my initial sets it was the opposite mentioned above, my stars looked better than my commons...set looked like crap. The card next to your Mantle in the binder better look sweet!

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall.”

--Ralph Waldo Emerson, famous T212 collector, I think.