Pre-War and Vintage

Fred · #1 01-18-2023, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zach Wheat

Interesting thoughts. I collect mainly pre-War. New collectors whom I have had discussions and have collected strictly modern cards previously say they are slowly discovering older cards. I am not sure what this means for their appetite for pre-war cards and understanding all of the little quirks in sets like the T206. However, this is how I got hooked. One of my first pre-war acquisitions was made as an afterthought. I was hooked from that point forward.

Zach,

Just curious - what were the first prewar acquisitions that got you hooked? How long ago was that and how much has the price of your first pre-war acquisitions increased? If you started today, would you be hooked on it based on the valuations of today?

I wonder what these new collectors will think if/when they start researching prices in pre-war and find out how they feel about the price run up of the past several years and then having that feeling of missing the boat. Do you think some might just say screw this?

A decade ago, putting together a basic T206 set seemed somewhat possible, now the HOFers and a few others will really cut into your collecting budget and the commons (unless trashed) will not be that cheap anymore.

Zach Wheat · #2 01-18-2023, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred

Zach,

Just curious - what were the first prewar acquisitions that got you hooked? How long ago was that and how much has the price of your first pre-war acquisitions increased? If you started today, would you be hooked on it based on the valuations of today?

I wonder what these new collectors will think if/when they start researching prices in pre-war and find out how they feel about the price run up of the past several years and then having that feeling of missing the boat. Do you think some might just say screw this?

A decade ago, putting together a basic T206 set seemed somewhat possible, now the HOFers and a few others will really cut into your collecting budget and the commons (unless trashed) will not be that cheap anymore.

I will answer some of your questions, but other questions I have to leave unanswered. I was always a collector. I didn't really concentrate on pre-war until I got a T206 Johnson as a throw in on a purchase of some cards from the '50's. The T206 Johnson had well rounded corners. About the same time, I saw these funny looking fold-over cards (T201's). I bought a bunch including one of Zach Wheat. Those cards really started the journey. I ran in to Lew Lipsett and bought his book (Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards) which was a great learning tool. I still reference his book.

Yes, I would still be hooked on collecting pre-war today. I just thought it was neat to have a piece of history and started learning about all the players. There are still a number of opportunities for collectors new to pre-war. As Ted Z has shown there are numerous ways to collect T206 given all the subsets.

IMO, the 1952 Topps set is the post-war equivalent of t206 and presents a great opportunity even in today's market. However, acquiring a complete set of the mid-series gray backs is not likely to be completed.

Fred · #3 01-18-2023, 08:26 PM

I bet T206 was the gateway card/drug that pushed a lot of people to get hooked on vintage.

One way to look at the crazy price valuations is to compare minimum wage to the price of a Cobb T206. I think minimum wage was about $2 and change at the end of the 70s. A VG T206 Cobb was probably $25 (thereabout, possibly a little less) around that time. Let's call minimum wage about $15/hour today and then look at the price of a F-G Cobb in today's market.

I can't imagine trying to start a collection on a tight budget with today's card valuations. It's sad because unless you have a good amount of resources, then trying to collect sets today is near impossible. Niche collecting is about the only way to go with limited resources. In my opinion, that just makes it less enticing to want to enter the hobby. If you're a kid and want to start collecting then having a parent that collected when they were younger certainly helps, otherwise the collection will be a lot less than it was for a bunch of us older geezers that started when we were kids.

parkplace33 · #4 01-19-2023, 10:00 AM

Two things I have noted during the run up about prewar.

1. It was crazy that beat up T206s commons were selling for $20-$30. That has subsided, which is great.

2. The T206 Cobb price explosion has also subsided.

My only wish is that newer collector learn that, for the most part, T206 commons and even some star cards are not that rare.

rjackson44 · #5 01-19-2023, 10:07 AM

im paying $80 to $90 dollars for really nice t206 psa 2s god help me lol

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