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  #1  
Old 03-08-2016, 05:52 PM
Bruinsfan94 Bruinsfan94 is offline
Brian clif.ford
 
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Default Advice for switching in to prewar/vintage

I don't really post often on here but i have learned so much the last few years from reading this site, probably every day. I'm a college student and because of that stopped collecting for a while. I'm now getting back into it and want to focus completely on vintage cards, mostly on the pre war side. I'm planning on selling my modern card collection card by card on eBay or maybe even setting up at a show. Nothing too great but a decent amount of hall of fame autographs and shiny stuff of current players. I hope to sell pretty much every thing I have that isn't vintage and put into a few older cards. I haven't gone through everything yet but based off ebay prices I'm hoping to get in the 1500$ to 2000$ range. I'd like to keep the money in cards because I really do love collecting, just wish I spent more time on the vintage stuff! I was wondering if anyone had advice for 2-3 maybe even 4-5 cards that I should consider? I care much more about the card then the grade and tend to focus on eye appeal, mainly the players face is presentable, that's my only real concern with condition. Really would just love to get a couple nicer cards instead of being bogged down with so many autographs and jersey cards of players I really don't care for anymore or who's value can go up or down with a scandal. Also any sellers on eBay you would recommend? especially when dealing with raw cards? I've learned alot but know I have a ways to go.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and for any advice. Also wanted to say this site really kept me interested in cards even when I wasn't really buying anything, I really appreciate that!

Brian
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  #2  
Old 03-08-2016, 06:06 PM
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pokerplyr80 pokerplyr80 is offline
je.sse @rnot
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If you're going for a few cool pre-war cards I would start with t206. If you're OK with low grade but decent eye appeal you could end up with say a cobb, young, and a matty. Maybe even a couple others for under 2k.

You might have luck buying them on our BST section. On ebay I would personally look for graded in the 2-3 range.

Best of luck.
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  #3  
Old 03-08-2016, 09:44 PM
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mechanicalman mechanicalman is offline
Sam Sw@rtz
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Brian:
I've only been collecting for a few years, so I don't have as much experience as most, but I agree with Jesse that a T206 is a great place to start. Other than the big names he mentioned, you can get some very nice examples of less mainstream HOFers (think: Tinker, Evers, Chance, Crawford, etc) for under a couple hundred bucks. I might also suggest trying some of the other popular pre-war issues like 33 Goudey, which, in my observation, doesn't attract as much attention on this board. 1941 Play Balls are a great place to look as well. If you're looking for something a little more "B-side," Delong, Diamond Stars, or some caramel cards could be an option. Finally, if you're interested in bigger names on a budget, Exhibit cards, IMO, are a great value.

Best of luck. Pre-war baseball cards are so rewarding in my opinion.
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  #4  
Old 03-08-2016, 09:56 PM
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Bicem Bicem is online now
Jeff 'Prize-ner'
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Research everything before you buy anything. Find the cards that really speak to you.

OldCardboard.com
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  #5  
Old 03-09-2016, 04:20 PM
ls7plus ls7plus is offline
Larry
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bicem View Post
Research everything before you buy anything. Find the cards that really speak to you.

OldCardboard.com
A big +1 there! The more exposure you have to the immense amount of prewar cards available, the better able you will be to decide what path to pursue. I collect HOF'ers and stars, because I like to hold the history of the game (through those who have made the greatest impact upon it) right in my hands--Leon is an elite type card collector. There's no right or wrong way to collect. It can bring immense pleasure (sometimes mixed with nearly proportionate frustration) and substantial value appreciation over time, if you are concerned with that aspect. If the latter is a factor in your desire to collect, go so far as to study other collecting fields and what they have done over time (I think you will find that card collecting has evolved in a very similar manner to the coin hobby--the latter simply became organized about 120 years before ours).

If you are attracted towards truly rare items, study how often such items appear in the major auction houses' catalogs, together with POP reports (PSA and SGC), and the sales that have been recorded over time (vintagecardprices.com is great for this, but just googling a card will give you quite a bit of info. Maintain some continuing searches on EBay as yet another indicator of how often you can expect a card from a given set to pop up for sale.

Best of luck in your collecting,

Larry
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  #6  
Old 03-09-2016, 09:25 PM
kevinlenane kevinlenane is offline
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All great advice here. Speaking from the side of someone that also recently re-engaged in the hobby about 1.5 years ago - I have found that picking some kind of focus area is really helpful and also a ton of fun. I picked Ted Williams because im a Sox fan and there is just so much out there when you pick a player. I buy all his cards but I also buy old Ted Williams fishing tackle, shotgun shells and Moxie bottles with his likeness. I only say pick a focus because you will invariably stray to other things - the focus just gives you SOME direction. A player collections also gives you wide variety.

Anyway, about 8 months into Teddy Ballgame I branched into creating a The Teammates (David Halberstam book) collection of Ted, Dom Dimaggio, Bobby Doerrr and Johnny Pesky. I like to think Ted appreciates having his buddies/subjects around him. From THERE i went to the million dollar outfield (Red Sox) comprising Tris Speaker, Harry Hooper and Duffy Lewis. So I guess my collection is really now Red Sox with about 90% of it being Ted Williams. This doesnt stop me from needing to own a Mantle and a Ruth as well. Focus is just plain fun, and player focus is 2x the fun because you start to get into issues that you can't just go buy on Ebay and you have to go to shows and talk to people to start to round out the collection/Master Set.

Other potential focus ideas I like that aren't super common (T206s are the king of all cards really but the market is so hot right now and you can burn up a lot of dough quickly there) Obaks (MUCH cheaper then T206 but from the same era) The Red Man Set, Triple Folders, Montiel Propagandas (Cuban cards).

Finally if you do care about value over time - player collections of the top, top tier like Ted, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth etc. seem to be a pretty decent bet to me given the stronger personal affinity for a player vs. an individual card/year set. This isn't based on any data really - its just my opinion about what could get larger multiples over sum value at an auction like Sotheby's (or one of the many disreputable proprietary sports memorabilia auction houses) One last point on value - I focus on population not on price. The two are not always directly correlated and they don't make 80 year old cards any more.

Welcome to vintage!
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  #7  
Old 03-08-2016, 11:42 PM
BBB BBB is offline
Bryan
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I think the Mecca double folds are pretty cool and affordable ways to get a Cobb or Mathewson . If not, then maybe a tinker /Evers/chance or the potential joe Jackson pictures triple folder. Could also grab a lower tier , but still interesting star in CJ (ex. smokey joe wood.) getting something in low grade from 19th century can be a good call (anyone below cap anson or more like king Kelley level is affordable in low grade). Gotta get something from 33 goudey (hack Wilson, Rogers Hornsby , Jimmie foxx or dizzy dean). All That would cover a ton of ground in the vintage era


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  #8  
Old 03-09-2016, 01:06 AM
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T206s and 1933-4 Goudeys are great issues for beginners. Standard issues and colorful images of the players. The T206 is probably the greatest baseball card issue ever made and is collected by beginners and grizzled veterans. The T205s, 1914-5 Cracker Jacks, T201s, T202s, T207s, T204s, Diamond Stars and Play Balls are other standard classics. For 1800s, the similar standards include the Allen and Ginters and the Old Judges. There are countless issues to chose from, but those are some of the standard classics which are great for beginners to start in.

Auctions sometimes have "grab bag" lots, where you can pick up a lot of different issues. Great way to see a variety and see what tickles your fancy.

Last edited by drcy; 03-09-2016 at 01:17 AM.
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  #9  
Old 03-09-2016, 04:13 AM
btcarfagno btcarfagno is offline
T0m C@rf@gn0
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One nice way to get good eye appeal cards at a lesser price is to find cards with some back damage. The front might be ex or better, but you only pay for a PR or pr-fr card.

Tom C

Last edited by btcarfagno; 03-09-2016 at 04:13 AM.
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  #10  
Old 03-09-2016, 06:12 AM
Bruinsfan94 Bruinsfan94 is offline
Brian clif.ford
 
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Thank you everyone for the advice so far! I actually have been collecting vintage since I started collecting, just got into modern stuff for a while and haven't collected in a while! I was thinking of going with a couple nicer t206's since they are the ones I feel most comfortable with and I already have a collection of commons and some lower tier hall of famers.

Agreed on the back damage, I tend to look for things like that.

I do love the idea of picking up something 19th century as I don't have any baseball from them. What hall of famers would be affordable from Old Judge in lower grades? I assume but could be mistaking Clarkson? Griffth?

I'll check out the BST section for sure. Thanks again for all the help!
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  #11  
Old 03-09-2016, 10:31 AM
Matt Matt is offline
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I would suggest getting cards from different issues - e.g. don't go all in on any one issue. There are hundreds of pre-war issues and you can get a hall of famer in most of them for under $100. Feel free to look around at OldCardboard or VintageCardPrices for a list of most issues with photos. You can peruse my album here as well, which shows my favorite card from 50 or so different pre-war issues.

Find what you like and start there - your taste will evolve as you learn more.
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