Lots of new members......

[Leon]

Hey Guys and Girls
We have been getting a lot of new members lately, which overall, is a good thing. A community is like anything else and it needs new members, imo, to continue to thrive. After all, our community in particular (pre-war cards) seems to be a bit more aged than many others I have seen. I believe the last poll showed our average age at about 42-44 yrs old.

For you new guys there are a few things to remember, pretty please.

1. This main page should be for threads about pre-war baseball cards. You can veer off a little bit but there are many other places on this board to post about other sports collectibles and general stuff. Please post your threads in the correct place. If there is a question on how to do something please PM me or ask someone else. I am very quick to answer questions most times.

2. Please remember the core members here have known each other for a long time....I know I have known at least a few hundred of the guys and girls for 10+ yrs. It is a close knit community, maybe a bit unlike some of the very largest forums where most folks don't really know each other personally.

3. No question about vintage cards is a bad question. Please ask away. I have not seen too many people ask a legit question and then get hammered for it. Quite the contrary, actually. We all learn new stuff every day. That is what makes the hobby interesting and fun.

4. This community will only be as good as the members in it. If the members don't start good threads, and have good open debate, then it will die down as some others have. We have been around, as Net54, for right at 10 yrs and I hope there are many, many more to come. Please think about starting good debates instead of whining about others' threads or ONLY reading, and not really participating.

5. Please remember the community tab at top too. There is an album section that is one of the most simple I have ever seen for uploading pictures. You can have personal and for sale things there. There are some amazing collections to look at if you ever get bored. It's free too!!

6. A small favor.....when you click over to ebay, from here, if you will click on a link at the bottom of the page to go there, or at the top of the page where it has "Net54baseball's Pre War Cards" and the little red button that says, NEW, it will help support the site. It is appreciated very much.

7. Please don't forget about the Net54baseball dinner that will be at the National, on Friday, August 5th, 2011. It will be at the Hyatt-Regency right across the street from the National. All members are invited and I will posting an RSVP (which is mandatory to get to come to it) thread sometime in the next 2 weeks, or so. It will be an open bar for 6 hours and food and speakers....and a few hundred avid pre-war collectors....hooting and hollerin' till around 1am.....This is the 9th Annual one and I can safely say that each one has been a blast. If you haven't been to one you are missing a heck of a good time.

regards
leon

[edhans]

I attribute the recent spike in membership to the magnetic personality of our fearless leader moderator dude.

[Lordstan]

While I have only been here 2 yrs, and post mostly on the memorabilia side, I have learned a few things I would like to pass on.

1) No question is a bad question, BUT there is a great wealth of knowledge already in the boards memory banks. Using the search function will get you truckloads of data about everything. It can be a time saver, instead of waiting for replies on the board.

2) It took me a while to find it, but utilize the link above "Vintage Links" to do all sorts of research. It includes links to various members' collection websites, auction houses, grading companies, well known dealer sites, and historical sites like Retrosheet and Baseball Reference, two of my favorities. The dates on the auction lists need to be updated as I'm sure the next B&L auction isn't Sept 2008.

3) Don't forget to visit the memorabilia forum. We discuss autographs, pictures, statues, trophies, and just about anything else that isn't a card. Come on in. Don't be afraid. We don't bite over there!

Mark

[sportscardpete]

It's nice to hear that this community is growing. It seemed the industry has had nothing but bad news the past two years, but 2011 is looking great.

What I really appreciate about this board is that there are a wide variety of collectors. We have some low $ collectors and some top of the line collectors. It makes it easier to fit in.

[Woundedduck]

Originally Posted by Leon

7. Please don't forget about the Net54baseball dinner that will be at the National, on Friday, August 5th, 2011. It will be at the Hyatt-Regency right across the street from the National. All members are invited and I will posting an RSVP (which is mandatory to get to come to it) thread sometime in the next 2 weeks, or so. It will be an open bar for 6 hours and food and speakers....and a few hundred avid pre-war collectors....hooting and hollerin' till around 1am.....This is the 9th Annual one and I can safely say that each one has been a blast. If you haven't been to one you are missing a heck of a good time.

I'll be driving down from central Wisconsin on Friday afternoon so I'll have to attend this. This will be my first National and it was this year that my collection really took a vintage turn so I'll be looking forward to it.

[Jewish-collector]

Originally Posted by Leon

7. Please don't forget about the Net54baseball dinner that will be at the National, on Friday, August 5th, 2011. It will be at the Hyatt-Regency right across the street from the National. All members are invited and I will posting an RSVP (which is mandatory to get to come to it) thread sometime in the next 2 weeks, or so. It will be an open bar for 6 hours and food and speakers....and a few hundred avid pre-war collectors....hooting and hollerin' till around 1am.....This is the 9th Annual one and I can safely say that each one has been a blast. If you haven't been to one you are missing a heck of a good time.

This is quite frankly the very best part of the National experience.

[bh3443]

I just want to welcome everyone to our great forum. I hope all the new members enjoy Net54 as I have these many years.
I'd also like to introduce myself to anyone new. I'm Bill Hedin from Massachusetts and I've been in the hobby for 4 decades. I have found net54 to be the best place in our hobby. It's a wealth of information as well as a wonderful group of friends with the same goal: enjoy our hobby and learn about our hobby.
The members are tops in our field and our leader, Leon, is one of the nicest and most knowlegible collectors I've ever known.
So, welcome aboard and enjoy this great site.
All my best,
Bill Hedin

[CW]

I have a couple quick questions, and this thread gives me a good place to ask it...

If you click on a member's profile, you will find a "statistics" tab. Under that tab is a "general info" box which has a referral count.

How does one get referrals, or how does a member leave a referral for another?

Are referrals a good, accurate way to find out if a potential seller is one you can trust (ie. could someone falsely pad their referral count in order to create a false sense of trust)?

Thanks for any help!

[npa589]

I've only been involved with this hobby since January, and joined Net54 shortly thereafter - but, I have loved getting to know people in this community. I have learned a ton in a short period of time, and have had nothing but smooth, pleasant transactions on this site - save a few people who say they'll buy a card, and never respond...
I also know for certain that I have directed at least 15 people to this site. Everyone that contacts me via eBay get's a link to this page in response.

Keep up the good work everyone!

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by bh3443

I just want to welcome everyone to our great forum. I hope all the new members enjoy Net54 as I have these many years.
I'd also like to introduce myself to anyone new. I'm Bill Hedin from Massachusetts and I've been in the hobby for 4 decades. I have found net54 to be the best place in our hobby. It's a wealth of information as well as a wonderful group of friends with the same goal: enjoy our hobby and learn about our hobby.
The members are tops in our field and our leader, Leon, is one of the nicest and most knowlegible collectors I've ever known.
So, welcome aboard and enjoy this great site.
All my best,
Bill Hedin

Ditto! Welcome aboard to all our new guys. Glad to have you!

Larry

[53Browns]

Yes, welcome. This is Mecca! So to speak.

[atx840]

This board has been a wealth of knowledge, a great resource for finding that elusive card you need and for a solid way to kill a productive day at work.

Thanks!

[rdixon1208]

Originally Posted by atx840

This board has been a wealth of knowledge, a great resource for finding that elusive card you need and for a solid way to kill a productive day at work.

Thanks!

That's a good one. I was surfing this site at work one day and I said to my good friend and coworker, "I wish there was a way that I could make some money doing something with baseball cards."

He said "Stevie Wonder could see the irony in what you just said."

[npa589]

Off topic, but excellent avatar Robert.

Shawshank is my favorite movie of all-time!

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by npa589

Off topic, but excellent avatar Robert.

As a fellow Houstonian, his last avatar was kind of embarrassing.
(It was an Astros logo)

[thadd]

Originally Posted by npa589

Shawshank is my favorite movie of all-time!

I agree, excellent film. One of those that I run across while channel surfing and can't help but stop and watch it at least for a few scenes.

Little trivia. One of the main characters now does the voice of Mr Crabs on Sponge Bob Squarepants. Quite a swing in roles.

[Jcfowler6]

Thanks for the cool thread.

I haven't been able to get an avatar to show near my name. What's the secret?

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by sportscardpete

What I really appreciate about this board is that there are a wide variety of collectors. We have some low $ collectors and some top of the line collectors. It makes it easier to fit in.

And some guys like me who haven't bought a card in several years and just enjoy the conversation and the general subject

Tabe

[thadd]

Originally Posted by Jcfowler6

Thanks for the cool thread.

I haven't been able to get an avatar to show near my name. What's the secret?

You probably don't have something set correctly under User CP, Settings & Options, Edit Avatar.

The first time I thought I uploaded mine and set it correctly it wasn't showing, then I went back and did it again and it worked fine. Make sure you click the Save Changes at the bottom when you are done, I think that might be the step I missed the first time.