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#1
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Getting started
Posted By: Scott Gardiner
Hi all, |
#2
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Getting started
Posted By: hankron
I would suggest you buy a copy of the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards by Bob Lemke (Krause Publications). It catalogs and describes all the major baseball card issues. |
#3
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Getting started
Posted By: jay behrens
Definately get some books and familiarize yourself with the various issues. Then go to shows and and start looking at cards getting a feel for what is real and what is fake. If you are mainly chasing low grade cards like do, then there is no real fear of getting a fake unless you are going after a big ticket item. And then you are better off buying a slabbed card or buying from a dealer you trust. You might also consider narrowing you interest to a certain set, team or player. |
#4
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Getting started
Posted By: Joe P.
Another reading comprehension, or half knowledge in the subject matter? |
#5
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Getting started
Posted By: billybaseball
Also as a relatively new attendee of this forum, I have to say that its sad that a good portion of what seems to be written about is related to fraudulent cards. Real vs authentic cards? Doctored? Reprint? Is this grading service reliable? etc. |
#6
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Getting started
Posted By: leon
The best way to arm yourself against fraudulent cards is by handling as many as you can, imo. Most of us that have been doing it for several years (and I am a relative newbee) can hold a card and "feel" if it is legit or not. David Rudd (Cycleback aka Hankron on the board) has several reference books you might want to get too. I have a few of them and they are very good. Out of all of the cards I have bought (probably a few thousand) I have exactly one fake, that I know of. It is a Brunners Bread D304 that I bought on ebay, about 6 years ago, for $40. I have kept it as a reminder even after the seller said he would take it back in trade for other cards....but all he had was new stuff anyway so now I have the reminder of what NOT to do. Once you have handled enough old cards you will start to be able to "feel" the age of them. The petina of old paper can not be faked very well. If you put an old card in the palm of your hand, laying flat, and look at it at an angle, you will be able to see the uneven gloss too. That uneven gloss look is almost impossible to fake. The "feel" of old paper is also impossible to fake, or at least I have not seen any I was fooled by. As for buying on the internet it is always caveat emptor. If you buy graded cards from PSA, SGC, or GAI you will be safe 99.999% of the time, on fakes. Alterations is another bag of worms but that is a whole nuther thread. Buy from respected dealers or ebayers at first and you should be ok. Oldcardboard.com has a list of good dealers that sell thousands of cards a day/week and that might be a good list of folks to buy from to start out with. Good luck and happy collecting !!!!! |
#7
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Getting started
Posted By: Kevin O
Although it's discouraging to know that there are so many fakes and alterations, you have to familiarize yourself with their marks unless you like to throw your money into the street. I did not buy a single vintage card until I had been researching them for more than a year--and I still managed to get ripped off twice (as far as I know). I would spot both cards today, but in many ways those purchases were the most important ones I've made. There are enough reputable dealers and traders who will guarantee their cards so that you can still have peace of mind at market prices or better. There are also plenty of dealers who will not be hostile if you return a card because you believe it's been overgraded or altered. Such folks do well because they know that in the long run we're going to keep coming back to them. The deal that seems too good to be true almost always is. |
#8
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Getting started
Posted By: hankron
I think that if a new collector is starting with the idea that there are some fakes, that's a whole lot better than those people who drop thousands of dollars on Babe Ruth and Elvis autographs not fathoming that there is such a thing as a forged signature. |
#9
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Getting started
Posted By: jay behrens
Billy, if you are looking to get into t202s, talk to my brother Lee, Brian Hodes or Julie. They are probably the most knowledgable poeple around here on that set. |
#10
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Getting started
Posted By: Scott Gardiner
Is there a list of reputable dealers, Ebay or otherwise? That would be a very handy resource for a beginner like myself. |
#11
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Getting started
Posted By: hankron
My feeling is that experienced collectors on this board should recommend 1 or 2 quality sellers of vintage baseball cards sellers. This could be of invaluable help for beginners. Here are two: |
#12
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Getting started
Posted By: bcornell
Scott- |
#13
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Getting started
Posted By: Lee Behrens
Billy, Go into the search and you will find that I put a link of T202 reprints. Because of the thickness of the white borders and the fact that not all the cards have been reprinted makes the T202s some of the easiest reprints to spot. I personally have only 2 reprints, like Leon a D304 Brunner and a T201, which is actually much nicer than the originals. I bought a Cracker reprints set because of the bios and expense of the original. I think a good link to start wold be one that had scans of originals next to reprints for each set. |
#14
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Getting started
Posted By: warshawlaw
Go to a show, preferably the National or a major regional show. The best possible way to learn about old cards is to see and handle them. |
#15
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Getting started
Posted By: jay behrens
Sadly, most local shop owner don't have a clue about card issued prior to ww2. Hell, most of them can't even help you if you have anything that isn't a mainstream Topps, Bowman, Donruss, Fleer, Upper Deck issue. Bring ina regional issue to them and they will be dumb founded most of the time. |
#16
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Getting started
Posted By: hankron
In my experiece, the vast majority of eBay sellers are honest-- not perfect, but trying to do a good job. If the buyer learns to stay clear of the obvious trouble sellers, life is much easier .... If a deal sounds too good to be true, no returns, won't guarantee or even state authenticity, private auctions, very bad feedback, description doesn't produce confidence. The more experience a collector gains, the easier everything becomes. |
#17
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Getting started
Posted By: hankron
I should add to eBay sellers, you should always try your best to answer sincere questions, if only for your own benifit. Even if you aren't able answer their factual questions or do what they want (Can you list all 4,000 names in the collection in alphabetical order?) but answer politely and timely, many bidders will still place a bid as you come as you come across as someone they want to deal with. To many bidders, no response does not build confience. |
#18
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Getting started
Posted By: Judge Dred
I will not bid on an ebay item if the seller does not respond to inquiries made about the item for auction. |
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