New here and saying Hi!

[gregr2]

New here and want to say hi to everyone. I started collecting about a month ago and I'm learning so much. I have been collecting mostly 1950's and 1960's Hall of Fame PSA graded 8 and 9 baseball cards. I still don't have enough experience to buy ungraded cards from that era. Every time I look at ungraded cards I feel my inexperience will cause me to get ripped off as there are some shady folks out there. I am hoping that joining here will allow me to have a greater understanding of ungraded cards to the point that I can eventually feel comfortable purchasing them.

Hopefully I won't ask too many stupid questions!

Thanks everyone for sharing their knowledge and I look forward learning.

Greg

[nebboy]

Welcome your @the right place. Search a lot of old treads, it's a wealth of info.

[Leon]

Welcome Greg. The best way to learn about pre-war is "Just Do It". Read the board, get a few of the great pre-war hobby periodicals and then, if possible, start handling raw cards at every chance. I have stacks and stacks of all kinds of cards all over the place in my home office. Handling them is getting to know them. Good luck in the hunt!!

[mrvster]

you will love pre war....try a t206 on for size:)

Peace

Johnny

[gregr2]

Here is my meager collection to this point:

123125

Here are some of the autographs I got when I was a kid. My wife was kind enough to put this together for me:
123126

And here is my tribute to the 1969 World Series winning NY Mets (yes, they are the 1970 cards but they are the members of the team that won in 1969:

123127

[Cardboard Junkie]

Size matters! Go for T-3's. Aloha, Dave.

[ethicsprof]

welcome aboard!
very nice displays of your cards!
all the best,
barry

[wazoo]

Welcome! Cool displays :)

[g_vezina_c55]

Nice display
welcome

[williamcohon]

I got a kick out of your fondness for the old Mets. They were my inspiration when I first returned to card collecting, in the late eighties. Having been a kid in the New York area when the Mets were born, I used to go see them in the Polo Grounds (where they played for two years). So the first thing I did was assemble the 1969 roster.

Now I concentrate on tobacco cards. And I join with the others in encouraging you to try them, too.

Welcome aboard, and happy collecting.

[the 'stache]

Welcome aboard, Greg! You've got some very nice cards to start out with. Great choices!

The suggestion to handle some ungraded cards is a really good one. Get a couple commons from sets you know you'll be collecting. For example, if you are planning on collecting the 1953 Bowman Color set (my favorite vintage issue), then pick up something like a Sal Maglie. It doesn't even have to be in a great shape, a good will do. Pop that in a card saver, and set it to the side. When you get that ungraded Mickey Mantle or Stan Musial, look at the Maglie next to the more expensive card under a jeweler's loupe (I like 10 x magnification). Compare the printing, the card stock, the edges and corners. Then, take out your black light, put the cards somewhere safe, and turn off the lights. If any alterations have been made to the card (added paper, recoloring), they should become evident under the black light.

Here's a good guide to get you started:

http://www.net54baseball.com/forum/content/alterations.html

The "Judging the Authenticity of Pre 1930s Baseball Cards", written by our own David Cycleback, will also benefit you as a vintage collector. I highly recommend it. You can also buy a hard copy on Amazon, if you like. It's a great reference guide to have in hand if you go to a card show, and have questions about a card you might invest in.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0615196519/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There are a lot of great people on this forum, and you won't find a more knowledgeable group of hobbyists anywhere. The advanced search, and Google (searching for "Net54baseball" and a topic), will help you find a lot of answers you seek. If you can't find the answer there, ask away. I think you'll find the people here are quite helpful.

Though I'm a relative neophyte compared to most of the members here, feel free to message me if you have questions. If I can't answer something outright, I should be able to point you in the right direction.

Above all else, have fun!

Bill

[JollyElm]

Long live Mets fans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gregr2]

Thanks Bill! Exactly the kind of information I was looking for. I think that's a great idea to grab a couple of good condition commons and just start getting familiar with them, I think I'll do just that.

Did some looking at the 1953 Bowman color set and they are really nice!!

Thanks
Greg