New Member - Card Collecting for Years, New to Vintage

[Rangers09]

Hi All,

Just wanted to quickly introduce myself, apologies in advance if this isn't the appropriate forum. I collected modern baseball cards when I was younger, primarily from 2008-2014. I focused on newer cards of older players (pre-1990's), as I found the prices to be a bit less volatile than the newer guys. I took an extended hiatus from the hobby, but am now in my mid-20's, and am interested in jumping back in with a focus on vintage. I've selected a few cards that I'm researching and watching on eBay, and heard this forum was a good place to learn more. A couple of questions:

1. What additional resources are available to learn more? I've been diving into a couple of blogs and historical sales data at PWCC.

2. My strategy is to allocate a % of my overall investing budget (5%-10%) to vintage cards. I'm thinking I'll start by investing in players that I like (Speaker, Hornsby, Cobb, Ruth, Aaron, Robinson, Koufax, Ichiro), but not sure if there are common strategies beyond that. I'd rather not focus on 1 specific era, player, or brand, but also not sure if that's a sustainable strategy.

3. Random question, but in my research I'm showing significant price spikes across all players in 2016. What drove this?

4. I'm seeing prices are relatively high, especially on Post-WWII cards (I'm assuming due to COVID). I would expect that prices start to decline as people begin to leave their homes, but not sure what the common sentiment is.

Thanks for any help, and I'm excited to get started!

Dusty

[hcv123]

1) If you are looking to learn about the vintage cards and sets there is a HUGE WEALTH of information here on the boards and some incredible people - try doing searches in the forums that are applicable to the cards you are looking for. While there are people here who "invest" in cards and others while not investors who make decisions considering potential future pricing, I would say that based on my experience, most here are more focused on just "collecting" - so if you are looking for more pricing based or speculation information this might not be the best place to find it.

2) The list of players you like also happen to be some of the most collected players. I would think the "big names" in the "big sets" are a good starting point - "Big sets" - T206, 1933 Goudey, 1952 Topps - "Big names - T206 Cobbs, 1933 Goudey Ruths, 1952 Topps Mantle, Robinson. Aaron - 1954 (ROokie) or 1955 or 1956.

3) Re: Price spikes - it is widely believed that there was a small group of individuals who manipulated the market creating the price spikes. This hobby because of some of the $$$ involved has been susceptible to those less scrupulous looking for fast $$$. I encourage you to do your homework to understand some of that history as I suspect it is possible to happen again. Do google search for "baseball card market manipulation" and "slabgate" to get your feet wet with some of the less attractive goings on in the hobby. Forewarned is forearmed.

4) I follow many auctions and have seen some incredible prices - not across the board, but too many to assume "outliers" - not sure what the story with that is. Most regular issue (as opposed to regional or test issue) Post war cards have enough supply that I would probably peg a price point I want to be at and be patient. Possibly a bit less so for prewar

A couple of possible helpful resources for you:

Vintage Card Prices (VCP) - https://vintagecardprices.com/

and

PSA auction prices database (this doesn't capture every sale and is for PSA graded cards only) - https://www.psacard.com/auctionprices/


Hope that's a helpful start.

Most importantly - enjoy what you collect!

Howard

[Rangers09]

Thanks Howard! This is super helpful. I'm definitely eager to get started, and will dig a bit more into some of your points (especially #3). I'm actually named after Dusty Baker, so will be picking up some of his stuff as well.

[slantycouch]

Welcome Dusty!

You're smart to ask questions and educate yourself before making any big investments. This forum is an incredible wealth of knowledge. I've found answers to many of my questions by using the search to find old threads and discussions, and I've spend many nights going down those rabbit holes, coming out feeling much more education on whatever the topic.

Howard's advice to 'enjoy what you collect' is spot on!

[swarmee]

To #3, Brent Huigens at PWCC basically said he knew the 5-10 people shilling up the 1950s Hall of Fame rookies that you saw bubble in 2016. I wonder if the FBI asked him about these friends of his while they were investigating all the fraud he's otherwise involved in?

[toledo_mudhen]

I think you would probably need to assess where you are going to concentrate your efforts. In vintage there are basically 2 camps - Pre War (1941 and prior) & Post War (1945 ish thru 70s?).

Find something that grabs your eye, imagination, whatever. PSA SMR will have examples of each card set from each year and also contains some blurbage on each set (era).

https://www.psacard.com/smrpriceguide/baseball-card-values/13

Trust me- something will grab ya and then you will officially have the "disease" :)

For me - I'm stuck in the 50s and personally think it doesn't get any better than this :

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/150864751@N07/48990110591/in/album-72157711330478736/" title="Koufax SGC 80"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48990110591_e9c22beca7.jpg" width="500" height="317" alt="Koufax SGC 80"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Enjoy!

[Koufax32fan]

Dusty - welcome aboard. I concur with all that was written before. I would add that, in addition to posting questions on the board for general input (and ignore anyone who snipes at you), you should feel free to reach out directly to collectors who you find have similar collecting interests. I did that with respect to Koufax game used tickets and several people were very helpful in my education, giving me ideas for storage, pointing out potential purchases, selling me tickets, etc. Even when we invariably "competed" in auctions, it was done with good humor and good will.

And, try to find a dealer or 2 at shows or through the web that you can connect with on a personal level. I shared interests with several dealers over the years, and they kept me in mind with inventory as they received it. One ticket seller emails me on a regular basis with Koufax tickets he gets into his inventory. Even though I haven't bought from him in awhile (as I have the "easy" ones - from LA, Chicago, STL), he keeps asking and I always thank him for thinking of me. Maybe I am just naive, but I also think that when you are nice to dealers that you get better service (and even prices). And, when it comes time to dispose of some or all of your collection, those connections will prove to be invaluable.

Most importantly - have fun! I think you will have more fun if you don't think of your cards budget as part of your investment portfolio, but as part of your entertainment budget.

[Santo10Fan]

Hi All,

Just wanted to quickly introduce myself, apologies in advance if this isn't the appropriate forum. I collected modern baseball cards when I was younger, primarily from 2008-2014. I focused on newer cards of older players (pre-1990's), as I found the prices to be a bit less volatile than the newer guys. I took an extended hiatus from the hobby, but am now in my mid-20's, and am interested in jumping back in with a focus on vintage. I've selected a few cards that I'm researching and watching on eBay, and heard this forum was a good place to learn more. A couple of questions:

1. What additional resources are available to learn more? I've been diving into a couple of blogs and historical sales data at PWCC.

2. My strategy is to allocate a % of my overall investing budget (5%-10%) to vintage cards. I'm thinking I'll start by investing in players that I like (Speaker, Hornsby, Cobb, Ruth, Aaron, Robinson, Koufax, Ichiro), but not sure if there are common strategies beyond that. I'd rather not focus on 1 specific era, player, or brand, but also not sure if that's a sustainable strategy.

3. Random question, but in my research I'm showing significant price spikes across all players in 2016. What drove this?

4. I'm seeing prices are relatively high, especially on Post-WWII cards (I'm assuming due to COVID). I would expect that prices start to decline as people begin to leave their homes, but not sure what the common sentiment is.

Thanks for any help, and I'm excited to get started!

Dusty Key rookies are always a good starting point, especially from a liquidity standpoint. If you can sell those at a profit over time they could pay for any oddballs or personal focus cards that are less liquid.

For example, I have a number of PSA mint Ron Santo cards because I knew Ron through work and I'm a Cubs fan. I never did ask him to sign for me because I didn't think it was right for work-and he tipped us cash all the time. So I (much later) started collecting his cards. Santo IS a hall of famer, but his rookie in mint 9 is mainly stagnant/grows at a very small percentage over time. It's certainly the most liquid of his cards. The others I own will be tough to move but that's ok because they are larks, just cards I like to look at from time to time to remember him.

On your fourth point, my hypothesis is when the 86 Fleer Jordan rookie went thermonuclear last month that many, many new collectors realized it was out of reach. Right away those people turned to; all NBA legends' rookie cards who appeared in Last Dance; the 89 UD Griffey, then all Griffeys; then the market splintered in different directions. It's doubtful the Jordan will ever decline again but you get the sense there was a real FOMO run on NM ones.

[todeen]

Hi Dusty,

Welcome. I'm in my mid-30s. You've definitely come to the right place. Here's my advice.

1) buy most of your cards on Net54. The "Buy Sell Trade" section is phenomenal. You will see items here you won't find anywhere else. You will see cards for sale here that are in great condition, but usually at a lower price than on ebay. You don't pay taxes for purchases on Net54. And often shipping is wrapped into the sale price. Most sellers here are honest. Although a bad deal happens occasionally here, Leon, the site host, does a great job of policing membership. It is safer here than on ebay.

2) if you're looking for vintage consider t206. There are so many collectors on this site that deal in t206, and especially the big hits you might be interested in. If you want some sort of financial security, you can't beat it.

3) I'm a Reds collector. When I came here to Net54, I searched the threads looking for Reds related material. I found other Reds collectors and we all post our finds on a common thread. It's fun to share your purchases with others who will appreciate the find and support you. You can also find threads for players, like Brooks Robinson, Mickey Mantle, and Roberto Clemente. Search for something you already know you're interested in and join the conversation. You will make friends on this board sooner than you anticipate. There are 4 or 5 guys i enjoy following.

Enjoy the ride!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[jbsports33]

Welcome!