Net54baseball.com Forums - The Market for T206 Cards

I'm a relative novice, but I've purchased about 130 t206 cards over the past couple of years (only major leaguers, psa 2-4 range), and I have some initial perceptions that may go against established theory:

1. I think there are fewer "collectible grade" cards out there than people realize. The common opinion seems to be that there are millions of these cards still out there, and that may technically be true, but what percentage of those are in collectable grade? Which I would define as "a complete card, reasonably well-centered, with decent clarity and focus (registration I guess is the technical term), with minimal paper loss and creasing." My guess would be 10-20 percent of the total, which significantly reduces the available pool for collectors. And I think the perceived numbers are even smaller - as I think population reports are likely filled with cards that have been counted multiple times, due to people breaking open cards are sending them for re-grading again and again.

2. I think decent cards in collectable grade are undervalued. As a new collector, I've made an effort to obtain some cards with the mid-scarce backs (Hindu, AB, Cycle, Tolstoi, EPDG), and it's been TOUGH! Especially on my limited budget! And I've totally dismissed obtaining anything Carolina Brights or scarcer, because 1) they're just not available, and 2) they're completely unaffordable for me (at $1,000+ for a common!). I've read in the reference guides about how Cycles and such are relatively easy to obtain, but again, in collectable grade? Not so much.

3. I've read with interest the past debates on this forum about psa grade vs eye appeal (buy the card, not the holder - or vice versa) - and I have to say I definitely fall into the eye appeal camp. To me, the most important qualities of a card are registration and centering. The integrity/quality of the cardboard base is also important, but I can tolerate some light creasing and/or paper loss (as long as it doesn't interfere with the appearance too much - and I think some minor creasing can often enhance the eye appeal of the card (I know - heresy!)) much more easily than I can with bad centering or clarity. I've seen some psa 6-7 cards that I wouldn't include in my collection if given to me - due to said centering or registration issues. To me, it's all about eye appeal - why else do we collect these little rectangular cardboard cutouts?

4. T206 portrait cards are the finest baseball cards ever produced! The artwork is extraordinary! I love them - they are true pieces of Americana, and will retain their value until hell freezes over!

Chuck