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T206Collector"He then went on to advise that a beginner should always buy the most expensive card that his budget could afford to take advantage of future increases in the value of the cards. He seemed quite certain that the market on T-206's will never go down."
No one knows whether the market on T206's will ever go down -- in the short term anything is possible and in the long-run we are all dead. But, my point was really just about getting familiar first with cheaper cards before moving on to the big game. I definitely think that ONCE YOU ARE ABLE TO EASILY IDENTIFY FAKES it makes sense to acquire big dollar cards first, because I have been burned in the past by waiting to pick up some HOFers when I should have acted. But, again, this assumes that values will always rise, which, again, is just about never true of anything.
"I only own twelve T-206's and I'm sure about half of them are trimmed because I bought them on eBay auctions and they seem a fraction short."
Believe it or not, short has nothing to do with it. There are plenty of short, but unaltered T206 cards floating about. What you are looking for is:
a) uneven cuts on the borders -- a scissors will never cut perfectly straight;
b) bat ears on the corners -- you'll know this when you see it;
c) even wear along all four edges when you hold the card on its side so you cannot see the face or reverse -- if the edge you suspected was trimmed is a nice even white, while the other four look like greying/toned ripples (as best as I can describe it), then you have a trimmed card;
d) An SGC grader once told me that you can see the edges are rounded when they look right, and straight when they are trimmed, but I've had a hard time identifying this one in person.
In short, don't feel bad until someone in the know gives em a real close looksey. If you want to send me some scans of the fronts and backs (pmifsud3d@gmail.com), I'd be happy to give you a very preliminary opinion. But, of course, scans can't tell even half the story.
"I was feeling bad about that until I read T-206 collector's posting and realize that if I want to understand the hobby I'm going to have to make mistakes and it's better lose twenty-dollars on a card then thousands."
That's my whole point. Why burn a grand on a fake Cobb when you are just getting into the hobby. Sure the market may go up a little before you are ready to dive into Cobb and Matty, but you'll save yourself more money in the short run if you take some time out to learn about the cards.