I tend toward single cards, admittedly more post-war thus far. A few things that may be a little quirky.
The cards I like the most now are the ones I wanted as a teenager but couldn't get (1933 Ruth, T206 Dark Cap Matty, Aaron rookie, Jackie's cards).
I also like cards that capture little pieces of baseball (or baseball card) history that I find interesting. For instance ... 1915 CJ Branch Rickey (i.e. "before they were famous"), Jimmie Foxx Diamond Stars depicted as a catcher, 1970 Curt Flood depicted on the Phillies, 1954 Bowman Piersall #66, all the guys who desegregated MLB starting their careers in the late 40s, etc.
Who knows, but I anticipate keeping all the cards I collect now until I die. Thus, I guess you could say I think of them as assets (I care about their value if I needed to claim insurance or sell them if times got tough) but not as investments.
On condition, paper loss is a big problem for me. Beyond that, centering is most important. I find I care more about left-right than top-bottom ... to me left-right has more impact on eye appeal. Also, I guess I'm glad for minor wrinkles and other small flaws that can't be seen from more than a few inches away (at least by me, who has worn glasses his whole life) as they bring cards that I find really attractive into my price range.
Thanks for the topic and posts. Good stuff.
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