First PreWar card

[CrazyDiamond]

Hello All

I am looking to purchase my first pre war card. i really like the ty cobb t206 red portrait. I am not wealthy by any means so i would think i would need to be within the graded 1 or 2 range (with nice eye appeal). Any assistance regarding price range, things to lookout for, or any other information i need to know would be greatly appreciated.

sorry i am really vague but i have never purchased a prewar card so i dont want to make a mistake

[Sean1125]

You can expect to pay between $400 and $650 for a 1, depending on how nice it is. You can expect to pay $500 to $900 for a 2, again depending on how nice it is.

[h2oya311]

I agree w/ Sean on pricing. Note that this is for a common back (like Piedmont or Sweet Caporal). If buying a raw (ungraded) example, if it ends up w/ a price that's too good to be true, it is likely a reprint. There are some out there. If it's your first pre-war purchase, definitely buy one that is graded by SGC or PSA. Avoid all others.

Good luck!! I hope you find a great one. If you do, please share w/ us. I'm rootin' for ya! Be warned, once you buy one, it's hard to stop. Trust me! While I haven't been bitten, I'd say 30-40% of our members have a strain of the t206 virus.

[irishdenny]

Something You Might Want To Think About!?

Why not purchase an SGC Graded Card in the $30.00 range, Then Crack it out in order to get a good feel for what these beauties are made of & what they Really Look Like!

Something like this should do!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1910-Sweet-C...item1e8a04074d

Chalk it up as a "Bad Date", and/or $30 bucks spent on Education ;-)

As Always...

[z28jd]

If I were you, I'd buy a few low-grade commons first, so you know what you're looking at before you make a big purchase. There are reprints out there, most say they are, but not everyone does and some try to pass them off as real. So you need to be careful. Start slow before going for a big purchase like that. Even if you don't want the common cards, they will still have resale value and they are a great learning tool.

[CrazyDiamond]

Thanks for all the advice. I have done a little research and wasn't sure about rarity of different backs and other things like that. If I do purchase a hofer I will purchase it either psa or sgc graded. I have also been researching the grading companies because I typically do not buy graded cards either. I have read there have been issues with counterfeit cards in psa holders so that worried me as well

[CW]

Welcome to the forums and prewar card collecting. Here's a couple useful tools, the first site is free but not as thorough as the 2nd one which requires a subscription. The 2nd site does offer a one day subscription for only $4 which is well worth it when you're considering a card that will be in the hundreds of dollars. Good luck! The search for the right card is 1/2 the fun!

http://www.cardtarget.com/

http://www.vintagecardprices.com/

[Harliduck]

Originally Posted by CrazyDiamond

Thanks for all the advice. I have done a little research and wasn't sure about rarity of different backs and other things like that. If I do purchase a hofer I will purchase it either psa or sgc graded. I have also been researching the grading companies because I typically do not buy graded cards either. I have read there have been issues with counterfeit cards in psa holders so that worried me as well

Coming from a Post War collector who is now dipping into Pre-War a bit (just started a SGC graded 34 Goudey set), go with SGC. I was just like you...not much for graded, love em raw. I have yet to hear of any counterfeiting or issue's with SGC, and I most likely will not buy a Pre-War card that is NOT graded due to all the issues.

I will also add that my brother, who also collects, decided he wanted PSA graded Mantle collection. The 2nd card he purchased on ebay turned out to be a cracked case with a lower graded card placed in a high grade case. Total joke...I will never buy PSA with their cheap cases (my brother either, lol). SGC with the black inletting looks 100% cooler anyhow. Just my .02$ from a guy who trusts no one in Pre-War.