collectibles only sell if someone thinks it’s a good deal

Never send a card in a PWE with a thick piece(s) of cardboard. The cardboard greatly increases the chance of the card getting damaged and the buyer getting their card with postage due.

Random, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot - but here is what comes to the top of my head:

1. Don't have regrets. Most of us have sold some cards that we have at least some level of passive regret over at some point in time later. But at least in my case, the funds from those sales allowed me to buy other cards I had wanted that I didn't have before. It's all about the fun and the experience - and remember our one ride on this merry go-round is kind of short when you look at the big picture. Enjoy your cards and don't focus on mistakes with your collection. As the late Dr. Richard Carlson once said, "Remember, every hundred years? All new people!" Don't spend more time than you have to in that window regretting things you can no longer change.

2. If you are more of a collector than an investor or speculator in cards, know that third party grading services have extremely limited utility. Basically, they are useful if you are buying a card online, sight-unseen, and want peace of mind that the "EX" card you just bought doesn't have a glaring, hidden crease. But if you are mainly doing PC and don't sell a lot of cards, once that slab arrives in your mailbox, the look of the card isn't going to change no matter the grade on the flip. So, (unlike me in the past...) don't get caught up with why this card only got a 6 when you thought it was a strong 7, or why that card you were sure was a 5 only got a 3.5 from PSA. That is the head game that ALL TPG's want collectors to buy into to keep them submitting and re-submitting cards ad nauseum until the end of time. Are you pleased with how the card LOOKS, and how it fits in your collection? If not, then upgrade. If you are, then realize that for whims, days of the week, the weather, what grader you did or did not get - that you could likely resubmit the same card over and over again and rarely get the exact same grade every time. Grading that is at all related to eye appeal is subjective, and always will be. No matter how many computers or HGA grading companies enter the picture.

3. Don't get caught up in trying to "Keep up with the Joneses" in terms of your collection and how bad@ss you think it is or is not and how that in turn makes you come off in groups like this one as a collector. With extremely scarce exceptions, somebody somewhere has a better collection than you do. All of you. And in turn, your collection also blows somebody's (and likely a lot of somebody's...) away too. Collect what makes you happy, and don't make it a competition with everything you see on message boards, on YouTube, or anywhere else you discuss the hobby with other people.

3. Don't get caught up in trying to "Keep up with the Joneses" in terms of your collection and how bad@ss you think it is or is not and how that in turn makes you come off in groups like this one as a collector. With extremely scarce exceptions, somebody somewhere has a better collection than you do. All of you. And in turn, your collection also blows somebody's (and likely a lot of somebody's...) away too. Collect what makes you happy, and don't make it a competition with everything you see on message boards, on YouTube, or anywhere else you discuss the hobby with other people

+100. Can't stress how important this is. I owned a Blues club for 25 years and one quote I'll always remember was from George "Harmonica" Smith when he would invite the young guys up on stage to play. He'd say "Man, do your thing, just do your thing". Same thing with collecting, "Man, just do your thing".

Pop culture tip: whenever someone just says "Plastics" it's a Graduate reference, not It's a Wonderful Life.

Many have already been said but:

Collect what you like
Buy the card, not the holder
If investing: buy the best card you can in the best condition you can

Advice
 

Never advise fellow collectors of your true collection needs. The prices then sky rocket.

Forget all the damned money and political crap in the big drama show threads and post cards. Lots of cards.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...Wagner%201.jpg

And like Honus said, don't use tobacco.

Learned this one the hard way more than once. Especially if it is a high end card in a specific condition.

Another is the "make me an offer" seller. No matter how good your offer is the seller will ask for more because you are showing interest.

Dont make a WTB post either!

Best hobby advice? Buy the card....not the holder.

https://luckeycards.com/greencobb.jpg

Very true, I have 2 rare cards that I buy every one I see so I don't even mention I collect those 2 cards.

Make sure to frequently post really beat up cards, because then it will make everyone else feel better about the cards they own.

Brian (once again my advice...no one would ever advise me to do this)

Really good one I just saw

See a deal, buy the deal. Once you haggle, you open up for the seller to be aware.

So many great statements -- but mine are quite similar: (I started collecting in 1957 and became a "dealer" in 1976 and I did start advertising items for sale by 1964 --wish I had those items back today):

1 -- Buy what you like -- if you get stuck with it, you still own something you like. So I do have about a 1,000 beanies but they are all Disney or Warners, so guess what, I still like them -- all of my Mickeys and other comic characters.

2 -- Just like the stock market, don't put all of your money into one stock/player. I might make an exception for Ruth, Mantle and many similar players.

3-- Focus on the "keys" that you can afford. Besides sports, I did the same in non sports and comic books. While non sports has cooled down, there are some keys and comic books that I literally have hundreds of or more.

4 -- Negotiate with everyone for a better price. It can't hurt to try and all they can do is say no. Yes, that can turn them off, so you buy something else.

5 -- When I started selling in 1976, it was for me a clear end to most of my collecting but it did not stop me from investing in "quality" and often "quantity". It's tough to sell at shows almost every weekend in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990's, and continue collecting when you were buying collections 5 to ten times a week. Those acquisitions were next weeks sales.

6 -- Have a mind of your own and don't always follow the trends. For me it has always been to figure out the next hot item, buy a ton of it and wait for the market to catch up. Not sure that would work now, but look at the last year!!

Steve

Best advice I received has been mentioned earlier:
If you see something you want for sale, buy it as it will disappear. I've picked up some really nice pieces, and have missed on things I will never see again by not following through with the purchase.

Best advice I have given:
If a seller makes an offer and the buyer doesn't take it, it's OK. If a seller makes an offer and the buyer doesn't take it, it's OK.
Both have the right to do so, without the other taking offense. At the end, both of you walk away happy. A deal not made is not personal.
We are not selling a kidney here.

Graded or raw?

Get to the mailbox before the wife.

Better yet, have your purchases sent to your office.

A little voice in my head (which is much louder now): Now is NOT the time to buy!


.

"Collect what you love" - I was once basically made fun of for being into "custom" cards, i.e. cards that never were, Topps Archives / Fan Favorites, etc. '63 Fleer Mantle. '34 Goudey Ruth. '76 Carlton Fisk with a different (and much better...) picture. Well you know what? I like these creations, and they usually cost a fraction of a fraction of what similar, playing days real issues of a lot of stars and HOF'ers cost. I like them because they are not reprints, just fakes of something that really was - but a different take on something that was - that never was.

One of my latest pickups like this is a '68 Topps 3D Mickey Mantle that they did in an Archives set a few years back. This is an incredible card - of course there was no real 3D Mantle that was issued in that test set. Topps picked a great photo of the Mick watching a ball that he had just parked go out. I can't imagine that a kid in 1968 wouldn't think that was just fabulous had it actually existed then. This may not be a real vintage card, but it's that same type of inspired joy I get out of it that I do many of my real ones. To me that's what the hobby is all about.

^Great post^

I have got some of that grief for collecting reprint sets. Personally I like custom cards and reprints. I have a lot of vintage reprint sets and custom cards. They both make me very happy to own them.

Myself I generally shy away from straight reprints, but that's just a personal preference. There is nothing wrong with reprints. If you are a fan of the game first and foremost, it's no different than hanging a print (as opposed to an original) of a ridiculously expensive piece of artwork on your wall.

The types of cards I'm talking about are anomalies. They are often of players who were never made in the real sets they get created into. GBSCC in Boston produced some fantastic cards in the past like this that were show promotions. You can get most of them on eBay for less than $10 apiece.

Some of those custom cards are terrific. I especially like it when they redo a card that had one of those hatless close-ups with a decent picture, like this:


What would be cool would be if somebody would make a fantasy set, with all new pictures of, say, 1966 Topps, and sell them in wax packs of 5 cards each (forget the gum.) If it could be done affordably, and without lawsuits, it would be a blast to open a box of them, with each card being something never seen before.

That "somebody" would have to be (a) Topps; (b) somebody who pays Topps a lot of money for a license; or (c) somebody about to get sued by Topps. ;)

Plus, I assume the MLBPA doesn't administer the rights to former players' names, likenesses, etc. collectively, as I believe it does for (most) current players, does it? Topps obviously has contracted with various HOFers and other former stars for their rights for the Heritage products, etc., but to do a full set, they would probably have to negotiate individually with each player or his heirs.

From Bill James, and hence hobby advice:

"Never marry a pretty girl as they're accustomed to having their faults tolerated."

Unfortunately, I failed to follow it.

I enjoy some of the creative cards too. Like this 3D Jeter:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ge%20Jeter.jpg

The late Bob Lemke (RIP) used to create all sorts of cards that never were. I picked up a Red Man Mantle and a 1954 Bowman Aaron from him.

I commissioned this one to be made out of an autograph I got in person here in LA:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...le_%20Eric.jpg

I also like the Vela art cards.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...%20Kershaw.jpg

I guess it depends on whether you view cards as investments or something for fun. I think about the former but try to blend in a lot of the latter.

Admittedly the whole concept is fantasy.

I agree that it is a great idea.

Buy cards of players my wife (a complete non-fan) knows. If they’re famous enough to enter her zeitgeist, they’re the best of the best.

For the interested, my wife knows Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Mike Trout and “that guy who married Marilyn Monroe”.

For anyone in the 'cards that never were' crowd who missed it way back when, definitely check out my long slog through the missing players of the 1972 'In Action' subset. Cool stuff.

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=219771

I was actually maybe thinking of creating customized versions of these cards for net54 members, or perhaps featuring their wives/husbands/kids/friends/whatever to be printed on a t-shirt? I dunno. Don't want to say too much and be charged with an ad placement fee. :eek:

Those are awesome 1972 customs!

Great stuff Darren, thanks for posting.

1. The rose goes in the front, big guy.

2. When you get in a fight with a drunk, you don’t hit them with your pitching hand.

3. Never f— with a winning streak.

Hey Brian,

I like to follow this advice all the time here on Net54. I agree that it can help others feel good about their collections. ;)

Andy

Alrighty, then

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...20Robinson.JPG

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ries%20120.jpg

Allow me to assist....https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e2647c672c.jpg

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Nice but when it comes to pulverized cardboard I will not be outdone

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...binson%201.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...es%20Aaron.jpg

Attachment 452718I'll try Adam.


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I'll play
 

https://net54baseball.com/picture.ph...ictureid=30549

When I sent this card to Porter, he wrote back that he felt so bad about how beat up it was that was enclosing a custom card so I'd have one in better condition. When I put it on top of a less beat up card, the damage becomes more apparent; the picture doesn't show it well, but this one is more oval than rectangular.

It is not realistic these days for a lot of people to collect the Monster in VG-EX/EX. If my key cards are 1-2s, does that mean I should not add a John McGraw that is EX-MT?

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall.”

--Ralph Waldo Emerson, famous T212 collector, I think.

I think the best advice I ever got was from Alan Rosen in the early '80's. He said, "Remember - nothing is scarce. You'll always see it again." He was wrong, of course, but it applied to what I was collecting at the time (mostly Topps and Bowman, but also Red Hearts, Red Man, and the like). And I've retained it as "Be patient, but if you love the card, don't worry about paying a few extra bucks."

I missed all the follow up beat-up card posts after I dropped this pearl of wisdom:

"Make sure to frequently post really beat up cards, because then it will make everyone else feel better about the cards they own."

So here you go...a favorite T216 of Evers of mine. Bet you all are just glowing about how nice your collections are.

Brian

A treasured beater.