Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth (Post 2317105)

If Don Henley were here he would say to you

All this whinin' and cryin' and pitchin' a fit
Get over it
Get over it

Originally Posted by Dead-Ball-Hitter (Post 2317806)

Well James, sorry you are not having a good day! Don't worry, its cool, we all vent sometimes. May I share a perspective?



Many might agree that this world creates and then fills many artificial needs. It's the foundation of most business and commerce today. Only a few of the things we buy are real "needs."



Example: My grandfather never needed a TV, he listened to the Sox on radio and that was fine for him. My father enjoyed limited TV, he watched Archie Bunker and not much else. Cable TV wasn't ever an option for him, not a necessity. I, however, watch more sports on more channels than I care to admit. My cable bill is far from a real need, its an artificial one created by people looking to part some of my hard earned wages from me each month. My choice, I'm good.



Likewise with collecting. Grade competition, investing, auctions, etc are likely not essential activities, but many find it enjoyable. PSA has created a need for many and that's fine, let them have their fun. Do what you enjoy, what you find valuable, walk to your own beat, and more power to you.



As an aside, I always recommend finding something truly of greater value in life and giving it proper attention; you decide what that is....

Originally Posted by Gorditadogg (Post 2317808)

As my mother used to say, there's only so much a man really needs, and the rest is just for showing off.

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by brianp-beme (Post 2317813)

It's not considered showing off unless large scale scans of both front and back are included.

Brian

Originally Posted by brianp-beme (Post 2317813)

It's not considered showing off unless large scale scans of both front and back are included.

Brian

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass (Post 2317819)

Aaaaamd the paper.loss HAD to be right over the "suffered " amirite?

Originally Posted by jingram058 (Post 2317746)

Some final thoughts on my rant.

No, I'm not quitting the hobby, just the investment brokerage side of it. Sometimes I get the wild idea that I need to break up the good old boy country club, that pats each member of the club on the back whenever they "pick up" their latest multi-thousands of dollars "card". Jealousy? Perhaps so. Then again, perhaps not. I'm pretty happy with the cards I have to this point.

No, I'm not going to rant anymore, or interrupt or hijack threads about graded cards or investments. Sometimes I wish Leon would just go ahead and change the name of the forum to "net54baseball cards investments and associates".

No, I'm not going to sell my cards for pennies on the dollar, for someone to send off and have graded and then sell for a small fortune.

No, I am not going to have any of my cards graded. There are a multitude of reasons why I am not going to do so. Graded, encapsulated cards is not at all why I collect baseball cards.

Yes, I am going to continue to collect.

Originally Posted by wazoo (Post 2316767)

Generalizations are dangerous in all cases

Originally Posted by Hankphenom (Post 2317897)

Glad to hear the OP is staying here. I guess you could say that our hobby of collecting mostly baseball cards and stuff is analogous to what some wag said about the game itself, that it is such a great game that not even the idiots in charge can ruin it completely. Even with its many huge flaws, failures, and focus on the wrong things, this is a fun, even exciting hobby. I don't know why. I'm a smart guy and have always recognized and been amazed at the nuttiness of it all, but I still love it. I'll probably be checking out eBay and Net54 on the day I die.

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy (Post 2318012)

It seems most of us have adjusted our collecting practices of late. I know that I have. My current project is an all ungraded '50 Bowman set that averages in the VG neighborhood. A few years ago, I would have aimed more in the ex/exmt range. However, cardboard costs a bit more these days. It's more than that for me though. I find that I actually prefer low to mid grade ungraded cards. Most of what I do is related to set building. I like wear on my vintage cards. I like them to actually appear vintage. That makes it feel like more of a hobby to me. I always wonder about where all they have been, who has owned them before me, etc. With this '50 Bowman set, I like to imagine the boy in 1950 who first opened them up from their packs. Like him, I'm just a temporary caretaker. Hopefully whoever owns them after me will enjoy them as much as I do.

Originally Posted by jingram058 (Post 2318018)

And ^^^ this ^^^ sums it up for me. This says what I couldn't find the words to say, why I don't care about graded cards. I want them to look like what they are, old, with creases, rounded off corners, thumb tack holes, tape, whatever. I want to hold them in my own hands and look at them, not through a plastic slab, from time to time as I did with my cards as a kid. I don't care about card grading. I don't care one iota about the flip and the bar code, if they're trimmed or even worry if they're fake. Could not care any less. That's not why I collect. I am all over beaters, many of which I have "picked up" from folks right here on net54, just look at my signature. I treasure all of them, they are priceless to me, and I love the stories and bios of the players, when it was baseball in it's absolute glory My wife and daughter will be all set when I up and croak. And not from selling off my cards, either.

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy (Post 2318012)

It's more than that for me though. I find that I actually prefer low to mid grade ungraded cards. Most of what I do is related to set building. I like wear on my vintage cards. I like them to actually appear vintage. That makes it feel like more of a hobby to me.

Originally Posted by G1911 (Post 2318033)

Very well said. This is exactly why I have so much fun in low grade land; I don’t feel like I’m sacrificing at all, even though I’m shaving 90% off the price tag for the same card. I don’t see a NM card as really any more desirable to my eyes than a G one. Makes it much easier to collect collector cards rather than investment cards when one doesn’t see them as actually worse.


I’m 1 card away from 1950 Bowman. Should have bought a beater Jackie for $200 a few years ago. Now it’s almost $1K in any condition, and I have a hard time rationalizing that price for a mass produced card. I’m having a blast with the no copyright variations in the last 2 series. I need 14 of the no copyrights (and still don’t have Bob Miller or Sam Jethroe with the copyrights! Never thought a common Bob Miller would be one of the last I needed). Gorgeous little works of art.

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy (Post 2318043)

Greg, you always have great taste! I've had the Jackie for a while. It won't win any beauty contests, but I do have it. It's one of my favorites. I have work to do in the low numbers still yet. I'm also collecting the copyright/no copyright variations. Those are neat. I still have a few of those to go, but it's doable. Like you said, they're little works of art.

Originally Posted by jingram058 (Post 2318051)

I think the 50 Bowman is hands down Jackie Robinson's best card. Awesome card, sir!