The BIG 4-0 & The National
 

Well, the time has come to turn the page on my 30's and say hello to a new, older decade.

As I close out my 30's and welcome my 40's, my wife is offering me a small shopping spree at The National. Her gift to me is $1,000, to be spent anyway I want.

Here is the pressing question - If you had $1,000 to be spent on any old cardboard, how would you spend it?

I am a T206 collector, but want to look elsewhere for this gift, as I will have plenty of my own money to spend on those.

All suggestions are welcome!

you can send the 1K to me and I will return a random assortment of "stuff" from my esteemed collection!!!!!

Pick up a HOF Old Judge. It would stand out from your T206 collection to mark your 40th!!

I'm in a similar situation, only the $1000 is out of my own pocket and not my wife's! I'll be looking for a T206 Red Cobb at the Strongsville show. Assuming you have one of those, I suggest a Wagner or a Goudey Ruth/Gehrig.

Money
 

Hank Aaron is money in the bank....Buy the highest grade best centered Rookie card you can find.

Bottle of Bourbon and a Hooker...T206 Hooker of course. ;)

My advice...if you're a T206 guy, get something special for your T206 collection. it'll mean more, and you'll love it more.

Good luck.

Buy vintage Mantle cards.

The wife will be with me, but who knows - she does like bourbon!!! :D

1957 Mantle in PSA 7 -- the prettiest post-war card in my humble opinion.

I would look for the best cabinet premium I could find. Old Mill, Old Judge, Pinkerton, Obak, etc. Cabinets really stand out in your collection, and seem to retain value.

I agree with finding something special for the t206 collection. I'd go for a HOFer with a tough back, or a nice Cobb. Depending on what your set needs are, you could also spread it around a little.

Go for a t206 Ty Cobb. You have a choice of 4 Cobbs. Good luck and have fun

I think Steve had a great idea, but let me take it a step further. Why not get an Old Judge HOFer who appears in the T206 set? Both Beckley and Griffith fit the bill, both are scarcer Old Judge HOFers, but not so scarce or so popular as to bust the budget. If you go this route, get an SGC graded copy with the nicest image you can find. Forget what the back looks like. An Old Judge is just a photo glued to a blank back piece of cardboard.

dude....
 

set your t206 collection apart with a very neat printer scrap......kick in a few bux and get a sweet freak:)

I as well hit the 40 mark this year...all down hill from here. Now if you will excuse me I'm off to review the Weather Channel and catch a Matlock before bed time.

on a more serious note...I'd get a marquis card...an iconic card of the hobby in whatever condition makes you happy...be it a t206 cobb...I'd prefer a coupon cobb myself. Or a goudey ruth...a tough caramel cobby or a postcard cobb rookie?. A rare type card of a hof'er(T216/T215/e94/e98)...so many options...have fun.

I'd advise you to get there and see what you like. My trip to the National a few years back taught me that you have to assess the selection there and the prices asked in order to make a good buying decision.

The suggestion to buy a HOF OJ is a cool one, but it might well be that this National is not the best for that kind of purchase. FWIW, the one I went to was not great for this type of purchase. I talked to guys who were finding nice OJs, but not HOFers. I saw some HOFers offered, but at ridiculous prices.

I think it would be cool to walk around the room knowing that you could spend $1000 however you thought best after circulating and "window shopping" all day! Good luck.

Cheers,
Blair

Blair raises a good point... pricewise you may be able to get more for your money elsewhere...an auction or ebay?

1) Kiss your wife and tell her she's awesome.
2) There's no need to plan; you won't have a problem dropping a cool grand once you get there. Planning is for auctions, the National is for fun.

I agree Pete I would buy as many of the Marquis card for $1k each as I could also for my special day. :)

http://www.robertedwardauctions.com/...2009/1450.html

I know what you're saying just busting your chops a bit. :D

Just read the full rea description of the marquis of Lorne card. Never knew any of that. Just amazing history! Surprised it sold for only $15k!

I would try to spend all of it at the Bench Warmers booth! ;)

I won't suggest what to get, but on the rare occasion I'm given a gift of cash for the sole purpose of my collection, I use it to buy one nice, stand alone piece that makes me think of that person whenever I see it. If I were to get several little things or cards for a set I'm working on, they'd just get lost in the shuffle and the connection to the giver would be diluted.....but that's just me.

This is good advice. Better than mine earlier :D