Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred
Zach,
Just curious - what were the first prewar acquisitions that got you hooked? How long ago was that and how much has the price of your first pre-war acquisitions increased? If you started today, would you be hooked on it based on the valuations of today?
I wonder what these new collectors will think if/when they start researching prices in pre-war and find out how they feel about the price run up of the past several years and then having that feeling of missing the boat. Do you think some might just say screw this?
A decade ago, putting together a basic T206 set seemed somewhat possible, now the HOFers and a few others will really cut into your collecting budget and the commons (unless trashed) will not be that cheap anymore.
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I will answer some of your questions, but other questions I have to leave unanswered. I was always a collector. I didn't really concentrate on pre-war until I got a T206 Johnson as a throw in on a purchase of some cards from the '50's. The T206 Johnson had well rounded corners. About the same time, I saw these funny looking fold-over cards (T201's). I bought a bunch including one of Zach Wheat. Those cards really started the journey. I ran in to Lew Lipsett and bought his book (Encyclopedia of Baseball Cards) which was a great learning tool. I still reference his book.
Yes, I would still be hooked on collecting pre-war today. I just thought it was neat to have a piece of history and started learning about all the players. There are still a number of opportunities for collectors new to pre-war. As Ted Z has shown there are numerous ways to collect T206 given all the subsets.
IMO, the 1952 Topps set is the post-war equivalent of t206 and presents a great opportunity even in today's market. However, acquiring a complete set of the mid-series gray backs is not likely to be completed.