Newbie questions, T206!

[Ericc22]

Greetings,

I caught the T206 bug. Help!

I have bought a few cards of late, and am now trying to learn as much about these as possible. I've been to the major sites, read the Inside T206 PDF, and have a copy of the wonderful book, The T206 Collection. I've been through the forums on this site a bit as well and have found it to be a great resource.

My goal in collecting is to have and to hold. I don't care much about grading but do care that the card looks good. So I am not so concerned about the perfect corner or a minor flaw as long as the front has nice eye value.

So with that said, I'd love to get guidance and opinions on all aspects of these cards! So, a few questions.....

1. How do you display your graded cards? I have displays for my ungraded cards and am very happy with them. I'd like to put my graded cards on a shelf as well, but would like to present them without the PSA sticker. Eg, has anyone framed them and in doing so, matted over the PSA sticker? Any suggestions on how to best display the graded cards would be great.
2. How do you display your collection out of curiosity? Case? Books? Etc.?
3. Can anyone recommend any great shops in northern NJ or in NYC?
4. Where do people buy mostly, out of curiosity? Ebay and this site? Are there other ideas for buying?
5. Any other good books, other than The T206 Collection?
6. Are there any good rubrics for pricing? I do the obvious: I peruse the completed ebay auctions, I check the sites out there that have supposed calculators, look at the guides, etc. But are there any rules of thumbs? Eg, a psa 4 common sells for about $___ and a psa 5 sells for $____??

And finally, now that I have this addiction, is there a cure??!!

I appreciate any and all comments. Answer what you can. Thanks!!

Eric

[Abravefan11]

Welcome to the T206 addiction Eric. There is a ton of information regarding this set on this site. I suggest that you use the "Search" function a lot as it will answer many of your questions. Don't hesitate to ask questions as many board members are more than willing to help.

[Ericc22]

Thanks for the response. I did do some searching but particularly in regards to how to display the graded cards, I didn't see anything. I also think I found most of the relevant resource references but I'll dig further.

Thanks.

Eric

[ethicsprof]

welcome aboard!!!!!!
it's always great to see a fellow lover of the T206s.
to answer one of the questions: i have framed my favorites and displayed them on my office walls. The rest are in two large safes but are looked at quite regularly.
do remember the most important dictum:
the Monster wants you to quit. Don't listen to it!

best,
barry

[Ericc22]

Thanks Barry! Out of curiosity, were the cards you framed graded? And what kind of frame did you use - are there specially made frames available? Thanks!

Eric

[Abravefan11]

Eric - In the link below you will see two ways you can frame your T206's. One is to have the frame custom made and the other is an off the shelf frame from Target.

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=116000

A few other display links.

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=118845

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=115405

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=128566

[shaunsteig]

for rule of thumb pricing, I use the following for commons:
-- PSA 3: $30
-- PSA 4: $50
-- PSA 5: $90
-- PSA 6: $160
-- PSA 7: $400 (much more variability as the grade gets higher)

SGCs, I've found, tend to sell for ~10% less on ebay. But I've also found that the difference from PSA shrinks at the BST here and at the third-party auction houses. (speculation -- perhaps the more knowledgeable collector appreciates the SGC a bit more?). Another site for market prices is vintagecardprices.com (disclaimer -- I have no affiliation).

remember to "buy the card, not the holder", as prices will differ within the specified grade depending on the visual quality/appeal of the card. also, the final cost to the buyer will differ depending on the context -- ebay sellers usually then add on a shipping cost, whereas the majority of cards listed on the BST here will already include the shipping cost, whereas auction sites will add on a buyer's premium (typically 12-19%).

Hope that helps,
--S

[scottglevy]

Also,

I know that a number of NET54 collectors who would trade/sell T206s live in the NYC/NJ area. You may find them able to give you better deals / better trades than your local card store. And you might find that they are willing to buy duplicates that you don't want as well.

Shameless plug....I am one of them

Best,
Scott
scottglevy@yahoo.com


Added to say that by far the most comprehensive pricing list is VCP (vintage card pricing) which is a subscription based online site. Other reasonable (cheaper) alternatives are the PSA SMR guide, and t206.net and just good old fashioned ebay watching.

[T206Collector]

...you're off to a good start, with lots of information at your disposal. Have fun building your collection!

I would recommend you get your hands on the audio recordings of The Glory of Their Times, so you can actually hear the T206ers talking about their playing days. It really helps make the connection between cardboard and life. (That connection is one of the primary reasons I collect autographed T206 cards.)

There are many ways to collect T206 cards -- almost as many ways as cards themselves -- just remember to have fun!

[Ericc22]

Hey everybody, THANKS for the great info!

I love the framing ideas, especially the first link. I also signed up for VCP which has been very useful. And, I just ordered Glory of Their Times. Those pricing guidelines are real useful.

Finally, I live in Essex County, NJ. I'd love to hook up if anyone else is local.

Thanks!

Eric

[ethicsprof]

eric,
i actually have framed both graded and raw.
sometimes it is a bit of overkill as i'm trying to protect some of my favs, e.g.
my cobb bat off is graded(encapsulated) and framed.
i have found a framer who has been quite gracious to me in both offering much time and fair pricing, perhaps in part because i've provided him with so much business the last 2-3 years.
all the best to you in your efforts and happy holidays,

barry

[Vol]

Eric,

Welcome and good luck with your collection. Seems like you are off to a great start.

[Ericc22]

I've learned a lot in the past few weeks, largely thanks to the people on this forum. Thank you!

And in particular, I wanted to mention how wonderful Glory of their Times is. What a great audiobook and really helped me appreciate the era and helped me understand why I love these cards so much. I recommend this to all, and particularly my fellow newbies!

Happy new year!

[MacDice]

Originally Posted by T206Collector

...you're off to a good start, with lots of information at your disposal. Have fun building your collection!

I would recommend you get your hands on the audio recordings of The Glory of Their Times, so you can actually hear the T206ers talking about their playing days. It really helps make the connection between cardboard and life. (That connection is one of the primary reasons I collect autographed T206 cards.)

There are many ways to collect T206 cards -- almost as many ways as cards themselves -- just remember to have fun!

Are the recording posted anywhere on the internet for free download?

[Ericc22]

Sorry - can't help you there! I got mine from audible.com for about $15 for a 5 hour listen. Really great if you can swing it.

Eric

[tonyk1975]

Thanks for the recommendation of The Glory of their Times. I just bought the book, which was an awesome read. Im dying to pick the audio tapes of it which I plan on getting in the next month. Are there any other great books on the deadball era that are must reads? Happy New Year everyone!

[Kawika]

Originally Posted by tonyk1975

Are there any other great books on the deadball era that are must reads?

I liked the heck out of Crazy '08. Read like a novel you couldn't put down and really brought out the personalities of the deadball players. Kind of like a prequel to TGOTT.

NYT book review by George Will: http://tinyurl.com/2wzhylk

[tonyk1975]

I will pick that up this week. Thanks alot David.

[Ericc22]

I am going to 2nd the vote for Crazy '08. Great book - I am totally hooked by it.

Any other suggestions?

[BleedinBlue]

Another good read is America 1908 by Jim Rasenberger. This book does a good job of bringing to life what was going on in the country in addition to baseball. The author has sections on the Merkle Boner and the Tobacco Trust which make it relevant to T206 collectors but it also does a great job of describing what life was like for the average American during those years.
A good read whether you collect or not.

Brian