1st T-206 purchase: how'd I do?

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Posted By: Eric Everett

Hi all, I've been lurking here for quite awhile gaining knowledge of prewar cards and have enjoyed the expertise/drama/humour here. I decided to bid on my first T-206 and just won the card, which was ungraded and also didn't have the best pictures. The Ebayer is fairly new with a negative so with all that added up one might ask why the heck I bid on the card.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=012&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=220066576826&rd=1&rd=1

Well the card didn't have T-206 in the title so I thought it might be invisible to the eyes of some. It also looked to have great color and centering. So...the obvious question is how'd I do? I researched the seller's feedback and the reason for the negative in question was eventually worked out.
Thanks for the opportunity and the new passion for prewar cards! Those shiny ones just don't seem to do it for me like they used to...

-Eric Everett

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Posted By: Bob

Eric I'd say it is a nice pick up of a solid card at a reasonable price. Congrats and welcome aboard!
tbob

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Posted By: jeff drum

Eric,
Welcome to the time-honored tradition of collecting "little pictures of men."
Glad to have you.

Jeff

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Posted By: Dave

Not a bad pickup Eric. I wouldn't say you got a steal of a deal but don't think you were taken either. I'd say pretty fair market price. The thing to remember with prewar like the T206's is watch when a seller says condition is excellent....even with no creases, etc, the rounded corners would kill you if you get it graded. I've had beautiful cards that had rounded corners like that and couldn't budge above a PSA 4. If your not looking to get them graded probably even better. But watch out the T206 bug will bite you.

Dave

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Posted By: Eric Everett

Thanks for the kind words of encouragement everyone. It seems that commons like this go for $20-$30 or so depending on condition and/or being graded. I figured I might have paid at the high end of "market price" but would rather have a nice looking card than a 2 thats slabbed for the sake of the slab. Good advice about the dangers of sellers words...I thought the card could never be Ex based on the rounding of the corners but a solid 3 or 4 (which from the fuzzy pictures I'm hoping this is more of a 4) is good enough for this collector any day of the week!

The T206 has hit to an extent, but I think it might knock me down when I get that card in my hands. Thanks to whoever linked "Inside T206" by Scot Reader. I'm just scratching the surface of the intricacies (sic?) and possibilities of "the Monster" but look forward to the journey.

-Eric Everett

Edited to add that on another look of those corners they might be too rounded to deserve a 4.

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Posted By: T206Collector

...that you didn't get taken, but it wasn't a steal of a deal either. After shipping -- $5.12? -- you'll be at $31.00 out of pocket for that card. You can still manage to find a wide array of SGC 40 and PSA 3's if you look hard enough for that price, thus guaranteeing that you don't have two mystery wrinkles (or worse) to make your $30 investment an overpayment.

But still, you should be commended for diving in. You will find that it is an addictive hobby.

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Posted By: Dave

Here is the card I had graded a few months back I was referrng to....great card...but the corners kept the grade down on it.

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Posted By: Eric Everett

thats a beautiful 4...and I see what you mean about the corners holding it back. I keep reading about rounded corners making a T206 look more "genuine" though and I tend to agree in a strange way. Great card!

-Eric Everett

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Posted By: joe brennan

Eric, Nice card. I would caution you to pay more attention to the sellers. This seller albeit may be all right, has little feedback, ( a neg already) and doesn't deal many vintage cards. If you are going to buy raw, stick to sellers that sell pre war. You may pay a little more, but you will receive the item and with no surprises. Other than that, welcome to the T206 mania. Good luck, Joe.

In Rememberance of James W. Brennan Sr. 1924-1982. Dad, thanks for everything you did for me.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Considering the lower purchase price, it wasn't a great risk. I cringe at a
beginner making a $500 purchase, not $25. With a $25 bid, the worst that can happen
is you're out $25.

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Posted By: joe brennan

David I agree. But it's not a good habit to get used to. Next card maybe the one that he gets burned with. Joe

In Rememberance of James W. Brennan Sr. 1924-1982. Dad, thanks for everything you did for me.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

A bidder's rule I would make is to expect the seller to provide in focus images.
Unless one's four year old tried to take deep sea photographs with it in the bathtub,
a digital camera should be able to provide focused images of a baseball card. It's
photographing a piece of cardboard motionless on your table, not photographing
wild boar from a moving jeep.

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Posted By: Eric Everett

Thanks again all for the advice. I agree that fuzzy images are a sign to turn and run generally but the enticement of getting a "deal" on a nice card got the best of me. This is I guess one of the reasons dishonest people would use unfocused pics, but I took a chance. $30 is not an insignificant amount of money to me but I'm a fairly experienced Ebayer and took the risk; maybe not the best of moves. Good advice on established prewar card sellers as well. Be well everyone and thanks for the responses.

-Eric Everett

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Posted By: barry arnold

Given the name of the player you won, I'd say you have quite a good omen on
your side.
Welcome aboard!
I suspect that you will continue to be lucky;right everyone?!

all the best,

Barry
p.s. sorry for the compulsive need to do word plays.

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Hey Eric,

Are you still chaing them??

It is a 524 mile journey... gotta go a step at a time. Most of us never get the final 4. But reaching 100 is neat. Halfway there is a good feeling. 400 a milestone. 500 is serious. I recall a Lipset sale where he was selling cards from a longtime collector who'd put together 493 different. I can't recall his name. But I thought of him when my 493rd arrived in the mail, and again with the 494th.

Hang in there!

Frank

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Posted By: Eric Everett

Frank,

Here's my second buy.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=012&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=220065006977&rd=1&rd=1

I was a little perplexed at the low grade and am assuming it either has something to do with the back or a crease I can't see. I emailed the seller but haven't recieved an answer yet. Regardless, I love the look of the card and am always attracted by the "dusk" look to the sky. What do you think?

As for your collection of T206, do you have a page where I can view any of them? Are you 494 right now or over 500 yet? Last question...that far into the set, do you see many of the cards you're missing and pass on them because of condition/price, or are they just hard to find?
Thanks!

-Eric

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Posted By: Eric Everett

Both cards were made at factory 30 too, which I just noticed. Nice!
This is fun...

-Eric

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Posted By: RayB

Eric,
Welcome aboard. Enjoy the journey; don't get ahead of yourself and stay within your means.
Last of all have fun with it.
RayB