Excited new member - intro + a few questions

[Pythonfactory]

Hi all. Let me start off by saying that I am amazed by the passion and wealth of information cooked up by the community here. I just discovered this site this weekend and have probably spent about 20 hours since then perusing.

A little about myself. I am 26 and live in Seattle. When I was in elementary school, every minute and penny I had was devoted to baseball. I would spend my time reading baseball autobiographies and baseball encyclopedias while spending my allowance and any other money earned at the local card stores. I moved on once I entered high school and didn't re-enter the world of baseball cards again until 2 years ago.

I tried getting into the new sets over a period of a few months but there were just too many options and I couldn't get into the autograph / game-used / serial #'d madness. I ended up selling all my old and new baseball cards except for ones that had special meaning to me (e.g., a 1973 Topps Willie Mays and 1961 Topps Duke Snider that I managed to get from a classmate in 7th grade for what was at the time 5x Beckett value in Indians players - Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton, etc.). I find myself looking at these old cards fairly often and have considered getting into vintage baseball cards for a long time because I appreciate the history of the game and how it used to be played by farmer's sons who had to plow the fields in the off-season.

My goal going into this is to acquire cards that tell me the story of the game and demonstrate its history. I THINK that I've decided on a collecting goal that can last me many years: to collect what I believe to be the "coolest" / "most unique" (and affordable) card of everyone in the HOF. I would like to display these cards on the wall in several displays that include the name and induction year of the players. Regarding this, I have a few questions:

1) Do any of you display your cards? I've seen a few cheap (~$50) displays online but none of them have looked that impressive. I'm thinking of commissioning a custom made one if anyone knows someone who can make it. I'd also love to see any displays that you have. I couldn't spend all this money and time on something that just ends up in a safe deposit box or a 3 ring binder.

2) Do any of you know a website where I can easily access an image of every single card ever produced? I checked out beckett.com but they are very limited. Ideally, I would be able to search by player and not by set.

Sorry for the long rant but I wanted to give a little background about myself before diving into the community. I look forward to talking with many of you over the years.

Take care,
Bryan

[Brian Van Horn]

Bryan,

Funny, that's my name too, just with a different spelling. Welcome aboard. As for displaying cards I do the internet version which is to set up albums. Ask Leon on how to go about it. In the meantime, feel free to check out my info with links to the albums.

[Jantz]

Welcome aboard Bryan!

One thing to consider as far as displaying cards, maybe use reprints for decorating your man-cave, while keeping your vintage cards safe & locked up. One of my favorite cards is a T205 John McGraw. I actually own a very nice example. So instead of displaying it, I bought a reprint from the 2003 Topps T205 set to display and enjoy.

Trust me on this, I actually got a phone call from my local police department on Monday about a card collection that was possibly stolen. They called me to get some assistance as far as values on some of the cards.

Anyway, welcome to the website. Its a great place! Be sure to check out the Buy/Sell/Trade page. Its a great venue to buy cards.

Good Luck with your goal.


Jantz

[mintacular]

Not quite what you asked but this book has an image of every Topps card by set from 1951-85.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-COMPLETE...item3ccc579bb2

PSA has quite a bit of databases with some or most of what you might be looking for

[cyseymour]

Bryan,

It can get extremely pricey to collect a card of every HOFer. Some people do it. One way of narrowing it down is to just do the HOFers from one particular set. Most common choices on this board would be T206's, T205's, N172's and maybe E90-1's. I don't want to sound snobby but a lot of the folks on the board collect pre-war because the cards are older, more rare, and quite special. Nothing against Topps cards, but I would consider going the prewar route, you might ultimately find it more fulfilling.

My only advice is to take a lot of time to research and maybe don't start putting money into it until spring.

Best luck,

Jamie
N172 collector

[oldcardboard]

I make custom displays of my favorite players. A mix of different items is what I like best. Here is Walter Payton.

[tonyo]

Hi Bryan and welcome,

If you like the idea of farmers sons playing the game, I suggest you read "Glory of Their Times" and listen to the audio version. Another book I read when I started collecting pre-war is "The Celebrant" which really helps immerse you into the game and country in early 1900's.

The advice to take it slow at first is wise.

oldcardboard.com is an excellent source for viewing cards although you can't search individual players.

If you use the search function on this board, you'll find alot of threads about displays of cards.

Tony

[Bestdj777]

Welcome. I second Jamie's suggestion. I would spend a bit of time thinking about what you want before you dive in. I started with a pretty narrow focus--rookie cards from every NY (Dodgers, Mets, Yankee) player from the 40s through 60s. Eventually, I realized I could not really connect to a lot of these players, and did not want to spend the money on some of the cards as a result. Ended up just picking my favorite player and going for a complete run of his cards.

As for displays, the best place to look for examples is on the pre-war side. A guy recently posted a pretty cool Cracker Jack display. It should be within the last 20-30 days. Interesting piece, which was custom made and includes special glass to protect the cards.

For now, I only display four of my cards. They are on a small shelf with some of my sports memorabilia (autographed picture, helmet, a few balls). I thought about putting more cards out, but it looked cluttered. Eventually I will get a frame made for some of them and maybe display a select grouping of my cards that way.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Welcome aboard, Bryan.

Beckett has a hard copy, alphabetical checklist by player's last name of just about every card made. There are some omissions but it would be a pretty good start for you.

[rainier2004]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

As for displays, the best place to look for examples is on the pre-war side. A guy recently posted a pretty cool Cracker Jack display. It should be within the last 20-30 days. Interesting piece, which was custom made and includes special glass to protect the cards.

Jeff, thats an intense Payton display. Heres that CJ display again, thanks for the nice words.

[Leon]

I will just say, welcome aboard Bryan. Some of these guys are really passionate. You are in good company. Take care and happy collecting!!

[almostdone]

Here is a link to an older thread on displays board members have used. There are some great ideas that I pull from when I make mine (I custom build all of my displays). You should be able to get some great ideas about diferent displays.
My HOF type collection is partially listed in there somewhere.
Hope this helps and welcome to the boards!
Drew

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=134687

[dabigyankeeman]

Originally Posted by mintacular

Not quite what you asked but this book has an image of every Topps card by set from 1951-85.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-COMPLETE...item3ccc579bb2

PSA has quite a bit of databases with some or most of what you might be looking for

That book is great, and there is a companion book, identical in size, called Classic Baseball Cards The Golden Years 1886-1956 which shows most of the old non-Topps cards from the 1800's up thru the start of Topps, and it shows all the Bowmans thru 1955 also. I have both books, they are incredible.

[E93]

Welcome aboard.
JimB

[ethicsprof]

welcome aboard!
as you can already see, this is a great place to find answers---and ask questions!!
all the best,
barry

[triwak]

Welcome! One way to begin collecting Hall of Famers, is to start with the more modern guys and work your way back in time. Generally the older, the more expensive. But many of the guys from the teens and later can be nabbed for bargains, if you're not too concerned with condition. For the really pricey guys (Negro Leaguers, 19th century, etc.), you can always find modern tribute cards to display as fillers, until you decide to delve into attempting acquisition of a card made during each players' active years. Just be patient. And enjoy the journey!! ~ Ken


My HOF set:
http://s155.beta.photobucket.com/user/triwak/library/

[DaveW]

Bryan - Welcome. I don't think there are any websites that have images of every card ever produced, but there are some sites that are pretty good.
You can use:
http://www.vintagecardprices.com
There is a search function that allows you to search by player and it will tell you every card that that player is on and it will have pictures for most of the cards. You can also search by set or team and it will even tell you which players are in the HOF. You can use the search function without being a member.

Good Luck.

[EvilKing00]

welcome Brian - im pretty new here as well! I would deff take my time and search the web and make the right choice.

The link that DAVE just posted - http://www.vintagecardprices.com, is in my opinion a great tool in seeing every (i think) card. havs helped me alot in the past too.

In my opinion - I would take a GOOD look at the T205 cards. I think the most beautiful cards ever made, first cards to have stats on the back, many diff back types, some more rare vairation cards as well.

Anyway welcome and good luck

[kmac32]

Bryan,

You might want to look up Pennzoni display cases. Not real expensive but look very nice. Think the web site is www.pennzonidisplay.com

[mrvster]

welcome my friend, extremly addictive this board and hobby, you wont be dissapointed

peace

johnny

[oldcardboard]

Originally Posted by rainier2004

Jeff, thats an intense Payton display. Heres that CJ display again, thanks for the nice words.

Thank you sir. Your CJ display is just beautiful...wow!!

[CobbSpikedMe]

Welcome aboard Bryan! As has been said already, you'll find a wealth of knowledge on this board and lots of answers to any questions you can come up with.

Best regards,

AndyH

.

[Pythonfactory]

Thanks everyone for your kind greetings and insights around a variety of topics (e.g., how to display cards, reading material, where to find pictures of most cards, making the collection a journey, etc.). I would thank you all individually but that could get a little long with over 20 responses.

I am downloading the audio version of "Glory of Their Times" as we speak and http://www.vintagecardprices.com looks to be a key resource for easily viewing the vast majority of a player's cards.

I forsee many sleep-deprived days ahead of me as I try to digest as much info as possible from these forums. Best of luck in your collections!