What set should I start on?

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Posted By: Sean

Hi guys, I know i havent been here in a long time... But I just can't think of anything to talk about (with the exception of most valuable stuff ) so I thought I should ask what set that is right for me.. and which set I should start on..
keep on mind im only 12 and that i only have 4 pre-1950,1960ish baseball cards... and that their only t206... i thought about going for t206 but graded t206 are pretty expensive.... and you never know about ungraded t206
thanks,
Sean

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Posted By: Joann

Sean,

Do you like the T206's that you have? Do you like showing them to your friends? I know a guy that's also 11 or 12, and he has about 20 cards pre-1915, and likes showing all of them to his friends. They are all different kinds.

If you like looking at your T206's, or like showing them off, then maybe that's not a bad set to collect. Or, if you like other cards too maybe you can have some T206's and some T205's and some other kinds of cards too.

It's mostly what you think looks cool.

I think that you would be okay with ungraded T206's or T205's or Obaks or things like that if you stick kind of close to this board. Check the BST. If you see something on ebay you can email people here and they would help you make sure they are not fake. That way you wouldn't have to spend as much money on graded cards, but would not get fakes.

So ... which cards do you think look cool?

Joann

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Posted By: Dave F

Sean...what about something like e91's? for the most part...they are rather cheap besides a couple you could save til the end.

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

All cards go through cycles of being popular and being less so.

An advantage in being 12 is that you can buy cards today that are unpopular and hold them for possible sale when their popularity is better.

And by having a low budget, you are certain to be buying low (an important part of "buy low, sell high).

So, all you have to do then is buy whatever is least popular, unless you have a personal preference for something else.

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Posted By: Jim VB

Sean,

Here's my suggestion to a 12 year old. Look to get one card from every set you can. This will expose you to a much wider variety of cards. As you grow the collection, and get a little older, with a little more money, you may find one set that you like the most.

Trying to be a set collector, on a limited budget can be very frustrating as there is almost always several expensive cards in vintage sets.

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Posted By: Chris Mc

Hey, Collect what you like but off the top of my head I would say that Play ball, Goudeys, Diamond Stars,to name a few. Good luck with what you decide. You could always type card collect too. Best regards, Chris

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Posted By: barrysloate

I agree with Jim. On a limited budget, try putting together a type set. See if you can get one card from any set that is reasonably affordable. Each card you add will teach you a little more about vintage cards.

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Posted By: peter chao

Sean,

Another approach would be to read about baseball history and find a particular era that you are interested in, then start collecting cards from sets from that era.

Peter C.

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Posted By: Mark

I agree with Peter on his advice. I would read about a particular era, for instance, the late 40s and early 50s with the battles between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers or era with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig Yankees. That would allow you to tell stories about the individual players and make each card you collect more special to you, rather than just collecting.

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Posted By: Martin Neal

Sean,

I would go with either the T205 or T206 set. You can still buy small lots for around $10.00 a card. When I first started collecting (on a relatively limited budget) I wanted to have a large number of cards to peruse through. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy high grade cards, but some of my most exciting memories in this hobby were when I received a large lot of low grade T206s.

Martin

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Posted By: Bill Stone

Sean:
I would also think about collecting cards
from your home town or state. There are many minor league
vintage cards and you can study the local history of
the team and players. I have always enjoyed following
up on the history of the player, finding articles from
the newspaper and locating thier burial places. You can enjoy the card and the history behind the player. Once other collectors
become aware of your special interest they will help you identify
possible cards.