Restarting collecting after ~15 years gone

[gregndodgers]

Welcome Aboard!

My top ten tips for collecting vintage:

1. Buying vintage via auctions (non Ebay) vice Ebay will typically save you lots of money (20% less), except when you really want a card and get in a bidding war! Here is a site I use to track auctions. https://www.auctionreport.com/. Net54 also typically announces when certain auctions are open for bidding.

2. Specialize in certain sets / cards to gain deeper insight and knowledge of fair market prices, condition, and rarity so you can bid quickly and confidently when you see a card that is up for auction.

3. Check auctions / Ebay early in the morning and throughout the day for cards / sets you are interested in.

4. Develop relationships with Net54 members / sellers and ask them to notify you when they have cards you are interested in.

5. Vintage card prices have jumped since COVID, but large jumps in price typically occur every ten years or so going back to the 1960s. Hence, investing in Vintage can pay dividends if you buy the rights cards (Hall of famers, RCs, etc) and hold onto them long term. Short term flips are profitable when you really know what you are doing.

6. Be very wary of fraud / scams/ altered cards that are for sale. Buying "raw" cards on Ebay that are labeled "NM" "Near mint" is risky. Some tales from the darkside from almost fifty years of collecting:

A. I bought a raw 1969 Reggie Jackson RC that was labeled "near mint" and it certainly looked that way in scans. However, when I received the card, I noticed immediately an ink spot that was not present (likely photoshopped) in the Ebay photos. I kept the card (despite the seller's fraud) because I thought the corners and centering were amazing and the card could grade a 6 or 7. I got that card graded by PSA. Came back a PSA 4.5. I've noticed that PSA is under grading cards too, so if your think a raw card is NM, PSA will probably grade it a 5 with outside shot at a 6.

B. Many years ago, I bought a Rickey Henderson RC (1980 Topps) graded by a company called "Pro grading." It turned out to be trimmed. Avoid grading companies without an established reputation.

C. I bought a counterfeit vintage raw card on Ebay. Cannot tell some counterfeits on photos alone. Need to hold the card to feel texture / card thickness, etc. I have a 10X power Jewelry Loop I use to really assess corners, conditions, ink patterns etc. Genuine cards have ink patterns that cannot be counterfeited.

D. In the early 2000s, I found a card on Ebay, began watching it, and the seller sent me a private message. He offerred a better deal if we negotiated outside Ebay (so that he did not have to pay a commission). I agreed to wire him some money. Never saw that card. I contacted Ebay, and after an investigation, I was told that the fraudulent seller who took my money had hijacked the actual seller's store and was sending out PMs.

Bottom line: don't spend high end money for raw cards unless you can hold the card in your hand, inspect it carefully with a loop, and get a fair price. Never wire transfer funds. If a deal is too good to be true, it will be.

7. Seek out estate sales in your city. Some good deals can be had. However, be careful not to overpay and watch for counterfeits / reprints that have been artificially aged. Remember that many vintage sets have been re-printed. Use other sites such as Facebook, etc. to expand your searches for cards you want.

8. Be patient. Vintage collecting requires lots of searching, lots of your time, lots of money, and lots of learning. Be methodical, and we you see good deal, act quickly to buy it.

9. Store your vintage cards in a safe! I was moving into a new house a few years back and had some vintage cards hidden under the back seat while I was in the process of moving. Well, my car was broken into, and the cards were gone! Also, don't tell people you have old, valuable cards. In the 1990s, I showed some cards to "friends," and many months later, I had a house party with these same "friends," who then took a few when I was not looking.

10. 99% of card shops do not have good supply of high value / high condition vintage cards. Instead, attend large card shows (and bid in auctions) to find cards you are interested in. However, card shop owners will call their friends / valued customers whenever they get good cards, so try to get on their phone list of special customers.

Good luck!

Greg