Grading Pre-WW2 cards

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Posted By: Hankron

Just brought to mind an observation I've long hand on collectors ... As there was no published or otherwise orgainzed information of wirephoto genre, two years ago I researched and issued a little guide on the subjejct-- including what the stamping, tags and ink marks mean, how you can judge the age by these markings, etc. I learned much of this stuff along the way (like why ACME stamps receive premums and what exactly is a wirephoto), so the experience was positve for me as a collector ... Anyway, I offered the booklet for sale. What I discovered was that the people who I knew were already knowledgeable, experienced and inteligent about the subject were the buyers of the booklet, and the people who knew nothing and needed the guide the most didn't purchase. At first, this genuinely surprised me. Then, it dawned on me that this pattern was natural, and explained why the first group was of collectors was knowledgeable about what they buy.