Biggest changes in the past 5 years?

[sesop]

This may be a bit long. Thanks for reading.

I came back to the hobby after what turned out to be a 5-year hiatus after my first child was born. I didn't realize how much I missed it until last night when I looked at Leon and Scott's auction and saw several cards I had been looking for before I took a break. While I was disappointed to be outbid on all bids, I was kind of surprised by the hammer price- seemed low. A check on ebay later in the evening was a revelation- the listing mechanics are very different- baseball cards sorted into categories including "pre-WW2," which is different than I remember- while I can't recall exactly how it was, I do remember it being more specific somehow- a T206 category, perhaps? The prices on eBay, even some of the BINs, which were always outrageous fantasy prices, seemed more reasonable.

I have a slew of questions as if I've woken up from being in a coma for the past 5 years, but the biggest one is about the market in general. While I was never into cards for the money, I do hope that anything I buy will at the very least retain its value so that when my kids go to sell my collection, they aren't sitting on thousands of dollars in "worthless" cardboard. I guess that with more crap to spend one's disposable income on, there's less money for cards and thus prices haven't been as strong lately? Is my perspective skewed? faulty memory? Wrong context? Are there a lot of new people coming into the hobby? What about popular issues- when I "left," the T206s were king. Still true? How about some of the more esoteric issues- anything gaining in popularity? My mind has been going a thousand miles a minute with questions, but maybe the best way to address this would be to ask, simply, from your perspective, what have been the biggest changes in the hobby over the past 5 years? What are the biggest differences? I know everyone's perspective is going to be different, but I'd love to glean some insight from anyone who cares to offer some input to help a fellow collector ease back into things.

I see a lot of new names here- im looking forward to reconnecting with old friends, meeting new friends, and jumping back in with both feet!

Thanks in advance.

[ullmandds]

David...you are a lucky man my friend!!!!! You totally missed paying ultra high prices for tougher types of almost any kind...in the last 5 years...T206 rare backs have advanced to ridiculous levels...t206 freaks/proofs/scraps are ultra hot these days too!

Bread cards have turned to poop!

Any early ruth card has turned to gold...and sadly those tougher tough cards that were in the stratosphere 5 yrs ago...have returned to ex-nm t206 common prices.

T206 is sadly still king as well!

Sorry for my disjointed response...you'll get plenty of more coherent responses...

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

David...you are a lucky man my friend!!!!! You totally missed paying ultra high prices for tougher types of almost any kind...in the last 5 years...T206 rare backs have advanced to ridiculous levels...t206 freaks/proofs/scraps are ultra hot these days too!

Bread cards have turned to poop!

Any early ruth card has turned to gold...and sadly those tougher tough cards that were in the stratosphere 5 yrs ago...have returned to ex-nm t206 common prices.

T206 is sadly still king as well!

Sorry for my disjointed response...you'll get plenty of more coherent responses...

Peter...There is nothing wrong with a nice disjoint (or datjoint?) first thing Sunday morning. I can think of no better way to start the day.

[sesop]

Thanks Peter. I always liked bread cards but could never find one I wanted at a reasonable price other than a Nap Rucker I once owned in SGC 20. Perhaps this belongs on the BST, but if whoever bought my Rucker has it and wants to sell at a loss, I'm a buyer.

Seriously- when you say poop, do you mean that the Hal Chase card I always wanted (always seemed to go for over $1,000 even in less than spectacular shape) can be had for practically nothing? Damn! I should add bread cards to my BST post.

Any idea why they went down so far?

When I left, rare back T206s were pricey. It's tough to imagine them going much higher.

[rainier2004]

Peter seemed to nail the t206 market. I can attest the 1915 CJ prices rising and the 1914s rising very dramatically as we approach their century mark and there is a book due out fall of 1913 highlighting them and their history. I haven't notice too much of a change in goudeys except the Ruth cards. It seems truly rare 'e' cards have also risen at a faster rate like e107s. But there are a tons of hunters out there looking for the 1/1 examples as far as color, misprints and a ton of quirky things. Welcome back!

[ullmandds]

Another significant change is the sentiment away from ebay...to a plethera of newer...smaller auction houses...

[btkpath]

Hi David.......welcome back to the fold!

I can only comment on the things I collect. In my opinion, over the past several years, 1933 Goudey's (especially those in modest grade) have taken a hit and show no immediate sign of returning to levels of 5 years ago. t205's seem to have been a good bargain over the past 5 years and continue to be lower than typical levels. Lastly, after several years of being depressed, 1914 Cracker Jacks have exploded recently and (as Steve mentioned) are very strong as the 100th anniversary approaches.

Likewise, as has been previously mentioned, being on the sidelines you can't help but notice the very strong demand and pricing for uncommon t206 backs and early Ruth cards.

[Big Ben]

I have always thought it best to be a contrarian in this hobby. I like T206's as much as anyone here, and I hope that everyone continues to chase the monster.

[sesop]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

Another significant change is the sentiment away from ebay...to a plethera of newer...smaller auction houses...

I was thinking that the action must have shifted- would it be uncouth to ask what are some of the alternates to eBay nowadays? How about vintagecardprices.com? Is that still the best place to go for price guides?

I feel like I stepped out of a time machine - I literally haven't spent more than half a second thinking about cards since sometime just after net54 left the old board.

With regard to the price drops in bread, etc, any idea why? Less collectors or just lest interest?

How about the PSA 8 Wagner- any new developments with that?

[Jlighter]

How about the PSA 8 Wagner- any new developments with that?[/QUOTE]

Don't get them started.

[Runscott]

David, I took a long hiatus as well, and was also surprised by some of the changes. The first thing I did was try to reacquire my old favorite cards. I was surprised to find that T205's hadn't moved up much (if any), and the same for common-back T206's. The big surprise was how T206 backs and 'misfits' had skyrocketed. Finally, the T206 Wagner (which I had not been following) has gone into the stratosphere - much faster than I would have predicted.

As someone else mentioned, LOTS of small auction houses, and ebay is no longer as fun of a place to look for cards. Because of all the auction houses, the big discussions on auction night seem to have died, especially the chats we used to have. Plus, we don't have the normal nightly chats - that was great, but that has probably died because of the lack of interest in ebay, which is what we primarily talked about.

The board is bigger and definitely better. Great to see people discussing photographs, as there were only a few of us ten years ago. Lots of new 'experts' now . A lot more memorabilia discussers now, and some massive collections/collectors that were either not here or were lower profile. Good stuff.

[sesop]

I'm happy to read that the board is bigger and better, which leaves me with the question- has the hobby, in general, had more interest over the past few years?

This board was always an amazing resource for me- I enjoyed it so much, learned a ton (tried to contribute as much as I could whenever possible). I can't believe it's been so long, but coming back, in a way, feels like coming home.

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome and replies to my questions. Also, it's worth mentioning that Leon was so helpful to me yesterday in jumping back in. I know everyone knows how great he is, but figured it can't hurt to give a public shout out- THANK YOU LEON for all that you have done and continue to do.

So, if the ultra rare T206s have skyrocketed, are the Southern Leaguers considered less than exciting these days? Those cards were my favorite for a long time- after completing the set I went after their T210, T209, etc counterparts. Those were the days. I can't say I'm surprised that 205s aren't doing well, but how about T209s and other minor league series? What about the e90-106's , in general. Caramel cards popular these days? prices on eBay seem low for what I've been looking at, but again, maybe my perspective is flawed.

[Bosox Blair]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

David...you are a lucky man my friend!!!!! You totally missed paying ultra high prices for tougher types of almost any kind...in the last 5 years...

Hi Pete,

I agree with your specific set examples, but I disagree with this summary.

If David was buying pre-war cards up to late 2007, and then took a break from 2008-2012, I think he missed an amazing time to be a buyer.

When you compare prices on almost anything from late 2007 to now, the current price is a whole lot less. With some exceptions Pete mentioned (T206 backs, scraps, and the biggies, Ruth RC, etc.), prices have been way down. I think 2009-2010 were fantastic years to buy.

I also had a little hiatus (between 2005-2008) and I am sooooooo thankful in a general sense that I wasn't buying in those years. When I re-entered the hobby and got VCP, I was astounded by the prices people were paying in 2006-2007. I spent quite a lot of time on VCP and it was a real eye-opener for me as I got back into the hobby.

By 2009, I would sometimes buy a card for 1/5 of what the exact card sold for in 2006-2007!

I feel that prices have recovered somewhat now, but not approaching 2006-2007 levels.

Another way to confirm this is go back over the auction archives at REA. You'll see how many card prices took a dive from 2009-on.

In answer to David's questions about E-cards, they are generally quite a bit off of their peak prices from pre-2008. E90-1 is soft, E91 surprisingly has been rising, E92 is generally soft, but it depends on the back, E93 is soft, E94 is strong, E95 is soft, E96 is holding, E97 varies from strong to holding, E98...you need to learn about the Black Swamp Find, if you have not yet. E101 and E102 have been soft. E103 has been surprisingly somewhat soft. E107 remains strong. 1914 Cracker Jack is gaining strength. 1915 Cracker Jack is quite soft.

Some other cards that are way off their highs from 2006-2007:

D cards
T3
T205
Goudey

I think the sale of the "Louisiana Find" at REA showed T215 Red Cross are softer now than in prior years.

Of course these are all generalizations, but might give you some flavor for what you missed.

Cheers,
Blair

[T206Collector]

Welcome back!

I think T206 SLers have stayed relatively constant. What you do see is price reflecting the sophistication of T206 buyers, who understand that Tenney and Ganley are tougher than Grimshaw and Stone, e.g.

You can tell where the market is softest by comparing BINs to auctions on ebay. You'll still see a bunch of T206 auctions, but not so much in caramel cards, where demand has definitely slipped. Caramels are a good buy now, but sellers are still holding on to the higher prices, probably because they have too much into them.

Oh, and signed T206 cards are now extremely hard to find. In 2007, ebay had maybe 30-40 auctions of them because of the Pittsburgh Find. This year, I am still waiting for just one.

[drc]

Some things never change. I'm still beautiful and brilliant.

[vintagecpa]

I took some time away from collecting at various points. From my observation, I have noticed the following changes. 1. Rare-backs and rare colors for some Carmel issues have gone wild. 2. Red Sox Ruth cards now require a second mortgage. 3. The number of Unscrupulous people doesn't seem to ever go down on EBay. 4. Ruths, Cobbs, Wagners, etc. hold their value. 5. When you are bidding on a high-value card, you better find a picture of the same card in a past auction or on VCP to make sure it is the same card. 6. The infield fly rule now goes back to the warning track. (sorry, just a bitter Braves fan).

[Brian Van Horn]

Guys,

What I am seeing is fewer collectors. The ones that remain, I have known for a good percentage of them for years.

Also, it is 2012. We are talking in a lot of cases cards that are a 100 years old. Fame is fleeting. Ruth, Cobb, Johnson, Wagner and Mathewson (the original five HoF inductees) being the exceptions.

Finally, what are the three sets that get the most attention from a new collector? T206, Cracker Jack and Goudey. Why? The colors.

So, the question is how to make collecting appealing to a younger generation of fans who have a lot of distractions.

The profile you need of a collector is someone who is curious about history, who is also a huge sports fan, especially baseball. He then needs to expand that curiosity to other sets and to develop a fondness for black and white. Otherwise.......

[sesop]

Exactly- how to make collecting appeal to a younger generation. That's my concern. I'm excited to get back into the hobby, but in a weird way, am kind of discouraged by the discount pricing- meaning- the market, in general, seems soft. As nice as it is to think that the e98 Hippo Vaughn I sold for $500 could be bought back for half that today, part of me worries that even though its a bargain, if my kids don't care about my cards wne I die and they sell it, they'll get $12, so the "bargain" I jumped on was actually a loser. If I do this in scale, picking up scads of cards because they're so "cheap" nowadays, I'd be upset that I sold at the peak of the market, got back in as it was declining, and rode the wave to the basement. Again- I'm not into cards "for the money," but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't some semblance of hope that at the very least, the cards will keep their value better than, say, a hamburger.

Yeah- so many young people with so many distractions, and who the hell cares about Gordon Hickman (T206 SLer) a hundred years later? (Did anyone care about him much in 1911?)

As excited as I was to get back in, I hate to admit it, but I kind of have cold feet now. This is a hobby, but its also an obsession. I know I won't be happy with one or two cards- I buy what I like, so I'll have a collection, which costs money, soon enough if I get back into it, and something about the notion of less people having less money to spend on cards, less general interest, etc, makes me worry that it can l only go downhill- which may be ok if my taste was crappy condition 1990's cards, but I like nice, 100+ year old cardboard, and I'd be remiss to start "investing" in something that will only be worth less (not "worthless") however many years down the road.

Am I the only one in this boat?

As for the black swamp find- I just checked it out. My house is old- why haven't I ever found a box of e98s lying around? Even beat up and creased and stained with caramel would be fine. Ha!

It's really fascinating to come back after such a long break. I truly do appreciate all of your input and am starting to get a sense of what the hobby looks like from the board, VCP, various auction houses, recent eBay prices, BINs, and stuff ending tonight, etc. No matter what, this is an amazing hobby and even if I don't get back into it with the veracity I had years ago, surely I'll find a few cards which suit my fancy- although the E105 Mello Mint Knight was pulled out from under me last night at B-L...

Thanks again. This is great stuff!

[Big Ben]

I think that some of the recent realized prices in the hobby are a result of the demographics of collectors, but I also think that you need to consider the economy over the past few years. I know how you feel about getting back into the hobby after a prolonged absence. I would dabble with things here and there, but for the most part, I was away from the hobby for 20 years! Talk about a lot of catching up!

[Leon]

In today's environment you really have to be careful on the buy side of our gems. As long as you can get the card at a good price then the resale, if you must, wont be too bad. As mentioned before, it's the cards that were bought 4-8 yrs ago that are under water, for the most part (with exceptions to the cards mentioned that have gone up in value). I am having the time of my life right now as it's a great time to be collecting. There are plenty of 20 somethings and 30 somethings coming into our space too. I would say we are safe for the next generation or two, as far as the population of vintage collectors....after that I don't know. Nice posts in this thread. Welcome back David, glad I was able to help a bit.

[Matthew H]

Hi David,

I was introduced to pre-wwii cards at a very early age by those Dover reprint books. I've posted that before and a few people in my age group (30ish) PM'd me to share their version of the same story.

Today, I believe it's Topps that has taken on this role. A lot of us here have mixed feeling's about these 'chase' cards inserted into modern products, many featuring items mangled game used items. The most popular items in terms of value seem to be of players like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

They've also released products like Topps 206 where the cards look like t206 and they also randomly insert t206s into the product. I know there are a few board members that got into vintage this way.

Here is a cool thread with a poll outlining the general age groups of those who participated:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...light=age+poll

[rainier2004]

David - Leon pretty much summed it up, but it sounds like the dealers at the National were pretty pleased this year. The turnout was better, I bought more than I ever have at one place and it was nice to see some kids back at a show. There was even a small feature on ESPN about it. It seems the marker is coming back with the economy.

Also, I feel some of the problem w/ cards is MLB. The Tigers/A's game yesterday was not available on our cable and I had to listen to it on AM RADIO, a playoff game at noon. Also, some games simply start too late and kids go to bed. When I was a boy, the latest a game started was 730pm except for the west coast. $$$ isn't everything as youth is the key to any sustainability. All that and attendance records continue to be broken. BB also had a great year IMO.

[goodtricks]

As a 26 year old getting back in the hobby after a 15 year hiatus, I was immediately drawn to vintage, more specifically T206 to start given the recent press. I realized quickly that the world of modern cards had changed and moreover was confusing. Graded cards were also foreign to me, but a welcome surprise.

The history behind these cards amaze me still and I don't see that stopping anytime soon. I think there is also a sense of comfort in the "known". When you are collecting these sets you know what you have and what your are getting into. In my opinion modern is the exact opposite.

I'm sure there will be many of my generation to follow that will have a similar thought process. And with many of these sets hitting or close to hitting the 100 year mark doesn't hurt...

[Exhibitman]

To the above I'd add that I know a lot of collectors who are holding their breath because they got into substantial portions of their collections in the 2006-2009 period and don't want to realize the losses. They are buying lightly, if at all, and then only when the items are either bargain priced or really difficult to find. Sort of a dollar cost averaging approach to their overall collections. FWIW, I think the market bottomed out during the fall of 2010.

[mcap100176]

I wouldn't worry about your kids selling your collection or it becoming worthless cardboard. Hopefully that is a long time off and I feel that is something that your shouldn't be thinking about. I firmly believe the collection is for you to enjoy and for then to share the fun of collecting with your kids. I got married last year and we were together 5 years before that. My wife now had joined a few auction houses to bid on items for my birthday and Christmas gifts. Yesterday she asked, "What's the website where I can look up card prices?" You never know who is going to be the next buyer (and hopefully she'll stop overpaying!)

I got back into the hobby 5 years ago doing HOF rookie. I moved away from that to 19th century, concentrating on the Mayo Cut Plug set. You never know where the hobby is going to take you, just enjoy the ride and pay what you think is reasonable and not what someone thinks is. It's a long process, be patient.

Over the last 5 years, I feel the market has been all over the place. Rarer cards have done exceptionally well as have the icons of the sport - they have retained their value. Commons or low grade cards, I think have decreased a little but remember..... buy the card not the grade.

The increase in internet only auction houses has been a blessing and a small curse. I am hesitant to bid on some items I don't "need" but "want" when I know another auction is right around the corner. But it has allowed for an increase in selling away from eBay which is a good thing.

As someone who came back 5 years ago, the fundamentals are still the same: do your research; don't overextend yourself financially; find a way to track your purchases; be patient.

Michael

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by vintagecpa

*** 6. The infield fly rule now goes back to the warning track. (sorry, just a bitter Braves fan).

Right on! That ball was out in no-man's land, where a lot of "you've got it" "no, you take it" habitually occurs between outfielder and infielder--quite a few of the balls hit there drop, and thus it was ludicrous to contend that it could have been caught with reasonable effort. Secondly, the rule was intended to prevent the fielder from intentionally dropping a pop-fly to bring about an easy doubleplay. There is no way that intentionally allowing that ball to land in that location could have produced an easy double play. The infield fly rule had no application there at all.

But back to the main subject of the thread--I think that what we've seen in the last 5 years, along with the down economy reducing discretionary income, is the fact that collecting trends and the popularity of various cards and sets has and will continue to change over time. The same thing happened repeatedly in coins, which have had an organized market since the late 1850's, far longer than the organized baseball card market has been around. Items that rode the crest of the popularity wave in one decade slipped to a position way down the list in the next! Various issues in coins consequenty waxed and waned in value, and continue to be subject to price cycles (although truly rare and significant pieces in both collecting fields have tended to bear consistently upwards in price, sometimes astonishingly so--1914 Baltimore News Ruth, anyone? And sometimes the shear overwhelming significance of a card alone is enough--see the M101 Ruth rookie, a card that might be characterized as somewhat scarce, but is certainly not rare). Look for emerging significant rarities (I like the T206 rare-back HOF'ers here, although I don't collect T206, along with a number of the rare cards I do own of upper tier HOF'ers but won't tout here) to continute to increase in price dramatically. The only real trick is to spot them before they get out of reach price-wise!

I certainly share your appreciation for the expertise of a vast number of the members of this board, and its good to have you back!

Larry

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by goodtricks

As a 26 year old getting back in the hobby after a 15 year hiatus, I was immediately drawn to vintage, more specifically T206 to start given the recent press. I realized quickly that the world of modern cards had changed and moreover was confusing. Graded cards were also foreign to me, but a welcome surprise.

The history behind these cards amaze me still and I don't see that stopping anytime soon. I think there is also a sense of comfort in the "known". When you are collecting these sets you know what you have and what your are getting into. In my opinion modern is the exact opposite.

I'm sure there will be many of my generation to follow that will have a similar thought process. And with many of these sets hitting or close to hitting the 100 year mark doesn't hurt...

Steve, I just love to hear of a 26-year-old drawn to vintage! Sounds like you agree with my philosophy that these cards represent the history of the game you can hold right in your hand! The modern/new card market on the other hand is based on speculative and largely transient demand, directed towards unproven players, with the demand for even scarce variations playing out when the player in question falters, or even if he doesn't, when the next hot item takes its place.

Best regards,

Larry

[CharleyBrown]

David,

Welcome back to the boards. Very cool to see that you're from Cold Spring - I was born and raised in Poughkeepsie, but my father now lives not too far from CS. I've made my way down to Rockland County.

I'm one of those 30-somethings (31) that recently got back into the hobby. I know of at least a few others that are in the same boat as I am - finished college, started in a career, and came back to the hobby.

[smtjoy]

Welcome back and its also good to see some younger collectors making their presence felt, thats great for the hobby.

I can understand where you are coming from in pure value and being concerned with the future value of your cards. I do agree with a lot that has been said in that the hobby has changed a lot in 5 years from a value standpoint, just look up certain cards in VCP and the pricing can be crazy. I do feel that most vintage went down from the highs a few years ago and that correction was one part the US economy having an effect but I also think the other part was the whole FBI/Mastro thing. I feel it has had a pretty downward push on prices because a few years ago there was rampart shilling in many of the auction houses and while I still believe its happening I think many are being much more careful so they dont end up dealing with the Fed. I also think because of all the exposure on boards like this and on VCP that buyers are getting smart and being selective to which AH they use and how they bid in them.

It has also created an opportunity for a few new AH's to pop up without the baggage of those years and to put emphasis on no house bidding/shilling etc. I think its great for the hobby to have additional choices like B & L, Sterling, Love of the Game. Truth be told I now worry much more about bidding in auctions from ebay consignors as the shilling is at epic proportions imo.

Back to the market, I do feel the last two years have been an awesome buyers markets and I have gone full speed ahead. I think in the last year prices on most cards are slowly rising and as has been pointed out some are going gangbusters. Overall I think we have another few years of a buyers market as the US economy recovers and at that point the market will break through the old highs for most cards. If you buy quality and hold over time I think you will be fine when the day comes to sell.

[sesop]

I can't thank you guys enough- this has been exactly the push I needed to get back into full swing. From what I've gathered over the past few days, everything is starting to make a lot of sense, and I'm increasingly confident in the two areas I was focusing on when my collection was in its heyday (vintage-type collection of Highlanders/Yankees and T206 Southern Leaguers with their counterpart cards from other series (I always liked the idea of having a Gordon Hickman T206 AND T210).

Certainly the notion of quality over quality makes sense- it's a lesson I had learned the hard way years ago. With low prices today and more discretional income, the way I see it is that I can't afford NOT to jump back in.

If someone would kindly point me in the direction of the fellow I sold my set of E98 Hippo Vaughns to, I'd be grateful : )

Seriously- no shortage of interesting stuff. I'm starting to find and navigate around the newer auction sites to find what will be my first pickup of the new era. I'm also heartened to find so many board members in my age bracket (I'm 36). Regardless of age, if anyone is in the NY-Metro area and ever wants to get together to talk cards, I'd love to connect someday. This is an amazing hobby with incredible people and I'm thrilled to be back. Thank you all for your input and insight and humoring me- I know nobody has anything to gain from talking a former collector back into collecting, so I truly appreciate that you took the time to share your thoughts. I look forward to a great future here on the board and in the hobby...

[coaster]

I've lurked on this site for a little while now, but never really had reason to post. However, this seems like an appropriate place to chime in. I've collected trading cards since I was a little kid, bits of everything from both the baseball and non-sports piles. By the late '90's though, I had gotten away from baseball cards just because there were so many sets, so many chase cards, and frankly, so much crap, it had lost its appeal to me (non-sports cards have done the same thing lately, but that's another story). It was sad really, because it was something my dad and I used to do together, and I feel like the industry sort of left us all behind.

A couple years ago though, I decided to get back into it, but had no idea where to start. I think what helped me is that my wife liked going through my old cards, and she has that same collector/hoarder mentality we all do (she collects old books). So after doing some research, I bought her an E91A Joe Tinker for her birthday, and she loved it. She's a diehard Cubs fan, so I figured a card that saw them last win the World Series (1908) seemed appropriate. Plus, as a White Sox fan myself, it was a fun way to twist the "lovable losers" knife. She's decided she now needs to have the other 10 Cubs players in the series, and it's been a fun little project picking them up. She's since started getting interested in some of the other old sets too, so if nothing else it's easier for me to justify buying them.

With regards to what some people have mentioned here, it's important to keep in mind why you like collecting. If you're scared of your collection losing value, then, sure, it's a scary time right now. While no one wants to see their cards lose value, I like to appreciate them for what they are, so if they all became worthless tomorrow, depressing as that would be, I don't think I'd appreciate them any less. And when you consider all the other expensive hobbies out there, having one where you can get back most of what you put into it is pretty unusual.

[usernamealreadytaken]

Did anybody mention that T206 Old Mills come in Blue now?

[rainier2004]

Originally Posted by coaster

A couple years ago though, I decided to get back into it, but had no idea where to start. I think what helped me is that my wife liked going through my old cards, and she has that same collector/hoarder mentality we all do (she collects old books). So after doing some research, I bought her an E91A Joe Tinker for her birthday, and she loved it. She's a diehard Cubs fan, so I figured a card that saw them last win the World Series (1908) seemed appropriate. Plus, as a White Sox fan myself, it was a fun way to twist the "lovable losers" knife. She's decided she now needs to have the other 10 Cubs players in the series, and it's been a fun little project picking them up. She's since started getting interested in some of the other old sets too, so if nothing else it's easier for me to justify buying them.

NIce story - As I was reading it my wife chimed in that I need to share more for some odd reason?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by coaster

I've lurked on this site for a little while now, but never really had reason to post. However, this seems like an appropriate place to chime in. I've collected trading cards since I was a little kid, bits of everything from both the baseball and non-sports piles. By the late '90's though, I had gotten away from baseball cards just because there were so many sets, so many chase cards, and frankly, so much crap, it had lost its appeal to me (non-sports cards have done the same thing lately, but that's another story). It was sad really, because it was something my dad and I used to do together, and I feel like the industry sort of left us all behind.

A couple years ago though, I decided to get back into it, but had no idea where to start. I think what helped me is that my wife liked going through my old cards, and she has that same collector/hoarder mentality we all do (she collects old books). So after doing some research, I bought her an E91A Joe Tinker for her birthday, and she loved it. She's a diehard Cubs fan, so I figured a card that saw them last win the World Series (1908) seemed appropriate. Plus, as a White Sox fan myself, it was a fun way to twist the "lovable losers" knife. She's decided she now needs to have the other 10 Cubs players in the series, and it's been a fun little project picking them up. She's since started getting interested in some of the other old sets too, so if nothing else it's easier for me to justify buying them.

With regards to what some people have mentioned here, it's important to keep in mind why you like collecting. If you're scared of your collection losing value, then, sure, it's a scary time right now. While no one wants to see their cards lose value, I like to appreciate them for what they are, so if they all became worthless tomorrow, depressing as that would be, I don't think I'd appreciate them any less. And when you consider all the other expensive hobbies out there, having one where you can get back most of what you put into it is pretty unusual.

Welcome to the forum and glad to see you "coming out" Scott. Happy collecting..

[martindl]

Welcome back David. Did you collect other things while you were away?

I've been away a while myself. Got heavily into T3's and Supplements in the early-mid nineties and then drifted off to other endeavors. I check in here about once a week and spend an hour or two catching up versus the 10+ times a day I used to do.

I was always a cheap buyer so have no concerns finacially and I always collected to have an item and complete a set - a huge desire to satiate some thing I haven't yet quite figured out.

My T3's are still beautiful and the supplements outstanding. I still love my beat up T210's and my fantasic T227 set. Each card still gives me a buzz when I look at it.

[Touch'EmAll]

It seems that the 1920's Exhibit cards of major HOF'ers in decent shape are a good value right now, lots of upward headroom.

I recently sold a 1970 Nolan Ryan PSA 9 and a 1969 Hank Aaron SGC 96 - turned the proceeds into a 1926-29 Exhibit Lou Gehrig PSA 5 and a 1921 Walter Johnson PSA 5. Woo Hoo - make these kinda of swaps any day of the week.

[sesop]

Good for you for dumping that newfangled new stuff for some vintage cards. Of course, this raises another question, which is- what's the state of modern cards (by "modern," I'm referring to anything post WW2. From what I gather, the 50s are still popular although prices seem to have fallen a bit since I've been away. I know this isn't the right forum for this in particular, but figured it couldn't hurt to see if any of you vintage guys have insight on the modern and present-day issues. Does anyone collect baseball cards in 2012 from 2012? Is it fair to assume that if the average Joe who wants to get into vintage, tends to get into early T and E cards first and foremost, or does anyone make a bee line to, say, a 1957 Topps set or 1948 Bowman? Finally, what does all of this mean for the 100 Pete Incaviglia 1987 Topps rookie cards I have somewhere at my mother's house?

[Big Ben]

Originally Posted by 100backstroke

It seems that the 1920's Exhibit cards of major HOF'ers in decent shape are a good value right now, lots of upward headroom.

I recently sold a 1970 Nolan Ryan PSA 9 and a 1969 Hank Aaron SGC 96 - turned the proceeds into a 1926-29 Exhibit Lou Gehrig PSA 5 and a 1921 Walter Johnson PSA 5. Woo Hoo - make these kinda of swaps any day of the week.

I always love these type of swaps! I have been doing them for years. Although I have to admit that these type of swaps are fewer for me these days.

[coaster]

Originally Posted by sesop

Good for you for dumping that newfangled new stuff for some vintage cards. Of course, this raises another question, which is- what's the state of modern cards (by "modern," I'm referring to anything post WW2. From what I gather, the 50s are still popular although prices seem to have fallen a bit since I've been away. I know this isn't the right forum for this in particular, but figured it couldn't hurt to see if any of you vintage guys have insight on the modern and present-day issues. Does anyone collect baseball cards in 2012 from 2012? Is it fair to assume that if the average Joe who wants to get into vintage, tends to get into early T and E cards first and foremost, or does anyone make a bee line to, say, a 1957 Topps set or 1948 Bowman? Finally, what does all of this mean for the 100 Pete Incaviglia 1987 Topps rookie cards I have somewhere at my mother's house?

Thanks for the welcome, guys!

From what I've seen at shows, the '40s-'60s stuff seems to be doing quite well. I've seen more vendors of these the past couple years than I recall seeing 10 or 20 years ago, and they almost always have a lot of activity at their booths and a lot of money changing hands. What was nice was that there were a good number of younger (<25) collectors picking up these things.

My boss is a big collector of Tops, and always buys a number of new boxes upon release with his son. There's the usual assortment of artifact cards (bits of jerseys or slivers of bats) that are worth some money, and some of those can be kind of neat, especially if you get part of the name or number on the jersey. Other than that though, the only thing of interest I've seen lately is the Skip Shumaker rally squirrel card:


This was only in one series; the rest were normal Shumaker cards.