New to the Forum and Vintage - any advice?

[rauchand]

First name is Andy. Yeah, I am doing this to enjoy, not invest. I just got sick of the new products (Same thing over and over). I think it will be fun searching for these cards and I won't have to waste $$ busting wax!

The 67 Mantle is my next target. I've noticed some are red dot variation? Is that just because of the printing error? Do the ones without it go for a premium?

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

Rauchand ( first name ?)...nice Clemente

What to collect and in what condition are fairly personal choices, and your own goals, hobby or risky investment, is important input to your question

[Brianruns10]

First off, everyone is right in that you should buy what you like, first and foremost. You gotta enjoy it, amiright?

But I think you should also keep an eye to market value and resale potential. I think too many people get into this hobby without any standards or eye for detail, they just wanna build up a set of something, and they load up on off center cards with corner dings, creases and pinholes. Which is fine if you understand what you're getting into, but then there are those who later try to sell but get a real shock when they find their cards aren't worth nearly as much as the book says, because they bought poor condition cards which don't have a lot of future resale value.

I'm a big believer in what Will Rogers said, that "Folks should worry more about getting their money returned than getting a return on their money." I'm not worried about making a profit, but I am concerned about getting my money back on a card I sell. And I'd like for the card's value to at least keep pace with the rate of inflation. And for me, you'll have much better luck getting a nice a card as possible.

As far as grade, I think you should let your budget dictate what you can buy. I'm building the '52 Topps set, and my budget pretty much has me buying cards in the PSA 6-7 range. Rarely I'll venture above that, but I've not yet bought an 8, because it falls outside my budget plans, and it would look out of place aesthetically anyways.

Another reason to get as high a grade as your budget allows is the nature of pricing, which tends to go up exponentially, given the supply varies inversely, with fewer cards at each grade level. Suppose a PSA 6 card you want is 30 bucks. And a PSA 7 is 45. And a PSA 8 is 200. The PSA 8 is likely too much, but it is a more reasonable proposal to consider spending an extra 15 for that PSA, which will stand to attract more buyers later one who will want a higher grade than a PSA 6, and perhaps pay a premium for it.

[ALR-bishop]

I like variations/errors/print defects/variants more than most folks. The red dot above the name on some 67 Mantles is a minor print defect. It has no official recognition in the hobby as far as I know in major catalogs or the registry, and therefore would not be on normal master set or Mantle collector lists. So I do not think one would pay a premium for it. Some might actually view it as a defect that detracts from value. Again, each to his/her own.

But I think they are kind of neat If you check ebay you will see they are not hard to find

[ALR-bishop]

If you want to look for a an obscure Mantle variant, Bob Lemke wrote an article in SCD some time back pointing out that the 1964 Topps Mantle, card # 50, can be found with or without (scarce) a period after the N in NY on the back of the card. You can see an example of it on Bob's great Blog..boblemke.blogspot.com

[doug.goodman]

Welcome to Net54!

First thing I would do, if I were you, would be to break open that plastic slab and remove that Clemente card from it's tomb.

But that's just me (and maybe a few other guys)
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=168614

Doug

[ALR-bishop]

"It takes a big man to crack a card from it's holder, and it takes a bigger man to laugh at that guy"

I don't think Jack Handy ever said this, but it is the kind of thing he might have said....if he had ever thought about it.

Doug has a bumper sticker "All Cards Deserve Their Freedom" And, I don't know who posted under my name in that thread

[rauchand]

I'm going to stick with PSA graded. I just don't trust sellers on Ebay. Picked up the Mantle 67 last night PSA 7. Still going after the Aaron, Mays, Maris, Kaline, and Rose. Then I'll move onto the next set.