condition

mooch · #1 01-18-2015, 10:07 PM

I started doing that, too. I got a bit fed up with paying so much for commons. So far, I am sticking to the plan, but there is always that pull to upgrade or to buy that slightly more expensive card.

Exhibitman · #2 01-19-2015, 12:00 AM

I made the switch a few years ago when I purchased a couple of shoebox collections and realized that I was enjoying the vg cards even more than the slabbed high grade cards I had because they were in an easy to view album and I didn't have to stress out about the cost and condition of them. I also realized that I can own cards I always wanted on my budget if I went for 'well loved' specimens. Now I go for presentable lesser grade stuff, especially like the cards that are really nice except for a crease or a tiny bit of writing

jasonc · #3 01-19-2015, 02:55 AM

That is how I collect. Plus it is easier to find cards,and like what is being said you can find some really nice cards that have a slight crease or a speck of paper loss, or a tiny bit of writing, etc.

If it's just for collection purposes and not investment, then it's probably a good way to go about it, plus you save money.

almostdone · #4 01-19-2015, 07:05 AM

I agree with all of the above statements. My advice is figure out what condition standards are most important to you, ie, sharp corners, writing, creasing, centering etc, and let go of what isn't. For example I cannot stand surface wear but centering is not a big deal to me as long as it is with about 75/ 25. I want to see a clean image and be able to read the backs but I have a good friend on the boards who is a centering fanatic but corner and edge wear don't bother him. Either way most of our collections would grade in the 2 to 4 range but they presen differently.
It all about what you enjoy. Set building and ownership over hunting for the more rare hi condition cards.
Drew

darkhorse9 · #5 01-19-2015, 07:36 AM

I collect VG/EX for my collection because I enjoy completing sets and looking at them over and over again. I have no plans to ever sell the collection so the value doesn't matter to me.

When I die my son gets my collection. Since he doesn't collect he is instructed to sell the whole thing. Since he has no investment in it, every dollar he gets out of it is a bonus for him so it's all relative.

I win because I can complete sets and enjoy them,

He wins because he can sell complete sets and get an inheritance.

Win/win

Hot Springs Bathers · #6 01-19-2015, 07:40 AM

I agree with everyone above. I had quit collecting cards years ago but then an old friend offered me Topps sets from 1953-80 all at least 50 percent complete.
I have had more fun buying vg-ex cards and filling holes. I love putting sets together, while owning a graded 1956 Mantle is really nice, I want the rest of the supporting cast!

vintagebaseballcardguy · #7 01-19-2015, 10:46 AM

Thanks for all the feedback, guys. It really helps to hear about your common experiences, and it makes me feel a little less alone.

Adam, I am finding that I enjoy the lower grade cards just as much if not more. I know it sounds crazy, but I have actually been stressing over cards and money! I have started getting too nitpicky for my own good and think, for me, it is time to revisit why I collect. Those cards are all little pieces of history, and I really enjoy them. Somehow, I take heart in knowing that some kid back in the 50s or 60s really enjoyed the card and handled it and traded it.

What some of you others have said really hit home, too. I don't envision buying cards that are mutilated or have surface issues so bad that I can't tell who is on the card, but I am not going to stress out over a crease or two on an otherwise ok card. I really want to put multiple sets together, and this will allow me to really be free to do it.

I am not downing anyone else's approach. I really hope no one reads it that way. This is just where this journey as a collector has taken me. Like I think darkhorse said, this isn't about investing, it is about collecting and enjoyment.

I have some higher grade graded singles and some other higher grade material that I am thinking of selling so that I can really get going on some projects. I am not sure when I will do that, but it will be a big help if/when I do.

tonyo · #8 01-19-2015, 11:11 AM

Raw, lower grade for me. I don't even put many into binders. I enjoy flipping thru stacks of raw cards and don't really want many that I'm afraid to touch.

jchcollins · #9 01-19-2015, 09:40 PM

Hi Robert,

I was actually looking for a thread like this. I'm getting back into collecting older cards (starting with the 1955 and '56 Topps sets I've always wanted to complete but never did...) now in my late 30's after at least a decade off from the hobby.

I've been there with the high-end, graded card hoopla - trust me. You get to the point where you really lose sight of the card as a whole and are only worrying about a grade on a case, or worse - fretting about only one corner on one card, or something equally ridiculous. I found myself up in the middle of the night looking at cards under a magnifying glass - really? Was my BVG 7 '56 Koufax better than the PSA 6 Koufax? At some point the hobby just got so frustrating to me at every turn that I kind of just put it aside. Since then I've gone back to school and had a family and realized that life is too short...

When I was a kid, the fact that a card was simply "old" was cool enough. If it was a card of a superstar that was all the better - and when I collected these types of vintage cards as a kid in back in the 1980's and early 90's - I was for sure not worried about some dinged corners or an occasional crease or other small flaw. Some of the most cherished cards that I recall having as a kid back then had some pretty serious issues from the PSA perspective. But when I look back now, that time period was when I had the most fun with collecting - hands down.

I'm hoping that getting back into collecting now with the ability to take things a bit less seriously will payoff. You are right, you can still get very presentable cards with a ton of eye appeal in the VG range - and for a fraction of what those who are participating in the high-end market wind up dishing out.

Good luck and long live those less than perfect cards!

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