Question about advanced collectors

[basesareempty]

I would say that being an advanced collector has nothing to do with the size of your checkbook, despite what some might say. There are many "advanced" collectors that have assembled quality collections on a limited budget.

[iowadoc77]

Definitely not someone like me who keeps picking up new interests before finishing out previous interests
I have:
complete 1935 NAtional Chicle football set
partial 1933 goudey set
partial E98 set of 30 set
partial T205 set
Oh, and I pick up an occasional Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, or Mordecai Brown
Oh, and maybe i see something else I like so my collecting focus shifts
I guess you might say I have ADHD...

[Exhibitman]

Knowledge + Experience + Work = Advanced Collector

Knowledge: anyone can pick up a Standard Catalog or log into Old Cardboard and ID a card, but knowing enough about the issues to differentiate a fake from the real deal, or to spot a rare variation, that's the trick.

Experience: there is a school of thought that real expertise in a field requires about 10,000 hours of work in it. I'd say that goes for collecting too. You gotta handle a lot of cards in person. I'd not be surprised if many 'advanced collectors' have looked at millions of cards over their collecting lives.

Work: I learn new stuff about what I collect nearly every day. Heck, the guys who wrote the books still learn new stuff. Look at the Lemke blog, for example.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Knowledge + Experience + Work = Advanced Collector

Knowledge: anyone can pick up a Standard Catalog or log into Old Cardboard and ID a card, but knowing enough about the issues to differentiate a fake from the real deal, or to spot a rare variation, that's the trick.

Experience: there is a school of thought that real expertise in a field requires about 10,000 hours of work in it. I'd say that goes for collecting too. You gotta handle a lot of cards in person. I'd not be surprised if many 'advanced collectors' have looked at millions of cards over their collecting lives.

Work: I learn new stuff about what I collect nearly every day. Heck, the guys who wrote the books still learn new stuff. Look at the Lemke blog, for example.

Agree! Nice concise accurate explanation imo.

[DaveW]

Advanced collectors are the ones who will pay good money for my cards. Novices are the ones who want to buy them cheaply. Or maybe it's the other way around ...

[ValKehl]

IMHO, Knowledge + Experience + Work are meaningful, but not enough to = Advanced Collector, because the word "Collector" implies (to me anyway) actually having a collection - And, "Advanced Collector" implies (to me) having a sigificant (but not necessarily a high $$ value) collection.
Val

[familytoad]

I will return to this thread after I lick a few more of my cards.
I would like to become pretty advanced .

Hey, I have a lot of Caramel and Gum cards, not just Tobacco...shouldn't be too bad.