Getting that feeling...

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

David and Mike, thanks for your thoughts. In different ways you brought up important points. Most of my buying will be online, either through the B/S/T or ebay. That makes me gravitate toward slabbed cards. There are a few dealers I have bought postwar stuff from that I would probably trust but not that many. I am a collector first and foremost, and I don't buy to sell but you never know. I have to think a PSA holder makes the potential sale a little simpler. It is vital to buy the card, not the holder. One can get a lot of eye appeal in lower grades. In a perfect world, I like them in their natural state, but...

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

David and Mike, thanks for your thoughts. In different ways you brought up important points. Most of my buying will be online, either through the B/S/T or ebay. That makes me gravitate toward slabbed cards. There are a few dealers I have bought postwar stuff from that I would probably trust but not that many. I am a collector first and foremost, and I don't buy to sell but you never know. I have to think a PSA holder makes the potential sale a little simpler. It is vital to buy the card, not the holder. One can get a lot of eye appeal in lower grades. In a perfect world, I like them in their natural state, but...

Robert, I do not know how old you are or what the value of your collection might be. I too am a collector, first and foremost. At some point you start adding up the $20 cards, the $40 cards etc. and the number shocks you because it is likely more than you expect. My wife is a willing enabler with my collection and will offer opinions. She enjoys these bits of cardboard more than I ever expected. However, I have no heirs to even consider leaving the collection to. Anything I do from here on out (I am 56 so I hope it is for decades yet) will be with an eye towards that day when I change the direction of the flow of cardboard from inbound to out. The wife would be cussing me if I go first anyway so I don't want to add fuel to the fire by saddling her with a pile of raw tobacco cards to sift through.....

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

We do all have to consider our own mortality...comforting thought .

I have been looking for a focus of sorts where I might get started without totally losing my mind. Although they can be plagued by tobacco stains, I am really liking the Polar Bear backs. Is that a reasonable goal/place to start?

[mybuddyinc]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

We do all have to consider our own mortality...comforting thought .

I have been looking for a focus of sorts where I might get started without totally losing my mind. Although they can be plagued by tobacco stains, I am really liking the Polar Bear backs. Is that a reasonable goal/place to start?

As others have said, T206 collecting can get a wee-bit addicting.

HOWEVER, how you choose to do it, is up to you. So many options, from tougher all HOF, all Southern Lg, or back runs, to some what easier team sub sets. Heck, go buy a $15 Casey, and you've just COMPETED the "Montreal" team set .

I do think Polar Bear is a very neat idea. First you don't ever have to worry about the big 4, or Southern Lg. Secondly there isn't much of a premium on them. Yet you still have the "fun" of the HOFs, and other tougher cards. I personally like the tobacco stains, adds character

As we all say at our T206 Anonymous meetings: "I know I have a problem, but I have it under control."


Fun, fun, Scott

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by mybuddyinc

As others have said, T206 collecting can get a wee-bit addicting.

HOWEVER, how you choose to do it, is up to you. So many options, from tougher all HOF, all Southern Lg, or back runs, to some what easier team sub sets. Heck, go buy a $15 Casey, and you've just COMPETED the "Montreal" team set .

I do think Polar Bear is a very neat idea. First you don't ever have to worry about the big 4, or Southern Lg. Secondly there isn't much of a premium on them. Yet you still have the "fun" of the HOFs, and other tougher cards. I personally like the tobacco stains, adds character

As we all say at our T206 Anonymous meetings: "I know I have a problem, but I have it under control."


Fun, fun, Scott

Thanks, Scott. I figured the Polar Bears would be good to start with for the reasons you stated. If I can get those, I will move on to another part of the set. I just love the way the backs look, and there are some relatively affordable HOFers included in the Polar Bears.

[EvilKing00]

im a huge fan of the T205's hope you give them a look

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

I have been reading and reading trying to soak up T206 knowledge, and I wanted to say thanks to all who chimed in and helped get me started. People like John, Jantz, and Luke as well as a couple of other collectors have been incredibly helpful in helping my T206 collecting to get off the ground. I have collected a few different things over the years in the postwar era, but I don't believe I have ever come across a group of collectors who manage to simultaneously be tight-knit but also accepting and sharing toward newcomers.
This really feels like a community. I do a lot more reading on this board than typing. A lot of the time when I google a topic, it brings me to an old Net54 thread. That says something about the knowledge base that exists here. This ended up being longer than what I intended. Bottom line is that I hope in the future to be able to contribute something here that adds to the knowledge base and somehow helps another collector, especially new ones. I also hope to be able to give you guys decent stuff to look at in the form of purchases. Happy collecting!

Robert