Some helpful suggestions for new collectors

[Exhibitman]

Nice idea, 'stache. I would add: EDUCATION!!!!!

Did I stress that enough?

Not just knowing the cards but knowing the market for them. Rare may = obscure or valuable. Just depends.

Humility is another. If anyone thinks they can just jump in and make big lucrative deals I want some of what you are smoking. There are people here who've been doing this for decades and they will confirm that big deals are rare and not on eBay or Craig's list.

I've been a collector and dealer since I was twelve back in the last century and I learn new stuff about cards all the time. The knowledge you acquire over time and with experience enables you to assess a new (to you) card. I recently bought a set of 19th century nonsport cards I'd never seen before. No idea who made them. But I could see after decades of analyzing cards that they were vintage engravings. I flipped the set for nearly 20x what it cost me. My point being that although I'd never seen those cards before I have handled a lot of 19th and early 20th century cards and engravings so I was able to assess the set on the spot.

One more tool to have: your smart phone. I routinely search for cards and prices at shows. It has saved me a lot of money to be able to show a dealer what the card is going for on eBay. Or to confirm for myself what an item looks like and that it is a screaming deal. Case in point: there was a card I literally took off my want list before the last National because one had sold at auction for so much more than I wanted to pay. I found one at the show, same condition, for 40% less. I was able to confirm my recollection of the price via VCP on the spot and picked it up. When it comes to cards Orwell was wrong: ignorance is not bliss.