Questions from a Youngster

[KMayUSA6060]

You guys are fantastic. I'm on this board quite often, constantly reading different threads to pick up little tidbits of knowledge. Y'all never disappoint with the vast amounts of experience that is shared.

I appreciate the advice to stay humble and in my lane. Rest assured, my girlfriend is my #1 priority, and will definitely be taken care of (my wallet is crying as I type this). I am also fiscally responsible, and bills are always knocked out.

Any other advice/comments are definitely welcome!

[JollyElm]

Here's a great little something to keep in mind…

When you're at a card show, wait until the closing moments when all the dealers are just beginning to pack up all of their stuff, and then start negotiating like crazy with them for things you had your eye on. Most of the time you can grab up some great deals in these waning moments, because they're happy to rack up that last minute revenue even if it requires them to become very, very flexible.

Good luck and welcome aboard!!

[nat]

"1) For those who collect, do you fund any part of your collection through flipping?"

No. I don't trust myself enough to bet that I'm going to make money on a card. I treat all of them as pure consumption. My advice if you want to try it would be to only buy a card if you would be comfortable adding it to your collection at the price you are going to pay for it, should you not be able to move it.


"2) If you don't flip, do you do anything special - other than just saving - to fund your collection?"

No to this also. My collecting interests are inexpensive enough that saving isn't really necessary either. Baseball card collecting can be very expensive, but it doesn't have to be. It really depends on what kind of a hobby you want this to be. Personally, I'd just like to have fun with it; competing on PSA registries and the like sounds stressful, and I'd rather not do it.


"3) How can you tell if a vintage or Pre-War card is authentic or fake? Graded cards obviously bring more of a premium, yet raw cards can be risky for an uneducated soul such as myself."

This is really the big question. Since I buy low-dollar cards I buy raw all the time; low prices reduces the risk of fakes/reprints, but doesn't eliminate it.

On-line, you can avoid most scams by being cautious. If it's "being sold as a reprint", it's a reprint. If it's an ungraded T206 Wagner (etc.) it's a reprint. If it's expensive and ungraded, be very careful and investigate thoroughly. If it's expensive and they have limited feedback, be very cautious. Many (but not all) of the scammers on eBay won't click the "Original" designation, filtering your searches for that will eliminate lots of them.

On eBay, be very careful with people who don't usually sell cards. They will sometimes think that they have something original, and their listing won't be suspicious, and they'll have lots of good feedback, but since they don't often handle cards they might not be able to tell real cards from fakes. Sometimes they do have good stuff, but if buying raw look at what they usually sell and proceed with caution if you see lots of lawn gnomes and christmas ornaments.

The best advice when looking at the cards themselves really is to know what you're looking at. Most reprints have obvious problems, and familiarity with the set (and sometimes the specific card) will help you spot them. For others, I find a 60x magnifier helpful. Printing technologies have changed over time (and vary from issue to issue) and it's hard to fake things at the microscopic level. Under magnification it's usually easy to tell modern cards from pre-war originals. Here too you want to be familiar with the issue: know what originals look like under the magnifier, know which sections are solid ink and which use a dot pattern, etc.

A black light is also useful. Pre-war cards won't glow *brightly* under a black light. Get used to what the specific issue looks like under the light, it's not as simple as "glows/doesn't". Some post war cards will glow a lot, some will glow a little, others won't at all. For some issues the cardboard doesn't glow but the ink does (once looked at a 1986 Topps under a black light for some reason; cardboard was invisible but the ink looked like special effects from Tron).

"4) How do you organize your priorities/wants and stay on budget? Is it as simple as staying disciplined, or are there little tips and tricks?"

If you can tell other people how to stay on budget you should really write a self-help book, make millions of dollars, and buy whatever cards you want.

But one important thing to remember is that, unless you're going after really really rare stuff (which, of course, I never do), there's always going to be another one. Don't feel like you MUST buy this one; you don't have to. And the chase is half of the fun anyway, don't feel bad about missing out on a card because it went over your budget. That just means that you get to keep chasing it.

[Bestdj777]

I started getting into cards right around the same age as you (I'm 32 now). My advice is so your research--both on the engagement ring and the baseball cards. For rings, I went with a diamond broker and saved many, many thousand as a result, leading to a nicer ring and some more baseball cards.

For cards, I set a monthly budget and have that money forwarded to a separate bank account, meaning I don't have to touch my regular account to buy cards and I somewhat stay fiscally responsible. I rarely flip cards as I've been stuck holding duplicates on too many occasions as a result. I do buy lots and sell the cards I don't need sometimes--I just make sure that the math really does work before making the deal.

Enjoy the hobby but keep in mind that there are so many things that are more important than baseball cards...

[Billy5858]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

I started getting into cards right around the same age as you (I'm 32 now). My advice is so your research--both on the engagement ring and the baseball cards. For rings, I went with a diamond broker and saved many, many thousand as a result, leading to a nicer ring and some more baseball cards.

For cards, I set a monthly budget and have that money forwarded to a separate bank account, meaning I don't have to touch my regular account to buy cards and I somewhat stay fiscally responsible. I rarely flip cards as I've been stuck holding duplicates on too many occasions as a result. I do buy lots and sell the cards I don't need sometimes--I just make sure that the math really does work before making the deal.

Enjoy the hobby but keep in mind that there are so many things that are more important than baseball cards...

Good advise

* Mantle Master Set 391/398 WOW!!

[KMayUSA6060]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

I started getting into cards right around the same age as you (I'm 32 now). My advice is so your research--both on the engagement ring and the baseball cards. For rings, I went with a diamond broker and saved many, many thousand as a result, leading to a nicer ring and some more baseball cards.

For cards, I set a monthly budget and have that money forwarded to a separate bank account, meaning I don't have to touch my regular account to buy cards and I somewhat stay fiscally responsible. I rarely flip cards as I've been stuck holding duplicates on too many occasions as a result. I do buy lots and sell the cards I don't need sometimes--I just make sure that the math really does work before making the deal.

Enjoy the hobby but keep in mind that there are so many things that are more important than baseball cards...

I like the separate bank account idea. I have 2 bank accounts already, and have been looking for a 3rd and final one offering a Cash incentive for opening an account, just for the purpose of another checking account for cards and a savings account for other stuff (ex. my Huntington savings account is strictly for the Ring).

I'm going to PM you about the ring/diamond. I have some questions about that... Haha. Nice Mantle collection by the way!

[KMayUSA6060]

I've seen a couple people mention the Black Light method for determining fakes when it comes to vintage/Pre-War.

How do you do this at a show, or is this an at-home method while bringing a magnifying tool would be used at a show?

[bravos4evr]

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

I like the separate bank account idea. I have 2 bank accounts already, and have been looking for a 3rd and final one offering a Cash incentive for opening an account, just for the purpose of another checking account for cards and a savings account for other stuff (ex. my Huntington savings account is strictly for the Ring).

I'm going to PM you about the ring/diamond. I have some questions about that... Haha. Nice Mantle collection by the way!

I got one of those AMEX bluebird cards that I only use for my paypal account, I have to load it manually so it makes me really think about my budget when I'm waiting in line to stick cash on it.

something to consider

[nat]

Blacklight is a strictly "at home" thing. It has to be dark to use it, so it won't help you at a show. Take a loupe with you though. It's easier to use and gives you better information anyway.

[KMayUSA6060]

Thank you all, again, for all of the tips, advice, and experience.

I was thinking about why I started this thread, and it hit me. I have a lot of interests (very raw woodworking skills, sports fanatic, sports cards, politics, etc.), which sports and sports cards being the most common theme in my life. Part of being younger is having the freedom (somewhat) to explore income methods. My parents always told me to do what I love in life, and I'll never have to work a day. And that's part of why I started this thread, is to explore the option of maybe working with cards for a living, or at least provide a solid supplementary income with cards.

Now I am completely aware to just enjoy collecting. And I do. Trust me. But if I can make some money off of it as well, without jeopardizing my collection/collecting, why not?

The other reason for creating this thread was just to get some tips and tricks about collecting and the hobby in general. I'm trying to stay more focused, and the tips are definitely helping.

[Billy5858]

Originally Posted by bravos4evr

I got one of those AMEX bluebird cards that I only use for my paypal account, I have to load it manually so it makes me really think about my budget when I'm waiting in line to stick cash on it.

something to consider

+1 Great idea....... My PP account is
still connected to my checking account
NO BUENO!!

[Leon]

Very smart indeed. Keep this attitude and you will do fine (in life too).

Originally Posted by KMayUSA6060

You guys are fantastic. I'm on this board quite often, constantly reading different threads to pick up little tidbits of knowledge. Y'all never disappoint with the vast amounts of experience that is shared.

I appreciate the advice to stay humble and in my lane. Rest assured, my girlfriend is my #1 priority, and will definitely be taken care of (my wallet is crying as I type this). I am also fiscally responsible, and bills are always knocked out.

Any other advice/comments are definitely welcome!