Prewar v. Postwar & Big Names...?

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by DeanH3

If I had 5K to spend, I'd buy 1-2 cards that I otherwise would not be able to buy. The lower cost cards will be easier to cobble together over time.

Good luck on landing your Cobb. I don't think you'll regret it.

Wanted to add. The red Cobb can be deceptively tough to land with nice centering and registration. But well worth it when one surfaces.

Regarding the spending of the hypothetical $5K, I agree. That is a level I am rarely at and would probably only be the result of having made a lot of sales. I have told myself if I ever got in that position that I would acquire a card or two that I otherwise couldn't touch. The smaller, lower grade stuff I can probably afford any time.

I have set my sights on the two Cobbs at this point. There are plenty of other candidates. A nice Clemente rookie or a Ted Williams rookie also cross my mind as do one of the '33 Goudey Ruth's (especially 53 or 149). Gehrig ('33 or '34 #37) is also someone who I would spend big on. And there's always Mantle...'53 Bowman and '56 Topps.

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[Exhibitman]

One exercise that might be interesting is to attend a large show like the National and walk the floor to get a feel for how much material is around. You will see a ton of high-graded slabbed postwar, a ton of postwar raw, and limited quantities of prewar. The more obscure prewar issue and postwar regional stuff will be few and far between. If rarity is your thing, that's the focus. It is for me. I would rather own one of a handful of known cards than one of thousands of known cards.

The corollary discussion of course is the relationship between rarity and demand. The 1952 Topps Mantle is the most extreme example. It is an easy card: every major auction has one and there are dozens at every National. Just a matter of shelling out the cash. Demand drives that card. A 1952 National Tea label is hella rare in any circumstance, way more than the Mantle, but no one except a few player and type collectors have even heard of them.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

One exercise that might be interesting is to attend a large show like the National and walk the floor to get a feel for how much material is around. You will see a ton of high-graded slabbed postwar, a ton of postwar raw, and limited quantities of prewar. The more obscure prewar issue and postwar regional stuff will be few and far between. If rarity is your thing, that's the focus. It is for me. I would rather own one of a handful of known cards than one of thousands of known cards.



The corollary discussion of course is the relationship between rarity and demand. The 1952 Topps Mantle is the most extreme example. It is an easy card: every major auction has one and there are dozens at every National. Just a matter of shelling out the cash. Demand drives that card. A 1952 National Tea label is hella rare in any circumstance, way more than the Mantle, but no one except a few player and type collectors have even heard of them.

Good point. I actually had this same observation last April at Leon's big show in Texas. About 200 tables. Tons and tons of 50s Topps...absolutely staggering. Not much prewar to be had. I purchased a couple of Cobbs and Lajoies. That show had quite an impact on my thoughts on collecting. I was shocked at how common even the significant cards of the 50s are. I have mostly had a prewar mindset since as a result.

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[GasHouseGang]

Originally Posted by vintagebaseballcardguy

Good point. I actually had this same observation last April at Leon's big show in Texas. About 200 tables. Tons and tons of 50s Topps...absolutely staggering. Not much prewar to be had. I purchased a couple of Cobbs and Lajoies. That show had quite an impact on my thoughts on collecting. I was shocked at how common even the significant cards of the 50s are. I have mostly had a prewar mindset since as a result.

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I know what you mean. I used to think all of that stuff was rare because I certainly never found any of it "out in the wild". But between auctions and all the ebay listings, nothing from this era seems really rare to me anymore. It's just not common, like 1990's cards, and it's going to cost you a lot more to acquire.