Share your contrarian hobby opinions

[LEHR]

I'll play...

1. T206's are boring as hell and aside from a handful of cards, definitely not rare with a quarter million cards being graded so far and every major auction is full of them.
2. T210's and E91's are horrible looking cards.
3. It's a travesty that Roger Maris isn't in the Hall of Fame considering how watered down it's become.
4. The 1971 Topps set has the best photography of any vintage Topps set.
5. Pete Rose deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. He bet on baseball, who cares? The problem is that people treat these guys like Gods, and then when they screw up it's the end of the world. Get over it.
6. These are just my opinions. Don't let it ruffle your feathers.

[1954 topps]

1) Any card with a crease, wax stain, miscut, wrinkle doesn't deserve to be graded. HOFer or not. These cards should be refused a number grade by all grading companies and just labeled Authentic "Creased". I don't care that's how they came from the factory etc. etc., they were a defect from day 1 and don't deserve a grade.
2) Any black and white card produced after 1939 (the invention of color TV) are really depressing with zero cool factor.
3) Postcards of baseball players are not baseball cards, they're postcards. You have a postcard collection...congrats?
4) Set collectors are more impressive than HOF and rookie collectors. It takes passion to chase down bum's nobody's ever heard of and then actually pay money to acquire them to complete your set.
5) If you keep your collection in a vault, PO BOX, anywhere other than your prime residence, you don't really enjoy your collection. Invest in a 2 hour fire safe and bolt it to the floor or a wall, and put your cards in a waterproof case if your that worried. That way you can look at your cards any time day or night.
6) If you collect anything 1976 - current, you're not a vintage collector.
7) Centering, Print Quality, Corners in that order
8) Investing in high end big name star vintage is a safer investment long term than the stock market. (still trying to convince my wife on this one)
9) Any Wilson Franks, Kahn's, or any card that came out of a hotdog package and survived without major staining is far more impressive than a tobacco, cracker jack or other candy card.
10) Guys that wear fanny packs and sweatpants to card shows are not dorks, their just dressed comfortably and likely do well financially.

[Casey2296]

4) Set collectors are more impressive than HOF and rookie collectors. It takes passion to chase down bum's nobody's ever heard of and then actually pay money to acquire them to complete your set.

Have to agree. Pre-war set collecting is not for the weak at heart, I'm 3 cards away from my second set and will be hanging up my spurs after that one and get back to type collecting.

9) Any Wilson Franks, Kahn's, or any card that came out of a hotdog package and survived without major staining is far more impressive than a tobacco, cracker jack or other candy card.

I wouldn't say far more impressive than the super thin 14 Cracker Jacks that were inserted raw into cracker jack packages, but you make a good point.

[cammb]

1932 Delong Gehrig is the best looking card in the hobby followed by the 1953 Bowman Reese.
Modern cards are junk.
Strip cards are junk.
Mantle rookie is over rated.
Clemente rookie 100% over rated.

[jingram058]

Gym sweat pants are not baseball pants, for cripe sake. Just look at Ted Williams above. THAT is how you wear the uniform.

Designated hitter sucks. The pitcher hits. Strategy. THAT is how a real manager manages.

Instant replay review sucks. The umpire is the last word. Period.

4 finger intentional walks suck. No more Johnny Bench reach-out home runs with this stupidity.

4 hour 9 inning games suck. Play the effing game already.

[53toppscollector]

not sure how controversial any of these takes are, but:

* jersey/relic cards are one of the absolute worst creations ever. 99.999% of them are awful

* The SweetCap 150/649 OP sub-set is very underrated for multiple reasons

* the '51 Bowman Mantle is 10x cooler than the '52 Topps Mantle

* the Ty Cobb back is not a T206 back, and printers scrap backs (Old Mill Brown) should not be ranked among the backs that were actually issued in packs/pouches of tobacco

[ValKehl]

"2. T210's and E91's are horrible looking cards."

Paul, it puzzles me as to how you can be so right about the E91s and so wrong about the T210s! Joe Jax's T210 card is a great looking card! I suppose you also think T211s are horrible looking cards.