I think I have an upgrading addiction....

[benderbroeth]

i have to laugh because i am doing just the opposite, i am on a very limited budget so i am selling some of my psa 3 t205, for about what i sold them for so that i can buy 2 or more psa 1's that i need, so i can increase the number of t205's i have....i have to say when it comes to the old cards i really love the lower condition ones to the higher grade.

[glchen]

I'm crazy with my 1933 Goudey set. I basically completed the 239 set in very low grade with the average grade of probably Poor. Then I've basically been buying near sets, getting the entire set graded, and selling off all of the lower graded ones. Practically all of the cards from my original set are gone, and I just bought another near set from the last Legendary auction that I'm sorting through to get graded. It's really nuts. And I'm still missing all 4 Ruth's and both Gehrig's even though I'm a Ruth / Gehrig player set collector. At least I'm at an average grade of nearly 4 now.

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by benderbroeth

i have to laugh because i am doing just the opposite, i am on a very limited budget so i am selling some of my psa 3 t205, for about what i sold them for so that i can buy 2 or more psa 1's that i need, so i can increase the number of t205's i have....i have to say when it comes to the old cards i really love the lower condition ones to the higher grade.

Agreed.
The story behind a high grade card is often far less than what you get from a low grade card. Chances are, the high grade card was in a box for 100 years. Is that very exciting?

But think about the possibilities or what may have happened to a low grade card. Why is there that huge corner crease? Doesn't it look like someone spilled beer on this edge? What does the 98 written in pen mean? Was it someway the original owner kept track of what he had?

At least to me, especially since they are much cheaper, a lower grade card is more of my thing. Whenever I buy something, I always find past auctions and transactions and their descriptions to see where it's been. Challenging to trace it all the way back unless it's a very high end card.

Sure, if they were the same price I might go for the better condition one. But considering how much more history a low grade card has, I like to go with those. Nothing against people who collect the high grade stuff...I guess both ends of the spectrum have their qualities.

[grundle20]

I can relate to this and speak about it "just as" I'm starting to make the turn from set completion to set upgrading. I went after the 1948 Leaf set in September and just completed it about 2 weeks ago (yay!). My original goal was to complete the set. I distinctly remember saying that. But even before I got my last card I already found myself glaring down at my lower grades with a bit of a grimace on my face and pawing around Ebay and the auction houses for upgrades.

I now realize that the set completion isn't going to be the end game, but I now realize that I'm really happy it's not. If it was the end, I guess I'd be "done." Although I didn't really anticipate any yearnings AFTER I had the set, I guess I'm glad they're there, because they're keeping me in the hobby, keeping me looking at Leafs, keeping me looking at the auctions, and in general making me happy.

[rainier2004]

I now realize that the set completion isn't going to be the end game, but I now realize that I'm really happy it's not. If it was the end, I guess I'd be "done." Although I didn't really anticipate any yearnings AFTER I had the set, I guess I'm glad they're there, because they're keeping me in the hobby, keeping me looking at Leafs, keeping me looking at the auctions, and in general making me happy.[/QUOTE]

I guess this is where Im at. When i started the set i would not spend more than $5 on a common = some pretty "interesting" commons. But I donty think it would be the same not to look for 34 goudeys to me...on some days i can nearly name every card in the set. I keep telling myself i need to sell my doubles/tripes but i still have 98% of them.
I hear the couple of you on lower grade cards and im there w/ you, but I have had little $$$ my whole life and am the cheapest SOB you'd ever meet. But, I enjoy my cards and have a career now. Its nice to just decide to replace a rookie berra or whatever b/c mine looks like garbage. I actually enjoy looking at my upgrades and my doubles...see this an addiction.

[benderbroeth]

for me it is also how many can i get i can get one great high grade card or five lower grade cards..i will go for the lower grades..glad i am not the only one!!!!

[JamesGallo]

I have gotten to the point where I collect so much that unless I get a great deal I will generally only buy a card I am happy with usually in the 40-60 range.

I see this works for several reasons

The card is collector grade and would have interest from a broad group of people.

The card presents well so no real need for an upgrade.

The card isn't high grade so no temptation of selling.


I also found that if I upgraded a 30 to a 40, it would be hard to sell the 30, as such that is another reason why I won't buy a card knowing I will need to upgrade it.

So no I can fight back the urge pretty easy, but if something does cross my path at the right price I will pick it up.

James G