How do I get started on a prewar baseball collection?

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Posted By: Justin Mckinney

I am looking to get the rookie cards of all the members of the HOF. Just wondering if anyone has any advice on how to start such a collection? I know Ebay is a great resource, but where else is there to look. Also what advice do you have for pricing?

I am looking for cards ranging anywhere from PSA 1 to 4, as long as they are not stained or torn.

I am only looking for cards from the main sets: T206, the 1888 issues, 1914-15 Cracker Jack, and 1933-34 Goudey, and 1939-41 Playball, except for guys like Dave Bancroft, George Sisler and a couple others whose rookies are in the the early 20's Caramel sets, and Plank and Wagner who I would like to get the E90 Caramel cards..

So I guess I can sum up by saying, where can I look, and how do I know what a good price is? Also I live in Calgary, Canada, and no dealers are within a thousand miles of me.

thanks for reading,
Justin

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Posted By: Joe Jones

The BST section of this forum is a great tool to find cards. As for a price guide, there are a few different online sources that provide up to date pricing. Or you can use the SCD Krause big book, which can be found on amazon.com.

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Posted By: Myron

I hope you have deep pockets.

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Posted By: Scot Reader

Jason,
Sports Collectors Digest, while much maligned on this board, does have useful list of current auctions on the home page of its website. These auctions are a good place to locate HOF rookie cards. Other than that, you have other fine auctions such as Lew Lipset's (www.oldjudge.com) and Barry Sloate's (www.sloateauctions.com), the constant churn of eBay, the B/S/T on this board and a few dealers who get nice material on occasion, such as David Levin (www.gfg.com). As far as pricing goes, the one-word answer for vintage rookie HOFers is "high". Welcome and good luck.
Scot

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Posted By: barrysloate

Getting all the rookie cards of every HOFer may very well be a lifetime pursuit, and you may never finish. I would get my hands on every auction catalog and spend a lot of time on ebay. Most cards will be obtainable, but some near impossible. A Cy Young or Honus Wagner rookie, to name two, can set you back six figures, if you can find them.

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Posted By: Justin Mckinney

To avoid paying 6 figures for anyone card, I am compromising by focusing on the T206 set, and getting the E90 Caramel Plank and Wagner. And the pre 20th century cards are my lowest priority. But yeah, I recognize that this will take a long time.

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Posted By: barrysloate

If you set out to get a quality vintage card of every HOFer, and the rookie card when it is affordable or available, you will be able to finish the project in just a few years, depending on your budget.

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Posted By: Justin Mckinney

Yeah, I guess how you phrased is probably a better description of what I am doing.

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Posted By: Max Weder

Justin

Just to let you know, Calgary is within 1000 miles of Vancouver, the lower left end of Canada, and you never know what you might find there. Number of vintage collectors in the Vancouver/Seattle corridor

Max

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Posted By: Elliot

Max, not to mention that I know of several dealers in Edmonton.

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Posted By: Justin Mckinney

But Edmonton doesn't count. j/k. I just know that Calgary is pretty much a wasteland if you look for anything other than Hockey. Perhaps you can provide contact info with these Edmonton dealers?

thanks Justin

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Posted By: Max Weder

Brad (can't recall his last name) deals in vintage hockey, and presumably baseball. He is associated with Marc Juteau of Classic Collectibles in Montreal.

Max

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Posted By: Cat

You can make your rules up as to what your collection is all about as you go along. Mine set out to be rookie cards of all players who were elected to the HOF by the baseball writers. Many of the VC elected players were marginal since they were voted in based on a combination of being a Pioneer, Coach, Manager, AND A PLAYER (I am mostly interested inplayers). But there are dozens elected in by the VC simply because the HOF opened late in terms of the history of the game, so greats like Plank whose career ended in 1917 were obviously elected by the veterans committee. Also, I look at the rookie card as the card printed either during or right after his first year of playing. If his first card is one that comes two or three years after the players career starts then it is somewhat less important to me to have "the rookie." Also, if his first card is a strip card, I tend to pass and go to the next. I have a ton of personal rules that would not necessarily make sense to anyone else.

The Plank is a good example of a player who it may make sense to go after a different card than the accepted rookie. The "beat" e107 is considered by many as his rookie although he had been playing for 2+ years when it was produced. The game card shown below was produced just a couple years later and has very minimal respect. The game card is going to cost you $500 and the e107 will run $10,000 (if you can find one in poor enough shape to command that low of a price).

<img src="

editted to correct a bonehead error in grammar

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Posted By: Judge Dred (Fred)

You better be a good boy scout or learn their motto.... Be Prepared...

Be prepared to sell your soul...

Be prepared to rob banks...

Be prepared to tick people off when you outbid them...

Be prepared to enter the world of big house auctions (Mastro, REA, etc)...

Be prepared to find out about BUYERS PREMIUMS and other little surprieses...

Be prepared to find out how bad grading companies are..

Be prepared to learn about a whole lot of people (ball players) you've probably never heard about...

Be prepared for frustration...

Be prepared to have some fun...

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Posted By: Jorge

Check the April Mastro auction. All will be there!

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Posted By: Scot

Jorge,
Will the April Mastro auction rookies be from your people?
Gehrig and Ruth rookie cards too?

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Posted By: Jorge

Yeah Scot, I dont know if they can get everything in the April auction, cause theres a bunch of stuff. I dont wish to turn this thread into a promotion so if you wish to email me privately you can.

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Posted By: barry arnold

With Dave W. I don't think about the Big6. I'm at 490 now and am enjoying every card that I own. Somehow the passion to 'complete' the Monster, although always in the background, doesn't have the power over me that sitting with the various cards now has.
I think getting started on your collection has to entail being with the
history,beauty,narratives of each card MINDFULLY, as the Buddhists say.
Recognizing and truly enjoying these elements of the cards creates an appreciation for their intrinsic value which supercedes all the talk about
how high the grade is or how much they may sell for in the market at any given point. If this recognition begins your collecting, you will be well on
your way to relishing the Ritchey dove, the interesting subtleties of the
overprints, the fascinating discussions of the Primacy of Piedmont,
the dignity of the portrait of Matty, the wonder of the Tolstoi back 'bleeding' through to the front of the Pelty, the 'mystery' of the
missing 'r' in the black Lenox Murray portrait,the pristine quality of
a Lafitte holding a bygone era unrelentingly. Immersing yourself in these
various moments somehow transcends any apparent lack in the collection.
At least until B/S/T opens its doors of temptation once again.

Happy Collecting! And remember the Monster wants you to quit. But it is only
a chimera, a phantasm. Never quit.

all the best,

Barry
P.S. Hopefully, this response is
apropos for Myron's thread "Question for the T206 Collectors" as well.

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Posted By: steve

Under most instances, buy the best quality you can afford, of major HOF'ers, in mainstream sets, PSA or SGC graded, preferrably "EX 5" or better. Remember not all PSA 5's are created equal. Hold out for better than 60/40 centering with no print dots/marks, just a little corner wear. Enjoy the fun, Steve.