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Looking to build a set - psa 10 of best rookies from each sport from 2010-on

canadiancollector2canadiancollector2 Posts: 15

Another very basic and newcomer question...

I'm getting back into this hobby after a number of years away. No strong inclination of where to start... So I thought that it'd be interesting to try to build a set of psa 10s of the best rookies from basketball, baseball, and hockey (never got into football cards...not sure why since I still love the sport).

Any idea of where to start? Has anyone tried this before on here?

Comments

  • bobsbbcardsbobsbbcards Posts: 3,254 ✭✭✭
    edited January 4, 2021 4:00AM

    Welcome to the boards! :)

    I have to sort of agree with the previous poster that unless your bank account balance has LOTS OF DIGITS in it before the decimal point, you aren't going to get very far on your quest. If by "best rookies" you mean ones nobody has ever heard of but they're sort of cute, then maybe you could get by with a few grand, but if you mean HOF type players, PSA 10s will cost you both kidneys and at least one lung.

    I participate in the Post WWII HOF rookie set on the registry, and I settle for PSA 9s of modern players (no 10s for me, thank you), PSA 8s of players from 1960-1980, and whatever I can afford for earlier (100% and average of 7.65). Luckily I bought all of them long ago (phew), since PSA's estimate is that it would cost me $204,902.00 to buy the same cards again (ouch).

    At the PSA home page, click on "Set Registry" and then click "Explore" at the upper right. Click on any sport you want (avoiding football as you said), click on Hall-of-Fame Sets, and then .... as the button says ... explore. There are more combinations of registry sets than you can poke a stick at (HOF players Who Have Unibrow for instance). Enjoy!

    You can also check out ending auction prices for any card that you'd like by clicking Auction Prices at the top of PSA's home page.

    If you still embark on your quest and finish HOF rookie sets for every non-footballish sport in PSA 10, please ignore my comments and have a great day Mr. Gates. ;)

    Edited to add: After seeing your post on the BST forum mentioning that you already own a 9.5 Gretzky and other very expensive collectibles, it seems like you just might have deep enough pockets to pull this off.

    Most high-end cards are sold through large auction houses. Go to www.robertedwardauctions.com and click Auction/Search Our Archive to get a feel for it. The checklist for the HOF rookies set that you saw if you explored the set registry will let you know which cards to search for. Have fun!

  • miwlvrnmiwlvrn Posts: 4,264 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 4, 2021 10:37AM

    Get your Soccer RC's before the qualifying matches start heating up ahead of the 2022 World Cup. Soccer cards are rising more quickly than most other things now, but will see another big jump once the Cup is in view.

  • Another thing: Unlike the 80's, there isn't 3-5 cards per rookie to collect. For example, Mookie Betts, rookie in the 2012-2014 card years has the following 130 rookie cards:

    2012 GRANDSTAND LOWELL SPINNERS MOOKIE BETTS 1.00
    2013 BRANDT GREENVILLE DRIVE MOOKIE BETTS 8 1.00
    2013 BRANDT SAL ALL-STARS MOOKIE BETTS 2 1.00
    2013 PANINI PRIZM PERENNIAL DRAFT PICKS MOOKIE BETTS 46 1.00
    2013 PANINI PRIZM PERENNIAL DRAFT PICKS MOOKIE BETTS BLUE PRIZM 46 1.50
    2013 PANINI PRIZM PERENNIAL DRAFT PICKS MOOKIE BETTS PRIZM 46 1.50
    2013 PANINI PRIZM PERENNIAL DRAFT PICKS PROSPECT SIGNATURES MOOKIE BETTS 97 2.00
    2013 PANINI PRIZM PERENNIAL DRAFT PICKS PROSPECT SIGNATURES MOOKIE BETTS PRIZM 97 2.00
    2013 PANINI PRIZM PERENNIAL DRAFT PICKS MOOKIE BETTS RED PRIZM 46 1.50
    2014 BOWMAN AUTOGRAPH PROSPECT MOOKIE BETTS CHROME MB 6.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME AUTOGRAPH PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS MB 6.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME AUTOGRAPH PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS BLACK WAVE REFRACTOR MB 7.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME AUTOGRAPH PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS BLUE REFRACTOR MB 6.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME AUTOGRAPH PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS BLUE WAVE REFRACTOR MB 7.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME AUTOGRAPH PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS GOLD REFRACTOR MB 8.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME AUTOGRAPH PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS GREEN REFRACTOR MB 6.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME AUTOGRAPH PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS PURPLE REFRACTOR MB 8.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME AUTOGRAPH PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS RED REFRACTOR MB 8.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME AUTOGRAPH PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS REFRACTOR MB 6.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME DUALING DIE-CUT REFRACTORS MOOKIE BETTS/AARON SANCHEZ BS 1.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME DUALING DIE-CUT REFRACTORS MOOKIE BETTS/AARON SANCHEZ ATOMIC REFRACTOR BS 1.50
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME DUALING DIE-CUT REFRACTORS MOOKIE BETTS/AARON SANCHEZ XFRACTOR BS 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME FRANCHISE DUAL AUTOGRAPH REFRACTOR DEVEN MARRERO/MOOKIE BETTS DFAMB 4.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME MINI MOOKIE BETTS 138 1.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME MINI MOOKIE BETTS BLUE REFRACTOR 138 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME MINI MOOKIE BETTS GREEN REFRACTOR 138 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME MINI MOOKIE BETTS ORANGE REFRACTOR 138 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME MINI MOOKIE BETTS YELLOW REFRACTOR 138 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS RED REFRACTOR BCP109 3.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS REFRACTOR BCP109 1.50
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME TOP 5 MINI REFRACTOR MOOKIE BETTS BRS4 1.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME TOP 5 MINI REFRACTOR MOOKIE BETTS BLUE BRS4 1.50
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME TOP 5 MINI REFRACTOR MOOKIE BETTS ORANGE BRS4 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME TOP 5 MINI REFRACTOR MOOKIE BETTS PURPLE BRS4 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME TOP 100 PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS BTP66 1.00
    2014 BOWMAN CHROME TOP 100 PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS DIE-CUT REFRACTOR BTP66 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN PLATINUM AUTOGRAPH RELIC MOOKIE BETTS AR-MB 4.00
    2014 BOWMAN PLATINUM AUTOGRAPH RELIC MOOKIE BETTS BLUE REFRACTOR AR-MB 4.00
    2014 BOWMAN PLATINUM AUTOGRAPH RELIC MOOKIE BETTS CANARY REFRACTOR AR-MB 5.00
    2014 BOWMAN PLATINUM TOOLSY DIE-CUTS MOOKIE BETTS MB 1.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS BP109 1.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECT AUTOGRAPH MOOKIE BETTS CHROME-BLACK REFRACTOR MB 6.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS BLUE BORDER BP109 1.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS CHROME BCP109 1.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS CHROME-BLACK REFRACTOR BCP109 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS CHROME-BLUE REFRACTOR BCP109 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS CHROME-BLUE WAVE REFRACTOR BCP109 1.50
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS CHROME-GOLD REFRACTOR BCP109 3.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS CHROME-GREEN REFRACTOR BCP109 3.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS CHROME-GREEN WAVE REFRACTOR BCP109 3.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS CHROME-ORANGE WAVE REFRACTOR BCP109 4.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS CHROME-PURPLE REFRACTOR BCP109 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS CHROME-RED WAVE REFRACTOR BCP109 3.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS GREEN BORDER BP109 1.50
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS ORANGE BORDER BP109 1.50
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS PURPLE BP109 1.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS PURPLE ICE BP109 3.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS RED ICE BP109 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS SILVER ICE BP109 1.00
    2014 BOWMAN PROSPECTS MOOKIE BETTS STATE AND HOMETOWN BP109 1.00
    2014 BOWMAN STERLING MOOKIE BETTS 17 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN STERLINGLING 1989 BOWMAN IS BACK SILVER DIAMOND REFRACTOR MOOKIE BETTS MB 1.00
    2014 BOWMAN STERLING MOOKIE BETTS BLACK ATOMIC REFRACTOR 17 3.00
    2014 BOWMAN STERLING MOOKIE BETTS REFRACTOR 17 2.00
    2014 BOWMAN STERLING ROOKIE AUTOGRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS MB 4.00
    2014 BOWMAN STERLING ROOKIE AUTOGRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS BLUE REFRACTOR MB 5.00
    2014 BOWMAN STERLING ROOKIE AUTOGRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS GREEN REFRACTOR MB 4.00
    2014 BOWMAN STERLING ROOKIE AUTOGRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS MAGENTA REFRACTOR MB 5.00
    2014 BOWMAN STERLING ROOKIE AUTOGRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS ORANGE REFRACTOR MB 5.00
    2014 BOWMAN STERLING ROOKIE AUTOGRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS REFRACTOR MB 4.00
    2014 BOWMAN STERLING STERLING DIE-CUT AUTOGRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS SA-MB 4.00
    2014 DONRUSS THE ROOKIES MOOKIE BETTS 50 1.00
    2014 DONRUSS THE ROOKIES MOOKIE BETTS AUTOGRAPH 50 2.00
    2014 DONRUSS THE ROOKIES MOOKIE BETTS RATED ROOKIES MATERIALS 15 1.50
    2014 DUNKIN'S DONUTS PAWTUCKET RED SOX MOOKIE BETTS 1.00
    2014 GRANDSTAND PORTLAND SEA DOGS MOOKIE BETTS 1.00
    2014 PANINI CLASSICS MOOKIE BETTS 169 1.00
    2014 PANINI CLASSICS SIGNIFICANT SIGNATURES MOOKIE BETTS GOLD 56 4.00
    2014 PANINI CLASSICS SIGNIFICANT SIGNATURES .MOOKIE BETTS SILVER 56 4.00
    2014 PANINI CLASSICS MOOKIE BETTS TIMELESS TRIBUTES-SILVER 169 4.00
    2014 PANINI NATIONAL TREASURES MOOKIE BETTS MATERIAL SIGNATURE 210 5.00
    2014 STADIUM CLUB MOOKIE BETTS 140 1.00
    2014 STADIUM CLUB AUTOGRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS MBE 4.00
    2014 STADIUM CLUB MOOKIE BETTS RAINBOW FOIL 140 2.00
    2014 TOPPS CHROME UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS US-20 1.00
    2014 TOPPS CHROME UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS MB-46 1.00
    2014 TOPPS CHROME UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS BLACK REFRACTOR US-20 2.00
    2014 TOPPS CHROME UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS BLACK REFRACTOR MB-46 2.00
    2014 TOPPS CHROME UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS GOLD REFRACTOR US-20 2.00
    2014 TOPPS CHROME UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS GOLD REFRACTOR MB-46 2.00
    2014 TOPPS FIVE STAR AUTOGRAPH MOOKIE BETTS MBE 4.00
    2014 TOPPS FIVE STAR GOLDEN GRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS GREEN MB 5.00
    2014 TOPPS FIVE STAR GOLDEN GRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS PURPLE MB 5.00
    2014 TOPPS FIVE STAR SILVER SIGNATURES MOOKIE BETTS BLUE MB 4.00
    2014 TOPPS FIVE STAR SILVER SIGNATURES MOOKIE BETTS GREEN MB 5.00
    2014 TOPPS HERITAGE MOOKIE BETTS H558 2.00
    2014 TOPPS HERITAGE MINOR LEAGUE MOOKIE BETTS 217 1.50
    2014 TOPPS HERITAGE MINOR LEAGUE MOOKIE BETTS BLACK BORDER 217 2.00
    2014 TOPPS HERITAGE MINOR LEAGUE FLASHBACKS MOOKIE BETTS FB-MB 1.00
    2014 TOPPS HERITAGE MINOR LEAGUE MOOKIE BETTS LIME GREEN 217 1.50
    2014 TOPPS HERITAGE REAL ONE AUTOGRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS MB 6.00
    2014 TOPPS HERITAGE REAL ONE AUTOGRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS RED INK MB 6.00
    2014 TOPPS PRO DEBUT MOOKIE BETTS 71 6.00
    2014 TOPPS PRO DEBUT MOOKIE BETTS GOLD 71 2.00
    2014 TOPPS PRO DEBUT MANUFACTURED HAT LOGO PATCHES MOOKIE BETTS MH-MB 5.00
    2014 TOPPS PRO DEBUT MOOKIE BETTS SILVER 71 2.00
    2014 TOPPS SUPREME AUTOGRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS ORANGE SA-MB 4.00
    2014 TOPPS TRAJECTORY AUTOGRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS TAMBE 3.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS BATTING US26 1.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS SMILING IN DUGOUT US26 2.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS US301 1.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS BATTING-BLACK US26 2.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS BLACK US301 2.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS BATTING-BLUE WALMART BORDER US26 1.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS BLUE WALMART BORDER US301 1.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS BATTING-CAMO US26 2.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS CAMO US301 2.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS CLEAR US301 3.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE FUTURE IS NOW MOOKIE BETTS FNMB1 1.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE FUTURE IS NOW MOOKIE BETTS FNMB2 1.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE FUTURE IS NOW MOOKIE BETTS FNMB3 1.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS BATTING-GOLD US26 1.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS GOLD US301 1.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS BATTING-PINK US26 2.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS PINK US301 2.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS BATTING-RED HOT FOIL US26 1.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS RED HOT FOIL US301 1.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS BATTING-RED TARGET BORDER US26 1.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE MOOKIE BETTS RED TARGET BORDER US301 1.00
    2014 TOPPS UPDATE TRAJECTORY AUTOGRAPHS MOOKIE BETTS TAMBE 5.00

  • Yikes! I didn't realize that there were so many rookie cards' per rookie. Hmm...maybe just one or two from each name. You've given me a lot to start on - thank you...! I'll read up a lot more on this...
    When I started collecting ancient coins, I liked having a goal - e.g. the 12 Caesars, etc. (I know basic to most experts, but very useful and fun for a novice like myself).
    I do have a fair bit that I can spend on this fortunately...since I justify it as an investment as well (I'd intend to hold onto them for decades, and give them to our kids far down the road).
    Thank you again...! I'll look into the link on this page you pointed out, plus the auction site.
    Mark

  • I hadn't even consider soccer (despite playing through my undergrad years), so thanks for that as well - a very good idea!

    I've also started looking into autographs too from certain names. I just won an auction for a '92 dream team signed basketball last night which I'm quite stoked about. There were also 2 Ruth autos that I lost (neither was a ball unfortunately but both had COAs from reputable companies). They also had Walt Disney, Paul McCartney, etc. but I lost those too sadly.

  • Wow - you have some phenomenal cards... I'm just looking through your old baseball sets.

    I'm trying to find both a 51' bowman and '52 tops mantle. I found a few auctions ongoing. I also heard a story from a smaller Canadian auction owner of a man who inherited a number of high end cards including both Mantle rookies. He sent them for grading, and had to borrow heavily from family to pay the grading bill since they're valued so high. He'll likely send them to the US auction houses which is too bad for me - I was hoping to buy them without paying the auction premium.
    I'm also in Canada, so it's generally easier if I can find cards here to avoid customs, etc...

  • I just recently got back into collecting as well a few years ago. I did what you are saying. I started with something reasonable and went from there. I decided I would start collecting Red Sox team sets from the year I was born until the present. I decided to focus on Topps since that was what I collected as a kid. As I did more research and realized the insane amount of variation in the modern sets, I decided to further focus on just the base sets. Then I did some research on grading and decided I wanted to start collecting cards that are graded and began refining my Red Sox cards as graded cards, starting mostly with 1975 and opportunistically buying later years as they popped up.

    Since then, I have gone on lots of tangents. I started a Red Sox HOF collection for instance. I also started buying up Mookie Betts stuff in 2018 since at the time he was my favorite Red Sox player. I went down one path of buying some of my childhood favorite players' rookie cards like Carlton Fisk, Wade Boggs, and Roger Clemens. Whenever I found myself wanting a change, I would just start pulling on various threads to see what popped loose.

    Lots of luck to you in your collecting. Whatever you decide, I hope you have as much fun as I do.

  • I like that - I have no obligation here, and will very likely find myself doing as you have - changing directions multiple times! I normally wouldn't care about the grading; however, it's more a safety since i'm very much a novice here... I dont follow current sports as much as I used to, so I might just start with some of the old timers!

  • emaremar Posts: 697 ✭✭✭✭

    As a baseball guy, I can highly recommend the 2010 Bowman Platinum (standard version) Mike Trout.
    Still reasonably priced $400-$500.

    '09 is Trout's 1st card, off the chart expensive. 2011 is considered his Rookie card.
    2010 Platinum is a solid middle of the road investment type.
    Many people consider Trout today's Mickey Mantle:

    Time will tell, however Trout feels like a SOLID long term investment.
    IMHO the under-valued, very attractive, lower pop (475), PSA 10 2010 Bowman Platinum

  • AhmanfanAhmanfan Posts: 4,389 ✭✭✭✭

    Shocked that Trout RC in a 10 is only $500 in today's climate.

    Collecting
    HOF SIGNED FOOTBALL RCS
  • AlanSkiAlanSki Posts: 1,925 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Are you going high end cards like some of the more expensive Panini brands, mid level cards, basic cards?

    A good Zion Williamson NBA rookie in a PSA 10 is going to be close to $1,000 and upwards of $100,000. Connor McDavid NHL in a basic Upper Deck Young Guns card is going over $1000 now.

    Do you have deep pockets?

  • miwlvrnmiwlvrn Posts: 4,264 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @AlanSki said:
    Are you going high end cards like some of the more expensive Panini brands, mid level cards, basic cards?

    A good Zion Williamson NBA rookie in a PSA 10 is going to be close to $1,000 and upwards of $100,000. Connor McDavid NHL in a basic Upper Deck Young Guns card is going over $1000 now.

    Do you have deep pockets?

    According to the earlier posts, he can afford his hobby.

  • rtimmerrtimmer Posts: 1,347 ✭✭✭✭

    Here’s my favorite Set that I would suggest any newcomer to the hobby start with:

    https://psacard.com/psasetregistry/packs/baseball/1980-1989-cello-packs-rookies/8049

    Follow me at LinkedIn & Instagram: @ryanscard
    Join the Rookie stars on top PSA registry today:
    1980-1989 Cello Packs - Rookies
  • I've watched a few auctions selling Mike Trout cards. I'm in Canada, and it's far easier buying from Canadian auctions; however, that severely limits what's available of course... I haven't found a good Mantle rookie (either bowman or topps) in the ca. 6 months that I've been watching the Canadian auctions.
    AlanSki - I have a fair bit that I can spend on this since I'm justifying it as an investment as well.
    I've also looked at unopened packs/boxes. I saw the Fleer Jordan year box being sold at BBC about a year ago or so I think...from what I recall it was being sold at about 25k (though may be off). But now the price has gone up quite a bit and I'm kicking myself.

  • 1951WheatiesPremium1951WheatiesPremium Posts: 6,363 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @canadiancollector2 said:
    Another very basic and newcomer question...

    I'm getting back into this hobby after a number of years away. No strong inclination of where to start... So I thought that it'd be interesting to try to build a set of psa 10s of the best rookies from basketball, baseball, and hockey (never got into football cards...not sure why since I still love the sport).

    Any idea of where to start? Has anyone tried this before on here?

    You’ve set a lofty goal. Doesn’t mean it can’t be achieved but I’d narrow the focus at first.

    I would suggest you identify the top ten players in each sport (your favorite columnist or your own list) in your life time or All time and go from there.

    For baseball, many rookies from prior to 1970 will cost you a small fortune in high grade, let alone PSA 10. However, since it sounds like you’ve got some capital behind this project, I’ll offer this piece of advice:

    Start with the most expensive cards and really research their prices well. I say that mostly because those cards will likely see price increases (if you want them, so do others) and there’s nothing worse that starting a set and being priced out at the finish line and if you read the boards, it happens ALL THE TIME.

    Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest

  • That's very good advice, thank you.
    My biggest impediment is that I'm in Canada, and trying to stick to Canadian auctions to avoid dealing with customs. But it's clear that there is far greater selection in the US.

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