almost 5000 sets ..thoughts?
calleocho
Posts: 1,569 ✭✭
i remember when the set registry first started a while ago and there were just a few hundred sets...
I got into the whole thing by just reading the posts of the five fab. a great bunch and true pioneers of the set registry.
I started the first 1992 bowman set. after 6 months a realized the modern simply did not interested me that much and sold all of it. w/ the money from that set i bought my first group of vintage cards from JAY at qualicards.com.
After that i found my niche in collecting and since then i have been collecting cuban born players cards PSA graded. but i also started a low cost psa 7 and 8 1959 topps baseball. just for fun while being cost efficent.
the set registry just brings an incredible amount of satisfaction to addiction
please share your stories of how the set registry has affected you and how it has changed the hobby so far.
Ethan Frost.
I got into the whole thing by just reading the posts of the five fab. a great bunch and true pioneers of the set registry.
I started the first 1992 bowman set. after 6 months a realized the modern simply did not interested me that much and sold all of it. w/ the money from that set i bought my first group of vintage cards from JAY at qualicards.com.
After that i found my niche in collecting and since then i have been collecting cuban born players cards PSA graded. but i also started a low cost psa 7 and 8 1959 topps baseball. just for fun while being cost efficent.
the set registry just brings an incredible amount of satisfaction to addiction
please share your stories of how the set registry has affected you and how it has changed the hobby so far.
Ethan Frost.
"Women should be obscene and not heard. "
Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
0
Comments
I agree with goodriddance, it tends to get you focused on a particular set or player. I also was all over the place collecting and needed to not waste money. I think the registry is also great place for contacts and great info about what one is collecting.
Ed
The related message board we are posting on now is a connection to other collectors with the same focus. I have made many friends here who I look forward to bumping into at this years Nationals.
Focus is good. PSA grading and the registry has made it possible to enjoy a focus with others.
RayB69Topps
Has PSA announced the bonus that set #5000 will have? I remember set #2000 was given 2 or 3 free grades, lets see if they up the ante on #5000 ...jay
Website: http://www.qualitycards.com
I do wonder how set collectors "price" certain cards. If someone needs a 9 of Nolan Ryan and gets one, would one bid on a second card of the same year and grade, if bidding is much lower ?? Same with commons, semi-stars, etc., once you have that particular card in the grade you desire for that year, are you out of the picture for bids on a similar one, or will you still shop for a bargain even if the card is not on you "want" list ??
I often wonder if the first 3 or 4 PSA 9s of Mike Schmidt , for example , in a particular year, will go for much more than the next half dozen or so, because only 3 or 4 ( or whatever number is correct) are pursued by registry zealots. Do the registry collectors overprice cards at the outset, and then perhap due to not really needing a card, allow them to be greatly undervalued by the specialized interests of completion??
The best part of my registry experience has been my exposure to these message boards. There are just so many knowledgeable collectors on here that genuinely enjoy sharing ideas and helping others when they can. I don't have anyone close to me in my everyday life that shares or understands my interest in this hobby, so It's nice to come to these boards and have people to share this hobby with.
We have also seen compassion for people who have fallen ill by offering prayers and sending our best wishes. I don't know him at all, but I think of Carlos Aponte often and hope he is doing well.
Rob...
Can anyone think of significant cards or significant collections that are encapsulated by a different company? For example, are any of the t206 Wagners in other holders? Has any other company graded a significant t206 collection or 1933 Goudey collection or 1952 collection?
Separated as I am by an ocean from the source of my passion, without anyone around me who has a clue what I'm talking about and reliant entirely on the Internet as a source of cards and information, it has been a double bonus to find the Registry and these boards. As everyone else says the Registry provides a focus, a target, a yardstick by which to assess your collection. And these boards provide a wise and witty resource with which to share one's enthusiasm and help fill the gaping holes in one's knowledge. In particular, I single out Frank Bakka who reached out to me right at the start, welcomed me and provided material assistance and enthusiastic encouragement.
My proudest Registry moment is coming up with the notion of the HOF Autographs set, getting it approved by BJ & Joe, getting my first PSA 10 graded (Johnny Bench 1999 Upper Deck Century Legends Epic Signatures), and then being joined by two others (so far) in this quixotic quest.
Happy days and nights and many more to come.
Topps Baseball 1967
Mike Payne's 300 Great Cards
MVPs in their MVP years
and T206???
Remarkable !
There are so many appealing aspects of the Registry, so I'll just list a few :
1. First and foremost, the friends I've met via trading, buying, and selling.
2. The immense pleasure derived from the mathematics involved.
3. For set builders, greater recognition and respect for the journeyman athletes of each era.
4. For everyone, yet another outlet for our competitive spirit.
5. Lastly, a chance to 'squish like a little bug', anyone who has the audacity to think they can build a graded set superior to mine.
"How about a little fire Scarecrow ?"
<< <i> Lastly, a chance to 'squish like a little bug', anyone who has the audacity to think they can build a graded set superior to mine >>
i.e. evil-doers, right?
Isn't that the truth?
I get such a kick out of reading the backs of the cards. The personal notes really paint a picture of guys who really played for the love of the game. " Joe sells insurance in the offseason", "Fred repais TV's in the offseason", etc. Great stuff! The candya$$ players of today should take note.
Hmm, kind of wondering if my 1950 Callahan set hit the magic #.
Robert
Any high grade OPC Jim Palmer
High grade Redskins (pre 1980)
I have always been a Rose collector - was actually featured in a "Collector Profile" one month - and when I saw the registry I did not think too much about it. I decided to register my cards, was all alone for a few weeks, and then another guy registered (Robert aka joker73) and took me out of the Number One Finest Set ranking. I was #1 out of 1
Being a Rose collector, I would see the usual suspects bidding and outbidding and joker73 - great guy - was one of those ebay ID's I had come to recognize. Pretty soon, all of the usual suspects would appear except one, who I believe has everything - I would love to see it registered if you are reading this.
I now check twice a day to see who is new, who has upgraded, who is gaining, etc. There are some serious players on the registry, and I eventually will not be able to compete with them from a financial standpoint. Now my goal is to have the best collection I can put together and afford, w/o sacrificing an arm and a leg to get the 1 of 1 1987 Pete Rose Kentucky Fried Chicken Ultra PSA 11.
Most importantly, I got to meet some top notch collectors and world class gentlemen. These fellas add to the hobby, and I am priveleged to have met them. I plan on meeting more.
Well, let me respond to this one: For Mike Schmidt, his basic set cards are highly pursued by a number of collectors. I have not seen any large dropoff in prices realized for PSA 9's of basic set cards until populations are above 20. For his 1970s cards, I have not seen dropoff in PSA 9 prices until the population is over 60-70. For example, his 1977 Topps card in PSA 9 still realized huge prices, even though many of the main Schmidt collectors are out of the game.
Set collectors certainly pursue many of Schmidt's basic cards.
Prices realized on PSA 10 cards are an entirely different matter. Prices are higher -- collectors are fewer (at the higher price levels) and population can alter prices realized dramatically. In many ways, it can be a bit of a Pandora's box. If PSA grades a PSA 10 of a Schmidt card that is 1/1 today, I know at least three or four people who will page a huge price for it, besides myself. However -- if the population becomes five or six, the drop in the prices realized is precipitous. Sometimes it may seem like an ego thing (which is can be); sometimes it can be other things. Who can tell which Schmidt cards will continue to be rare in high grade and which will not? It's a tough call, for sure. Three years ago, no one would have predicted that 1982 Donruss Mike Schmidt would have a massive population today. On the same token, many PSA 10 populations have been stagnant at 0, 1 or 2 over the past few years, despite large amounts of submission. On many of those, the prices that would realize today are much higher than when they originally sold. For example, last summer there was a large number of 1982 Fleer Mike Schmidt #258 and #637 that were suddenly available in high grade: PSA 10, SGC 98 and BGS 9.5 Perhaps a combined ten of each example, between the three grading companies. They all sold within a few short months. Today, the bottom line is this: PSA had zero PSA 10's graded of those for 11 years. A whole bunch of high grade examples surfaced in a short period of time -- and many perceived a huge population and prices weren't high. No additional GEM MINT examples have been graded. Today, I could sell any of the examples I purchased at a profit.
So -- at the end of the day, yes low population cards often seem overpriced. However, it all depends on how the population changes in the future, which is something that no one can accurately predict. If you told anyone six years ago that a 1951 Bowman Frank Overmire PSA 8 common card would be worth thousands upon thousands of dollars, you would be laughed at by 99% of collectors. Today -- you would be a rich man if you would have held onto that card....
Would you all allow me to use some of your comments as testimonials?
bsearls@collectors.com
Set Registry & Special Projects Director
PCGS (coins) www.pcgs.com
PSA (cards & tickets) www.psacard.com
I am sorry if this will run a little long but I may have a lot to say. As a “Fab Five” member and pioneer of many sets in the 70’s (along with a few others) I enjoyed watching the registry grow. I remember going to card shows and telling dealers that I was grading entire sets of 1965, 1968, 1971, and 1974 Baseball. They thought I was CRAZY. Then the registry came along and most of the dealers thought it would never take off, (boy were they wrong…lol). I decided to sell off all of my 65.68, and 71 cards and focus on the 1974 and 1972 sets. I also dabbled in the 1970 & 1973 Baseball sets but my heart was with the others.
As the registry began to grow I realized that this once independent hobby of mine took an unexpected turn. I discovered this message board and realized that I was not alone. I built fantastic relationships with many board members and especially my fellow “Fab Fivers”. Although there was some friendly competition, we always helped each other out. I still remember when Frank Bakka got nervous when my 1972 completion percentage reached 98% and the next day he loaded his set with off grade cards so he could be the first “Fab Fiver” to reach 100% complete. No off grade cards in his set now…WOW.
As the graded baseball market started to grow, I moved to basketball, and then football. Again being the 70’s pioneer.
Things were moving along great, and then I was diagnosed with cancer. I kept it to myself for a while and started selling off my collection. My wife continued to discourage me from selling off everything. When I started my chemotherapy I was sick all the time. I couldn't get on the computer and was missing threads and emails. Some members began to ask (via email) what was wrong so I went public. The well wishes were heart warming to say the least. The encouragement was empowering.
I decided to continue building my 1972 Topps Football set and I must say I’m glad I did.
Look at us now...Well over 5000 sets and growing.
Thanks to everyone who has kept me, and my family, in your thoughts and prayers. We are fighting everyday and hope to be at 100% in health.
Kindest Regards,
Carlos
Great reading your post.
Keep strong and keep collecting as your wife encourages you to.
Rob...
BJ you are amazing i hope to meet you soon.
Ethan Frost.
Groucho Marx
Great to hear from you. Best wishes. Keep us all updated. I know we'd all love to see you in July.
BJ,
If it weren't for the Set Registry, I most likely would have never continued collecting graded cards. When I purchased my first graded card, I was attempting to complete the 1960 through 1975 Topps Baseball sets in near mint condition raw, since I had near complete sets from 1976 on. These were the sets prior to my introduction to baseball cards as a child in 1976. I had done the most work on my 1970 set and needed only a few good examples to complete it when I came across a nice card that I needed in PSA 8 for a low price. I bought the card, decided to check out PSA's website, and stumbled upon the set registry. 3000 or so graded cards later, I'm still excited every time I receive a PSA graded card in the mail, whether it be from an auction, a fellow member here, or from my own submissions.
JEB.