Buying Vintage Commons Off-Line?

SDavid

I haven't been to a show in years, and I was just curious what kind of selection I can expect to find for 50's and 60's commons at small/medium/large sized shows.

Most of the shows in my area are mall shows with 30-40 tables. Have you had much luck filling your sets at those types of shows or would I need to travel elsewhere and attend larger shows?

Basically, I'm trying to find an alternative to ebay for set fillers due to poor grading, shipping costs, etc.

I tried the Beckett Market Place, but some of their dealers are worse than ebay sellers. Mac's Collectibles, in particular, is the least accurate grader I've ever encountered. That guy should be thrown in jail, but that's a different topic altogether.

gemint

Mall shows are hit or miss (mostly miss). I picked up a nice '69 Mantle that I graded and it came back an 8. I've also bought a nice '66 Banks that came back an 8. I've picked up several commons that graded 8 (don't recall ever getting a 9 from a card sourced at a mall). Most shows are usually packed with overpriced/overproduced modern cards but you can occasionally find a few nice vintage cards.

Tipem

I would agree with gemint as he has hit the proverbial nail on the head.Mostly miss.There are a few guys on the boards here that sell quality raw cards.I would say that most notable would be Norty.He sells under the e-bay "Setbuilders"or "Setbuilders2" and is a really stand up guy that grades accurately.I am sure that others will give you names.I buy mostly graded but met Joe at the national and he comes highly recommended.I think that Jay at Qualitycards also sells raw but I am not sure of that,although he is top flight if you are buying graded.


Vic

SDavid

Thanks for the responses.

I've bought from setbuilders before, and that worked out well. I've found other ebay sellers who at least grade vintage commons accurately. Codyp2000 is also generally accurate. He buys sets off ebay and breaks them. Strictlymint.com is also very accurate.

The main problem I've had with ebay is trying to finish a set without having to pay shipping fees to 15-20 sellers. The shipping fees are often higher than the card's worth.

NickM

I would recommend Rich Gove as well. He sells a mix of raw and graded cards with a wide selection in both baseball and football. He mainly only gets stars graded, so I would expect a decent number of vintage 8s could be found from his raw commons.

I'm not sure what part of the country you're in, but he does large shows.

Nick

ZodiacMindwarp

I bought a bunch of 69s from Mickey's and I was very pleased with the transaction. Cards are graded and priced fairly.

Basilone

Are you planning on keeping them raw or submitting them yourself? If you are looking for PSA 8 or higher material...it will be a tough search (especially pre 1970).

John

SDavid

I'm actually just looking for cards in the ex-mt range. I don't plan to submit them, obviously, since it's not worth it at that grade.