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Rich Men’s Folly?
Buccaneer
Posts: 1,794 ✭✭
I registered my first set recently 1961 Topps All-Stars and got to thinking the perceived rewards for doing something like this. It then struck me as to how easy it would be to complete this set and/or to complete this in a higher grade. All I have to do is to pay a lot of money to get those cards (Rob has all of them). I then read this morning about Branca spending over 7 figures to complete a 51 Bowman set and now there are others trying to “catch” him. Why?
I fully understand the spirit of competition but in many of these registered sets, it’s like rich men buying and then showing off a new and bigger yacht. All it takes is money. The sets are not measured on how well you purchased but only on what you purchased. Are we that prideful that the only reward is bragging that we have the alleged #4 best set? (Alleged because only a small pct of set collectors register, mixed raw/graded and only raw sets need not apply.) Perhaps it can become a marketing ploy when selling but do many complete registered sets just to sell? And what about the notion that we have to pay $5-10 per common in order to complete a regular issue set? All it takes is money.
So why the hell did I register this set? I know that I am going to have to get all of these cards in graded form (as oppose to the greater 61 set) so it matches the criteria. But I’ll tell my wife or even those here that I have allegedly the #7 Finest Set of its kind. Big whoop (as the reply will be). PSA won’t care because I will not send them any cards to grade for a fee. Dealers will care because they can charge more for commons and minor stars in plastic slabs. Some collectors will care because, right now, they can turn over graded cards for a profit because there are other collectors thinking that they’re worth the premium. But for those with money (particularly those with lots of it), it doesn’t matter. It becomes a safer investment supposedly and we can all be proud that they can buy and have really nice looking cards.
Some say this has been good for the hobby. I think it’s because we can now be assured (for the most part) that we get what we pay for, particular in star cards. No more paying Beckett High for Ex to Ex-Mt star cards. But conversely, some have to pay 5x Beckett High for hundreds or thousands of commons, just to pay for the premium of the plastic slab. So I guess it balances out and I do like buying star cards in psa7 and psa8. But then again, if I had a lot more money, I can buy those same cards in a grade that looks better under a loupe and then show to the world that I have money to spend on rectangular pieces of cardboards. And then finally will I be able to join the sports cards country club and laugh at ourselves for paying too much for psa9 cards and laugh at those paying too much for graded commons.
Ye friends to truth, ye statesmen who survey
The rich man's joys increase, the poor's decay,
'Tis yours to judge, how wide the limits stand
Between a splendid and a happy land.
Proud swells the tide with loads of freighted ore,
And shouting Folly hails them from her shore;
Hoards e'en beyond the miser's wish abound,
And rich men flock from all the world around.
Yet count our gains. This wealth is but a name
That leaves our useful products still the same.
Not so the loss. The man of wealth and pride
Takes up a space that many poor supplied;
Space for his lake, his park's extended bounds,
Space for his horses, equipage, and hounds:
The robe that wraps his limbs in silken sloth
Has robb'd the neighb'ring fields of half their growth:
His seat, where solitary sports are seen,
Indignant spurns the cottage from the green:
Around the world each needful product flies,
For all the luxuries the world supplies;
While thus the land adorn'd for pleasure all,
In barren splendour feebly waits the fall.
Just rambling on a Friday.
I fully understand the spirit of competition but in many of these registered sets, it’s like rich men buying and then showing off a new and bigger yacht. All it takes is money. The sets are not measured on how well you purchased but only on what you purchased. Are we that prideful that the only reward is bragging that we have the alleged #4 best set? (Alleged because only a small pct of set collectors register, mixed raw/graded and only raw sets need not apply.) Perhaps it can become a marketing ploy when selling but do many complete registered sets just to sell? And what about the notion that we have to pay $5-10 per common in order to complete a regular issue set? All it takes is money.
So why the hell did I register this set? I know that I am going to have to get all of these cards in graded form (as oppose to the greater 61 set) so it matches the criteria. But I’ll tell my wife or even those here that I have allegedly the #7 Finest Set of its kind. Big whoop (as the reply will be). PSA won’t care because I will not send them any cards to grade for a fee. Dealers will care because they can charge more for commons and minor stars in plastic slabs. Some collectors will care because, right now, they can turn over graded cards for a profit because there are other collectors thinking that they’re worth the premium. But for those with money (particularly those with lots of it), it doesn’t matter. It becomes a safer investment supposedly and we can all be proud that they can buy and have really nice looking cards.
Some say this has been good for the hobby. I think it’s because we can now be assured (for the most part) that we get what we pay for, particular in star cards. No more paying Beckett High for Ex to Ex-Mt star cards. But conversely, some have to pay 5x Beckett High for hundreds or thousands of commons, just to pay for the premium of the plastic slab. So I guess it balances out and I do like buying star cards in psa7 and psa8. But then again, if I had a lot more money, I can buy those same cards in a grade that looks better under a loupe and then show to the world that I have money to spend on rectangular pieces of cardboards. And then finally will I be able to join the sports cards country club and laugh at ourselves for paying too much for psa9 cards and laugh at those paying too much for graded commons.
Ye friends to truth, ye statesmen who survey
The rich man's joys increase, the poor's decay,
'Tis yours to judge, how wide the limits stand
Between a splendid and a happy land.
Proud swells the tide with loads of freighted ore,
And shouting Folly hails them from her shore;
Hoards e'en beyond the miser's wish abound,
And rich men flock from all the world around.
Yet count our gains. This wealth is but a name
That leaves our useful products still the same.
Not so the loss. The man of wealth and pride
Takes up a space that many poor supplied;
Space for his lake, his park's extended bounds,
Space for his horses, equipage, and hounds:
The robe that wraps his limbs in silken sloth
Has robb'd the neighb'ring fields of half their growth:
His seat, where solitary sports are seen,
Indignant spurns the cottage from the green:
Around the world each needful product flies,
For all the luxuries the world supplies;
While thus the land adorn'd for pleasure all,
In barren splendour feebly waits the fall.
Just rambling on a Friday.
0
Comments
I fully understand the spirit of competition but in many of these registered sets, it’s like rich men buying and then showing off a new and bigger yacht. All it takes is money. The sets are not measured on how well you purchased but only on what you purchased. Are we that prideful that the only reward is bragging that we have the alleged #4 best set? (Alleged because only a small pct of set collectors register, mixed raw/graded and only raw sets need not apply.) Perhaps it can become a marketing ploy when selling but do many complete registered sets just to sell? And what about the notion that we have to pay $5-10 per common in order to complete a regular issue set? All it takes is money.
I understand where you are coming from. It's easy to "compared and despair" when you look at some of the high profile collections. I would like to think that sports collecting is more than who can throw the most money at a collection and he who dies with the most toys (or highest rankings) wins.
Don't get me wrong, there are some really outstanding high profile collections by some advanced collectors like Marshall Fogel and John Branca. There are also some collections that are accumulated by what I call "label chasers". They buy cards sight unseen and never question the grade and think of the cards as commodities in that any PSA 8 is as valuable as any other PSA 8. One of the biggest fallacies in any hobby is that big, expensive collection = knowledgeable, advanced collector.
To me the challenge of collecting is maximizing your limited resources for the best collection possible. But the bottom line is that you should collect what you enjoy and not try to look at it as an investment or something that strokes your ego. Neither of those last two things are guaranteed to fulfill you.
Great thread!
2005 Origins Old Judge Brown #/20 and Black 1/1s, 2000 Ultimate Victory Gold #/25
2004 UD Legends Bake McBride autos & parallels, and 1974 Topps #601 PSA 9
Rare Grady Sizemore parallels, printing plates, autographs
Nothing on ebay
WOW - I was actually thinking of this last night watching gymnastics. My wife was amazed at how judges would pick up on something so fast and deduct points, and then the announcers would sometimes complain that the score (grade) was too low or too high. In the end, the winner could be determined by .0026 or something like that. I did think about cards last night watching this - yes, I am crazy.
I do not have the kind of coin to compete with many collectors, but then I again I do not want to compete. I would like to finish a few sets and maybe start a few more eventually. I may not be able to financially, and one day may need to sell them. Or I might win the lottery ... who knows.
There are too many people who accumulate with zero passion, and others who collect and and have a lot of fun.
Be the latter, no matter what the points are.
This is one of the better threads on this board in a while!! I totally agree with your assessment. It seems to me, if given the choice, would you rather have a '62 Topps set in straight 8's, or a 1960, 1961, and 1962 Topps set in straight 7's?? The SMR for the 8 set is around 32,000 while the SMR for the other three combined is only about 500.00 more. For me it's an easy answer, but I don't have an unlimited supply of funds for cards. At the same time, I will say that I don't fault those who do. Lord knows that if anyone of us won 100 million in the lottery tomorrow, our ebay bidding page would be a book, so I understand those with the money using it. As long as your happy with your collection, and the way you chose to acquire it, that is all that should matter.
Chris
Chris
Why am i buying this card and why in this condition? (graded 1-10 vs raw)
For me, i have a different answer for each set. None of my reasons are ‘just because i can’ I don’t know if others use that reason, i don’t see them a collectors if they do. Taking this approach i know i will never be number one, but i’m not trying to be. For example, the 1964 topps Giant set. I have not registered any of my cards yet but when i do, the highest i would be would be tied for 15th (straight 8 set) and if a couple more people finish their sets i may not even be on the first page. For me, i like these cards in a grade of 8 and can’t see paying more for a 9 and i’m ok with that. My 52 Bowman set will never see the top 10 either, i still enjoy that set as well. I will also not purchase a 72 or 73 card in graded form, raw is just fine for me. Having some cards graded allows me to spread them out, flip through them with out worrying about lessening the quality. I rarely go through my raw collection any more.
Registering your set should not be telling others that yours is better than theirs but it should show people that this is how you choose to collect your cards.
Enjoy your collection
ChrisKK
<< <i>My question is though, if given say 35,000.00 would you choose the 1 set over the 3 in 7's? I have to say I would take the three. I've seen many 7 sets that are every bit as good as some 8 sets. >>
Not only do I agree with Chris but I would take it one step further: would you choose the 1 set (in psa8) or 3 sets (in psa7) or 5 sets (in raw/graded)? I have used this example a few times on this board but I think it's still pertinent to the discussion: would you choose (5) 1961 common cards in NM (at $2.50) or (1) 1961 common card in psa7 (at $12.50)? This has been exactly the choices I have been making in my many purchases with Mickey's this year. Just as I would want to build more sets (as in my case, the 5 listed below) but I would want to get more cards for the same price. I know this is an ignorant view but a $2.50 card in a plastic slab is the same as a $2.50 card in a top loader.
I think dude touched on a word that summarizes my reaction to the registry and its label chasers: the commoditization of cards. I was active in the business in the early 1980s when CPU, CU and Beckett monthlies became all of the rage and how it turned everyone into "price guide chasers". I didn't think anything in this hobby would become worse than that mentality but when some 'collectors' buy just what's on the label, why even have the card? I know that's an extreme example but you have to admit that the registry and the graded card phenomenon have those in the hobby buying the holder and not caring about the card. That is sad, imo.
Thank you all for your kind words and great comments, I thought I should do something halfway intelligent for my 200th post.
Bottom Line: don’t play a game you can’t win.
You make a sound argument and I'm glad that philosophy works for you. Others have different desires, different size bank accounts and different interests. Nobody should be condemned and judged. What a man does with his money is his business. There's no right and wrong. Branca has enough money to buy us all ten times over. His card collection doesn't even make a dent in his personal holdings. He could put the money in the stock market, but, recently, this is a better investment and a lot more fun.
The PSA slab is a guarantee in a sense. You know what you're getting for your dollar. Buying raw is risky. You can't pick up flaws on scans. We all know about Dick Towle and the people who resort to using card doctors.
The best you can do is maximize your dollar by buying intelligently. However, like the rest of life, the truly amazing art, auto and antique collections are going to belong to the ultra-rcih. That's capitalism and I don't harbor any resentment towards those with the dough. But, it does depress me when the owners don't appreciate what they've put together and own. Ralph Lauren has one of the finest automobile collections in the world. It's probably worth north of 100 mil. He has vintage race Ferraris with pedigrees that include wins at Le Mans, Sebring, Jarama, etc... He owns the only complete example of the Bugatti Atlantic Coupe along with Deusenbergs, Talbot Lagos and early Alfas. However, I'd be willing to bet he couldn't even handle a manual transmission. This is collecting for all the wrong reasons. I think Branca genuinely loves his collection. If he wants to be #1, he has the right to do as he pleases.
The rest of us must use different strategies, search hard and trade up as craftily as we can. I think it makes the hobby more fun, but, again, I don't judge. I have sets that would be #1 ranked, but I don't want to post them because I don't really need the slap on the back from other collectors. Also, I don't want to walk into a card show, be known and pay double. By the same token, if someone invests their time and wants to receive recognition in the card community, I think they definitely deserve it.
Best,
S.
In regards to my post on Mr. Branca - please be assured that everything I post is my own analysis and assumptions - and that they may not have any relation to reality. I've been active in this hobby for the past six years after being away for a while - and I find that I learn a lot by talking, listening and watching. That being said - I am somewhat concerned that others so often take my posts as pure truth. I have never done an analysis of Mr. Branca's 1951 Bowman set - nor have I factored in the cards he has upgraded and sold off the remainder. I have sold him some cards, I know quite a few people that have, I have seen him on Ebay, and heard and seen about other sets he has purchased over the years. Many of the PSA 9s he owns came from a find of cards he purchased that was largely raw. What I said was just a number and a rough guesstimate. I also haven't valued time into the equation.
As for me - I have had limited space and resources over the past few years. I have owned many neat items in my day - many of which I've flipped for profits to subsidize other longer-term interests. I've owned a nice McGwire gamer, a nice DeLong set, and what was once the finest graded 1969 Super set. But, at the end of the day - space especially is a premium for me. I could not imagine what some collectors like Davalillo are doing - putting together 100+ sets in PSA 8 or better. I've focused on a few primary areas of interest - Mike Schmidt cards, 1955 Bowman baseball, and a handful of select Philadelphia Phillies cards. Since I collect fewer cards overall - I would much rather have the best of the best in what I collect. Yes - it sometimes seems silly looking at the huge premiums paid for big cards. But I find bulk equally silly. In the late 1980s - when I was just a young teen, the "in vogue" thing was to collect 500, 800, or multi-thousand cards lots of a certain card as "investments". In retrospect, most shun that practice. Take the 2,000 cards - give me the best 2 or 3 from the bunch - and sell the rest on Ebay or give them to a Children's Hospital. All of us collect in our own way - and we find happiness in doing it that way. Some collect teams, some collect players - some collect some of everything. To each our own - your set is great and you are happy having done it. Yes - in the upper echelons of collecting, money, ego and politics become fairly big factors - but play the game your way and be happy.
Cheers-
~ms
8
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8(OC)
etc.
Imagine if you were a kid collecting in the early 70s or as an adult in the 80s (as I was) and we talk about our cards to a friend.
Kid/Man with a Phillies cap: "Hey, I heard you got some Phillies card. Groovy! Whojagot?"
Me: "Let's see, I got an 8, a 7, another 7, oh and here's a 9."
Kid/Man with a Phillies cap: Looks at me with a blank face, blinks a few times, gives the typical Philly shrug and says, "How 'bout them Eagles, heh?"
Silly, I know, but it's Friday night. I just want to hear more stories about a certain card or set and hear nothing about its pop, SMR, book value, eBay price or grade. In return, I'll tell stories about them old days when I used to trudge though 6 feet of snow, barefoot, uphill both ways....
What are you high on??? To be thinking such deep thoughts, that is.
A lot of good posts here. But I think that all of us are delusional. I really don't think that any of us can come up with any more than a rationalization of why we collect what we do. It is all emotion, and while we try to make a logical case for it, it really is just a matter of trying to make ourselves feel good about what we do. I read once that we make decisions with our heart, and justify them with our mind. I believe this is very true. Think about the last car you bought, or how you picked your spouse.
But to be honest, I really have no idea why I do what I do with my 61 set. I could go into detail about what a great investment it is,, or how I try to never overpay, etc. But that would be all rationalization. And look back and see how many posts try to justify what they do, but criticize the motives of others----
Someones goal is to complete a 61 PSA 8 set for $15,000. Why?? IS that a collection, or an investment. Do we feel better wasting our money on cards if we feel like we wasted less money than someone else. I mean, the cards could have been bought brand new for $12 in the 60's. And you can get much nicer cards of modern players for pennies. Or reproduction cards that look nicer for a song.
Buccaneer, while you can't see why anyone would spend a lot for mint cards, rather than near mint, others probably wonder why you will spend thousands of dollars for a near mint set of cheap cardboard, when you could get the same cards in VG raw for 10% of the price. Or not collect them at all, and give the time and money you spend to charity. And why do people consider wasting thousands of hours of time on meaningless cardboard any more noble than wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars. Just multiply the amount of hours you spend a year doing this by your salary to see how much "money" you waste.
Someone mentioned that if Branca wasn't spending a fortune on cards, he would spend a fortune on something else. Perhaps that is true. But who knows. For 47 years of my life, I never spent money on much of anything. Drove a honda. Shop for clothes at Penny's. Or Costco. Very cheap vacations. Now, with the exception of 401-K money, just about everything I own is in baseball cards. And I don't know why. Is it all "mine's bigger than yours? Maybe, though I tell myself that isn't true. Is it knowing that you have done something no one else in the world has done? Maybe, but why is that important?
Perhaps it is like climbing mountains. Why do people travel all the way around the world and train for years to climb Everest? Or being in the olympics. Why do athletes spend the best years of their life trying to be the best at something as meaningless as how fast you can swim, or trying to "stick" a dismount. PArticularly, why do people who have no chance of ever winning gold do it.
We say we collect because we "love the hobby" We admire people who are very "knowledgable" about cards and collecting. But why??? Shouldn't we pity people who waste so much effort on such a useless hobby. Does card collecting make the world a better place? Perhaps we should be spending the time on more productive endeavors.
I throw out all of these unanswerable questions, realizing that we all justify our answers. But as Scumbi says, be careful before criticizing another's collecting habits. One can easily argue that we are all fools, and people in glass houses..........
Maybe we all need shrinks to try to figure out why we are so sick.
<< <i>Someones goal is to complete a 61 PSA 8 set for $15,000. Why?? IS that a collection, or an investment. Do we feel better wasting our money on cards if we feel like we wasted less money than someone else. >>
I actually have an answer to that, even though I realize it's a rhetorical question. The answer is this: when I plumb the depths of my collecting soul, I have a really hard time justifying the purchase of anything as silly as a baseball card. The rational person in me says it's a picture of a guy on a piece of cardboard who, often times, was dead before I was born. Why shouldn't I do something more with my hard earned cash than buy musty cards? About the only way I can do it is if I assuage the "WTF are you spending good money like that on a card?" voice in my head is to turn it into an investment - I need to know that I'll do just fine if re-sale ever were to occur. Besides, it's more challenging that way, at least I think so.
This was not meant to dog those with crackerjack collections (or Cracker Jack collections). We all have differing criteria for what we're willing to do for our sets, and I think it's reflected in the sets themselves upon completion.
I only know, that as a kid from a lower middle-class family, I could never express in words, the joy I experienced at Christmas when I opened my one gift and got that favorite toy I had been praying for for the previous 6 months.
It is all relative. And in that respect, it would seem that the greatest joy would come from the poorest means.
Some of us would drool to own the poorest Mantle rookie, or Wagner card. Others could only enjoy the card if it were centered, or the corners were sharp, or the color was crisp.
If you are hungry, grool tastes like steak.
Be grateful for what you have and can afford, and enjoy the hobby no matter what you collect or what condition it is in.
JIM S
I think we all like to justify that we will sell our collections for more than we paid. And for the most part, it has been true over the years. Of course, the lower you start, the beter the chance. Don't you widh you could buy a complete new set for $12 like you could in the 60's?
Even Branca tries to get the best deals he can. I have had a very tough negotion with him over a card he wanted to buy. Or course, he is a lawyer. But I think it is inherent in all of us to want to "get a deal".
Jim, I agree with you also. There is tremendous joy in finding the card you want. But I still have to wonder logicallly, where does that joy come from? Sometme I feel guilty about the amount of joy I can get from finding a card. Perhaps we should just enjoy it, and not ask these difficult questions.
I think that could be what Buck means when he says we might all need shrinks.
Kinda like Steinbrenner buying a team full of superstars that win the division every year. I am much more impressed when teams like the A's or the Twins do well with a fraction of the payrolll.
Would I like to be in the shoes of Steinbrenner or one of those collectors for whom having a PSA 9 run of Mantles is just a matter of taking the trouble to write the check? Of course. And there are collectors for whom my modest collection is equally out of reach, so perhaps their view of me would be the same. It's a matter of perspective.
As for graded cards, if you don't care for them or the effect they have had on the hobby, don't collect 'em.
Personally I like graded cards because they allow me to participate in the vast marketplace that is eBay and other online auctions with the knowledge that a card is (almost always) not trimmed, recolored or otherwise altered to trick me.
And there are not enough people who share my collecting interests where I live (just kids feeling packs in stores and an obsession with something called Yu-Gi-Oh). So I need the wider universe to take my enjoyment and education beyond just personal pleasure and reading magazines. Graded cards allow me to buy, sell, and learn in that universe.
(ps. I was searching for a particular post by Buckwheat...)
recently. So many great insight in this thread I don't really know what to add except that I will continue collecting my worthless
1978 Topps graded set because I love it. Why graded? I really enjoy the registry, scanning my cards into the set for others to see, checking
out what other guys are up to in the 78 set. I just like the concept of graded cards. I like knowing if I drop the card nothing will happen to it
Talk to stone about that guys, he will tell you that the guys who blow wads on golf, skiing, boating, whatever are doing the same thing we
are. Enjoying our hobbies in whichever way we choose at whichever cost we choose.
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
"Mine is my 1973 Topps.These were the first cards my mom bought for me.I always got a thrill when I pulled out a White Sox card(thus my monicker Chisox73).My mom is a rare breed.She never threw out any of my cards.I still have every card that my mom bought for me in the '70s.I still need about 15 cards to complete my '73 set."
"Mine is the '73 Johnny Bench card, because every time I look at it I remember how I felt when I opened the pack in the back seat of the family station wagon and saw that card--my personal Holy Grail."
"One of my favorites was a wrinkled old 1970 Jim Kaat card. It was wrinkled almost to the point of unrecognizability. It was flimsy, as well. It was Jim Kaat posing in his Twins uniform, with his arm out as if he had just released the ball. The card was in this shabby condition for a very simple reason: when I was nine years old during the humid summer of 1970, a kid dropped his brand-new Jim Kaat card, and he didn't realize it. Well, I was sneaky, and I reached out my foot and kicked it towards me, and then I quickly took off my smelly old sneaker (Keds, naturally), and put it on the bottom and then put my foot back in. I thought, gee, crime of the century, feeling a bit guilty."= GREAT STORY!!
"Oh yeah? Well I have a 1967 Bob Uecker - I swear you could open a can of soup with that nose"
Seems like everyone has their own motivations for what they collect. To be able to have the "biggest yacht" is not necessarliy my goal, and my $$ has it's limits as well. I think having a 100% complete graded set in any condition is a true feat! Although I can't see my collection going down in value, I probably will never sell it.
Another point of Buccaneer's that I agree with is how many collector's think that one PSA 8 is the same as any other PSA 8. I am VERY picky with condition and wouldn't touch 2/3 of the PSA 8 cards out there. Most fit within the guidelines but I prefer centering to be 60/40 at WORST - and PSA 8 guidelines allow up to 70/30 (I have even seen 80/20 on occasion). I can't tell you how many sellers post crappy pictures and when I ask for a closeup they respond with "it's a PSA 8 - you should know how it looks". Makes me laugh every time - and bypass their auctions.
Regards,
Greg M.
References:
Onlychild, Ahmanfan, fabfrank, wufdude, jradke, Reese, Jasp, thenavarro
E-Bay id: greg_n_meg
Stingray
Groucho Marx
As far as what I would want 3 sets from 61, 62, 63 in a PSA 7 VS. 1 set from 1962 in PSA 8s? One set of 1962 Topps in PSA 8 by far. Have you ever tried selling PSA 7's? Yes they will sell for $2-4, but you will lose money everytime with that deal. Now if you are collecting set with no investment in mind, I will take all the 1960's sets in PSA 4.
1954
An friendly observation...
In some of your threads you seem to be searching for approval or justification to collect cards. It's good to have a reality check now and then but if you have serious doubts about your hobby maybe you should sell out or at least take some time off.... give it some time and see if you want to continue or not.
To paraphrase the late, great Mr. Rogers:
"Everybody's fancy, everbody's fine,
Your cards are fancy, and so ... are ... mine!"
<< <i>Personally I like graded cards because they allow me to participate in the vast marketplace that is eBay and other online auctions with the knowledge that a card is (almost always) not trimmed, recolored or otherwise altered to trick me.
>>
I think this sums up what my attitude change has been since last year.
LateBloomer: I appreciate your post. I think there is some truth in your observation for what I have been experiencing (or at least, perceiving) is the disillusionment of raw cards. That's funny to say knowing how I felt last year (like in this thread). I have so many raw cards from my legacy collection and have bought so many raw NM cards in the last year that I am wishing now that I hadn't. I have seen prices on such cards plummet on eBay in the past year, as well as a growing distrust of them in general. I sincerely and strongly desire to build my sets the best way possible within my means and I should not have been so stubborn and arrogant in the past 2 years.
My first set was 7.60 and I had just over $11,000 in it. Had to sell and actually made a small profit! Mainly because I sumitted most of them and made a few great trades with the top 5 or so guys. But more than that I have a new love for the set, more knowledge, better cards and a much higher quality set now at 85%. Plus many new collector friends among the top 20 guys on the 61 registry. Most of my first set resides in the top 15 sets and I still hear from a lot of them. What a great group of guys. So, definitely go it and enjoy the journey! This PSA commercial is now over.
Stan/ bosko56