New User - New '61 Baseball Set - Any Advice?

262Runner · April 24, 2005 5:19AM

Hello to all,

Yes I am new to the boards and PSA. I have been reading the Set Regristry board for a couple a weeks and thought it was time for me to join in a bit. I just completed a raw 1960 Topps Baseball set in Ex - ExMt condition. I aslo had built a 1957 Topps set in EX or better (raw) but had to sell it off a few years back because of a divorce... it is great to be back into collecting.

I just started a 1961 Topps Baseball set that I plan on building in PSA 7... This is my first attempt at a PSA set. I am looking for any advice. Should I buy cards already graded, buy raw and submit, or am I just out of my mind all together?

My 1961 Set

WinPitcher · April 24, 2005 5:25AM

I would buy them already graded for the most part. I would submit only those raw cards that I have already in my collection and are what we call the dollar cards and if possible some low pop commons (that is if they were ex/mnt or better.)

good luck and welcome to the boards.

my 61 set is raw and will likely stay that way.

pb19991 · April 24, 2005 5:34AM

1961 is an awesome set. there seems to be quite a bit of 61 graded material out there. If you're patient you can pick up a lot of psa 8 common type cards on e bay for $10-15 each. and 7's are a bit cheaper than that, with you're goal of 7 or better you should be able to put a sharp set together for a reasonable amount of money. There are a few web sites available that sell cards at a very fair price that you can pick cards up from as well as e bay. http://www.filltheholes.com/ has some 1961's available and is very fair on the pricing as well as http://members.aol.com/bbcards4u/ Larry Mayer has a ton of cards from 61 and is very decently priced and the gentleman who owns what i'm sure is the finest 61 set in the world also has a lot of dups available he sells at a good price http://www.robs61topps.com/ between e bay and these 3 sites you could go a long way to putting a graded set together. I just wish there was as many great sites available for 1960 Topps as there are for the 61's. good luck on you're set. Phil

Griffins · April 24, 2005 5:34AM

I'd pm Buckwheat on this board and ask his advice. He's very knowledgable about this set and very generous with that knowledge.

262Runner · April 24, 2005 7:25AM

Thanks for all the advice. I will use all the tools listed above to put this together.... slowly... Its seems real easy to exceed budgets when buying PSA cards rather than just raw. Never thought I'd pay $8 to $30 for commons. Still a lot of fun. Thanks again for all the advice.

LateBloomer · April 24, 2005 10:35AM

LateBloomer · April 24, 2005 10:46AM

26.2 ... Looks like your off to a good start and have gotten some good advice.

One strategy you might consider is to try to buy larger lots of cards. My 1st graded card purchase was a lot of 24 PSA 7's from the 61 Topps set. Not only did I get some great cards, save a bundle on shipping, but it jump-started my collection as well. (Currently I'm #13 on the registry). Somehow that batch of 7's are to this day better looking than the 8's I've replaced them with!

Another tip I might throw out for your consideration is to buy the best quality that you feel you can afford. I notice that you have a mix of mostly 7's and 8's and I think it might pay to pick up the 8's when they're available for reasonable prices.

Finally, another word about quality, is to watch the centering on this set. Personally, I'd rather have a well-centered 7 than an 8 or even a 9 that isn't centered that well. In case you didn't know, the registry penalizes cards with qualifiers by knocking them down TWO ratings. In other words, a 9OC card is rated like a 7 and an 8OC card like a 6!

Hope these tips help... and good luck with your set!!!
Email me if you have any other questions about the set or just want to swap thoughts or ideas.

Tom

email

CopperJJ · April 24, 2005 10:57AM

262 I sent you an email, just let me know if you are interested.

CopperJJ

262Runner · April 24, 2005 11:08AM

Thanks a lot latebloomer. that helps a lot. You are correct, I have a few 7's that I like better than the 8's.....

26.2

262Runner · May 8, 2005 11:33AM

<< <i>262 I sent you an email, just let me know if you are interested.

CopperJJ >>

CopperJJ,

Thanks for the lot of '61s, that helped my set a lot

Dave

Mac53 · May 8, 2005 12:26PM

I'm doing the same thing you are, trying to build a 61 set in 7 or better. I don't have as much experience as the rest of these guys, but it seems like the cost to buy a common card which will grade a 7, then to get it graded, is more than what you can get them for on ebay already graded in 7. I sent in a bunch when PSA had the $5 60s special, and if you wait for that kind of a deal you can save a little bit of dough. However, the cards that I sent in ended up with 6,7,8 grades; I thought were going to be graded higher, so there's that uncertainty. There does seem to be a big gap between the prices of 7s and 8s. Even more between 8s and 9s, of course. Now, I'm not sure of how you can do buying stars already graded as opposed to buying raw, trusting your judgment, and getting them graded. I'm doing '63s as well, and have a few star cards that I bought raw that I'll send in for grading here shortly. Part of my difficulty is that I haven't yet acquired the eye or the experience to accurately judge the grades. Hopefully, that will come in time. Good luck. I think the 61s and the 63s are both nice looking sets.