Neo-Newbie Seeks Guidance...

Cieron

What's up guys (and potentially gals)? After being a serious collector of sports memorabilia (as serious as a kid can be anyway) throughout my childhood and adolescence, I haven't even purchased even a pack of cards in over 9 years (I moved overseas when I was 16 which significantly frustrated my ability to pursue the hobby). However, for whatever reason, the flame has been rekindled, and I've found myself perusing ebay constantly for the past couple of weeks in search of items to help kick start my collection anew.

That said however, I freely admit that after nearly a decade I feel a bit lost in regard to, at best, only some of the terminology/jargon, and, at worst, the market in general, ie what's hot, what's not, what's collectible, what's a scam and what's genuine etc. With that in mind I'm obviosly a little "bid shy" at the moment. I've done quite a bit of research on these boards and the PSA family of websites as well as a few others, and, for autographed memorabilia at least, I get the sense that if its not PSA/DNA, Tristar, GAI, or UDA then I should probably not even bother considering it. Is that a fair assessment? Are there some dealers you'd recommend? Some you'd suggest staying as far away from as possible?

For cards and so on, well, I still don't have a good idea of where to start, and I was hoping some of you would be kind enough to offer some suggestions to a relative novice. If nothing else, is there a site with a good FAQ or perhaps an ebook or magazine out there that could provide me with a good base to start from? I mean, I'm not looking to hunt down Mantle rookies or anything, just a good "beginner" type stategy to slowly rebuild a nice sports memorabilia collection.

Also, I've seen some auctions that, to me, seem incomprehensible in terms of what they offer for the money. Of course this could simply be due to my lack of understanding about what's valuable/collectible these days, but, for example, what about these auctions for lots of factory sealed baseball packs from the late 70's/early 80's going for $10 at times? What am I missing here?

Anyway, sorry for the horrendously long first post, especially given that I've asked such a broad number of questions. Any help/suggestions/advice would be much appreciated however, and thanks in advance for anything y'all are willing to throw my way.

Stone193

Hi Cieron
Welcome!

Wow...you did have a lot of questions so perhaps hangin' around for a while and just reading might be a good start.

First, with regard to ebay - If it looks too good - RUN! You most likely get stung.

Second, begin thinking where you would like to start - modern vs. vintage e.g.

Third, what the budget will be. That will take care of the second one.

Fourth, narrow down your choices in the beginning and keep focused. Most people, like myself, without guidance, was all over the place tryin' to "corner the market" on everything from starting lineups to baseball bats.

Be ready to curb the urge to go OCD - obsessive to the point that you need four credit cards to pay off the other three!LOL

Fifth, check with some experienced guys here before making any ebay purchases that are not a slam dunk.
There are people here that are more intimate with ebay than they are with their spouses, at times!
In fact, my wife told me yesterday: "play me or trade me!"

Totally narrow down your card selection - sets vs. key players or HOF'ers e.g.

Are you planning to do the set raw or graded?

Big sets with low pop commons can be a budget buster and taxing on ones nerves - if doing a graded set - consider one of the smaller sets to start like the 55T or the 63F BB.

Are you collecting for fun or investment. This is KEY!

These are just some of my immediate ideas.
Good luck - don't be shy or a stranger
And most important - this is cardboard - have fun!!!!
mike

wick70

Welcome to the boards and Best of Luck to you !!

The collectible part is the important key. Do you want to collect what the market considers collectible or do you find yourself looking at certain cards because you like the way they look. Perhaps the set of cards that peaks your interest involves memories of when you were younger. Some people begin collecting the year that they were born as a starter set. the 1979 and 1980 sets/cards are starting to gain more popularity and can be found for a decent price. If you are looking at Ebay to support your habit, just pay attention to the Seller's profile and if you are hesitant because of a gut feeling or there's something in the back of your brain that tells you not to pull the trigger, then don't. You can find honest sellers all over the place, they are there and chances are, they'll like to see you as a repeat customer and they'll treat you right. If you are still looking for ideas for starting, find an auction that will have a mixed lot of cards of the genre or decade you are interested in. If the auction describes them as good condition or excellent condition, they won't sell for very much and you can use this to your advantage to find a card(s) that might have a stronger appeal to you when they are actually in your hand. It's not the best feeling when you end up spending a lot of $$ on high grade cards and when they finally arrive, you're not impressed with the style. Hope a little of this helps you on your way. I, like you and others, had a collecting hiatus for a couple of years and found it to be a little different when coming back into the market.



Hey Stoney...........

In fact, my wife told me yesterday: "play me or trade me!"

Did you tell your wife that her current contract has a no trade clause in it ?? Also, if she were to file for free agecy, it would have to be restricted !!


Wick

Cieron

Thanks for the reply Mike. That's exactly what I was hoping for. First, budget wise, I think I'm looking at "Modern". Of course I've noticed that some "modern" players are going for substantially more $$$ than some of their more legendary or heralded cohorts (check out Tom Brady's auto's for example). Why is that? I'm assuming its a prospective evaluation, but yeah, in general, modern is more in my budget's striking distance at the moment. In regard to autographs specifically, "hard" memorabilia, as I refer to it, is of strong interest to me (helmets, bats, balls, jerseys etc.) as opposed to "soft" (cuts, cards, magazines, photos etc.). That may pose a problem budget wise, but it seems like a better long term investment. Would you agree?

I think key players would also be a good first step for me. Even when I was collecting pretty strong as a kid, I remember characterizing the compiling of sets as a daunting task. I certainly respect the pursuit, but I look at is as a higher level, perhaps, of collecting that I haven't yet reached. In regard to "graded" or not, I'm embarrased to say that I don't know what that means exactly. I can assume a little in that I just bought a Herschel Walker Topps USFL '84 rookie, a card I've wanted since I was about 10 years old, "graded" PSA 9 (my first neo purchase! (I'm a huge Herschel Walker fan)). But other than on the individual card level, I don't know what a "graded" set is.

As for fun or investment, well, I guess both. I mean, there's several sports personalities I have a soft spot for, Herschel Walker for example, and for them I probably would never consider the profit I could make or whatever. At the same time, I am certainly open to the idea of turning a profit on memorabilia. In fact, much of the stuff I've been "watching" on eBay have been pieces I felt would one day be more valuable in the future.

At any rate, I'm taking your advice as gospel. I've read many of your posts, and I have a lot of respect for your opinions, as do many other members of this forum apparently. Thanks again for your advice.

PS- I have a ton of Starting Lineups. Unfortunately, according to eBay, the market has bottomed out on 'em. That's a shame. I used to entertain thoughts that I'd be able to send my kids to college on them!

Cieron

Thanks to you too Wick. You posted while I was still typing.