New Collector here

klang32 · July 22, 2009 2:10AM

Hi everyone. I'm looking to begin a new hobby of collecting vintage baseball cards, while at the same time building a decent investment portfolio. Currently I am considering building a 1933 Goudey set. Has anyone else here had luck putting together a decent PSA 5 or so 1933 Goudey set? How much (in the end) did it cost you - in both time and money? Also, does anyone know if the 1933 set maintains and increases its value well?

Any other thoughts / suggestions?

Thanks to everyone who reads this, and thanks even more to those who respond.

-NT

1954 · July 22, 2009 2:37AM

NT-
The 1933 Goudey set is a great set to go after and has tremendous resale value. You will find the set to be pretty costly and depending on your budget will determine how long it will take you. My suggestion would be to buy a complete set or incomplete set that you can work off from. Your cost will be much less than buying it one by one.
Welcome to the PSA message boards.

Regards,
Shane

gregmo32 · July 22, 2009 4:29AM

Welcome aboard!

Sounds like quite a goal. I do think buying one at a time would be more costly. If you can find a partial set to get you going, that would help the cost.

And I do think the vintage stuff will continue to hold its value and increase if you don't overspend.

klang32 · July 22, 2009 5:35AM

I just checked and someone on ebay is selling a partial 1933 set for 12K. All of the cards are not graded, I think he's missing 41 cards. Can someone take a look and tell me what you think? Of course i'm not going to run out and buy it, but i'm trying to get a sense of what to expect. Thanks for the responses!

-NT

jamesgotpoorman · July 22, 2009 8:30AM

Welcome....

I did the 1933 goudey set 5 years ago. I started with raw and PSA 3 and went from there. By the time I had all but the big ones (13 cards), I was about 8K invested. So after 2 years of collecting the set, I sold it card by card. Brought in 12K after all were sold. Here is the link to what I had for that.

33 goudey

I have noticed that the prices are higher now, but the the pops are higher. I was buying PSA 5/6 for $40 and the most I spent was $125 for a PSA 7. I loved the search for the cards and was a nice set when I put them out on the floor. Just was to costly for my budget and was nice to get the return for my money.

Hope this helps you. There are many nice raw cards out there and many "big name" PSA sellers on ebay to select from.

The best deal I got was a lot of 200 various raw cards for $225 and I got a PSA 6 #37 and Psa 5 #31 when I sent them in.

Nathaniel1960 · July 22, 2009 9:29AM

<< <i>Hi everyone. I'm looking to begin a new hobby of collecting vintage baseball cards, while at the same time building a decent investment portfolio. Currently I am considering building a 1933 Goudey set. Has anyone else here had luck putting together a decent PSA 5 or so 1933 Goudey set? How much (in the end) did it cost you - in both time and money? Also, does anyone know if the 1933 set maintains and increases its value well?

Any other thoughts / suggestions?

Thanks to everyone who reads this, and thanks even more to those who respond.

-NT >>

You are about 10 years too late on 33 Goudeys. I'd recommend T-206s or Playballs from 39-41.

klang32 · July 22, 2009 12:59PM

Really? Can you tell me why? And thanks for the information!

heritage · July 22, 2009 1:41PM

Welcome aboard!

fkw · July 22, 2009 4:04PM

R319s are very attractive, but.....

If you build a set like the very common R319 set one card at a time, there is no way you will be able to get your $$ back selling it as a set. You would need to sell the cards singlely and thats a time consuming process.

The best way to do it is to buy a partial set of at least 50-75% of the cards, then buy groups (lots) of 10-50 cards and sell or trade the doubles you have, and build the set in bulk that way.

You will pay top $$ and a ton of postage building a set 1 card at a time and unless the cards are rare and supply cant keep up with demand (R319s are not, they are the most common prewar set by far) they will not bring a good investment back.

Because the R319s are so common I wouldnt consider a R319 set a good investment as a whole, but many of the cards are good investments individually (the 4 Ruths, Dean, 2 Gehrigs, are always hot).

Bottom line... building a set 1 card at a time is going to cost you far more than the combined total worth of the cards if sold as a complete set even if you sit on it for 10 years.

Build the set for the enjoyment, not as an investment. If you want to invest go for a far rarer smaller set (under 100 cards), or star cards (ie Ruth, Cobb, DiMaggio, Gehrig, Foxx, Mathewson, etc.)

Supply and demand is key

Trevmo · July 22, 2009 6:25PM

I agree with collecting a set that you like. Don't collect a set based on profit or potential for future profit. Unless you can get them dirt cheap or build the set for well under BV. In that case, make a few bucks and move on. I collect the 1949 Bowman set in PSA 5's because I love the look of that set and it is within my budget.

Anyways, welcome to the hobby and don't rack your brain trying to figure out what to collect.

klang32 · July 22, 2009 9:46PM

Great information here, thanks everyone!

How do you guys / gals actually store your valuable cards? Lock box, safe, or sock drawer?

klang32 · July 23, 2009 12:47AM

Can you recommend any rare sets with fewer than 100 cards? Has anyone collected the T209 Contentnea sets?

1954 · July 23, 2009 1:20AM

rare sets:
1. 1954 Wilson Weiners 20 cards - cost in vg/ex condition $8k-9K
2. 1968 Topps 3-d 12 cards Cost in ex condition or better $15k-20K
3. 1951 Topps Current all-stars with the big 3-11 cards cost in vg/ex condition $80K or so

Klang-
You need to not focus on rare sets as in these three examples are impossible to collect (with the exception of the Wilson's but that is no cake walk either). It sounds like to me that you are a beginner in collecting sets. You should focus your attention to one of the 50's sets (54-59). You can enjoy the collection and perhaps make a few dollars when you sell it. You can buy complete sets for $2K to 3K and upgrade when have the money and time. I have a 1955 Topps set in raw condition that half of the set would grade out PSA 5 or better that you can have for $3500.

Regards,
Shane

Nathaniel1960 · July 23, 2009 3:55AM

HMMM....how about 1958 Hires Root Beer or the early 50's Red Man's with TABS. Both are really cool, collectible, not too many cards per set and loaded with star power.

I actually think hi grade 1960 and 1961 Fleer BB is ready to jump in value. After all, not only does it have the all-time greats, its got Ted Williams during (and immediately after) his playing days.

If you are looking for Pre WW2, I'd go with the 1941 Double Play set. Its got DiMaggio, Williams and Pee Wee Reese RC. A little bland (b&w), but a great vintage set nonetheless, and cheap compared to other issues of that era.

augustaman · July 23, 2009 5:19AM

Keep an eye on this auction............
It should give you a real good idea of the current
market price.

1933 Goudey Set from Memory Lane

baseballfan · July 23, 2009 6:08AM

welcome
good luck with the set. pleas epost picutre here as you progress i love seeing someones sets take shape

MBMiller25 · July 23, 2009 8:51AM

NT-

Welcome to the boards. Here is an idea on a rare yet obtainable set that will have solid resale value down the road.

1954 RED HEART DOG FOOD. These are great looking cards, with an excellent crop of HOFer's and can be completed in PSA 7 and PSA 8 for a fairly reasonable price. With there only being 33 cards in the set you wont break the bank building it. Best of luck whatever you decide!

heritage · July 23, 2009 11:46AM

Good luck with what ever set you choice all very nice sets.

klang32 · July 23, 2009 9:11PM

Hello, thanks for all the answers and support. It seems everyone has their own personal preference and suggestions. Thats great, it helps me to see the different perspectives surrounding collecting cards.

Right now I am considering two different sets:

1. 1954 Red Heart Dog Food Cards - they look very nice, and are within my budget. I would like to assemble a high-grade set (does PSA 7+ qualify as high grade?)
2. 1954 Wilson Weiners

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm going to spend some time and familiarize myself with those two sets before I begin to collect them.

Hey, one last note - I live in Cleveland and happened to stumble upon this site (http://www.nsccshow.com/show_details.shtml) regarding the Cleveland National Sports Card show which happens to begin next week. It seems like a huge card show, anyone planning to attend. I am.

Few questions:

1. Can good deals (specifically for the two sets named above) be obtains at these types of show?
2. Any tips for a new collector when attending these types of shows?
3. I do not currently have any cards to trade, so I'll just need to bring cash - any thoughts?

Thanks again everyone!

MBMiller25 · July 23, 2009 11:07PM

<< <i>regarding the Cleveland National Sports Card show which happens to begin next week. It seems like a huge card show, anyone planning to attend >>

You can classify this show as the Super Bowl of card shows. You will never have a better chance to see more collectibles in one room until next years National. If you have never been to a card show and your going to make the National your first card show, your going to be two things.

#1 Seriously let down at all card shows you go to unless they are National's

#2 In awe of all the awesome stuff in enormous building.

I will be at the show, I wish I could spend the first couple hours with you when you get their next week. You will have a blast, find some excellent stuff to purchase (including PSA 7 and PSA8) Red heart cards. One tip, be sure to talk to the dealers and network.

Enjoy,
Matt

1954 · July 24, 2009 12:54AM

Here is a tip for you. Don't buy any of the Wilson Weiners at the show. You really need to be educated in this area before you purchase. You can/will be frustrated at the asking prices vs. the book value. Also, there are some cards that are sheet cut that will not be graded by PSA.
Look for Red Hearts all day long as they are easy to come by and fun to assemble. I would look for really nice quality raw cards of these and not search for the slabbed.

Enjoy the National and look for the dealer who has a smile on his face. There are some great dealers to do business with.

Shane

klang32 · July 25, 2009 8:33AM

Thanks again everyone. I'll post pictures as I begin assembling my set.

One final question - I'm a huge Cleveland Cavs fan, but I do not have much experience with basketball cards. What are you thoughts on collection Lebron James rookies? I quickly checked ebay and some of his rookie cards are already selling for >$800.00 - are these prices a little inflated? Or are they good investments?

Thanks -NT

New Collector here

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