Quantity vs Quality and the waiting game. How do you guys do it?

ThoseBackPages

In the grand scheme of things, i am not a weathered veteran in the slab aspect of this addiction of ours.

Sure i've collected for a pretty long time and still love collecting, but there are some of you that are awesome
at sticking with your FOCUS.

Those of you that like to stick to the high-end that doesnt seem to be readily available, how do you "stick it out"
while waiting for more to become available?

mikeschmidt

<< <i>
Those of you that like to stick to the high-end that doesnt seem to be readily available, how do you "stick it out"
while waiting for more to become available? >>



Patience :-)

Sooner or later, if you are too impatient, you spend a lot of money on a relatively fruitless, money-losing scheme. Upgrading is always a wonderful feeling, particularly if you've been chasing something for a long time. But you should always have a limit and know what it is.

13 years later, I still pass up some Schmidt upgrades all the time [recently a 1976 OPC PSA 9], and have nonetheless been able to put together a modestly high-grade run.

ThoseBackPages

<< <i>

<< <i>
Those of you that like to stick to the high-end that doesnt seem to be readily available, how do you "stick it out"
while waiting for more to become available? >>



Patience :-)

Sooner or later, if you are too impatient, you spend a lot of money on a relatively fruitless, money-losing scheme. Upgrading is always a wonderful feeling, particularly if you've been chasing something for a long time. But you should always have a limit and know what it is.

13 years later, I still pass up some Schmidt upgrades all the time [recently a 1976 OPC PSA 9], and have nonetheless been able to put together a modestly high-grade run. >>



More power to you! lol

itzagoner

in the grand scheme of things FOCUS is a wonderful characteristic to possess, but occasionally you need to step aside from that in favor of opportunity.

the only way to make new discoveries is to extend yourself past what seems relatively easy to understand and therefore easy to pursue.

one of the greatest pleasures i get out of this hobby is to learn something different about a collectible that otherwise would have received only a passing glance, but suddenly became much more attractive.

so, to study, research and learn new material takes you away from your FOCUS, but ultimately the experience will enhance what is already there.

thehallmark

<< <i>Those of you that like to stick to the high-end that doesnt seem to be readily available, how do you "stick it out"
while waiting for more to become available? >>



Have high end projects and cheapo projects. Have short/medium/long term goals. Build good search nets and network with people who collect what you collect. If you do these things, you will always be busy, never bored, never distracted.

Stone193

Hi Eric

I've been doing a 63F BB set since 2004 - and am at 87% - but - now - some of those are not acceptable.

I - now - want centered cards no worse than 55/45 - which is a tall order!

So - yes - ya gotta have lots of patience.

My take? It's a marathon - not a sprint. After all - it's not like I'm waiting for a kidney.

ThoseBackPages

Great input so far fellas, i really appreciate hearing what you guys have to say.

when i find myself interested in "starting something new" i like to let it sit, and sink in, then re-evaluate it again.

ThoseBackPages

ive been thinking about putting together a really nice looking raw set, in sheets/binder.

Then i get to thinking...

am i willing to spend the time that it will take to put it together?
will my OCD (one of the reasons im a SlabHead) allow me to work on such a Set?
when i was at the national this year, i saw just about any complete Topps set
available that you could want. (interestingly enough, there were not many O-Pee-Chee
Sets around)

these are things that i think about. sometimes, i hate thinking.

MBMiller25

For me its pretty easy on the cards themselves. I am super picky about what my cards look like, so its really not about having the patience or not. I know that if I settle for a card that doesnt fall within my quality standards, I won't be happy with it, so why even making the purchase in the first place. I have put this to the test many of times by the way, and always end up parting with the card shortly after the acquisition.

otwcards

When I started building my 1948 Leaf Football Set, impatience initially got the best of me and I was picking up pieces without discerning too much to eye appeal. Luckily, I was frugal enough in my purchases that when I came to my senses and started making eye appeal and centering a priority, I was able to sell off most of the cards that I had upgraded and still generated a profit.

Now, while still looking to upgrade, I stick to cards that fill the holder (some of you will know what I'm talking about) and have the best centering possible (unless there is something intrinsically appealing about the card). There have been a few items over the past year that would've been numeric upgrades, but I would not have been happy replacing the lower grade cards as they present far better than the "upgrade." Patience has proven to be far more rewarding whenever I take out my set and review it. I'm much happier with a well centered PSA 6 with a little wear on the corners over a PSA 7 that has sharp corners but is distractingly off center.

RonBurgundy

I agree with Matt. I wait until I see a card that has a wow factor. It may or may not be something I'm looking for, but if it stands out to me, I'll move heaven & earth to acquire it.

If I'm set building I'm a little more tolerant, especially with garden variety commons that are cheap to upgrade. But whatever I buy has to be consistent with the set. I don't buy EX-MT cards to fill out a NM-MT set.

MCMLVTopps

In the grand scheme of things, i am not a weathered veteran in the slab aspect of this addiction of ours.

Sure i've collected for a pretty long time and still love collecting, but there are some of you that are awesome
at sticking with your FOCUS.

Those of you that like to stick to the high-end that doesnt seem to be readily available, how do you "stick it out"
while waiting for more to become available?

First observation, based upon the hilighted above...I think you need to turn down the horsepower on your expectation-o-meter. Not every card you want or need in a given grade is gonna come up when you might expect or want it to. I think you need to get a bit involved with something else to occupy your time. Addiction? Not here.

A few years ago I completed a very high-end 1955 Topps baseball set. Not every card came to me quickly, and as I recall, it took me almost 3 years to get that last and final card. Then it was like the train just stopped and my set was finished, all 206, mostly PSA 8s and not cheap by any means. I got as high as 14th on the Registry, and if I may say, quite an accomplishment given that the "competition" above me were so far ahead, I couldn't catch them no matter how hard I tried. Cards in the PSA 9 arena are seriously pricey.

Recently my life goes in a different direction, and as of November 14th, I sold my set...I took a bit of a loss, but preserved most of my $$. Upgrading along the way found me with almost a third of the set in PSA 7s, so, while I cashed out on the big one, I am now just 4 cards shy of another complete 1955 Topps baseball card set, all PSA 7s.

I would turn my energy level down a bit and let things come as they may. Attached is a pic of my "big" set...sweet when presented like this, how they just pop!! Take a deep breath, pace yourself, and you too will, one day, accomplish your goal. Sorry for the flash, but you are looking at the "once upon a time" 14th best 1955 Topps set, plus the 4 cards not originally issued...Whitey Ford, Stan Musial, Herb Score and Bob Feller.

GL !!!

thenavarro

55,

That's a beautiful display. Very well done.

Mike

hankcaddy

<< <i>Great input so far fellas, i really appreciate hearing what you guys have to say.

when i find myself interested in "starting something new" i like to let it sit, and sink in, then re-evaluate it again. >>




this is one of the things i try to do also, i will watch auctions for a while , try to get some data as to what people are paying for a new set i might be interested in starting.


also i try to work on a few different sets at the same time, when one starts to get difficult or bores me, i move on to another i may not have had that much focus on.

ThoseBackPages

Turning down the horsepower, i like that phrase.

great stuff everyone. i really like it here

70ToppsFanatic

From time to time I do fall off the wagon when the odds of a better opportunity
coming along seem remote.

The one that is tougher is when the opportunity is there but the price is just too
unreasonable. Some of the very high end low pop cards are findable but the asking
price is just too far above sane levels and the seller will not come back to a
more reasonable level. Those are the ones that gnaw away at me. What if someone
overpays? Not only is the opportunity gone, but the next one probably just got a bit
more expensive.

You need to develop a balanced sense of value versus opportunity versus risk (that
someone else will take the opportunity and in the process also hurt your future prospects.