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Ted,
I came to the same realization last year. I decided that it's
impossible to keep up with all the new sets, subset,s supersets,
minor sets, special sets, etc. etc., so why bother trying. I now
collect only pre-1960 baseball, which is the same stuff I collected
as a kid, and I am enjoying collecting, again.
Ron
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| I definitely agree! There is so much stuff out there, who knows what
to buy anymore. Trying to keep up with everything will make you broke.
Mr. Mint, who everyone hates I know, did have some good advice when he
did a recent radio interview. He said stick with the 4 or 5 major
companies of cards. After that, choose a few favorite players and
collect there cards, from there rookie year to the present. That seems
to be good advice. If you look at Becketts every month, there not
listing all these other sub-sets, and 2nd string card companies. There
sticking with the 4 or 5 major companies, and Mr. Mint himself has said
your a pretty certain to see a 15 to 20% appreciation on these card
company sets. If your a collector as a hobbiest, then collect what
excites you. If you are collecting as an investor, I think you have to
take a different approach. Whats going to appreciate the quickest, and
what is going to be in demand 5 or 10 years from now?? Taking a chance
with certain players is another gamble. Who knows whats going to
happen over a 18 year playing career. And you have to guess who will
make the HOF. Who would have thought Joe Morgan would end up in the
HOF?? Or Ozzie Smith, Nolan Ryan, Dwight Evans, Mattingly, Clark??
There not in until there in. For that matter look a Rose. He might
never get in. That will keep his cards depressed. Some players cards
will always be worth more but cashing in on a Nolan Ryan rookie has got
to be exciting!! Now that was a good investment. I think autographs
are the lastest thing. But your certainly correct, there is a flood of
new stuff on the market, and the industry has really taken off over the
past 2 years almost to the saturation point. What should I buy?? Its
certainly keeping investors on their toes. Whats hot and whats not??
Thats the question.
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Yeah, there's too much stuff out there. Now I get only 1 complete set
per year - Score, because it's of such high quality at a modest price.
Before 1988 (Score's first year) I collect only 1 complete set per year
of Topps. I've never been too interested in cards as investment, and
like them mainly for reading the stats on the backs of the cards... and
for laughing at some of the hairstyles 15-20 years ago (Check out Texas
Ranger Jeff Burroughs' late 70s porkchop sideburns, or early 70s Oscar
Gamble's afro). Of course, I'll be saying that 20 years from now
too, about today's players.
Anyhow, I like Score and Topps because they give the complete career
stats for each player, not just for the last 5 years like Donruss and
Upper Deck which really irks me (though Upper Deck's have the neatest
unusual pictures on the backs). I had to cut down my card spending
since my interest is not investment, so I don't even bother getting the
Traded sets anymore.
But, I'm also a sucker for subsets of each year from all of the card
sets, and for promotional issues because they're loaded with superstars
(cereal issues, Chef-boy-ar-dee, Drake's, etc.) This way, I get a
sampling of all of the card sets in a given year.
- Jim
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