This is more of a bio than a simple hi there. It is done this way with purpose. I joined The Bench in 2013, but I am actually going to start posting here shortly. My name is Steve and reside in Naples Florida home of Irma 2017....
I collecting started as a kid in 67 with the cards (and comics, and Coke caps too), when I was 10, and put together 67 Football, then 68 FB and Baseball, 69 FB and Baseball and the 69 Basketball. Full sets on all of those. ( I actually didn’t chew the gum and sold it at school) I continued to collect until 71 (when we moved to Florida). But I can’t remember if I had full sets after 69. My family originally lived in Battle Creek Michigan. My dad worked at Kellogg’s. I got both of the 3d sets that were made the first year they came out. Also “test” cereals that we got to try before they put them out to the general public. After I stopped collecting, I simply put them away in storage.
I got married for the first time in 1977. Needed money, got an offer for what I believe were about 5000 cards in all, also had some non sport sets from the 60’s era, Man On The Moon, Planet Of The Apes, The Monkees…you get the picture. Offer was $150, plus they wanted my 60’s DC comics. My mother offered to match the offer to keep them for me. Guess what I chose ? How do you say stupid, let me count the ways …
When I saw what started happening many years ago with the card market, and then the introduction of the graded market. I wanted to throw up. All those HOF’ers and RC’s that were in those sets. I wouldn’t mess around with Sports Almanac that Marty went back for in the DeLorean, I’d grab my cards, as I kept good care of them, none went on my bicycle spokes.
I made a vain attempt to recoup those days, So,I picked up on collecting again in 93, when I saw plastic candy cane tubes at Christmas with football packs in them at Wal-Mart. I didn’t know what I was doing. I went through 96 and it was not working out, nobody wanted sets any more. I didn’t know that. I gave all of my cards, to kids at a hospital, except some base rc’s, inserts and HOF’ers, which I still have. I then tried again in 2007, and stopped in 2010, no more modern I finally realized. So, I sold again all my commons and have only a set or 2, plus the Peyton Mannings’ I invested in before he retired.
I sadly learned the hard way. If you are like a Stock Broker and like to “flip” stuff, then you are taking risks ( on rookies), like any commodity. I did buy some Brady’s, graded them and flipped them, but I am an older guy, and don’t like to gamble. A sure thing IS VINTAGE, so I got wise about vintage (yes it took a while for the light bulb to go back on). So I did the football thing that was within my means, during the last 5 years. I bought outright or put together from lots and or packs: 78,79,80,81,82,83,84 and 1986 sets. I seeded a lot of PSA’s into the 86 sets. I have been using PSA for grading of cards.
There were big two sets, which I never made, so I decided on putting them together, between last year and this year .They were the 71 Football and the 72 Baseball. I had no idea the short prints 1972 baseball were that hard to get.
Not only that. But I after I started specifically working on the 72, I found countless and clueless sellers (on Ebay) who know very little about condition and how to adequately describe, much less give them a “grade”. I sent back no less than 6 lots that did not meets the descriptions’, much less my standards (taken from PSA and James Becketts guides). As a seller, I know what other collectors will want, as a buyer, I know what I need to have, to interest those sellers. It’s interesting to note that Beckett decided to remove wording out of their earlier annuals about bent or dinged corners, and that seems to be where most of the ii-advised sellers are. IMHO a 7 shouldn’t have dings on the corners, fraying IS different.
In putting this monster 1972 baseball together, I have amassed a “seconds” lot, that either didn’t meet the criteria of my card average (7 NM), or were duplicates, and that box is about 300 cards + at this time. I can get rid of that lot, and try to recoup some the $$ spent. I have thrown away probably 100 cards with creases among the keeper lots I did buy, and merged the nice cards in to my set. I am not going sell or trade junk. Anybody who sold me creased cards that were in the so-called ex-mt lot should’ve been lynched.
Costs when buying. It seems that another thing so-called savvy sellers do not understand (nor buyers on auction anyway). An ex-mt card from 1960-1980 is 40-60% of bv, yet most price those at nm-mt, and I have seen lots of buyers buy outright, or overbid on them. I wished I had used BBC Forum or The Bench, instead of Ebay. Which is why I am here now
Anyway sorry for the length. I am retiring from my job, after 30 years of service in the Florida Retirement System, in June, and will have the time to finish sets and sell, or trade cards.
I collecting started as a kid in 67 with the cards (and comics, and Coke caps too), when I was 10, and put together 67 Football, then 68 FB and Baseball, 69 FB and Baseball and the 69 Basketball. Full sets on all of those. ( I actually didn’t chew the gum and sold it at school) I continued to collect until 71 (when we moved to Florida). But I can’t remember if I had full sets after 69. My family originally lived in Battle Creek Michigan. My dad worked at Kellogg’s. I got both of the 3d sets that were made the first year they came out. Also “test” cereals that we got to try before they put them out to the general public. After I stopped collecting, I simply put them away in storage.
I got married for the first time in 1977. Needed money, got an offer for what I believe were about 5000 cards in all, also had some non sport sets from the 60’s era, Man On The Moon, Planet Of The Apes, The Monkees…you get the picture. Offer was $150, plus they wanted my 60’s DC comics. My mother offered to match the offer to keep them for me. Guess what I chose ? How do you say stupid, let me count the ways …
When I saw what started happening many years ago with the card market, and then the introduction of the graded market. I wanted to throw up. All those HOF’ers and RC’s that were in those sets. I wouldn’t mess around with Sports Almanac that Marty went back for in the DeLorean, I’d grab my cards, as I kept good care of them, none went on my bicycle spokes.
I made a vain attempt to recoup those days, So,I picked up on collecting again in 93, when I saw plastic candy cane tubes at Christmas with football packs in them at Wal-Mart. I didn’t know what I was doing. I went through 96 and it was not working out, nobody wanted sets any more. I didn’t know that. I gave all of my cards, to kids at a hospital, except some base rc’s, inserts and HOF’ers, which I still have. I then tried again in 2007, and stopped in 2010, no more modern I finally realized. So, I sold again all my commons and have only a set or 2, plus the Peyton Mannings’ I invested in before he retired.
I sadly learned the hard way. If you are like a Stock Broker and like to “flip” stuff, then you are taking risks ( on rookies), like any commodity. I did buy some Brady’s, graded them and flipped them, but I am an older guy, and don’t like to gamble. A sure thing IS VINTAGE, so I got wise about vintage (yes it took a while for the light bulb to go back on). So I did the football thing that was within my means, during the last 5 years. I bought outright or put together from lots and or packs: 78,79,80,81,82,83,84 and 1986 sets. I seeded a lot of PSA’s into the 86 sets. I have been using PSA for grading of cards.
There were big two sets, which I never made, so I decided on putting them together, between last year and this year .They were the 71 Football and the 72 Baseball. I had no idea the short prints 1972 baseball were that hard to get.
Not only that. But I after I started specifically working on the 72, I found countless and clueless sellers (on Ebay) who know very little about condition and how to adequately describe, much less give them a “grade”. I sent back no less than 6 lots that did not meets the descriptions’, much less my standards (taken from PSA and James Becketts guides). As a seller, I know what other collectors will want, as a buyer, I know what I need to have, to interest those sellers. It’s interesting to note that Beckett decided to remove wording out of their earlier annuals about bent or dinged corners, and that seems to be where most of the ii-advised sellers are. IMHO a 7 shouldn’t have dings on the corners, fraying IS different.
In putting this monster 1972 baseball together, I have amassed a “seconds” lot, that either didn’t meet the criteria of my card average (7 NM), or were duplicates, and that box is about 300 cards + at this time. I can get rid of that lot, and try to recoup some the $$ spent. I have thrown away probably 100 cards with creases among the keeper lots I did buy, and merged the nice cards in to my set. I am not going sell or trade junk. Anybody who sold me creased cards that were in the so-called ex-mt lot should’ve been lynched.
Costs when buying. It seems that another thing so-called savvy sellers do not understand (nor buyers on auction anyway). An ex-mt card from 1960-1980 is 40-60% of bv, yet most price those at nm-mt, and I have seen lots of buyers buy outright, or overbid on them. I wished I had used BBC Forum or The Bench, instead of Ebay. Which is why I am here now
Anyway sorry for the length. I am retiring from my job, after 30 years of service in the Florida Retirement System, in June, and will have the time to finish sets and sell, or trade cards.
