Right now, it's a good time to collect.........

If I was brand new to the hobby, I would say E96.

I don't recall seeing them this low before. And the set doesn't have the big tier hofers. Even Lajoie and Mack should be pretty reasonable right now. I would include E95 as well, but Cobb, Plank, Wags still kind of prevent the set from getting that low.

Not a good time to collect.....

Zeenuts. Man, they seem to be just picking up steam; even in this weakened economy.

In general, without full regard to what you're particularly interested in, what is a good issue to collect right now? And what's still pretty strong?

Rob

I believe right now is a great time to pick up T206 commons with common backs. The prices seem to be selling at prices from about 3-4 years ago. The rest of the T206s seem to be holding there own whether it is HOFers, SLers, or tough backs the prices seem to be strong.

Graded T202 are way down right now, less than a year ago to buy an EX graded T202 you would have to pay $200+, now they tend to go around $140.

Those are the 2 sets I have the most experience with and my observations,

Lee

What would be the best investment in this weaken economy?? Hmm, Good Question!



1) Anything with a grade high or highest graded psa/sgc would be your best investment.

2) Ultra rear type-cards will never lose value even in a weaken economy.

3) Big named hofer’s RC’s or hofer RC’s in general.


As for my opinion on types that should do very well if sold in the right auction:


1) 1924 Crescent Ice Cream

2) 1926 Holland Creameries

3) 1910 T211 Red Sun (Vg or better)

4) 1910 T209 Contentnea type 2 (why aren’t this cards smoking hot??)

5) 1927 E126 American Caramel (Full set or big name, high grade)

6) 1922 W503 (there not strips cards)

7)

excellent time if you're entering the hobby right now. you wouldn't know/care about any of the stuff scarce stuff that would still cost alot...the stuff you'd start out with like t206s or cracker jacks are as low as they've been for a couple years. and most of the caramels can be gotten for really cheap, i see p/f e98 hof'ers going for $45-$50, that means e93s/e97s etc are also around there.

if i was just starting i'd be thrilled at being able to pick up a walter johnson or a cy young from the legendary t206 wagner set.

I agree on the more common caramel sets - great time to get started on those. E93, E95, E96, E98 are all much more affordable now than we've seen in several years. Plus, they're only 25-30 cards each, so you don't have to spend years tracking them down like you would with many of the tobacco sets. I think alot of e card collectors completed these caramel sets during the boom and have moved onto other things, therefore lessening the competition. I've been slowly working away at a raw/low-mid grade E96 set which has been lots of fun (almost done now), and like Rob said, there's no Wagner/Cobb/Matty to worry about.

Zeenuts have definitely taken a big jump, seen some nutty prices on supposedly rare 1911's. I wouldn't want to start that set now. And HOF Zeenuts are in another stratosphere. Too much $ for what they are, imo.

T209's, T210's, and T211's have also increased in price recently. No worries though, I'm not quite insane enough to attempt any of those sets.


Here are some of my E96's:

I'm with you, Ben, you have to be insane to attempt the T209, T210 and T211 trifecta

There are tons of great deals out there for bargain hunters. T206s, Goudeys, CJs and easier caramel sets are dirt cheap compared to a few years ago. Key hall of fame rookie cards are also cheaper than in the past.

As mentioned above, Zeenuts and other PCL cards are still at all time highs. Not sure whether it is still a good idea to buy these right now if they have already increased 10x or more in recent years.

mzm55 wrote:I'm with you, Ben, you have to be insane to attempt the T209, T210 and T211 trifecta

Good Zach, I'm glad we're in agreement

But there's one exception that I must mention. I know of a younger guy who's working on the trifecta, and with his knack for bargain hunting and scoring groups of them at estate auctions, I'd actually say he has a legit chance at completing all three by the time he turns 30! (minus the T210 Jackson of course). Boy those Red Suns are gonna be wicked-tough though.

He will never do it.
There is a blonde with his number, just around the corner - and she knows how to dispose of disposable income!

Apologize in advance if this is a double post. I hit Send and sent my previous attempt off into the ether somewhere. If it shows up, it will be a double.

I agree with Lee and Quan about T202's and CJ's being more attainable. The E90-1's also seem to have come back down in price - for awhile there even low grade commons were skyrocketing. Ramly commons are also decent buys lately, and E107's look like they are returning from their trip into the stratosphere.

Best to collect? For someone of typical financial means just entering the hobby, I think E90-1's would be a good choice. Lots of obtainable and good-looking cards, and a person could steadily find cards to add and stay happily engaged for a long time before running into the tough and expensive cards. Same logic would apply to T206's. If completing a set is part of the equation, then I would have to go with E96's for the reasons Ben mentioned. For a more advanced collector, now might be the time to start putzing around with T202's or CJ's or E107's or Ramly's.

On the flip side, E103's seem to be holding their own.

Joann

Joann couldn't be more correct in choosing the E90-1 series as a good choice right now for someone looking to choose a set to run with. I know I know, I biased when it comes to this set, but it really is a good time to snag em'.
As Joann states you could get quite deep into the set before hitting that road block with the toughies. Unfortunately that road block will happen. That's one thing with this set that's never going to change. 2/3rd's of the way in you just seem to hit a wall trying to find even poor examples of certain cards. Ahhhh, the thrill of the chase. Isn't that what it's all about?

Tony A.

Gil,



Ben,

We'll see. I look at this project as a lifelong goal. The T210 set has a number of obnoxiously difficult cards to find, same with the T209 and T211 sets. The general rule is that you can get to around 125 different T209s with relative ease; the next 100 subjects are all exceedingly difficult to find. With the possible addition of currently un-chesklisted examples (I know of a handful that are rumored to exist), I think this will be the Goliath of the trifecta. The good thing about the T211 set, though very difficult, is that it is only 75 subjects, not 222+ nor 640.

mzm55 wrote:The good thing about the T211 set, though very difficult, is that it is only 75 subjects, not 222+ nor 640.

That's true. But if trimmed T211's are going for these kinds of prices, those 75 are gonna feel like 750

How much should one reasonably expect to pay for a decent vg T211 Red Sun in today's market?

I had 4 at one point early last year, and I finally sold them off sometime around June. They were all SGC 10's and 20's and sold for around $200 - $300. I would guess a VG would be $400 - $500? I haven't seen too many lately and they seem to be pretty popular again.

I think a $400-$500 price range for a Vg T211 is certainly applicable. This is most definitely a set where there isn’t too much price discrepancy in lower end examples (You can expect to pay between $350-$450 for a vg example, but will also pay a similar price for a gd example). Higher end examples, however, will command a premium.

Regarding the Sweeney card, though it maybe trimmed, I wouldn’t factor that into my bidding at all, and I don’t think many Red Sun collectors did. I have no qualms with paying a vg price for a card I need that is in considerably lesser condition. The sets I collect are pretty esoteric, usually finding examples is a difficult feat, and I jump on anything I can find.

Zach, that is pretty much how I built my sets in the 80s. But that was true for any set I collected. I wanted to complete the set first, then worry about upgrading later. With rarities like Zach collects, he is right when he says, you don't worry about waiting for a card that meets some preset criteria, you just buy what you can find and upgrade if you can.

Even with today's ease networking and marketplace, those are tough sets. Back in the 80s, I was thrilled just get a type card of a Red Sun and other off the beaten path sets.

Jay

jmk59 wrote:I agree with Lee and Quan about T202's and CJ's being more attainable.

[...]

For a more advanced collector, now might be the time to start putzing around with T202's or CJ's or E107's or Ramly's.

Joann

Hi Folks,

Well, again I have to be the voice saying that I don't see the deals everyone else seems to be seeing. I don't really have a horse in this race - I'm just another collector.

But I've been looking hard for CJs of my Red Sox players for several months now, and the prices I am seeing are not soft at all. Just yesterday a 1915 CJ Joe Wood in SGC "2" (Good) closed on Ebay at a hair off $400. That is not a soft price IMO.

I've also been looking for E107s and Ramlys and likewise have seen no softness in pricing.

I have seen some T202s sell for what I thought were very good prices.

But again I have to say I've been out there looking to buy (not steal), but I have not seen this as a great buyers market in general.

Cheers,
Blair

Blair,

There are definately areas that are strong. The tougher T206s and T202s still go for nice prices. I definately am not winning everything I bid on hoping for a good price. I think people interested in putting together a T206 or T202 set that this is a great time to start on the commons that is where I have seen the biggest dropoff.

I have half heartily been watching the OJs and there does not seem to be any drop off in prices with them.

Lee

Folks, I'm glad that I was able to remember my user ID, and password.
Now Im fumbling my way around trying to reacquaint myself with the writing process.

I agree with those that say, "Fill in the empty slots first, and then upgrade if you wish."

At 77, I wish that I had started the the T210 set when I was working on the T206, T205, T201, T217, and the two T209's, back in the 1980's.
At that time, I felt that working on the T206 set, was big enough ... no need to get involved with a 640 card set.
Oh to be 50 again, when I started on those sets.

But you know something folks ... I'm going to take the same approach.
I'm Going to Let The Set Happen!

P. Y.

Here's an example of an affordable/attractive E96 that ended on ebay today. I'll buy nice creaseless E96's for $100 any day. Not exactly a "steal", but certainly good value. I would have bid if I didn't already have a Rucker (probably should have gone for it anyway just for the upgrade).


I think Rucker is one of the nicest looking cards in the set.

To my thinking, the T and N cards have been a collecting thrust since before Beckett had price lists. More recently E cards have come under collector scrutiny. This intensity has drawn in the related D and F cards, and these three have run their cycle. What remains in pre-war is the R cards.

The early Goudeys are abundant and popular, having been hyped by dealers since they found that they existed by the shovelfull since the 70s. R-cards contain many varied, interesting sets, many with much financial upside. Lots of W cards should be grouped with the Rs as well.

Leader Novelty is a set from this group which I think has more potential than the UJs; which are performing quite well. But in this field, the unpopular 1941 Goudeys are the set to begin if you are a new collector (imho), for the following reasons:
- the set contains 33 cards, so it is easy to complete.
- the set contains two HOFers (Ott & Hubbell), so there are no killer cards
- the set comes in 5 different colors, so that variation is an option.
- the set was marketed against PlayBall and DoublePlay in 1941 and was by far the least popular, so less of them exist
- the set exhibits manufacturing problems primarilly with the edges, so getting a pristine set is a challenge.
- only you and I know about this: shhhhh.

Another red headed step child from that era is 1936 Goudey set. The set is essentially a game card set, where a baseball game can be played with the backs of the cards if you have enough. The set has a fair number of HOFers, but nothing that will kill the bank account. I've always contemplated tracking this set and seeing what might possibley make up a master set.

Jay