A few T202 Questions

I received this email from a fellow collector that I thought was well thought out and some research was done before jumping, so I asked if I could answer the email on the board and I was given permission. I will reply to the email with a reply to seperate the questions from my reply.

Lee,

I recently returned to collecting after a 16 year hiatus. I've
become interested in the t202 set. I find the cards to be grossly
underappreciated, undervalued, and relatively plentiful. I've enjoyed your
posts on Full Count.

I was hoping you could offer me some insight. My
collecting aim for this set was to obtain the cards of the HOFers in SCG/PSA
4-5. After watching eBay for several months, I found something
peculiar.

I've noticed a seeming wide discrepancy among the graded cards.
I've noticed 4s with much greater eye appeal than 5s. I've also seen what I
would consider a lot staining and discoloration for cards achieving those
grades.

Are the third party graders not too reliable for this issue? I
was planning on concentrating on the eye appeal as long as the card was graded 4
and above.

What has been your experience in this area?

"I find the cards to be grossly underappreciated, undervalued, and relatively plentiful."

Isgree with this statement whole heartly with the exception of a few cards that are not "reltively plentiful. You will find that at least one of the 4 Matty/Devlins will be tough to obtain for you, buy a low grade one if possible when they come up.

"I've noticed a seeming wide discrepancy among the graded cards.
I've noticed 4s with much greater eye appeal than 5s. I've also seen what I
would consider a lot staining and discoloration for cards achieving those
grades."

If you are buying PSA graded T202s ALWAYS ask for a back scan, there are way too many graded EX and higher that have terrible looking backs. I personally try to stick to SGC surprises are at a minimum.

If you check out my T202s on the SGC registry you will see that the majority of my collection are 40 or 50. I too have found that they have great eye appeal and hold the cost down.

As you try to collect the set you will find the prices vary and if you are patient you can get the cards at reasonable prices. In the 9 years I have been buying and watching the market it has always been tough to get a grasp of say a common SGC 40, they could be going for $40 one week, and $74 on another.

You will also find that some commons tend to be more expensive, One is the "Clark Hikes Home", for some reason that tends to go for above a normal common of the same grade. You will also find that the Speaker/Wood and the Baker/Collins cards command much more than most of the other HOFer, the only ones that tend to top it are the Cobbs, Mattys, the one Cy Young (but not always) and the Tinker/Evers/Chance cards.

There are also a few HOF cards that seem plentiful, the Bender, Huggins, Clarke, and Griffith are the low end HOF cards. The goofy HOF card are the Crawford and Lajoie which only appear in center panels, at time do not even command a premium over a common.

I hope this gives you some insight. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Lee

My appreciation goes out to bowlingshoeguy for sharing his knowledge on the subtle nuances of this set.