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Wednesday, February 3, 2016

A Slippery Slope

In all my years of collecting I've pretty much stuck to modern cards. When I was young I think I just liked recognizing the players when I pulled them out of a pack. As I got older my appreciation for baseball history starting taking shape, but I still only purchased new cards. It was my comfort zone.

My mindset began to change once I started my blog. I began to really enjoy reading blogs that focused on vintage cardboard. Soon enough I was trading with vintage master Mark Hoyle who gave me a respectable vintage Pirates collection by himself.

Recently I would find myself searching card prices on eBay.  I never pulled the trigger, but I was gaining a better understanding of the going rate for older cards I liked.  As you could probably guess I've started to pull the trigger on some cards.

1953 Topps Ralph Kiner

I ran across this Kiner last month and decided I would make a run at it. Sure enough I secured for around $10. The cool thing was the seller had a ton of Pirates vintage and it turned into a fairly significant order. I'll be showcasing a few here and there in the upcoming months.  

The modern cards will probably always be my passion, but I do like browsing the vintage auctions. They just seem to have more character. Plus when the card features a more obscure Pirate I enjoy reading the Baseball Reference and Sabr pages. Easy to get sucked in for a couple of hours. 

Thanks for reading! 

34 comments:

  1. You know, I think that's one of the biggest draws to vintage for me is finding that card of a guy I've never heard of.

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  2. I totally get it. When I started my blog, my Braves collection was strictly Atlanta. Wow, boy has that changed. Anyways. E-mail me your address Matt. I might have a card or two for you.

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  3. Nice pickup, love '53s. They made Kiners head look massive here though

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  4. Nice card of a great Pirate! I pretty much agree with you on everything--I love getting vintage in trades and learning about guys I hadn't heard of via BBR. There's a guy at the local show here who tends to have some nice deals on lower-grade vintage, and that's where I got some of the stuff I've sent your way.

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    1. You have helped me quite a bit over the couple of years we've traded. Clemente, Maz rookie and a Cobra rookie!

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  5. I'm not saying you should go back to the tobacco card era, but what's the harm in going back to the older Topps sets?

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    1. I've received several tobacco cards in trade, but have never purchased one myself. I probably should change that.

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  6. Vintage cards are great, I think they have a lot more character and even though they don't have the bells and whistles of today's cards, they're still a blast to collect. I guess that's probably why Heritage, Gypsy Queen, and Archives are my favorite sets

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    1. I guess there is a reason that card companies continue to make throwback sets. The allure of something old still draws a lot of people.

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  7. Gotta love that card. I always browse vintage first. The new cards have there place though

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    1. You really helped me out big time. Once I received a binders worth of cards from you I started doing my homework and look at me now :)

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  8. My collection has gone mostly the same way. Prior to staring the blog, I only owned a small handful of vintage. In my younger days, I thought every card I planned to keep had to be in top condition. So glad I'm older and a bit wiser now. Great card!

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    1. Blogging helps put collecting in better perspective.

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  9. Replies
    1. Kiner has always been a bargain eventhough he is a hall of famer. You can find nice autos for $10-20 range.

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  10. What a wonderful card! Just remember once you start to go down the vintage card path, you can never go back.

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    1. I figured that I've opened a can of worms. It will be just about finding the right balance with my purchases.

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  11. It is a slippery slope-but is a good ride. The history of your favorite team gets ya-now I am trying to complete as many of the early Bowman team sets as possible, or course the three Redbirds-Schoendienst, Slaughter, and Musial make it likely that I will not complete all of the sets. Enjoy the ride-and what a sweet vintage card.

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    1. Thanks Brady! The Pirates have a rich history, but Clemente is the only guy post war that demands the ultra premium prices. I think my next big purchase might be a nice Stargell rookie.

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  12. Vintage has always been a love for me. When I first started, it was all about condition.
    I've since evolved to let that go, and I've learned to appreciate cards that are "well loved" as well.

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    1. Condition is not a big issue with me either. I have no intentions of selling the cards so as long as the card is on hand I'm happy.

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  13. Great stuff. Wiwhed I could get myself more into vintage.

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    1. Yankees vintage is probably not the easiest to collect......I bet you could find some cool Giants.

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  14. One of the great things about vintage is that there aren't a ton of different kinds, different brands, different parallels. It makes it easier to have a comprehensive collection

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    1. You mean no acetate parallel of this Kiner exists?

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    2. I think the 53s are pretty uniform throughout, but 58 topps has some fun parallels to chase - white lettering vs. yellow lettering... 56s have gray backs and white backs... don't worry, we'll never run out of things to collect.

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    3. Stop polluting my mind with cards to chase. I have too many.....

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  15. I love that Kiner. I have one myself. You got a great deal on yours!!

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    1. Thanks William. The seller had a ton of Pirates so I was able to make a significant purchase without having to worry about shipping charges.

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  16. Wow. $10 for a 53T HOF? Great find. You're absolutely correct about it being a slippery slope. I'm on this 56T kick... and I can't stop searching for deals.

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  17. That's a killer Kiner. Nice pickup!

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