Advice for a newbie please

[gglenn3278]

I have been reading the forum for a little while now and just recently signed up. I have a 100% feedback on ebay under the same user name, mostly as a buyer. I hope I am not breaking etiquette by asking this, but I searched and did not find a thread that addressed this.

I collected baseball cards as a child and teenager, then quit when I went to college. Recently, my young son asked if we could buy some cards at Wal Mart. He was hooked and I have really enjoyed helping him start his collection. We do not have a local hobby shop, so we have been buying at retail stores. I have also ordered him some stuff from the internet. He really likes pulling any game used or autograph cards. At this point it doesn't really matter to him who the player is, but I know that will soon change.

My question is, since we are just starting out, is there one product that we should be concentrating on? I really have no interest in selling cards. I just want to help him build a collection that he will enjoy, and hopefully share with his son one day. My instinct is that we will be better off ordering hobby boxes over the internet. Am I right about that?

Sorry for the length of the post, but it is hard to make a proper introduction and give background with just a few sentences. Thanks!

[Clarkandlewis]

First off, welcome to the forum! And to answer your questions, yes you should probably order hobby boxes from the internet. There are many products that are good for just collecting purposes. Here are some of my favorites:

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen- relatively cheap, 4 hits (2 autos/2 relics), cool base card design, lots of big names and Hall of Famers, on card autos.

2013 Topps Gypsy Queen Baseball Hobby Box - $64.95 : Blowout Cards - Sports Cards and Trading Cards Wholesale Online Store (http://www.blowoutcards.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_383&products_id=7333)

2013 Series 1 Jumbo or Update- my first ever box was a 2012 Series 1 Jumbo. My friend told me to get it because you got three hits and a variety of them (1 auto, 1 relic, 1 manufactured relic). Also, this product has a ton of cards per box and mostly all big name players have at least base cards.

2013 Topps Series 1 Baseball Jumbo HTA Box - $67.95 : Blowout Cards - Sports Cards and Trading Cards Wholesale Online Store (http://www.blowoutcards.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_383&products_id=7199)

2013 Topps Update Series Baseball Jumbo HTA Box - $64.95 : Blowout Cards - Sports Cards and Trading Cards Wholesale Online Store (http://www.blowoutcards.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_383&products_id=8190)

2013 Topps Mini- I love this product. I have broken multiple boxes and every box leaves me wanting more. The concept of the mini cards are cool in my opinion and again, many big names have cards. The one relic/auto per box is a letdown but you get a ton of numbered cards! The relics and autos are cool and all of the numbered cards are very low numbered due to the production run. In one box I pulled two 1/1s and a /5 parallel!

2013 Topps Mini Baseball Box - $44.95 : Blowout Cards - Sports Cards and Trading Cards Wholesale Online Store (http://www.blowoutcards.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_383&products_id=8437)


I hope this helps and sorry for the long post! Happy collecting!

[TarjetasBéisbol]

Welcome to BO and what Clark posted is some real good advice. BO has some good sales where you can get some halfway decent hobby boxes and/or retail value boxes. I picked up some 2011 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Baseball Blaster Boxes for $9.99 on cyber Monday. Right now they are back up to $12.95 which is still a good price. The BDPB will also allow you to follow some of the players as they develop.

2011 Bowman Draft Picks & Prospects Baseball Blaster Box - $12.95 : Blowout Cards - Sports Cards and Trading Cards Wholesale Online Store (http://www.blowoutcards.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8_288&products_id=8130)

[centereacan06]

Like Clarkandlewis said, welcome to blowout! The Buy/Sell/Trade forum is a great place to buy some cards if you don't feel like spending a lot on a box.

In terms of what to buy, Gypsy Queen is a great break for hits. Previously mentioned, you get 4 hits (two autos, two relics) and the design is very nice. Allen and Ginter is also a fun break with 3 hits, mini cards, and the chance at a box loader or rip card.

I would also suggest some TriStar products. I opened a hobby box of 2008 TriStar PROjections last Christmas. I got the box for around $20 on sale. You get 4 autos and 4 cards numbered to 50 or less. Three autos were of nobody players, but I also pulled a triple auto /25 with Jordan Zimmermann on it. As for cards numbered to 50, I pulled two greens of current players (Fernando Salas and Peter Kozma) and a Dom Brown gold refractor /25. There are stars in it such as Clayton Kershaw, Andrew McCutchen, and Max Scherzer. Again, some players you might have never heard of, but it was a very fun and cheap break.

Good luck with your collections and have fun!

[66_Fiat]

With your sons age, it's like an IRA. Buy some of the Bowman products, especially draft, and either bust and hold, or just hold if you can resist. Unopened boxes will usually get your money back, plus some if there is a key RC, on this if you keep it sealed with a copy of the original purchase receipt. Same thing goes for some of the mid-range products (Topps Chrome, Bowman Platinum, sometimes Heritage and Allen & Ginter). The main downside to these is expired redemptions. Most 2013 products don't expire until 2016. Definitely go hobby though!

[centereacan06]

Also, Topps Tier One may be fun for you. It is classified as a "high end" product, but due to a very poor ROI for breakers, the price is pretty low. Because your son doesn't care too much about the players, it would be a very fun break. There are only 3 cards per box, but all three are hits.

[gglenn3278]

Thanks for the suggestions! I actually ordered him some of the products mentioned for Christmas, so I may have better instincts than I thought. We haven't bought much really "premium" stuff, but on vacation a few months ago, we stopped at a card shop along the interstate and bought a pack of Museum Collection. He got a Derek Jeter card that is supposedly hand drawn and is numbered 2/10. That is his pride and joy. He also got a dual relic Andre Dawson/Ernie Banks out of a loose pack of Topps at Kmart.

I also ordered a box of the Museum Collection for Christmas. Is that generally considered good stuff?

[Clarkandlewis]

Thanks for the suggestions! I actually ordered him some of the products mentioned for Christmas, so I may have better instincts than I thought. We haven't bought much really "premium" stuff, but on vacation a few months ago, we stopped at a card shop along the interstate and bought a pack of Museum Collection. He got a Derek Jeter card that is supposedly hand drawn and is numbered 2/10. That is his pride and joy. He also got a dual relic Andre Dawson/Ernie Banks out of a loose pack of Topps at Kmart.

I also ordered a box of the Museum Collection for Christmas. Is that generally considered good stuff?

Museum is hit or miss big time. You could pull Hank Aaron or Willie Mays but nine times out of ten it's Tyler Skaggs or Tom Milone. If the players don't really matter to you guys yet then it should be a fun high-end break!

[66_Fiat]

For me, Museum was my favorite break this year. I am still sitting on half a case. Like I said earlier, just watch the redemption expirations. I think you'll do good!

[Clarkandlewis]

Also, make sure to let us know how you do on your box breaks by posting in the box break section: BASEBALL BOX BREAKS - Blowout Cards Forums (http://www.blowoutcards.com/forums/baseball-box-breaks/)

[gglenn3278]

Also, make sure to let us know how you do on your box breaks by posting in the box break section: BASEBALL BOX BREAKS - Blowout Cards Forums (http://www.blowoutcards.com/forums/baseball-box-breaks/)

I will do that. I'm still figuring out how to maneuver around the board, but am enjoying reading everything. There is a lot to take in. Things have really changed since the mid 90's. I know one thing, Christmas is going to be just as much fun for me as it is for him this year. I can't wait!

[rob11nats]

Welcome to BO! I've recently gotten my little brother into collecting as well, I find that he really enjoys Topps Chrome (though he may just have gotten that from me, since it's consistently my favorite product). The boxes are relatively cheap, the base cards are very nice looking, it only takes a few boxes to put a complete set together, and they have really visually appealing inserts like die-cuts and different colored refractors. There are also 2 rookie card autographs per box. Hope you guys have a great Christmas!

[abcd1234]

I focus on hof autos.......You can find some for as low as $15 online...

If I wanted to do prospecting, I'd stick with Bowman.

And in all honesty the card market is so up and down all the time, that I'd tell him to collect boxes of unopened cards. I know that does not sound like fun but he is ensuring that the cards are protected and unsearched. Instead of cherry picking a handful of players that might show up in the packs and throwing the commons away in a Rubbermaid storage box (that's what I did and the commons are all bent and stick together),

[tomcat]

Great advice so far.
I like what I call the "mid-range" products the best: Gypsy, Heritage and Ginter.
Not too expensive but you could get lucky and score some really nice hits.

I'm not a rookie collector so I avoid Bowman altogether--unless they are from 1955:D--I'm building that set.

As for the higher end stuff, I like to join group breaks for those. A gamble of course, but you have a chance at a great hit for a fraction of the cost of a box or a case.

If you don't care about huge hits and want to rip a lot of affordable packs
you can't go wrong with Topps Opening Day or good old Series One.

[gglenn3278]

[QUOTE=tomcat;6224056]

"As for the higher end stuff, I like to join group breaks for those. A gamble of course, but you have a chance at a great hit for a fraction of the cost of a box or a case."

I have watched some videos of those group breaks. It seems like fun, but I haven't quite made sense of how it works.

So far it seems like there is a great group of folks on here. Thanks again for the help.

[TheAntiCard]

Welcome and great to hear another young one in the hobby!

[justbored]

It would be wise to save that $20 or $30 or whatever you spend on cards at a Kmart (or other retailer) trip and instead buy hobby boxes from Blowout. This way you are guaranteed an autograph or two as well as numbered cards and color and you know the packs haven't already been searched like at a retail store. I know I feel like an idiot every time after making the bad decision to blow some money on retail packs.

[rob11nats]

[QUOTE=tomcat;6224056]

"As for the higher end stuff, I like to join group breaks for those. A gamble of course, but you have a chance at a great hit for a fraction of the cost of a box or a case."

I have watched some videos of those group breaks. It seems like fun, but I haven't quite made sense of how it works.

So far it seems like there is a great group of folks on here. Thanks again for the help.

You can go over to the "group breaks" section of the boards to read about how they work. If you exclusively collect a certain team or player they can provide a lot more value than buying packs or boxes - which is why my brother and I love them - but if you don't they are really a gamble that's no different than ripping wax.

[JohnRyno]

Check out some box breaks on youtube with your kid. I always check to see what the breaks look like before I buy a box. Make sure to put your computer on mute.

[preakness]

For a young dude I would buy basic topps.

Here's my reasoning...

Why not bowman? Because he's going to want to collect cards of current major leaguers, players he can see on tv.

Why not panini or leaf? Because he's going to want to look at cards with players wearing uniforms with logos on them

This is not ripping on bowman leaf or panini. I have all 3 in my collection


My answer has to do with this specific collector

[Jopeal]

This site is a good tool for finding product reviews.

There is a box breaks section that gives some good examples of what you're getting yourself into with different products.

Have fun collecting with your son. I'm sure you will create some happy memories sharing the hobby.

[chezball]

Thanks for the suggestions! I actually ordered him some of the products mentioned for Christmas, so I may have better instincts than I thought. We haven't bought much really "premium" stuff, but on vacation a few months ago, we stopped at a card shop along the interstate and bought a pack of Museum Collection. He got a Derek Jeter card that is supposedly hand drawn and is numbered 2/10. That is his pride and joy. He also got a dual relic Andre Dawson/Ernie Banks out of a loose pack of Topps at Kmart.

I also ordered a box of the Museum Collection for Christmas. Is that generally considered good stuff?
Welcome,be careful about buying loose packs from the big box stores.You have SOB's searching the packs for the jersey or auto cards.

[chezball]

Check out some box breaks on youtube with your kid. I always check to see what the breaks look like before I buy a box. Make sure to put your computer on mute.

This is very good advice.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[D-Lite]

Seriously, the best answer from many points of view: Topps Archives!

- cheap right now ($460 for a case!)
- LOADED with great autos, 2/box, 20/case!
- 4 different base designs
- lots of great inserts

Really a fun fun break and one of the best bang for the buck for a young collector. And dad will love the auto selection.

[chezball]

Seriously, the best answer from many points of view: Topps Archives!

- cheap right now ($460 for a case!)
- LOADED with great autos, 2/box, 20/case!
- 4 different base designs
- lots of great inserts

Really a fun fun break and one of the best bang for the buck for a young collector. And dad will love the auto selection.

I'm sure he's not looking to buy a case.

[D-Lite]

I'm sure he's not looking to buy a case.

Then boxes are as good an option with the autos.