HOF PC Collectors Thread

[Skipscards]

Meanwhile, picked up HOFer #214, Dave Bancroft...

[mattglet]

I'm finally close to getting all of my HoF cards scanned in, happy to see everything all together.


https://www.mattscardcollection.com

[EYEappealCards]

Originally Posted by mattglet

I'm finally close to getting all of my HoF cards scanned in, happy to see everything all together.


https://www.mattscardcollection.com

That’s very cool, at some point I need to make something similar for my small but growing collection. You have some nice cards in there.

[whyconform]

Great Website!!!
This is a bit outdated but here was my stab at HOF autos

billshofautographs.weebly.com

[whyconform]

I have 24 of these listed..... and I'm at 295 diff.
Some of the balance here is virtually impossible, agreed.
I'd say about 50-65 are in that fantasy zone for most collectors.

Originally Posted by Skipscards

Note, not all of these are impossible, but the "impossibles" are included below. Essentially, when I worked on this years ago, I looked at the Negro Leaguers, the 19th Century HOFers, the Umpires, and 20th Century HOFers who died before 1950. Some of the "impossibles" can be found, but most of these are either too rare or too expensive for me to make a priority or even an attempt. Hope this helps.

Category	Name	Inducted
d1911	Addie Joss	1978
d1914	Rube Waddell	1946
d1924	Frank Chance	1946
d1925	Christy Mathewson	1936
d1926	Eddie Plank	1946
d1927	Ross Youngs	1972
d1929	Miller Huggins	1964
d1929	Joe McGinnity	1946
d1931	Jack Chesbro	1946
d1943	Jimmy Collins	1945
d1947	Johnny Evers	1946
d1947	Vic Willis	1995
d1948	Mordecai Brown	1949
d1948	Hack Wilson	1979
NeL	Ray Brown	2006
NeL	Oscar Charleston	1976
NeL	Andy Cooper	2006
NeL	Martin Dihigo	1977
NeL	Bill Foster	1996
NeL	Rube Foster	1981
NeL	Frank Grant	2006
NeL	Pete Hill	2006
NeL	Biz Mackey	2006
NeL	Effa Manley	2006
NeL	Jose Mendez	2006
NeL	Alex Pompez	2006
NeL	Cum Posey	2006
NeL	Josh Gibson	1972
NeL	Bullet Rogan	1998
NeL	Louis Santop	2006
NeL	Hilton Smith	2001
NeL	Turkey Stearnes	2000
NeL	Mule Suttles	2006
NeL	Ben Taylor	2006
NeL	Cristobal Torriente	2006
NeL	Willie Wells	1997
NeL	Sol White	2006
NeL	J.L. Wilkinson	2006
NeL	Joe Williams	1999
NeL	Jud Wilson	2006
Ump	Hank O'Day	2013
19th	Alexander Cartwright	1938
19th	Barney Dreyfuss	2008
19th	Jake Beckley	1971
19th	Dan Brouthers	1945
19th	Morgan Bulkeley	1937
19th	Jesse Burkett	1946
19th	Henry Chadwick	1938
19th	John Clarkson	1963
19th	Roger Connor	1976
19th	Candy Cummings	1939
19th	George Davis	1998
19th	Ed Delahanty	1945
19th	Hugh Duffy	1945
19th	Buck Ewing	1939
19th	Pud Galvin	1965
19th	Billy Hamilton	1961
19th	Ned Hanlon	1996
19th	William Hulbert	1995
19th	Hughie Jennings	1945
19th	Tim Keefe	1964
19th	Willie Keeler	1939
19th	Joe Kelley	1971
19th	King Kelly	1945
19th	Tommy McCarthy	1946
19th	Bid McPhee	2000
19th	Jim O'Rourke	1945
19th	Old Hoss Radbourn	1939
19th	Wilbert Robinson	1945
19th	Amos Rusie	1977
19th	Frank Selee	1999
19th	Al Spalding	1939
19th	Sam Thompson	1974
19th	John Ward	1964
19th	Mickey Welch	1973
19th	Deacon White	2013
19th	George Wright	1937
19th	Harry Wright	1953

[texmcpherson]

My current collection goals has been for HoF auto’s, being that I’ve been at this for 3-4 years my saved searches continue to thin out. While I wait for certain cards to pop up, I think I want to start collecting vintage - the history is rich being that they’re from playing days (same reason I was collecting auto’s) and the value seems to hold (not buying for resale but it’s nice to maintain value in a collection). I spend roughly $100-$200 a month for cards, usually like to by 1-3 higher value cards in that timeframe. Some questions I have:

- Since my budget will likely keep me out of rookie cards, what should I target? Earlier the better, I presume?

- I only want to buy graded. SGC, PSA, Beckett? What’s the reputation for vintage graded?

- What grade should I be targeting? I assume this depends on a number of things like cost, player, year, etc.

- Any other things to know before I start?

[hammertime]

Collect what you like, personally I prioritize the quality of the signature over the card grade when it comes to signed vintage. You'd be surprised at how cheap you can pick up signed playing days cards of prolific signers like Fergie Jenkins. Fergie is #56 in all-time WAR, ahead of guys like Griffey Jr and Nolan Ryan. Also some guys like Jim Palmer sign TTM if you're into that (only $10 per card for him!). PSA is definitely #1 amongst grading companies now (SGC used to authenticate autographs but no longer does) but accordingly you'll pay a little more for them.

[texmcpherson]

Originally Posted by hammertime

Collect what you like, personally I prioritize the quality of the signature over the card grade when it comes to signed vintage. You'd be surprised at how cheap you can pick up signed playing days cards of prolific signers like Fergie Jenkins. Fergie is #56 in all-time WAR, ahead of guys like Griffey Jr and Nolan Ryan. Also some guys like Jim Palmer sign TTM if you're into that (only $10 per card for him!). PSA is definitely #1 amongst grading companies now (SGC used to authenticate autographs but no longer does) but accordingly you'll pay a little more for them.

Thank you - to clarify I’m not specifically looking for autographed vintage but if the opportunity presents itself, who knows!

[hammertime]

And just good general advice, if you want to make your hobby dollar stretch try to focus on auctions vs BINs.

[Skipscards]

Originally Posted by texmcpherson

My current collection goals has been for HoF auto’s, being that I’ve been at this for 3-4 years my saved searches continue to thin out. While I wait for certain cards to pop up, I think I want to start collecting vintage - the history is rich being that they’re from playing days (same reason I was collecting auto’s) and the value seems to hold (not buying for resale but it’s nice to maintain value in a collection). I spend roughly $100-$200 a month for cards, usually like to by 1-3 higher value cards in that timeframe. Some questions I have:

- Since my budget will likely keep me out of rookie cards, what should I target? Earlier the better, I presume?

- I only want to buy graded. SGC, PSA, Beckett? What’s the reputation for vintage graded?

- What grade should I be targeting? I assume this depends on a number of things like cost, player, year, etc.

- Any other things to know before I start?

In general terms, collecting Vintage is just like collecting Modern in that you should always collect what you like and maintaining a narrow focus helps.

Some people like to do player runs...(i.e. one of each Topps Roberto Clemente card during his playing days.) Obviously Clemente is an expensive run when you factor in his RC but you can typically find his 1955 Topps RC for under $1,000.

Another option is set building. Pick a favorite design and go for it. Obviously early 1950s Topps are cost prohibitive to start from scratch, but 1971 Topps is a great looking set or that can be easily built within your stated budget. I am currently finishing up 1957 and working on 1959.

To answer your specific questions:
- Since my budget will likely keep me out of rookie cards, what should I target? Earlier the better, I presume? Depends on the rookie card. If you were a Cubs fan, you could put the 1954 Cubs Team together including the Banks Rookie at a reasonable price. Yes, earlier cards are typically preferred. In other words, the 1960 Topps Hank Aaron is more desirable than the 1974 Topps. However, the set design can also factor in. For example, the 1952 Topps Mantle is more desirable than the 1951 Bowman. Another example is the 1971 Topps Nolan Ryan. A similarly graded version of the 1971 card is typically more expensive than his 1969 card and probably double his 1970. Also, keep in mind, vintage was distributed in several series. High number cards are typically a lot harder to find and therefore often command a premium. Also, there are DPs out there of some cards because of where the card was on the print sheet creating an abundant supply. Also, some people like collecting the final card of a player's career.

- I only want to buy graded. SGC, PSA, Beckett? What’s the reputation for vintage graded? Historically, PSA is king for vintage. SGC was also big and king of pre-War for a long time. Today, PSA is still the most popular for vintage, however, CGC has started to emerge and is eating into their overall market share a little. Not saying CGC, per se, but they are emerging. My advice is to buy the card you like regardless of SGC, PSA, BGS, or CGC and then crossover if you have OCD. Chances are you could save a lot of money doing this. For me personally, I don't care which of those 4 graded the card if I like the card, especially if I can save some $. Also, don't discount buying raw and submitting yourself. Again, that can save you a lot of money in the long run.

- What grade should I be targeting? I assume this depends on a number of things like cost, player, year, etc.
This is completely subjective. Obviously a PSA 10 of any vintage card is exceedingly rare. But you have to decide if you like the card and proceed from there. Just like buying modern, if it's a card you have to have and it's the only one for sale, you, as a collector, have to make the decision. For me, I don't really care about the grade. Obviously I would love to have nothing but PSA 10s, but I will compromise based on the card itself. A PSA 3 can look fantastic if it's centered or an uncentered PSA 6 can look great if it's sharp in every other way. Heck, I've seen great PSA 1s and Authentics that looked perfect in the front but had been glued in the back so they still present very well.


- Any other things to know before I start? Pick a lane. Like I said, best to start with a small targeted focus and go from there. Don't worry a lot about it since you can always upgrade cards later. That's one big difference between collecting vintage and modern; a lot of place holder purchases with upgrade intentions down the road.

[Chris P]

Campy game used mailday from Triple Threads

[Skipscards]

Originally Posted by Chris P

Campy game used mailday from Triple Threads

Beautiful! Love Campy! Mine is an ebay 1/1…

[texmcpherson]

Originally Posted by Chris P

Campy game used mailday from Triple Threads

Love that.

[Chris P]

Originally Posted by Skipscards

Beautiful! Love Campy! Mine is an ebay 1/1…

Originally Posted by texmcpherson

Love that.

Thanks guys and nice Campy Skip!!

[whyconform]

If anybody like HOF autographs.....rare ones....

The current REA Auction is the BEST i've seen in YEARS

[Chris P]

This has been on my want list for a long while.

[EYEappealCards]

Originally Posted by Chris P

This has been on my want list for a long while.

Very nice card.

[Chris P]

Originally Posted by EYEappealCards

Very nice card.

Thanks!

[Skipscards]

Originally Posted by Chris P

This has been on my want list for a long while.

Wow! That is amazing! Congrats!

[texmcpherson]

Incredible.

[Chris P]

Originally Posted by Skipscards

Wow! That is amazing! Congrats!

Originally Posted by texmcpherson

Incredible.

Thanks guys!

[GUCD231]

Great Mathewson, congrats! Just looking his GU up and looks like he’s not had much made of him since 2005.

Correction 2007 he has a Sweet Spot pant card. Still not much of anything after that.

[clarkzac]

Just thought I'd reach out to the fellow HOF collectors instead of creating a new thread in the forums for now. I'm slowly adding HOF autos to the collection. My 2 main criteria that I've used has been on card and MLB licensed (in most cases, there are special cases- Doug Harvey for examples).

I guess my question is, what are some of the iconic sets that I should try to grab at least one autograph from? I've been grabbing just current stuff that catches my eye, but want to add a little more depth to the collection and try to get some autographs from the iconic autograph sets out there.

[Skipscards]

Originally Posted by clarkzac

Just thought I'd reach out to the fellow HOF collectors instead of creating a new thread in the forums for now. I'm slowly adding HOF autos to the collection. My 2 main criteria that I've used has been on card and MLB licensed (in most cases, there are special cases- Doug Harvey for examples).

I guess my question is, what are some of the iconic sets that I should try to grab at least one autograph from? I've been grabbing just current stuff that catches my eye, but want to add a little more depth to the collection and try to get some autographs from the iconic autograph sets out there.

Iconic Autograph Sets with HOFers are plentiful. Personally, I love Topps Heritage and Fleer Greats of the Game. Donruss Significant Signatures and Topps Retired Signatures are awesome too. Here are some examples…






Transcendent is also fantastic.



Another one is Five Star but I don’t have a pic of the one I have.

[texmcpherson]

Originally Posted by clarkzac

Just thought I'd reach out to the fellow HOF collectors instead of creating a new thread in the forums for now. I'm slowly adding HOF autos to the collection. My 2 main criteria that I've used has been on card and MLB licensed (in most cases, there are special cases- Doug Harvey for examples).

I guess my question is, what are some of the iconic sets that I should try to grab at least one autograph from? I've been grabbing just current stuff that catches my eye, but want to add a little more depth to the collection and try to get some autographs from the iconic autograph sets out there.

I like Archives auto’s (not signature series) and Diamon Icons has some eye appealing cut autos