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advanced collectors tips
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Tip: Ask your sports card store staff to let you see the product promotional flyers for each new product. In our store, we keep these flyers in a binder where all our customers can view them. These sheets have photos, descriptions, checklists and insert ratios for each product. This is valuable information to help you decide if this is product is one that you want to purchase. Using this information, you can selectively pick the products that fit your collecting strategy (see Tips - What to Collect for more information).
Another type of product worth mentioning here is the one-per-pack game-used memorabilia card products. While these products are expensive, usually between $20 and $50 a pack (or more!), you are guaranteed 1 game-used memorabilia card in each pack. Pacific Trading Cards deserves the credit for releasing the first one-per-pack product (2000 Private Stock Baseball). These are cool products that have created some excitement across the hobby. The downfall is that every pack can't contain the Derek Jeter autographed jersey card. The fact of the matter is your odds of pulling an unwanted minor star is far greater than pulling one of a superstar like Jeter. But that's what makes this hobby so exciting, right!
Short
Prints
Short prints, you'll either love them or you'll hate
them. To increase the value and collectibility of certain
cards (mainly rookie cards), the manufacturers occasionally will "short
print" select cards in the base set. A short printed
card, which is usually designated by the "SP" listed next
to the card in the Beckett price guides, is produced in lower
quantities that the other base set cards. The short printed
cards are now commonly sequentially numbered and the quantity
produced of each card varies between product lines.
While the value of a short printed card is higher than a non-short printed card, they do create some new headaches for collectors, primarily set builders. Since short printed cards are harder to find and obtain, they make building sets more difficult. Some of these short printed cards are seeded at a frequency of only 1 per box. If the set includes 30 short printed rookies, a collector will need to buy 30 boxes of product assuming they do not get any duplicate cards on the way. The cost of doing this makes building the set nearly impossible.
Tip: Ask your sports card store staff to help you acquire the short prints you need for your sets. They may know other customers that may be in the same bind as you and can possibly arrange for you to trade your duplicates. They will also know how and where to purchase additional short prints for you.
On the positive side, a short printed card of a key rookie will be more valuable than a non-short printed card. This can be a pleasant surprise to the casual collector who buys an occasional pack or to the serious collector focusing on just rookie cards. Can you imagine if one of today's rookies develops into the next Sammy Sosa? Sosa's non-short printed (mass produced) rookie card is worth around $80 today. What will the future superstar's short printed rookie card be worth 10 years from now?
Pre-Orders
Pre-orders or pre-sells are a cost-effective way to buy
new sports card products - usually limited to sealed boxes.
This method can save you a lot of money and guarantee you a box of
even the hottest products available. Here's why; Most dealers
purchase $1000's of dollars in product each month. In some cases, the dealer will pre-pay the manufacturer well in advance of
delivery, sometimes up to 3 months ahead of time. Because
of this, most shop owners are looking at ways to pre-sell a portion
of the product before it actually goes live. Doing this
recoups a small portion of their initial investment while still
making a fair profit margin on the product. For example; I get
an order form for SP Authentic Baseball and I order 2 cases of 12
boxes at $XXXX each. I send Upper Deck a check for $XXXX and
then offer 6 boxes or 25% of my total order to my customers on a
first come, first pay basis. The Cheap Seats Sports Cards
pre-sell price is approximately 25% above wholesale cost. Two
weeks before the product goes live, I stop selling the pre-sells and
now the price is raised to normal pricing or about $15 more than the
pre-sell price. You may think this isn't fair, but the longer
a store owner's money is tied up, the cost of doing business
increases and they need to compensate with a higher product mark-up
or margin.
There is some strategy involved for the buyer utilizing the pre-sell method. Using the SP Authentic example above, note that I only made 6 boxes available to my pre-sell customers. Anyone who has purchased SP in the past knows that it's not uncommon for this product to shoot up in price on the secondary market well before it's release date. I've seen certain products selling at triple my wholesale cost 4 weeks before it even goes live!!! So, with SP Authentic, those 6 boxes I allocate for pre-selling usually don't last to long. After I sell the 18 remaining boxes, I'm at the mercy of the secondary market. If I now have to pay triple the wholesale cost, I must now pass that cost on to the customer. With this in mind, if you really wanted the product, pre-paying it at the pre-sell price was a darn smart thing to do. I've seen customers save $50 a box just by pre-ordering. On the other side of the coin, since you usually must pre-pay for product, you may wish to try and hold-off for as long as you can before committing. The risk you take here is waiting so long that the pre-sell allotment is sold out. This may not happen with lower end products such as Topps Baseball, Upper Deck Basketball or Fleer Football, but the longer you wait for the hot products the more risk you'll take that the product will be sold out.
Here at Cheap Seats Sports Cards, we are developing a web page dedicated to our pre-sells where our customers can track the new releases, their pricing and their availability. I expect this service to available by October, 2002. So to wrap this topic up, you can obviously save some considerable money by working with your favorite dealer on pre-sells. It just makes good sense especially if you know you will be buying the product anyway. In the end, it's not only a good deal for the customer, but a good deal for the dealer also.
Hobby
Versus Retail Product
This is a difficult topic to discuss for many dealers,
sometimes even me, but since there can be a benefit to the
collector, I will try my best to clarify the issue. Oh well, here
goes.
There is no secret, as I mentioned in the New Collectors Tips - Where should I buy my cards section, there are many places that you can buy new sports cards. The card companies sell cards to the large retail chain stores just like they do to the small sports card dealers. This is generally good since it exposes many new collectors to the hobby and generates some competitive forces between the different retail outlets. Unfortunately, the consumer may not always be buying the same product at each of the stores. The packs and boxes may look and feel the same, but upon closer inspection, there are obvious differences. Most of the product purchased at your local sports card store is a "Hobby" product. This product has been produced with the sole intention of being sold at "Hobby" stores and can be identified by specific markings on the packaging. Typically the word "Hobby" or the letter "H" is stamped on the box tops and on each pack. The product available for sale at the large retail chain stores is what is known as "Retail" product. Retail product can usually be identified by a price being pre-stamped on the box and packs or simply by the absence of the "Hobby" or "H" markings. I will try to give you an objective view of both the differences in the product and when it pays to buy either "retail" or "hobby" products.
First, let me try and identify the differences of each. While this will normally be the case, please understand that this is a general description and may not apply to 100% of every retail versus hobby product. Retail sports card products are developed to attract the many potential new customers that frequent the retail chain stores. These products are usually attractively priced and displayed near the checkout counters. Since most of these customers are either new or casual hobbyists they are not likely to purchase high priced premium products. So to achieve this attractive lower selling price point without redesigning the entire brand of cards, the card manufacturers offer a slightly different product. These differences may include less cards per pack, less packs per box, fewer inserts or high value cards, or simply a poorer ratio of pulling a higher valued card. Is this fair? Well, if you know that you are purchasing a different or a "retail" product, than yes it is. If you don't know the difference, than it can be perceived as being deceptive.
On the hand, hobby product which you can usually only find at hobby stores, is designed for another group of hobbyists. This product is targeted to the active card collectors or hard-core sector of the hobby. On average, "hobby" product delivers the best ratio to pull the higher valued inserts such as autograph cards, game-used cards and high ticket inserts. Many of these high-end products can only be bought at hobby shops. The catch is these products usually cost more per pack or box than their "retail" counterparts.
What does this mean to the collector? It means as a consumer, you need to determine which product provides more value to you. If you are primarily a set builder, buying the "retail" version may deliver more total cards for your money. You see, the base set cards of both the "retail" and the "hobby" packs are the same. So if you are trying to build a set of the base cards or simply looking to find a card of your favorite player, buying the "retail" version may be best. In this scenario, you should simply search for the best value in getting as many cards for your money. On the other hand, if you are chasing memorabilia cards or high-ticket inserts, you will almost always be better off spending a few more pennies and investing in the "hobby" version. The higher priced "hobby" packs will usually yield a higher valued product or an increased frequency of pulling the higher valued product.
So in a nutshell, you usually get what you pay for. Just be sure you know the difference in each of the product versions.
Customer
Service Tips
In this section, I will cover a hodge-podge of
miscellaneous topics that may be of interest to the advanced
collector. I'm sure that I will spend considerable time adding
to this section as new ideas and suggestions come to mind.
Damaged
Cards
Every time we open a pack of cards, whether it be $2.00 or
$8.00, you expect to receive a quality product and a certain value
for your money. I'm not talking about getting skunked with a
batch of no name players but about being sure your cards are not
damaged. There's nothing worse than pulling a key rookie card
numbered to say 500 that has a crease or a bad corner right out of
the pack. In my opinion, the manufacturers attempt to deliver
the best possible product with each and every product release.
Unfortunately, they don't always achieve their goal.
Here's my tip; Don't except poor quality or damaged cards. If and when you get a card or group of cards that are damaged, send them back. Save the wrapper and mail it along with the damaged card(s) to the address printed on the pack's wrapper. You need to use a little common-sense here. Does it pay to send a bad Eric Young base set card back? That's up to you to decide. The card companies want your business and they are interested in making sure you are satisfied with their product. In most cases, they will respond and mail you back a non-damaged version of the card you sent in. If they can't do so, they will explain why or may even send you something of equal value. I often save stacks of damaged cards and send them in groups to the respective manufacturers. This saves time and postage in the long run. Depending on the card's value, you may wish to insure it when mailing it or request a delivery verification. This provides some assurance that the company has received the card or a settlement if the post office looses it. At Cheap Seats Sports Cards, we also will return cards for our customers if the situation warrants. If a higher valued card is pulled in damaged condition, we just feel an obligation to make it right. For every card or group of cards we spend back, we log the date, the card type and photocopy the card. This provides us with a record of what we sent in and now we can track the status of the card company's response. This is probably good advice for you also.
Redemption
Cards
Oh how we hate to get those redemption cards!!! The fact
of the matter is that the attitudes of the players today and the
logistics of getting these autographed and game-used cards to market
is extremely difficult. The good news is that at least Topps
with others rumored to follow suit, has extended the deadline for
redeeming these redemption cards. This is good news for the
hobby and the collectors.
Here's my tip: Be sure to keep a record of the cards you send in for redemption. It pays to photocopy both sides of the card and log the date you mailed it so you can track the status of the card down the road. Depending on the card's value, you may wish to insure it when mailing it or request a delivery verification just like a damaged card return. Also check with your dealer. They may provide the service of sending in your redemption card for you. This may save you a buck or two (like the collect calls!!!) and it may actually help you get a little better service.
Recently, Upper Deck has implemented a system where you can register your redemption card electronically via the Internet. This intuitive idea saves you the postage and the hassle of mailing in each redemption card. Early on, this new system is being rated highly by our customers.
Collecting
Game-Used Memorabilia
Collecting game-used memorabilia is getting more and
more popular each year. While this can be an expensive hobby,
it does provide a unique sense of satisfaction and gratification
when you successfully acquire a new piece for your collection.
Game-Used
Cards
There
are several facets of the game-used memorabilia market. I'll
start with the easiest, most cost-effective and maybe the most fun
method to start collecting - game-used sports cards. Game-used
sports cards have several unique advantages over collecting other
types of memorabilia. First it is affordable. Next,
game-used cards are plentiful. You can walk into any sports
card shop or visit any reputable on-line dealer and find literally
thousands of different game-used cards for sale for a huge selection
of different players. Lastly, the cards have the backing and
the guarantee of the major card manufacturers. This is a very
reliable source of obtaining a wide variety of game-used jersey,
pants, bat, stick, ball, puck, hat, shoe, helmet and warm-up
cards. The legitimacy of game-used jersey card produced by
Topps or Upper Deck is a far better investment than buying a
game-used jersey from a guy advertising in the classified ads.
Yes, there has been some recent controversy surrounding what
constitutes game-used (see note below). Do be aware that some of the
manufacturers are producing what they are now calling "player
worn" cards. This is obviously a way of obtaining
equipment that is a step short of game-used. Just be sure the
cards are clearly identified as "game-used". While
there may never be a 100% fool-proof method of ensuring that an item
is indeed genuine, this is a very
sound method of obtaining reasonably priced game-used collectibles.
Note: An article in the "Marty's Sportscard Exchange Hobby News Update" September 10, 2001 issue had this to add about the manufacturers policy on obtaining game-used memorabilia:
"All of the manufacturers have implemented strict policy on sourcing game-used memorabilia items. With the popularity of these inserts at an all-time high, each manufacturer knows how important it is to guarantee their authenticity. Each manufacturer has stated they are only using game-used merchandise when the insert identifies it as game-used. They are not using photo-shoot or pre-game warm-up jerseys. Each piece is now documented with the manufacturers. It is important for a collector to know he is getting authentic memorabilia." Marty's Sportscard Exchange is a well known and reputable distributor and dealer who is both respected and trusted within the hobby.
Game-Used
Equipment
There are many different pieces of game-used equipment that a
collector can collect. Bats, balls, hockey sticks and pucks,
jerseys, helmets, gloves and mitts, hats, etc., are just a few of
the many different types of equipment that a collector can acquire.
To adequately cover this topic in depth would require me to devote
an entire book to do so. Here's the best tips I can give you
to get you started:
Also, here is a link from the PSA web site that discusses Collecting Game-Used Bats. It has some good information and if you are interested in collecting bats, will be worth your time to read.
Collecting
Autographs
To start with, if you haven't read my tips on Collecting
Game-Used Memorabilia, please do so before proceeding. The
same tips and rules apply here also. The key is you really
need to do the research before committing to buy. Some books
or magazines that will help you learn more on the topic include:
Expert Web Sites and Resourses
The web has a wealth of information on autograph
collecting. I would like to make it clear that I am not or
should not be viewed as an expert in the autograph field. When
dealing with questions of authenticity or forgeries, I research the
following web sites to educate myself before acting. I would
hope that if you are serious about collecting autographs that you
would also take the time to do so. Here are some great links:
COA's (Certificate of
Authenticity)
In my opinion, the COA may be the most abused or misleading
document in the hobby. The fact of the matter is that a COA
can be produced or printed by just about anyone and most of them
hold very little assurance that the autograph is indeed real.
Unfortunately, if you don't have one, it is very difficult to sell
or trade your item. There is one very big exception to my previous
statement. A COA from a highly regarded and respected source
can both increase the value of your collectible and make it much
easier to sell or trade. Companies that fit this description
include:
While this list is not all inclusive, it includes the companies that I have personally dealt with and others that are widely recognized throughout the industry.
Let me try to clarify what I am trying to get across here. I, as well as many other dealers create and use their own COAs. This doesn't mean that the autographs we sell are any less credible than the autographs from the companies listed above. We offer our own COAs for any number of reasons. At Cheap Seats Sports Cards, we do it to track where we purchased or obtained the autograph. You see, if I purchased an autograph from one of the many wholesale autograph brokers I deal with, I would rather hold the original COA and file it along with the details of when and where it was obtained and issue my store's COA to the customer. The primary reason for this is, if an autograph is ever questioned or found to be bad, I now have a record of where, how and when I got the item and can do something about it. If I just issued the original COA to the customer, I really have no way (outside of my fading memory) of where I obtained the autograph or if it was even bought from our store. Other dealers may issue their COA because they obtained the autograph at a private signing, possibly even held at their store. In this case, it is the only option. Others may give their personal COA because another COA isn't available or doesn't exist. The fact of the matter is there are many autographs that are obtained personally by individuals. At last check, I don't recall Barry Bonds passing out a COA with every ball, hat or card he signs!!! The bottom-line is the value of any COA is mainly dependant on the backing of the company or store who sold it to you. So view the COA as a dealer guarantee. If you trust the dealer, don't hesitate to make the purchase. If you have reason to question the dealer's reputation, then find another dealer.
While a COA is viewed as a necessary evil, don't discount obtaining a very legitimate autograph because a COA is either unavailable or one issued by a local dealer. At Cheap Seats, I would much rather buy an autograph from a customer with a very believable and almost always valid story, than one from some company working out of a garage that issues a COA. So while a COA is important, you need to used sound judgment to distinguish the good from the bad. Again, the exception to the rule is if you have a COA from one of the companies I listed above. These COAs should remain with the original autograph and are as good as gold when concerned about authenticity.
Other points to consider regarding COAs. Card show autograph ticket stubs are in most cases better than a COA. To get a ticket, you must purchase one from the show promoters at a card show. In most cases, this is all that is given to the hundreds of people who have their items signed by athletes appearing at these card shows or card stores.
Another popular item used to authenticate autographed pieces is the photo of the athlete signing an item. While this type of photo does sometimes help sell the item faster, it's credibility is similar to the COA. Depending on who you are buying the autograph from, you may or may not put a whole lot of confidence into the photo being authentic. The exception to this statement may be a time and date stamped photo accompanied by an dated autograph ticket from a card showing/signing. This is always very convincing to me when I have both of the guarantees for the same item.
In recent months, the industry has been discussing ways of improving the autograph authentication process. New technology is now available to enhance the process. My guess is the industry will develop a set of standards and guidelines in the near future. Check back for an update on the topic.
Pricing versus Assurance
I discussed the rock solid authenticity of a UDA (Upper Deck
Authenticated) autographed item above. I have customers who
will buy nothing else. But, if you have ever compared the
price of a UDA item to just about anyone else's, you probably have a
case of sticker shock. $750 for an autographed Ken Griffey
jersey? I regularly see Griffey jerseys at prices below $500
(and even lower). For the extra money, UDA gives the buyer a
COA that includes a hologram sticker with a serial number and a
matching hologram sticker and serial number on the jersey.
There is no confusion, the COA is matched to only one
autograph. Another benefit of the UDA system is a registration
system where you can have your name registered as the owner of the
item. If you ever sell the piece, the new owner can transfer
the item into his name.
While these added perks of buying a UDA piece are impressive, only you can decide if the increased price is worth the added security. I will say this, UDA items are much easier to sell via auctions and via the Internet. Internet shoppers are just more comfortable buying the UDA piece because they know they are buying the added security with the item. On the other hand, is a personally obtained autographed jersey of Ken Griffey really worth $300 less than the UDA version? Probably not. Just a note, I only mentioned UDA in this section, but in reality the price of any item from the companies I identified earlier will be higher than the alternative sources. My explanation applies equally to them all.
Obtaining Show Autographs
All across the country, 100's of athletes appear at card
shows or make personal appearances. In most cases, if you
are patient and are willing to pay the asking price, you can
obtain the athlete's autograph. This is one of the
greatest ways to acquire an autograph of your favorite current
star or a star from the past since you actually get to meet the
person.
Tip: Save all the documentation from the signing. Save your ticket stub, show flyer, photo of the player while he is signing, etc. All of these items lend credence to the authenticity of your autograph when it comes time to sell or trade.
Obtaining Autographs in Public
I recommend against asking an athlete or celebrity for their
autograph when you run into them in a public place.
Somewhere, we as collectors need to draw the line and honor the
person's privacy. There may be circumstances that arise
where you can request an autograph very discreetly without
violating the athlete's privacy. You be the judge if it is
acceptable to ask. Me, I'll say hello and pass on asking.
Many autograph "groupies" follow the teams and hang out at their hotels or at the stadium after a game. Again, this borders on a violation of their privacy. If you decide to use these tactics, be sure you understand the rules of the game before asking. Stick to one item, have a sharpie or pen available, be polite, understand that everyone may not sign and realize that the athletes have bad days too.
Obtaining Autographs by Mail
When I was a young kid, my friends and I would write
directly to the Ball Clubs and to the athletes requesting
autographs. In many cases, the athletes sent us back
autographed promotional black & white photos. This
strategy is still viable today. Some athletes will
actually answer their fan mail and send autographs back to
you. This method will usually only work with the younger
or retired players. You have to understand that the stars
and superstars receive 1000's of requests per month. They
just can't answer them all.
Tip: When requesting an autograph by mail, include a letter that clearly explains your request and be polite. Always include a self-addressed stamped envelope to return your item. Whenever possible, include the item you wish to have signed. You take some risk by doing this, but the athlete is more apt to sign for you when you include these items.
One last comment. Because of the volume of mail some athletes receive, many of them employee staff to answer their fan mail. It is not uncommon for these staff members to sign their bosses name for them or simply stamp the items with a facsimile autograph. You'll need to learn which autograph's are indeed authentic by doing some research.
Autograph TipsWheaties or Cereal Boxes
Many hobbiests collect Wheaties or other cereal boxes
with sports figures featured on the box. While I do have a
large inventory of cereal boxes for sale, I don't profess to be
an expert on this topic. If you collect cereal boxes, you
will need to determine:
Instead of giving you my opinion on these questions, I've included several links to other web sites that specialize in cereal box collecting. Here they are:
Counterfeits & Fakes
This is a very detailed subject that I won't be able to
do justice to is a short article. I have included several
links to various web sites and publications that specialize in
this field below.
Tip: If someone is offering you a Michael Jordan rookie card for $200, take a pass. In a nutshell, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Remember, the crooks will produce counterfeits of the most sought after cards. The best defense is to educate yourself on the topic before purchasing a commonly counterfeited card.
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