If you’re excited to begin building a T206 collection, but don’t know how to begin, you’ve come to the right place. The T206 set is made up of around 5,500 different front/back combos. That is a staggering amount of cards! Looking at that number, one thing becomes clear: You’re going to need to focus.
Before beginning any project, you need to have a goal. Collecting baseball cards is no different. Finding a collecting focus that works for you will keep it fun, keep you inspired, and keep help you stay within your budget.
It will probably take you a little bit of time before you know what you want to collect for sure. If you follow these guidelines, you’ll get your feet wet and start to get a sense of which cards mean the most to you. You will also be able to get out without losing much, if any money if you decide not to continue collecting.
1. Establish a budget and stick to it
This can really be any amount that feels right to you, but should be just a portion of your disposable income. If your budget is large, you’ll reach your collecting goals faster. If your budget is smaller, you’ll need to have more patience. If you’re in the latter category, don’t worry. You have a lot of company (me included). Some of the coolest collections I know of were built over time by a collector on a budget.
2. Do your homework
Spend more time learning than buying when you are getting started. There is a tendency to get overly excited and jump in too quickly. If you can avoid the temptation, you will avoid some costly missteps.
3. Buy only Hall of Famers when you first start
This is more of a suggestion than a requirement. The idea here is to protect yourself in case you decide you want to sell your cards. Hall of Famers are easier to sell. If you get your cards at a good price initially, you won’t have much trouble selling them and breaking even if you decide not to keep collecting the set. If you buy a bunch of commons and then decide to sell them, you’ll probably need to sell them as a group, and it will be tougher to get the money you invested in them back. Some people end up collecting only the HOFers because the commons don’t excite them as much. This could end up being you, so you might as well start with cards of players you are familiar with.
4. Bid on a lot of cards, but only win a few
Use the completed items search on ebay to get an idea of what certain cards sell for. Once you feel pretty comfortable, bid on some auctions. In the beginning, keep your bids low enough that you know you will be getting a good deal if you win. You’ll lose the vast majority of the auctions you bid on, but you’ll win a few and you’ll know you are getting a good value for your money.
5. Focus on fronts at first, but keep your eye out for a chance to buy a tougher back at a good price
Most T206 collectors don’t become back collectors, so it makes sense to just focus on the players on the front. You may find that you are drawn to back collecting, and if so you can sell some cards and shift your focus.
6. Have an idea of what condition you prefer your cards in
You need to find a happy medium between your ideal condition (we all want our cards to be Mint right?) and what your budget can handle. Know that your preferences may change over time. For me, I started collecting cards in roughly GOOD condition, and grew to realize that I preferred my cards a little nicer, in the VGEX range.
7. Know that your focus will likely change over time
Once you start assembling your collection, you’ll find that you like some cards more than others and your true preferences will start to become clear. This is why it’s important to make sure you don’t overpay on the cards you buy in the beginning. You may end up selling them to fund the purchase of other cards that fit your new collecting focus.
8. Have fun!
There is no wrong way to collect. I know people who collect only the lowest grade, most beat up cards they can find because they love cards with some character. I know some other people who only collect cards that look like they were pulled out of a cigarette pack yesterday. The only thing that matters is that you are enjoying yourself. Like any other hobby, collecting is not worth doing if it’s not fun.