[trailingpe]

I an new to collecting baseball cards and am fascinated by The Old Judge Collection. Any advise on what I should be looking for in this series.

[osujeffrey]

Wow, ambitious start to collecting! Welcome to the Beckett boards. I collect vintage too (not ancient vintage like yourself) mainly 50's/60's... I can offer the following tips:

- look for regional card conventions in the area, save $ for them and buy big in person. If you are a big vintage card spender at a show many dealers will haggle/bargain. The in person purchase can also help establish contacts for future buys.

- I would not purchase any pre-1900 via the bay unless it was graded/from a seller with loads of positive "card based feedback" there is to much wiggle room for bad scans, and description via the bay, be careful.

- obviously be ready to spend big but be sure to budget. I hate seeing new collectors get "bit by the bug" then overspend in the first year and have to sell their collection due to financial errors. You are going for one of the finest card sets out there.

-GOOD LUCK and post progress/scans on here, this site is also a great place to network..

[trailingpe]

Wow, ambitious start to collecting! Welcome to the Beckett boards. I collect vintage too (not ancient vintage like yourself) mainly 50's/60's... I can offer the following tips:
Many thanks for your thoughtful and quick reply. There are so many grading services I have come across; are some services considered more reliable than others?
- look for regional card conventions in the area, save $ for them and buy big in person. If you are a big vintage card spender at a show many dealers will haggle/bargain. The in person purchase can also help establish contacts for future buys.

- I would not purchase any pre-1900 via the bay unless it was graded/from a seller with loads of positive "card based feedback" there is to much wiggle room for bad scans, and description via the bay, be careful.

- obviously be ready to spend big but be sure to budget. I hate seeing new collectors get "bit by the bug" then overspend in the first year and have to sell their collection due to financial errors. You are going for one of the finest card sets out there.

-GOOD LUCK and post progress/scans on here, this site is also a great place to network..

---

Thank you for your thoughtful and quick reply. I have come across a number of grading services who all seem quite reputable. Are all grading services created equal or are some more equal than others?

[nyyankeesfan28]

Wow, ambitious start to collecting! Welcome to the Beckett boards. I collect vintage too (not ancient vintage like yourself) mainly 50's/60's... I can offer the following tips:

- look for regional card conventions in the area, save $ for them and buy big in person. If you are a big vintage card spender at a show many dealers will haggle/bargain. The in person purchase can also help establish contacts for future buys.

- I would not purchase any pre-1900 via the bay unless it was graded/from a seller with loads of positive "card based feedback" there is to much wiggle room for bad scans, and description via the bay, be careful.

- obviously be ready to spend big but be sure to budget. I hate seeing new collectors get "bit by the bug" then overspend in the first year and have to sell their collection due to financial errors. You are going for one of the finest card sets out there.

-GOOD LUCK and post progress/scans on here, this site is also a great place to network..

Exactly right, couldn't have said it better myself. Good luck! Also, I had a look on eBay and they are pretty expensive, so as osujeffrey said, pace yourself.