1939 Play Ball Baseball Forum

Knowing that I will probably never own the complete 1939 Play Ball baseball card set, I purchased a reprint set to fill in the missing pieces as I pursue the more affordable cards from this set in the lower grades. 

What's the minimum acceptable grade for your vintage card collecting needs?  What do you do when the average card values for a set are higher than your market for a specified grade?  Will you accept collecting the set in a lower grade? spend more that you really want to? go to reprints? or avoid collecting the set altogether?

First, I'm not a mint-crazed collector. Sure, if I can get a card in great condition, I prefer that. But it's not the be-all end-all. The farther back I go, the more lenient I am on condition. And, if I'm going that far back (1939), I'll take almost anything. I tend to look for graded vintage cards for authenticity sake. And, where I'm usually looking for about a 5 on a card from the 70's, I'm happy with a 2 for a super vintage card or a big star from the 50's. My '53 Paige is a 4. My 1911 Evers is a 2.5. They're both about a grade higher than I would have accepted. I'd love a 1911 Walter Johnson, and a 1.5 would be just fine. Most of it is financial. Part of it is that I almost like the super old cards to look old. I want a tobacco card to look like it was stuck in a box of cigarettes. I want a thirties card to look like it was in the depression. Otherwise, I might as well get the reprint. I'm probably rationalizing, but I almost believe what I just said. 

In the end, of course, we all have to make our own calls on how much to spend to avoid a crease or rounded corner.  As long as you're comfortable , it's all good.  

V3

I think alot of what V3 makes sense. Finding older vintage cards with a certain grade  and within a certain price range is an impossibe task. We would all own a Ty Cobb. I would buy a reprint set, I happen to like them and most are inexpensive. They also display well with your vintage cards.

I have been working on the Topps 1955 All-American FB set since....well.seems like 1955, I upgrade when I find a reasonably priced replacement and sell the replaced card.

That's why collecting cards is so much fun   .......  and rewarding....and expensive!

Great responses...exactly the type of insight I was looking for.