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Great point about the 1986 Fleer Phil Niekro cards, Billy. Everyone should collect what makes them happy.

Give me a PSA 2 Koufax or Aaron rookie for 1000 to 2000 over a PSA 10 modern catd that the player could end up getting hurt and not making the hall.

Hey buddy. Appreciate the shout out. I think you make great points and I totally get it.

Going to spring training at least once is a MUST. I was stationed in Clearwater for 4.5 years and was able to take in the Cardinals, Yankees, Phillies, Blue Jays and Tigers ST sites. The Phillies and Tigers ballparks are probably the best. The Yankees even let me re-enlist at a Cardinals/Yankees game. If you are near an airport that has allegiant I highly recommend it. As a vet you get free bags, and flights are usually much cheaper.

32nd like Billy. I enjoyed this analysis. Clearly things were crazy during COVID. Fortunately prices are declining. Hopefully that continues into next year. I plan on getting a few bigger cards instead of a lot of $50 to $100 cards.

Nice share Billy. Enjoyed the dual video. Honestly as far as buying bigger type vintage cards, I rarely buy them anymore. I am saving up for the 1952 Topps Hoyt Wilhelm. I was lucky enough to have a lot of the bigger cards i have prior to COVID when everything went crazy. Would love to add either the 53 or 55 Topps Jackie Robinsons. No rush though. Always enjoy and thanks for sharing with us.

Great presentation Billy

Totally agree with you- as we get older we usually have more funds because now we don’t have to use our money totally on kids. Also, as we get older we start thinking of completion. We start looking at our collection and say what are we missing. Now we can go get it. For example, this National I picked up- a Yaz RC, Frank Robinson RC, Killebrew RC, Ripken Traded RC, and the Ernie Banks RC. Now I only have a few big boy RCs to go. But now I’m starting to have the funds to start completing my collection. As always totally enjoy your channel. Keep up the good work. Greg from Ohio

Hi Bill! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! It’s definitely a buyers market out there! Awesome to see the Hank RC again! Thankfully I haven’t heard the banter you are talking about, not sure why there’s a need to talk about what other people do with their money, regardless of the reason! For me I’ll keep buying what I want without a care of what others think

For me, it's the high of buying those big cards that have a lot of meaning. Buying the smaller stuff, although still quality and fun, doesn't match up to when you pull in a Jackie, or a Koufax rookie. My 62 Frank Robinson purchase just doesn't reach that level. I'd rather save and get something to be really proud of.

I think the natural progression for those of us that came back to the hobby has been for the most part very similar. Starting with ripping wax or buying modern singles and slowly but surely realizing that vintage is the way to go. As far as budgeting, I try to save up for bigger cards, but I just can’t say no when something smaller catches my eye. I lack discipline.

I love your display case. Would love to have one of those. Looks like a card store.

I go through phases in my collecting and always try to diversify. In 2022-23, i was in the ‘buying more expensive cards’ phase. This year i wanted more quantity with my budget per month so i was buying cheaper cards (many from the junk wax) era that gave me nostalgia. The one thing i don’t do is try to predict how a card or grade will possibly appreciate in the future. This hobby is fickle and what is hot now, may not be hot in 10 years. If you collected all BGS cards 15 years ago because they were the king of the hobby at that time, how are they perceived now? Many older PSA slabs with verification number starting with 0 are frowned upon and marked down on eBay. (People feel they were graded easier back then). Say your collection was all of those slabs? That’s why I don’t get caught up in the grade as it’s the card that will matter 10 years. A 1986 Topps Jerry Rice in any slab, any grade will always have demand in the hobby. Those cards are the only sure thing. As there are only a handful of them in the hobby.

It’s crazy how the COVID boom sparked a new interest in Vintage rookie cards. And it’s still holding up for the most part. It’s neat to see the peaks and valleys on these sales. Very cool and some great thoughts my friend.

Hi Billy. Love seeing that Aaron rookie, it is a real beauty. I really like your thoughts on these big rookie cards, as it does seem like a really good time to pick some up. Thanks for the package (shirt & cards) you have sent out, I`ll be sure to let you know when it arrives. Talk soon my friend.

What?! Never been to a Spring Training Game? They are so much fun. I went every year for 20 years to AZ. Back then, you could mingle and walk with the players. Not sure what it is like after covid. After the National this year, my goal has been to focus on non hof cards. I am a graded set builder so I am going to try to fill in the gaps now. Probably a good idea to focus on big cards now before they are out of reach monetarily.

Agree Billy, slowly but surely getting key cards for me.

The economy will continue to struggle, and inflation will increase. In my opinion, the next few years, demand for cards will substantially drop. Folks will be more focused on maintaining a lifestyle. As I see it, the next few years will hold a huge buying opportunity for those who can. I have 2 last big card of my era I'm waiting a little for to aquire. Once that is done, I might wander off after the older stuff as well.

Agree with a lot you had to say….my budget did change for the better…😊 thank goodness it did cause I love cards…

Hey Bill! You and I have a very similar card collecting journey. I got back into it around 2018 and was busting a lot of modern packs. Over the last couple of years, my joy for that has gone away and I began focusing on vintage rookies that I wanted when I was a kid. For me, it’s way more fun finding the perfect “bigger” card for my collection that may not have a high grade but does have nice eye appeal. Thanks for making this video and have a great weekend, my friend!

Billy, I enjoyed hearing your thoughts and plans for the future! Oh, and it was great to see your Hank Aaron rookie card again, clubby! 😊😊👊👊

I'm kind of with you here, I feel like key RCs in 5's are a pretty safe hedge. 4's and below on key RCs seem to have leveled off, and non-RCs in mid-lower grades have fallen off a cliff as Graig has shown. But higher and "collector" grades at current prices may be coming back down to investment opportunity prices, especially at auction. The Hank changed your mindset a bit! I get the logic though for sure. I'm getting antsy on some modern parallel rookie cards I still need, actually. But I never see them pop up either!

Well done 👍

That Cardinals World Series card is highly offensive to Yankees fans. Probably get rid of that one…😂. Good stuff Billy. I focused on bigger cards now I’m broke! 😢

Really nice exercise and presentation Billy! Obviously the rookie cards are great, more meaningful and will hold their long-term value better, but sometimes the budget doesn’t always allow it. This will be beneficial for any out there that don’t know there are other options. You picked some great examples. Probably one of the most polarizing examples is Eddie Mathews. Definitely an outlier because of being the last card of the set but there are few who will ever own it. In my opinion his ‘53 Bowman and Topps are both better looking cards and can be had for 1% of the price. Thanks for sharing!

Nice topic! You can never go wrong with a 2nd or 3rd year card- most of the time they are by themselves, unlike most RCs. Also, liked the pack breaks- it’s all about the unknown. Keep up the good work! Greg from Ohio

Hi Bill! You shared some great information and gave me some hope as well. There are a couple of cards that I want and might be able to get. Didn’t realize it until I saw this. Take care, my friend!

Nothing wrong with collecting cards that aren't RCs. I like Clemente's 2nd year card from 1956. Thanks for sharing.

The rookie cup card has always been a collectors iconic card to have. I don't see how you could go wrong owning nice copies of those. That said, with a little side stash built up patiently, owning the rookie card of hall of fame players is a good addition you won't regret.

Hey Billy! Gave a like! I’ve gone through about half the vid. So, some great card choices here! Super Griffey donruss rookie pull! And of course your 1960 bob Gibson. Amazing 7.5 there. Will watch the rest later! Thanks for this one!

I love rookie cards… I like the next few years as well… in vintage I want the whole career of vintage players in the 50s, 60s, 70s in all sports.. those vintage are usually just one card a year and a couple all star cards… but on modern they have dozens or more of the years of a current player.. way to many to collet

There was a time that were so many independent trading card brands to choose from to collect such as panini, topps, bowman, upper deck, fleer, skybox, pinnacle, donruss, o-pee-chee, score etc. Affordable prices, you were even getting bubble gum in some packs, ripping them to find your favorite players from a sport or a team, trade them with friends, completing sets, its was about the card, the player, the sport, the hobby and not how rare or expensive was the card. Nowadays its about reselling, overpriced and expensive licensed or not licensed products, lesser card manufacturers with two or three companies dominating and have license for producing cards from all major sports, base cards of players thrown to the crash by most of the collectors because now its not about the player or the sport, it is only about the value of the card. I still collect and probably I will still be collecting because I love this hobby but its not the same like used to be.

Hi Billy! You didn’t hit anything big but it’s still fun seeing those old packs getting ripped! Sweet Donruss rated rookie Griffey! There are some great looking second year cards of HOFers. Other than multiplayer cards I always prefer the rookie card over any other card. The historical factor of having the first card of a HOFer is something that I think gets overlooked! HOFers are the games GREATEST players and their first cards are desirable for a reason! I get collecting on a budget but if I’m trying to build a high quality collection I would rather wait and save for quality over quantity. But that’s just my opinion. The beauty of this hobby is that we can all collect any way we want! 😁 Good stuff my friend! 👍🏻

I am not familiar with these programs or services but thanks for the breakdown my friend!

I enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work.

Awesome deep dive on a very interesting topic. Tons of cards that can be picked up on a budget. Keep up the great topics!

I'm glad you made this video and shared your thoughts, Billy. I'm focused on 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year cards for two reasons you mentioned - budget and, in some cases, I think they are more appealing than the player's rookie card. Keep up the great work!

Good video, enjoyed

Nice share Billy. Honestly Vintage is such an up and down kinda thing when it comes to condition, etc... I treat every card, set, player different because of the variables. Lol. It is what it is. Enjoyed as always and thanks for sharing with us.

VCP seems like a good tool/app. The problem is, I think a lot of collectors and dealers tend to refer to the eBay price listings, though, due to the data of all the sales, and how many people, who use eBay whether to buy/sale. But some if not most of those that, are selling at my local card show don't career much about VCP or ebay, the price is what, they want it to be. Difficult to negotiate and work, with people that don't want to work with you, but that's just been some of my experiences lately in the hobby.

Collectors on a budget should get the All Star vintage cards, league leader cards, and significant moment cards ( Mays catch, Aaron breaking the record, Mantle slams two home runs, etc.). Saves money and tells a story in your PC

What a blast from the past it was fun watching you ripping those packs. I also recently bought a box of the 1990 Upper Deck hockey off eBay for $15.99 and ripped it with my 10 year old nephew, we had a blast and pulled some great rookie cards. That is a great set I think it is undervalued for the 1st year of Upper Deck hockey.

Hi Billy. That Griffey is well centred. Hope it grades a minimum 9 for ya. Really interesting data on those cards after the rookie. I still think doing an Aaron run is not super expensive, after you get past his rookie card. He was an incredible ball player. When you really look into it, most HOFèrs cards after their rookie card, are not super expensive. Thanks for all the work on this Billy, talk soon my friend.

There is always a market for the next lowest price point in our hobby. If you can’t afford a modern PSA 10, the PSA 9’s are much more affordable. If you can’t afford 1980’s PSA 9, the PSA 7 and 8 are much more affordable. Vintage also has many price points. If you are real diligent and patient you can find great vintage PSA 2 and 3 rookie cards. And for people who are priced out by the iconic vintage cards, the 2nd, 3rd, even 4th year are much more affordable. This is the one time i will defend grading (despite the inconsistency by the companies), you can usually figure the grade and era that is your price point for most cards (except the Goats).

VCP is pretty cool and looks like a pretty good tool for comps. I’m gonna have to check it out.

My favorite card is 1960 topps

Ok. I’m on pause at this moment but want to share my point before I forget. THAT Bob Gibson 7.5 is AMAZING. Not sure how much you have in it but worth every penny. He’s my biggest PC guy. Jealous as hell. Beautiful card man. 🎉🎉🎉

Hello my friend. Well done

Nice break, I remember most of those guys. Of course not the ones that had 'cup of coffees' ha ha. I collected 1994 at the time, and would still buy it and open if I found some today.

I really like picking up the unopened product. I am glad you were able to find some to grab. I like your "card shop" display. I wish I could find one. I didn't remember that year of Topps bricking up like that. The rule is that you must chew the gum if you open a pack. lol