Getting back into it... help!?!?

bjg83

OzCardTrader
Messages
38
Location
Melbourne Victoria
Real Name
Brad G
Hi guys,

I'm about to start collecting again after nearly 15 years, just trying to figure out where to start? I'm in Ringwood and cannot find card shops nearby, and I'm not sure what cards are good to collect now... Can someone help?! what card brands are worth collecting?

Cheers for any help

Brad
 
Gday Brad
welcome back to collecting!


Some of the guys from Vic here will prob be able to tell you where the card shops are or where at the markets you can get some cards. Other than that ebay, here, checkoutmycards.com etc are good sources to buy/sell/trade.

Panini has the licence for NBA cards. You can still go back and collect older Upper Deck, Fleer, Topps etc very easily though!

IMO the best Panini so far has been Limited and Certified, there are a few more coming soon though that look to be awesome so check em out.

UD Black (Upper Deck), Exquisite (Upper Deck) are the top range cards of recent years but very good quality if you can get some nice singles etc over boxes.

I'm a player collector so I can't really help you on sets that have been good, maybe someone else can chime in.



Anyway, feel free to ask any questions and I/we will help where we can
 
Welcome back to collecting.
Maybe just pick a single player, for example Michael Jordan and go onto ebay and do a search.
That way you will see a broad section of what the card collecting world has to offer.
Sure other members will have more invaluable information for you.

Mark
 
Welcome back.

I recently started again after 15 years too, so I understand the problem, with all the shops gone and the brands as well.

Panini do have the NBA license and have some really good sets. Threads and Classics are my favourites and are a mid price range set.

I am still a sucker for Upper Deck though, so i have bought some of their sets from last year.

As for shops, the Carribean market, which is out your way, has 3 stalls most Sundays. And I hear Dandenong market has a guy as well.

Card Zone is I think pretty much the only shop in Melbourne, but it is overpriced. It is in North Melbourne.

And there is a collectables fair at the Malvern town hall on Sunday May 16, maybe that will be a good place to start again.

Hope this helps.
 
Welcome back.

I recently started again after 15 years too, so I understand the problem, with all the shops gone and the brands as well.

Panini do have the NBA license and have some really good sets. Threads and Classics are my favourites and are a mid price range set.

I am still a sucker for Upper Deck though, so i have bought some of their sets from last year.

As for shops, the Carribean market, which is out your way, has 3 stalls most Sundays. And I hear Dandenong market has a guy as well.

Card Zone is I think pretty much the only shop in Melbourne, but it is overpriced. It is in North Melbourne.

And there is a collectables fair at the Malvern town hall on Sunday May 16, maybe that will be a good place to start again.

Hope this helps.

Gotta agree, come down on Sunday to the fair and have a look around, we'll have heaps of our cards there and there will be plenty for sale!
 
I came back to collecting a year ago after a long absence. These days you buy boxes online, packs really arnt the done thing anymore. Autographs are huge now so are game used memorabilia cards. There are also patch cards which are like game used cards but thicker and greater rarety.
The market was flooded with these game used and autographed cards therefore many of these cards are not worth as much as you might think.
I recommend getting a beckett magazine, cherry collectables (aussie card website) should be able to help, great price and gets to you fast. That way you can see what is out there and might help you with your collecting choices.
 
If you want a current beckett mag, check out your nearest Borders bookstore. they're a bit pricey (AU$27.95) but the mag is now bi monthly and considerably thicker than it was fifteen years ago.

As to sets .... I'm primarily a set collector, though I do have a few player collections. A lot of people rag panini, but personally I like their stuff (that has been affordable). The basic panini set is a very simple set and the box break is very reminiscent of the mid 1990's - 36 packs, 12 cards per pack, every pack having an insert/parallel, a sticker/decal and a rookie. Prestige is also quite nice for a premium range product with nice designs and some SP (shortprint) rookies. Rookies & Stars is another nice set with the main rookies (35 of them) having manufactured team logo patches that are autographed - as the patches are manufactured, Beckett classifies these simply as auto rookies. Elite is nice, but retail is much cheaper than hobby and is a different set as it lacks the metal foil-finish that hobby has - but there are autographed rookies. Threads has patch auto's for all rookies falling an average of one per box. Play-off contenders (another expensive product up there with Elite hobby) is nice with no GU's but all on-card Auto's as opposed to Stickers (4 auto's per box). Studio ... haven't seen the rookies yet, so I can't comment.

Another thing I like about Panini is that every product rated mid-premium (Elite retail) or higher (Prestige, Rookies & Stars, threads, Studio, Elite hobby, Playoff contenders), guarantees 1 card per box that has a print-run of 25 or less. considering that this card could be a base parallel, an insert parallel, an Autograph, a patch card or an Autographed patch card I think panini is doing a darn good job.
 
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