Correct price data must be collected if anyone is to have confidence in what they collect. The graded-card infatuation also is seen by many, this writer included, as a bad thing for the hobby. It has priced the collecting of sports cards out of reach for many. Complaints often are heard from collectors who send a mint card to a grader only to have it come back undergraded and not in the condition it was sent in. McCay and Caplan both agree that the real new millennium gives the hobby a perfect opportunity to become fun again.
Communication is the key.
And it has to be fun, otherwise find something else to fill your time. Collect because you enjoy collecting, not because it's a surefire way to save for junior's college education. You will find it to be a very enjoyable hobby that way. Ted Taylor has been a lifelong collector of baseball cards and sports memorabilia. He has run memorabilia shows in the area and writes for various publications.