I need your help.

LOTSOS

I keep reading post upon post about the current state of the hobby. Help me. I’m very curious about one thing.

Your age.

@Stone193 can we add an age section next to our names on the roll call list? I’m 44. I very curious. I seem to be hearing the same type of opinion expressed by several members and would like to put an era of collecting with the handle. I know for most of us it wouldn’t be difficult but for others it may be enlightening.

Kevin

AFLfan

That would be interesting. FWIW, I am 46 and have been collecting continuously since I was five years old.

erikthredd

44 and I started collecting in 1986 with a few breaks since then,the longest being about 12 years.

Desert_Ice_Sports

I'm also 44 (which is getting a little eerie) I started collecting in 1984 when I was 10; stopped in 1993... then started again in 2003, and became a full-time dealer in 2010.

rmh111985

I'm 33, started collecting with my older brother when I was 3 or 4, never really "stopped", but have sold off and rebuilt/restructured my collection several times since college.

PROMETHIUS88

49 and bought my first packs that I can remember in 1978. On and off over the years. Took about a 6-7 year break until getting back in with a full head of steam about a year and a half ago.

krisd3279

Turned 40 this year. I started collecting in 1988 when I was 9. I stopped in 1992 at 13. Started again in 2016. I mostly collect raw junk era sets, but I'm slowly adding higher grade cards to my 71T set and low pop cards to my Mattingly master set.

FINESTKIND

I'm 62. My wife tells me I act like a 12 yr old. I feel old. Started collecting in 1990. I build Topps baseball sets from the 70's and early 80's and pre-war cards.

Stone193

Hiya Kevin

Interesting question.

Not sure if everyone wants their age revealed?

I'm just about the oldest on this forum at 72.

I did an age survey last year - unfortunately the "search engine" for our forum is not working right now - not sure why?

But, I was intrigued to find out that the median age of our forum is in the 40s and we have almost zero 20 somethings.

I would be happy to add that to the list - anyone who doesn't want to participate? That's their choice.

Do you want me to start a new thread with the list of names or add it here?

Your choice buddy.

Sdub

I'm 52. Collected as a kid, but stopped in '83; did the college and raising kids stuff. Got back in about 2013 ish. Going to my forth National next month.

maddux69

I'm 43, started collecting in 1987, opened countless packs of Topps that year. I did purchase my first Mantle in that first year or so when I bought a 1963 Bomber's Best from a dealer at the flea market. I really started collecting with a purpose in 93 and 94 when I started collecting Greg Maddux and continue to this day. Slowed down in the late 90's/early 2000's as I started working and moved quite a bit, but still managed to buy my first PSA 10 Greg Maddux 1987 TT and TT Tiffany at that time(063xxxxx and 073xxxxx).

axelrich

I am 34 and was collecting since i was 10 year old..

VoteDizzy

I'm 40. Started collecting in 1988. Faded in and out for a few years in the early 2000's. Back and refocused since about 2010.

CdnOsfan

43, collected EVERYTHING until about 2002, sold almost everything, busy raising a family on 2 slightly below average but liveable young people incomes. Kids are graduating college and high school now and household income has jumped over the last decade continuously so I got back in heavy about 5 years ago or so. Focused on sets 1970s - present and all things Orioles 1950s - present.

I am hoping the reason you see few 20 somethings is that in your 20s you are raising a young family and/or finishing school and/or starting a career and do not have the time or resources for collecting. I have seen many people who have worked hard and have some extra money kicking around come back in their 30s and 40s. I hope this continues or all our treasures will be worthless one day....

sayheywyo

I am 57. Started collecting in 1972 as a 10 year old through 1977. High School, parties, cars and girls.... couple years of college and start career at 23. 1985-1992 collecting again ripping packs like crazy. Took a few years off and then started up again with a concentration of Willie Mays, HOF players and rookies. Joined PSA in 2002 to preserve what mid grade higher value cards I obtained along the collecting journey. Retired 10 days ago..

Stingray

52 here, bought my first pack in 74, collected up until 81 or so when it wasn’t cool in High School to do so any longer!,😁. Got back into The even hobby in 87 when McGwire was making a splash as a rookie.

perkdog

49 here, I have always collected cards since I was s kid in the 70’s except i stopped in my 20’s and got back into it in my early 30’s

doubledragon

39 right here. I started collecting in 1991, during the junk wax era. I can still see those 1991 Donruss laying everywhere around the house back then. Had to get rid of them. There were just so many! They still call me every now and then, asking why I betrayed them. I block there calls now.

rcmb3220

43. Started collecting around 1981 when I began rifling through my older brother’s cards from 76-81. Picked up an occasional pack for a few years until 1986 and was into it for a couple years before really starting collecting in 1989. Got out about 92 with the occasional pack here and there for a few more years. Came back in 2014 and haven’t left.

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ahopkins

43. I started my collecting journey in 1983.

rcmb3220

So far 1/3 of the responses have been either 43 or 44 with almost another 1/3 within 5 years of those ages. I think that demographic deserves a name like gen junk wax.

Gilbey

I am 49 started collecting in 76 and packed everything away in my childhood closet when I went to college with strict instructions to not touch my stuff. Mom turned my room into her computer room but left my cards there. Just recently started going through all my cards and finishing up sets that were almost complete.

flcardtrader

I am 52 this year....

Mom got a shoebox of 75's from a fellow teacher in November of 75 at the start of the school year, gave them to me to begin a hobby, and by February, 76, we were at the Cranston RI show beginning to assemble what turned out to be a large, store sized collection.

I stopped collecting many times throughout the years and always came back to the thrill of opening packs and building sets.

I consider myself lucky to have found this group ten years ago as it has allowed me to learn so much from others with similar interests.

Thanks all!

craig44

im 41 and started collecting in 1988. Much to my wifes shagrin, I have never stopped. where the last 31 years have gone, I have no idea?

yoda99

I'm 62. As a kid, I collected baseball and football cards in the late 1960's. I picked up collecting again in my late twenties. I even did some local shows. I have 6 sons ranging in age from 25 to 36. Not one of them takes any interest at all in my cards. My cards are destined to be sold off after I pass.

ReggieCleveland

I'm 42. Had a cup of coffee with '86 Topps and went on to win ROY with '87 Topps.

Arthur

JoeBanzai

62 in a month or so. Collected in 1970-73, took a break and dove back in around 1987.

Still have my cards from the 1970's.

ElMagoStrikeZone

57 years and still obsessed with math - my connection to sports cards began when my uncle had me reciting player stats from the backs of cards around age 4 or 5 so he could impress his friends. Now the math is money. My collection is vast. And my wicked uncle rules the family estate. Bleh.

LOTSOS

A follow up question for our more veteran board members:

Name and rank the 3 biggest hobby scandals / scams of your time collecting.

I’m aware of the Mastro scandal but would be interested to learn more about others. As someone who has been back into the hobby for only 4yrs and for the first time as an adult I feel like I could use an education on the seedy side of the hobby.

AFLfan

I would prefer this not be done. I just don't see it leading to anything positive, and could potentially start a lot of arguments.

LOTSOS

So it shall be. Please lock the thread.

If anyone knows of any good books about the subject, subjects to Google search or would be willing to share information on the topics above please DM me.

I believe that people should always look to the past and learn from mistakes of others or be subject to making the same mistakes themselves.

This was not a troll job, I was attempting to educate myself that was the positive.

Thanks
Kevin

AFLfan

Agreed, and no harm done, Kevin. I'd just rather not risk rolling down this path. And I also agree that knowing the history of the hobby is a good thing. I would just rather not open things up here. People can certainly continue to post their ages and involvement in collecting.

Stone193

@LOTSOS said:
So it shall be. Please lock the thread.

If anyone knows of any good books about the subject, subjects to Google search or would be willing to share information on the topics above please DM me.

I believe that people should always look to the past and learn from mistakes of others or be subject to making the same mistakes themselves.

This was not a troll job, I was attempting to educate myself that was the positive.

Thanks
Kevin

Hiya Kevin

I know your heart was in the right place in wanting to know what's going on.

I'm with Todd on this one - there's been enough pain right now to last for quite some time.

I'll edit my thread on "first names" with the age as they come in.

Are you familiar with Hauls of Shame? Here's the LINK.

You'll find that to be a very interesting read buddy.

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PaulMaul

52....collected from 1974-1980 as a kid and then resumed collecting in 2002.

ZeppoShanski

57 ... I started collecting maybe 3 years ago; both coins and currencies.

jlvette50

54.... First set I remember collecting heavily were 1971 issues and collected until about 1980 or so. (Mostly Baseball and Football) Sold off everything I had about 10-15 years ago. Decided to get back in at what I thought was a smaller scale, concentrating on one player (Longoria in case you weren't aware)

Also have a side project of going back to my youth, where I'm about 50 cards short of the 1971 Topps Football card set in PSA 8. Oh, and one more small project going back to my youth... I have a collection of odd ball Ernie Banks items and cards. Stuff like coins, buttons, and non-standard issued cards. Loved Ernie as a kid. I remember racing home from elementary school to catch the Cubs games on WGN.

Jimmy_Commonpants

44..... first cards were 1981 Topps Football but I started collecting the summer of 1985 while at baseball camp(Fleer), sister got involved in 1987 through 1988; I lost interest then regained it in 1991 and collected till Puckett retired in 1996. Got back in in 2017.

nam812

@1970s said:
.....I also was one of the first guys with registered sets in the hockey registry, and helped the woman at the time who was in charge of creating the sets (can't remember her name).......

Possibly B.J. Searle, or Cosetta Robbins.

ElMagoStrikeZone

@1970s said:
Kevin,
From what I've heard, this hobby was just a hobby up until around 1985. Being that you're a hockey guy, I remember dealers in Atlantic City at the 1987 convention walking the floor leaping for joy that they were getting $7 dollars for Mario Lemieux rookie cards and $50 for Wayne Gretzky rookie cards. I was 22 at the time, and started buying all the hockey cards I could with limited funds because I was in college. I will tell you that many of the dealers at that time were really good guys. A little overweight. A little smelly. But just sports fans like the rest of us. I also was one of the first guys with registered sets in the hockey registry, and helped the woman at the time who was in charge of creating the sets (can't remember her name) with little nuances about particular sets. When that set registry came along, and guys with deep pockets were proving to sellers via ebay that they would go very strong after PSA 10's, that's where some of the guys who were leaping for joy over that $7 dollar Lemieux rookie price in 1987 starting disbelieving what kind of prices these cards were bringing. I can honestly tell you that cards of Montreal Canadians in mint condition would sit on my table forever at shows and only sell once in a while for $20 here and there, but would be selling like hotcakes via ebay in a PSA 9 holder to some guys in Quebec night and day.

What I'm trying to say is that us collectors really have to be THANKFUL to ebay and PSA for what they've done for our hobby. 4 sharp corners needs to thank ebay and PSA. PWCC needs to thank ebay and PSA. We all do. Both are incredible assets to the hobby we love.

I personally have had the PLEASURE of meeting so many good guys in this hobby. We've had dinner together. We've drank together, even though they still smelled. We've shared incredible cards together.

There are also crooks out there amongst us, like wolves amongst sheep. They look to devour you at any cost. They try to trade you fakes for quality. They try to defraud you, and lay awake at night thinking of ways to rip you off. It's a sad path they choose, and they will have to face the consequences of their actions. But for us good guys, we sleep well at night, and we wake up each day looking forward to visiting this forum, and searching ebay for that next thing on our list.

When Gretzky became an L.A. King (THANKS Peter Pocklington!), the hockey card market entered a new realm and my collecting buddies and myself would scour local shows for his cards. After that, the hobby just took off. By 1992, we were visiting these cool guys with a blacklight thingy they used to detect tampered cards. They called themselves PSA and they were the most interesting thing to happen in Atlanta until the Summer Olympics in '96. And yes, back then there were some REALLY GOOD people dealing in this biz, setting the pace for the rest of us.

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LarkinCollector

@Stone193 said:
I did an age survey last year - unfortunately the "search engine" for our forum is not working right now - not sure why?

But, I was intrigued to find out that the median age of our forum is in the 40s and we have almost zero 20 somethings.

I was able to find it: https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/997729/whats-your-age-group-now-your-response-is-anonymous

54topps

47 and been collecting since 1980

lahmejoon

I'm 40. Got really into Garbage Pail Kids and then started on 1987 Topps. Stopped collecting around college and then got back into it 10 years ago.

orioles93

I’m 26. Been collecting since high school. Got into it after I found all my fathers old cards in the basement.

msubearfan

40 here. 87 Topps were the first packs I opened. Collecting really picked up in 89 when Griffey hit the scene. Collected through college then stopped once I started working. Got back into it a couple years ago and have gone a little crazy!

ahopkins

@lahmejoon said:
Got really into Garbage Pail Kids

I completely forgot about these. I was into them, too, between 1985 and 1987. They were very enjoyable to put sets together.

ElMagoStrikeZone

@CrissCriss said:
It doesn’t matter how old you are, what matters is how ripped you are.

You'd think a guy like you could afford a nicer lounge chair.

RyansRust

I'm 45. Collected from '86-'91 BREAK '99-'16 BREAK '18-?

PlayBall

46....started collecting in 1981. Collected until college, and then quit. Came back to the hobby in, I believe, 1999 when Mr. Don West showed me the importance of GRIFFEY ROOKIES!!!