Competition or no competition?

goodriddance189

not sure if this question has been asked before or not. when building Registry sets, would you rather have competition or not? i ask this question because my main interest (Plante Master Set) has no active competition. i personally have no problem with this. many collectors chasing the same set= bidding wars and outlandish prices.

but i can see how a little friendly competition would be appreciated by collectors. you have a higher motivation to finish your set, the pride of having the best collection, bragging rights, etc. it would be nice to see how my set stacks up against other Plante collectors. however, i don't think my set is diminished in any way just because no one else is collecting it.

your thoughts?

JonB

it can certainly mean lower prices, but likewise if there are a lot of people collecting a certain player or set, especially in high grade, you might see more examples of those items hit the market because people know they will sell, and maybe for a slight premium. it never hurts to have more of what you are looking for hit the market, makes completing the set a lot easier.

qualitycards

GR - I've tackled a few projects along the way and I'm working on some current onesas well.
All the competition I need is set within the boundaries that I decide, namely finances to spend and est time of completion. If I'm 1st, 3rd or 23rd, so be it...jay

Virtualizard

Will,

That's a good question and I don't remember anyone bringing it up recently.

Personally, I like to see other collectors working on the sets that I'm collecting for several reasons.

1. Participation on the set registry will push dealers and other collectors to sell their cards if it seems like there is interest in the set. When a set has nobody updating it for months at a time, the potential sellers won't be very willing to submit cards to PSA or sell their graded cards.

2. Trading/selling among other collectors - I have had many transactions with other collectors, even though they may technically be my "competitors".

3. It gets boring when there is nobody to talk to about a set that you are interested in and no cards ever show up on ebay or other outlets.

4. The competition is fun. If you have the #1 set, it is a motivating factor to maintain that ranking by having others on your heels. If you have a lower ranked set, it is fun to see your set move up in the rankings.


Have fun with whatever you collect.

JEB.

magellan

I think good points are made by all so far. If I had to choose , at least some friendly competition is welcomed. It's nice to be able to talk with and buy/sell/trade with other collectors working on the same set. One of my weekend auctions went to a fellow here in Maine, he turned around and outbid me for a '69 Dalton Jones the next night but I got to talk with him a little and probably will more so in the future.

ctsoxfan

I am enjoying the competition to a certain extent. I like seeing my sets climb up the rankings, and it wouldn't be nearly as much fun if I were compiling these without seeing other sets to compare them to.

1420sports

Competition is always good if it is in the friendly and healthy style. Anything else, forget it. These are cards ya know.

GoSoxBoSox

I collect what I like regardless of if there's competition. For the most part I set my goal for a set and leave it at that. If I let the progress of others influence me there would never be an end because some of you builders are nuts!!!

grilloj39

Doesn't really make a difference to me, but if I had to choose, I would like competition. How other sets are graded is not going to affect the way I proceed in collecting the set. I do not compete with others.

However, having other collectors collecting the same set as me affords me the opportunity to ask questions from fellow set collectors, seek advice as to where to buy cards, asking fellow collectors if they have dupes they want to sell, etc.

Vargha

Minimal competition and lazy/forgetful bidders sounds good for me on the sets I collect.

mikeschmidt

The Schmidt Master set is no fun when I'm the only one working on it. Kendall came and went, Browntoni came, went and might be back again, leaving Darton as the one other person who seems to be getting most of the ridiculous oddball Schmidt cards graded.

jimtb

Great question,
I have found that a lack of competition tends to make me a little lazy. There's nothing like a little competition for dominance on the registry to keep me focused.

Browntoni

I really like the competition. The hard part is, when there is a lot of competition, it sure makes sense to be a seller. Must be the investment banker in me. I have bounced in and out of a lot of sets. I do regret leaving, however, the Schmidt Master Set. I had some great oddballs.

Gatorbait

I'm not really in a competitive situation with my T201 set b/c I looking at lower grades than those above me, but I do like following the other collections and dealing with some of the other collectors (trades, purchases). As for Schmidt, I have many ungraded oddballs, but have not yet taken the graded plunge. I do find myself (often) looking at the top couple sets on the registry.

jimtb

Great point Gatorbait. Competing in like sets has helped me to establish many friendships and trading sources that I would not have normally had.
Jim

Bighurt4

I love the competition aspect of it in the Nolan Ran sets but that doesn't stop me from pursuing the Frank Thomas set (with one other person). The guys in the NRMS Family are great and are part of the appeal to me to work on that set. I also love the Schmidt guys so I can hopefully raise more funds on Ebay to improve my Ryan and Thomas sets.

Brent

Fuzz

GR,
The most fun I have is competing against some of the folks that I have met.
Wouldn't be the same without them.
So come on over and join us in 66 T FB. The competition is fierce and the trash talk is something special.
Fuzz

Fuzz

GR,
The most fun I have is competing against some of the folks that I have met.
Wouldn't be the same without them.
So come on over and join us in 66 T FB. The competition is fierce and the trash talk is something special.
Fuzz

onegaucho

Competition would be fun, especially as a seller.

I'm currently the only one with a 500th HR ticket set and am only 1 of 2 with a 3000th hit ticket set.
I'd ask PSA to list a 300th win and 300th save set but I don't think there's really any reason to (for reasons I mentioned in a previous threads - mainly from what I believe is a lack of interest due to the cost of getting tickets graded).

No competition as a buyer is great though. I don't think there is anyone really "actively" pursuing a Gwynn basic or master set. Makes picking up singles easy for me.