marriage vs collecting

ranger63

we have all seen the guys who are getting married and need to sell their collection but my story is just a little different...i am going to have to marry my girlfriend in order for her to forgive me for the amount i have spent on my nolan ryan set. i guess i am just looking for some advice on putting together a player set without going broke. jr- you have some great sets...how long did it take to get where you are?

calleocho

tell her to get a second job and help you out!

jrdolan

<< <i>jr- you have some great sets...how long did it take to get where you are? >>


I'm not sure if I'm the JR you're referring to. It's taken me 35 years to get where I am (I'm 45 and I think I had my first baseball cards at age 10). The graded cards and registered sets have only come since last winter, so I've spent a busy year getting my raw stuff graded and buying already-slabbed cards on eBay, from dealers / collectors, and at shows. I spent too much money playing with different grading companies (including some kitchen-table operations at first) before settling on PSA. You see, I was out of the hobby while grading and the internet exploded, and I didn't do my homework upon re-entering last winter.

The best advice I can give on putting together a set (and I'm terrible at following this advice) is not to do it all at once. Acquire the cards at a pace you can afford and that doesn't feel like you're feeding a drug fix. Let it be a casual, LIFELONG mission, not something that has to be done urgently.

Somebody once said that wanting is better than having. In our context, it means that after the initial euphoria of completing a set, you probably feel deflated and without purpose. You will want to dive into other collecting goals and may even have to sell the Ryans to support that. So take some time getting to that point. Enjoy the process of getting from one card up to 99% -- don't hurry it along. With Ryan's master set, even if you buy frantically it's going to take awhile ... as I'm discovering with Johnny Bench and HOF rookies and Koufax and 64 Topps Giants and 53 Topps and Reds Team Cards and and and ....

As I said, I suck at following this advice. But it's good advice. And make sure your wife / girlfriend is a high-grade, well-centered specimen who will keep you in line!

rbeaton

<< <i>i guess i am just looking for some advice on putting together a player set without going broke. >>

Choose a player that isn't so popular.

Robert

wlf3

start a set of her favorite player, so you can both participate.

helionaut

Jeez, don't ask these whipped guys what to do, look at the wimpy answers you get. If you need to do something like get married in order to get her to forgive you for doing something you like BEFORE you're married, I think you're in for a rough ride. Turn the tables. Tell her that in order to get you to marry her, she must either upgrade your 1971 Topps Ryan for you, or pass a Nolan Ryan trivia test. Just be strong, buy what you like, tell her to turn Dr. Phil off, and live the High Life.

jaybyrd

<< <i>start a set of her favorite player, so you can both participate. >>



Sure if you want to be ultimate wuss!

2323

Like she doesn't spend a ton of money on clothes, I laugh every time I buy a card and my wife gets mad, because no matter how much I spend, she's always gonna spend more on some stupid outfit. Tell her if she's so worried about money to get another job. I enjoy collecting even more knowing it's upseting my wife.

Vargha

Do what any real man with backbone like me would do -- hide it from her.

Stone193

Just tell her that you are the boss....King of the Castle...."the General"....what you say goes....and then do exactly what Vargha suggests....start an off-shore account.

67standup

Get a PO Box. When you go to get your packages and she asks, "where you gonna be?", reply, "I'm gonna be where I'm at!"

Skinpinch

When the wife questions the money you have spent on the cards, explain to her that it isn't much different than having some money sitting in a savings account. You either have 1,000 plus dollars sitting in a savings account, or you have $1,000 plus dollars put into a Hank Aaron rookie in Near mint condition. The savings account doesn't gain much interest at all. The Aaron card will most likely retain its value, and possibly rise in the future(or may drop a little). The benefit is that you have a cool item, that you enjoy and may be able to share with your kids etc..., rather than a bank statement that says you have $1,000 dollars.

You must convey to her that if the situatin arises that you would have no problem selling the Aaron if needed.


The next time your wife wants to buy a dining room table for $3,000 dollars, when you can get one that does the exact same job for $500, remind her that if push came to shove(financial crisis) and you needed to sell that $3,000 dollar dining room table, that you will be lucky to get $1,000 dollars for it. SO which would you rather put the extra money into? The same thing goes for the $3,000 dollar sofa etc... If you needed to sell the Aaron, you would have no problem at all getting your money right back, and possibly more. It is not possible at all to get your money back from ANYTHING that your wife has bought for the house, or to wear etc...

The same goes for the worst investment in the world, a new car. SPend 35,000 grand on a new car(when you can buy one that gets the same job done for 20,000), then you need to sell two years later because someobody lost a job, and you are lucky to get half that back.

If you work hard, earn your money, take care of your finanical and family obligations, then you should be able to have some cool items like cards(especially since you can sell them very quickly and get your money right back if needed).

If your wife wants to then buy some cool stuff for around the house, ask her to put her purchase to the litmus test...."WIll we be able to sell it for the the same price if we need the money?" If it fails the litmus test, then "honey, we shouldn't buy it."

Vargha

"Sorry honey, but those groceries aren't going to be worth squat in a few weeks. Little Johnny can eat bulk rice and beans. There's a PSA 6 Cobb up on eBay right now that I've just got to have."

ranger63

you guys crack me up...i have done a lot of that and even went as far as to say that these cards are not for me but for our son to enjoy some day. I fear that she may be catching on. oh well im the boss because she is at work!

phreakydancin

<< <i>i am going to have to marry my girlfriend in order for her to forgive me for the amount i have spent on my nolan ryan set. >>

Am I the only one disturbed by this statement? She won't forgive you for the amount of YOUR MONEY you've spent on YOUR HOBBY until you put a ring on her finger? Forgive me if I'm misreading this, but what kind of arrangement is that?

Skinpinch

If none of the ideas work, then he could always marry a man. He may be able to get a nice shoulder rub to loosen him up for some sniping. Can you picture the guy rubbing his shoulders while he sits in the desk chair scrolling through the ebay searches?

Seriously though, were you planning on asking her to marry you to begin with? If that is all it takes to forgive, then i would say you don't even have a problem. Unless she wants to put the kybosh on future purchases. I would talk that over with her if you plan on buying more cards, and still want to marry her.

Some concrete help to pursue your goals would be to request to your wife that ebay gift certificates be your choice of any future gifts. So if her parents ask, "What would he like for a present this year", she can tell them "an ebay gift certificate." That way nobody wastes money on a goofy tie, or a sweatshirt you will never wear.

Also, you don't need the best grade to enjoy your card. If you search enough, you can find 7's that look almost as pleasing as some nines. That way you can get what you want, without breaking the bank...and still have a nice looking collection.

Skinpinch

....or eat Macaroni and Cheese for a month

ranger63

just a few things...first i will never ever get a shoulder rub from a guy. Next maccaroni and cheese is my favorite anyway, I do have my "wanted" list hanging on the fridge for her shop from and lastly there will never be any gay shoulder rubbing.

HCS

The wife can use the same logic we use to buy baseball cards on...diamonds! Carat(s) diamonds generally appreciate quite well and may actuallu be a better(?) investment than cards and enjoyed just as much by the wife/girlfriend. Life is fair and balanced

Stone193

ranger63
I have been hiding stuff from my wife for years....one way is to have the stuff sent to my office and also, I have a credit card that she thinks I use for the office which brings things in under the radar....cause one thing is for sure, what she doesn't know...can't hurt me!
I'm not saying I'm whipped or anything...as Ralph Kramden of the 'Honeymooners' would say: I'm King of the Castle...the General!



BTW, I took this in fun and my wife has her own weaknesses like more shoes than one can ever wear, purses that cost as much as a nice 66T Mantle, and let's not get on the makeup crap....so I think it all evens out in the end?
your friend
Mike

Skinpinch

HSC, you are correct in the diamond logic. I just hope my wife doesn't come to that same conclusion. Luckily, in the past, I sold some cards to buy things around the house. I sold an '85 star Jordan for $1700 in 1998 to buy the backyard fence in our new house. Using my logic, we couldn't even resell the fence, but the fence was a need and that logic doesn't apply in that case. So some give and take is certainly in order as others have said(some balance). Just as long as your not spending your retirement funds, or your kids college money, you should be ok.

Ranger, I like your response to the back rub, that was funny!