Rate Your Approach to the Hobby Survey
Stone193
Posts: 24,426 ✭✭✭✭✭
I was just wondering how people would grade their level of intensity with respect to collecting...
Whether it be the degree of fastidiousness of selection of cards, the number of sets, the kinds of memorabilia or whatever?
If ya have the time, please comment.
I know this is a segue of my previous queries - I'm just doing an update with a simple survey.
I can't think of anything more addictive than opening packs, surfing ebay for treasures or just talking about this stuff!
Thanx and Happy Thanksgiving!
mike
Whether it be the degree of fastidiousness of selection of cards, the number of sets, the kinds of memorabilia or whatever?
If ya have the time, please comment.
I know this is a segue of my previous queries - I'm just doing an update with a simple survey.
I can't think of anything more addictive than opening packs, surfing ebay for treasures or just talking about this stuff!
Thanx and Happy Thanksgiving!
mike
Mike
0
Comments
It was an obsession in the 70s and early 80s. That would range from 6 to 21 years old. I grew up on a farm in northern Illinois and would ride my bike 7 miles into town and raid all the little dime stores (I miss the days of mom and pop stores) of all the packs. It was a long ride back to our farm with several bags of wax packs as cars/trucks passed me by on the road.
I pretty much dropped off the collecting world in the late 80s as the new companies entered the market. I hated 1981 when Fleer and Donruss made me choose to send some money their way.
I show friends my basement storage room which has about 500 800-count boxes and about 15 monster boxes neatly stored. They kept asking me if I look at my cards or if I am going to sell. For some reason, I recently got the itch to start cleaning out my cards and started investigating Ebay. That lead me to PSA, as I believe that I have always kept my cards in the best condition as I got them out of wax packs and vendor cases.
So I have the bug again, but as of now it is to liquidate most of my cards (I have moved too many times the last 20 years). I plan on keeping my Mantles that I received in trades in the mid 80s. My wife thinks I will end up buying more than I sell.
I think the last pack I ripped was 1993. I have been cold turkey for 13 years.
Alfonz24
Stone, my story isn't much different. A lot of long bike rides to the store for packs of cards as a kid, only to get "too cool" to collect cards as I got older.
In 2001, my then four year old asked me to buy him a pack of cards while we were waiting in line at a Wal-mart or Target. I bought a couple of cheap packs and let him tear at them when we got back home. Something in watching that revived my passion. I immediately started digging through my old stuff and became familiar with eBay and PSA. (only to learn that the stuff I had kept and moved over the years was completely worthless) I started buying a lot of boxes and assorted packs and those "incredible" game used and autographed cards from eBay. I was a junkie again, but at least I had a four year old friend to share the fun with.
Now that five years have passed, I can say I have REALLY slowed down again. I realized that although opening wax is as fun as it always was, it's a financial disaster for most (especially with my luck). I went from buying two or three hobby boxes a month to.......well I think four hobby boxes of Heritage are the only ones I've bought in the last year. Those "incredible" game used cards are a dime a dozen, of course, and I don't buy any of them anymore, except those rare occassions my nine year old really wants something. The wife and I are trying to save to build a new house, so we've cut back on most unnecessary spending for awhile, but I quickly became bored with the new stuff anyway. Now that on-line poker is gone, I really don't have a lot of extra money. So I mostly just enjoy what I've already accumulated and enjoy what some of you others bring here.
Now I buy a PSA 6 Topps All American card every few weeks ($12-$60 range), and now that's about it. I'm now over 33% complete on this one and it's the most enjoyable set I've ever done. I'm still 10 cards short of the 2006 Heritage set, and just in no hurry to finish. I decided to build a PSA 8 1975 Reds team set (which should be really enjoyable and inexpensive) but have bought only 4 cards to date.
So definately not loose canon, to answer your question. Somewhere between wound just right and wound too tight.
shawn
This is always a "touchy" subject - it's a situation with a board friend that got me to thinking again.
The mix here at CU has changed again and new people have arrived - their POV and focus will be different than those that have been here for the past 2-4 yrs.
One major point:
Collecting habits run a cycle - depending on the personality of the individual.
I haven't concluded for sure but it goes from:
1. Mild interest - sparked by an event like buying for your child - that rekindles a memory.
2. Blind obsession - running out and buying anything and everything - "cornering the market" type mentality - maybe even thinking one can make money with this - investment?
3. Dispair - overspending, paid buys, out and out screw-jobs, running in too many directions at one time.
4. Abandonment - leaving the hobby or nearly dormant activity and ambivalence.
5. Rebirth - come back with FOCUS and an idea where you truly want to go.
Just some ideas.
mike
Like others, I gave up collection around 1990, when I was 17. I began with a few packs a year when I was 6 or 7, and really got serious about collection around 1984 or 85.
After roughly 12-13 years completely away from the game I jumped back in around 3 years ago, without a great deal of focus. I was buying sets and singles I couldnt afford as a child, working on graded sets, buying boxes. There was no focus at all, I just wanted to have everything I saw.
Then around 1 1/2 years ago I began to realize what interests me the most, and went from there. I sold off the majority of my sets, including a 1971 topps in PSA 8 or better than I had gotten to around 50% on.
Finally knowing what I enjoyed the most...a few players sets and Yankee team sets for the registry, as well as a ungraded Yankee team sets and singles. I pick up the occasional piece here and there of memorabilia, whether its a signed ball, a wire photo, a postcard or what have you, but in general even those are restricted to Yankees, and a few players in particular.
Knowing what I want and having a direction and focus has made the experience far more enjoyable for me than just being all over the place and buying everything I saw that " looked cool "on an impulse.
-- Yogi Berra
You're right in there with the bunch - myself included.
Do you loosely fit into the stages I outlined?
mike
A wise man (Tom Papa) once said "there is a fine line between hobby and obsession". I know very few that have not crossed that line on occasion, and some that can't even see that line in the rear view mirror.
Always looking for Topps Salesman Samples, pre '51 unopened packs, E90-2, E91a, N690 Kalamazoo Bats, and T204 Square Frame Ramly's
......it's been fun but occasionally frustating....................
1955 Bowman Raw complete with 90% Ex-NR or better
Now seeking 1949 Eureka Sportstamps...NM condition
Working on '78 Autographed set now 99.9% complete -
Working on '89 Topps autoed set now complete
Chris
Sold my childhood stuff to purchase pre-war baseball, because these treasures are drying up.
It has become a personal obsession, falsely labeled as the grandkids inheritance to throw off the wife.
Based on the survey - the approach is kinda like all or none. No one feels they are just tightly wound.
mike