Depressed...

Guru

So yeah, tonight was supposed to be another great night. Most nights are usually great in our home. We decided to eat at Fridays tonight. I recommend the J.D. Brisket. Pretty good. But, I've been depressed all day. I've been studying for finals (I went back to school this year after a brief 4 yr. stint away) today in my office where I keep all my baseball cards. I took a break and started to look around and became really depressed. I realized I have no one here to talk to in person about my hobby that really cares. All the guys at the card shop only care if I have something spectacular and are always trying to "one up" each other. I took my Eckstein auto. World Series ball in today just to show and no one really gave a crap. All anyone cares about is how much something is worth and will I sell it to them.
I just recently got back into the hobby after years of being away and finally realized that I really don't have all that much compared to so many people. No one wants to talk about anything other than graded stuff.
So yeah, I'm just really down about it all. Thought I'd share. I didn't write for self-pity. Just needed to talk. That's all.

grote15

I wouldn't worry about someone else's opinion on what is collectible or valuable or not. This hobby is for your own enjoyment. Too often it's like day trading and flipping cards and such, but as long as you are collecting what you like it shouldn't matter what others say about the significance of your stuff. Case in point: there's a guy on these boards who collects everything Chris Sabo because Sabo is his favorite player. Most people would think that collecting Chris Sabo stuff is a useless exercise, but it has great personal significance for him and that's what counts in the end. After all, this is a hobby.

fandango

just send in some cards to PSA....the excitement of having your sub POP should bring some enjoyment into your life......that or try a bottle of pinot noir......

blindflyer

Guru... I just got back into the hobby in June after a 15 yr layoff.....

I'd say 99% of my "hobby talk" occurs on these boards with these collectors.

CU Forum is your home, bro.... who cares about the card shop and who cares about "in-person" .... get to know us and you'll discover that joy of collecting again ...

I highly recommend participating in a box/pack break like we've done recently for football, 80's baseball, hockey, etc.

In a short time, I've met some GREAT people on these boards. I live in LA and have met 2-3 others thru this board that are also in SoCal.

There are a ton of card shops in LA and I don't even really go to them. Just not my scene, really.....

It's YOUR hobby ... embrace it however you want... don't let others get you down!

-Tom

alohaet

You are not alone. Hang in there our collections give us great pleasure. When we do meet someone who gets excited it is just an added bonus. I do also get frustrated with people who only are interested in the $ value. I collect 1961 Fleer Basketball and most people have no idea who the players in that set are, except we collectors. But collecting the Boston Celtics players in this set in PSA 8 grade gives me a lot of pleasure. It brings back nice memories of the days I watched Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, The Jones Boys, John Havlicek, Tom Sanders, Tom Heinsohn etc. play in the old Boston Garden. We don't collect for others, we collect for ourselves.

Ed

frankhardy

There is nothing that will bring you out of depression like giving! Try it! It works!

By the way, I don't have a David Eckstein signed ball!

Just kidding about the ball! (But not about the giving!)

Guru

I actually went to the shop today to show the ball and tell them how I came upon it, but no one believed me. That was the most depressing part. I've never lied about anything in life except little white lies you know, like when my wife asks me if I sampled the Thanksgiving turkey before it was on the table. Those jokers are just jealous.

Elemenopeo

Yeah, don't let it bother you. There are a lot of folks here who are not like the guys at the card shop.

Show us the Eckstein auto already.

lawnmowerman

Guru

Im doing an Emmitt Smith registry. The thing is huge, up to 1000 cards and growing all the time. I started the set back in August with only a handfull of cards and at the time I was in 8th position. At times if I start to feel down or depressed( because I have ways to go) I just go look at my cards and it always makes me feel better. Its not about how many cards you have or how "good" they are, its about collecting something that you like and makes you feel good.

So dont worry about it! You have friends here you can share with when you have no-one else

Matt

Guru

I mailed it today to be authenticated for some frame work I'm doing for my office. When I get it back, I'll take some pics to share. It's awesome how I came upon this. Guy I work with is related to him. He comes into where I work and we talked for a bit. He told me he'd be around for a few days and I went and found an 06 WS baseball. He signed it for me and here I am.
The framework I'm doing is going to be awesome. I'm going to have a photo, a card, the ball, and the letter of authenticity framed together. The framing is 3 dimesional since the ball is going in there. I'm also have a light installed on the top of it to make it shine real nice.

fandango

<< <i>I actually went to the shop today to show the ball and tell them how I came upon it, but no one believed me. That was the most depressing part. I've never lied about anything in life except little white lies you know, like when my wife asks me if I sampled the Thanksgiving turkey before it was on the table. Those jokers are just jealous. >>




have you ever seen the movie BIG FISH?

anyone who tells white lies should see it!

anyone who has a father should see it!

mosaic

I'm in a similar boat... just getting back into the hobby, no one local to share the buzz with...

I lurked on the PSA and Beckett forums for a while before I decided that the PSA forums were the best place for someone into the artistry of the cards, the players, and the stories. Most everyone into cards these days is into Relic, Auto, 1/1, and Gem Mint 10 hysteria (usually all 4 combined). Around here, it's so great to see people talking about the atristry of the cards and the challenge of finishing their sets. Even the Gem Mint 10 hype is tolerable here, because most people on the PSA board want the best looking card and not simply the # on the slab.

I recently sent a Nolan Ryan card to PSA/DNA to be authenticated. I sent it to Ryan care of the Astros back in the 80's and held onto it. Wasn't sure if he actually signed it or if it was a PR handler or something. Signature sure looked legit tho, and that's what PSA/DNA figured too. I was so happy to get it back. To just have that little extra confirmation that my favorite player of all time took a few seconds out of his life just to read a letter I sent him as a kid and to sign my card. I've stared at that card a few minutes every day since I got it back. It's such a great feeling. My girlfriend and friends are supportive, but they don't quite get it.

There are two shops around here. One shop is a tiny place packed to the rafters with cards, comics, beanies, etc. The guy that runs the place tries to get in what his customers want and he actually likes to hear stories. He keeps boxes and boxes of commons in the back and lets people hunt through them to fill out there sets and whatnot. Great place. But it's tough, because he doesn't stock all the recent stuff...

The other shop is larger and mostly stocked with recent packs, memorabilia, and big ticket cards. It has a very retail vibe, especially since it relocated to the mall. The people that work there don't seem to care one bit about cards. I go there to get my Allen & Ginter fix (which the smaller store doesn't stock due to price), but that's it. They cater to the customer that wants to gamble on packs of Sterling, Prime Patches, and all that stuff.

For the most part, I've come to accept that there's nobody local that understands, that I can share stories with. That's just the way it is. Yeah, it's depressing... but I'm so glad for a forum like this to give me at least one "fanboy" outlet.

You're not alone...

And the Eckstein ball story is awesome. Better than just buying one off of mlb.com or Shop-At-Home. To heck with the doubters, you know how you got that ball signed. Just make sure to take a picture and post it here, or there will be trouble *grin*

XanaduNow

Guru,

F those guys at the shop. People like that behave that way because they're miserable in their lives so in order to make their shallow egos feel better they put others down. You don't want to hang out with douchebags like that anyway.

I got back in recently (6 months ago) and was sort of in the same boat. Everything I had ever collected was modern and I was slowly coming to the conclusion that 95% of my collection had been purchased under the false pretenses that I would make money off it. Guess what? I didn't. I had refractor 1/1 gold plated titanium chromium picolinated mirror black orange crap that sold for nothing. The problem wasn't that my cards sold for nothing, the problem was that I had purchased them only to turn a profit.

So ... I decided to collect things that I wanted to collect and things I would NEVER sell. Got into the old 30s and 40s cinema star tobacco cards and that was, and is, a blast. That led me to old golf/boxing tobacco cards and I finally settled on collecting boxing cards. It's great. And if you think your tastes are weird, check this out ....

I'm in the process of starting a Mosi Tatupu Master set. Who's Mosi Tatupu, you ask? Well, he's only the greatest running back ever to step foot onto a football field, that's all. So do what you like and don't listen to others. The masses are asses.

Keep posting Guru. Good to see ya around.

Arthur

lawnmowerman

<< <i>I'm in the process of starting a Mosi Tatupu Master set. Who's Mosi Tatupu, you ask? Well, he's only the greatest running back ever to step foot onto a football field, that's all. >>

XanaduNow

Oh man, I had forgotten all about that thing. Thanks!

Arthur

lawnmowerman

<< <i>

Oh man, I had forgotten all about that thing. Thanks!

Arthur >>

ripkenintheminors

It is very easy to get frustrated in the hobby. Unfortunately, the competitive spirit takes the place of good conversation. A couple of years ago my wife and I went to a hobby shop while out of town. I was looking at some memorabilia and the person talked down to me like I was a complete idiot and knew absolutely nothing. Rather than respond, I simply left.

Another story. While in college, a goof friend was a fan of Darryl Strawberry. He wasn't a card collector but started asking about the hobby when he found out that I was a collector. One day, I invited him to go to the local shop with me. He decided that he was going to drop $20 for cards of his favorite player. We go to the store and I explain to the owner that my friend was there to buy cards of Strawberry and had $20 to spend. The guy apparently thought it was a joke. He responded with a comment of, "Hey, are you into game used stuff? I have a game used card of Strawberry that I just received." My friend was pretty fired up about getting a game used item and said he'd like to see it. At that point, the owner said, "Yeah, I have a game used drugs card of him somewhere" and proceeded to rip on Darryl. My friend left the store and didn't come back.

My most recent comes from an interaction with an owner after I received my orange Ripken minor league card. I had wanted the card for years and was extremely excited about it. I go to the card shop to buy some stuff and decided to show the card to the owner. Rather than a "that's cool", I got a "I can't believe it got a PSA 6. That card is hardly a PSA 6." I wasn't very impressed.

The moral of the story is to surround yourself with people that share your passion for collecting. You learn very quickly why someone is into collecting. Some are in it to solely make money and some are in it to have something to "one up" others. It is truly an enjoyable experience to be able to communicate with those who collect for the love of the hobby. Have fun with your collection!

Estil

That hobby store owner was a jerk! He should've been thrilled to get the chance to actually sell cards that normally couldn't be given away. If anything, I would've been more than happy to, for example, talk with the buyer about when the Straw was in his prime and how he helped the Mets win their 1986 championship and so on. Ditto if for example, a long time Jose Canseco fan or Dwight Gooden fan or whatever (long live the 1980s! ). Shoot, I still have all the Don Mattingly cards I collected as a teen (back when I couldn't afford to do complete sets like I do today).

And yes, I too was quite pleasantly surprised when I told everyone about my recent finds (my 1994 Fleer insert sets and 1992 Ultra master set for example) and a few actually took the time to PM their congratulations to me. You see, this being a PSA board, I thought all anyone cared about was PSA 10s and graded cards and such. But it's good to see everyone here so supportive of each other's projects, even if mine are most definetly not the envy of the hobby. But who knows? Maybe someday I'll be able to at least get all the 1970s Topps sets; that's my ultimate dream at this moment.

ColleSystem

<< <i>I decided to collect things that I wanted to collect and things I would NEVER sell. >>



Same here. I collect 1977 Topps Star Wars.

fiveniner

I think for most this is a board where we collectors like to share our thoughts about collections and other collectors opinions which sometimes helps us out in our collection adventures no matter of its worth or size or whether raw or graded.I have been a collector for 47 yrs and I enjoy sharing thoughts with other collectors.My collection isnt pretty by no means but to me it is priceless.

ajw

Read the Mail Call thread. I guarantee it will help you enjoy the hobby.

ajw

<< <i>Another story. While in college, a goof friend was a fan of Darryl Strawberry. >>



Has your friend read The Ticket Out? It's a great book that follows Strawberry's high school baseball team. Chris Brown (Padres and Giants) was also on the team. It's a pretty good book and most baseball fans would enjoy it, but I'm sure your friend would love it. (would make a great Christmas present...)

kcballboy

No real life hobby friends for me either. Just all of you imaginary people on this forum.

As stated earlier, this hobby is best used for personal enjoyment. Memories of childhood. I get enough interaction from these boards to keep me happy. I find that dealing with people in person can be too much of a headache anyways. I get enough of that at work everyday.

ajw

Another suggestion: build a website showing off your collection. I get at least one email every week from a Will Clark collector that stumbled across my website. It's a great way to get some positive reinforcement, and it really helped me reconnect with my collection. I added more cards to my Will Clark collection in late summer 2006 than I did in the years 2001-2005 combined. That was primarily because my passion was reignited by the site and the great fans I've met.

I'd *highly* suggest it, and it's not that difficult at all!

ripkenintheminors

ha ha, didn't realize I wrote "a goof friend"

lawnmowerman

<< <i>ha ha, didn't realize I wrote "a goof friend"

>>

I saw that but didnt want to say anything

NewJerseyMeatHook

A real pr*ck owns our local shop. Was busted a few years back in a phony autograph sting. A real loser.

Just an old, cantankerous piece of sh*t.

stown

<< <i>A real pr*ck owns our local shop. Was busted a few years back in a phony autograph sting. A real loser.

Just an old, cantankerous piece of sh*t. >>



Tell us what you really think of him. Seriously, don't hold back this time and let it all out.

XanaduNow

<< <i>I think for most this is a board where we collectors like to share our thoughts about collections and other collectors opinions which sometimes helps us out in our collection adventures no matter of its worth or size or whether raw or graded.I have been a collector for 47 yrs and I enjoy sharing thoughts with other collectors.My collection isnt pretty by no means but to me it is priceless. >>



Fiveniner, 4 uses of the word "collect" in one sentence and 7 in three sentences.

By the way, I couldn't agree more with you.

Arthur

NewJerseyMeatHook

Tell us what you really think of him. Seriously, don't hold back this time and let it all out.

You have to understand . . . This guy sucks!

Got great stuff, though. Like a museum.

1989FleerBillRipkencollector

My wife and family is supportive of my habit er collection. Not really "getting it" either. The only ones that understand the happiness I get from this hobby and appretiate the info/pics etc., are some online friends I have made. It's not the same as sharing collections with "real" people but I'll take it.

Stone193

Guru

First off - welcome back to the hobby!

I've been going non-stop since 1986 and like anything, one has ups and downs.

I have realized many things along the way...

1. No one cares about your collection as much as you.
2. Your collection is priceless to you - since it's yours and you have put your heart into collecting it.
3. Some people know the price of everything, and the value of nothing.
4. Everyone is my superior in that I might learn from them - re: our hobby.
5. When you least expect it, you will find a "soul mate" who is dying to share their experiences with you and actually LISTEN to what you have to say.
6. The pricetag on an item doesn't necessarily signify the value, importance or relevance to an individual.
7. Treat everyone's collection like it's Tom Candiotti's e.g. - they've earned that right if they call themself a collector.

and last, try not to get too tightly wound about your hobby - things have the most value when you are in control - if you hold on too tight - it will wind up holding onto you.

There are great people here - sometimes it will feel like no one cares - but not everyone will be interested in what you're writing about - just hang in there and someone will show interest.

Good luck - cheer up - hang your baseball cap here.
The best public forum on the planet!
mike

Goodsport40

Guru, this is the place for you if you want to be with true collectors. Since I have been around, wax box and case busts of so called "junk" wax all the way to the famous 1975 Topps mini case have been shared on this board. Hundreds of great cards and collectibles are shown here each month that I know I would never have the opportunity to see otherwise. Stone is right in stating that this hobby has ups and downs. Just remember that this is supposed to be fun and not always about money or "value". As previously stated, buy what you like and you won't go wrong. Glad to have you aboard.

Robert

tennesseebanker

<< <i>A real pr*ck owns our local shop. Was busted a few years back in a phony autograph sting. A real loser.

Just an old, cantankerous piece of sh*t. >>



Same kind of guy in my town , except that he is a young piece of chit.