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What makes us happy - a tribute to collecting

The forum was spinning out of control back in 2007 and I posted a pic - here's the origninal thread.

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Let's face it - we're here because we find fun and enjoyment in collecting things. AND - sharing it with others!

It's a hobby for the ages! ALL age groups!

I would like to see us just have fun.

So, in keeping with that spirit - I was just wondering? How about a GENERAL TRUCE? EVERYONE (whether it be "alts" or not)

I hope I'm not just spinning my wheels guys - I'm serious - they're close to pulling the plug on this forum.
mike

Mike

Comments

  • When I hear the word sportscards it makes me happy! image

    Edit: spelling
  • WinPitcherWinPitcher Posts: 27,726 ✭✭✭
    I'm all for it.


    Steve
    Good for you.
  • 72skywalker72skywalker Posts: 1,539 ✭✭✭
    Spending about $3.00 at a card show to pick up some commons to complete a set that i was working on is almost as good a feeling as spendings the big bcks for that early Mantle or other Yankees card that I have picked up.
    Collecting Yankees and vintage Star Wars
  • itzagoneritzagoner Posts: 8,753 ✭✭
    when they finally punch my ticket to Heaven, there better be a 3-ring binder and some shiny 9-slot pages waiting for me, because i DO plan on taking some of it with me.


  • << <i>when they finally punch my ticket to Heaven, there better be a 3-ring binder and some shiny 9-slot pages waiting for me, because i DO plan on taking some of it with me. >>



    image
  • Walking to the mail box and finding a padded envelope image
    Trying to climb the 1954-55 Topps Hockey ladder for the second time.

  • Recieving a PM from a member thanking me for their card that they just recieved from my free card giveaways
    Collector of anything and everything of the Dallas Cowboys
  • pdub1819pdub1819 Posts: 1,986 ✭✭✭✭
    I enjoy hearing everyone's stories, picking up my next card for the registry, the padded envelope.... this site gets that, the real world doesn't.
  • fattymacsfattymacs Posts: 2,578 ✭✭✭
    Digging through boxes and binders full of commons and finding the cards you need in the condition you want.
  • Hobby bliss for me is sitting down with a case of cards and ripping through them, sorting them all out, and then putting my want list together to complete the set.

    While I focus mostly on vintage cards, I rip one new product a year just to relive this simple joy that I remember as a wee scamp.

    Back then it took only one box to get close to a set and it was a lot cheaper... but the joy is the same now and today.

    Aside from ripping and building sets, I also really enjoy seeing all the different things people collect and discovering items I would have never otherwise seen were it not for a community like this.

    Snorto~
  • BigRedMachineBigRedMachine Posts: 2,563 ✭✭✭
    Well said Mike.

    We're indeed all just collectors. Next week marks the 5 year anniversary for me on this board. Hard to believe.

    I nearly left myself a couple years ago and became frustrated with my collection and it was you who got me to refocus. Don't know if I ever thanked you for that.

    I'll explain more later. Feel like sharing soon, perhaps a five year anniversary contest. Would hate to see this forum go away, let's all keep our eye on the ball.

    shawn
  • GarabaldiGarabaldi Posts: 2,004 ✭✭✭
    Finding cards that I thought I had lost when I was young and now I can pass them on to my son.
  • RobbyRobby Posts: 656 ✭✭✭
    As you can see from my post count , I don't post much , but I have been around alwhile and have been reading the forums everyday now for 8 years .................I read the ' Train Wrecks ' and find some of them amusing , but I have no desire to add fuel to the fire ! I remember one time I responded in a thread about something giving my opinion , and someone responded that ' That's the most ignorant thing I've ever Read " ................ kinda stung a little bit , but I never responded to that insult , even thou it made me mad ! The only words that should really hurt are if your loved ones say them to you .......... complete strangers on the internet ....... who cares really who is more 'Potent With The Written Word " ! Life is to short to get worked up over a Internet Chat Board !
    I hope that is just a rumor about shutting down the Forum , as I come here each day to learn a little more knowledge about Card Collecting and looking at other collectors sets and cards !
    Robbie
    Collect 1964 Topps Baseball
    1963 Fleer
    Lou Brock Master Set
  • TJMACTJMAC Posts: 864 ✭✭
    Mike,

    Well stated. Collecting connects me to my youth and even before that. It is cool looking at vintage cards and wondering if my dad or uncles owned the same ones. I also have an interest in American history and pop culture and like to think of how things were when these cards were first printed. Like looking at my 69 Tom Seaver and thinking this card was out when the Miracle Mets were making their run, my parent s were married that year and the country was experiencing social unrest. I know it sounds corny, but collecting provides a certain nostalgia that few other things offer. It is a great hobby and I hope that future generations can experience the positive things that the hobby brought me.

    I wish there was a group/club where I live where people can share their collections. My brother who collects a little bit got me thinking when he said it is too bad that you could not show your collection to schools or youth organizations to get kids into collecting. It is a simple past time that can offer kids focus, discipline, patience and a goal to strive for (set completion, player collecting etc). Things that are lacking in many other activities today. It is also something that can connect grandfathers, fathers and sons.

    I am not a regular poster, but do enjoy reading hobby related topics. I am most intersted in posts that talk about collecting memories, pictures of peoples collections and individuals sharing why they collect what they do. I try to bypass most of the other nonsense that disrupts most message boards.

  • nearmintnearmint Posts: 1,111 ✭✭✭
    Buying: Getting cards in the mail that I've never seen before, be they oddball items, regional team sets, or minor issues.

    Selling: Having a phone or email conversation with a player's friend or relative, and selling him or her a couple of commons of the player.
  • pdub1819pdub1819 Posts: 1,986 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Mike,

    Well stated. Collecting connects me to my youth and even before that. It is cool looking at vintage cards and wondering if my dad or uncles owned the same ones. I also have an interest in American history and pop culture and like to think of how things were when these cards were first printed. Like looking at my 69 Tom Seaver and thinking this card was out when the Miracle Mets were making their run, my parent s were married that year and the country was experiencing social unrest. I know it sounds corny, but collecting provides a certain nostalgia that few other things offer. It is a great hobby and I hope that future generations can experience the positive things that the hobby brought me.

    I wish there was a group/club where I live where people can share their collections. My brother who collects a little bit got me thinking when he said it is too bad that you could not show your collection to schools or youth organizations to get kids into collecting. It is a simple past time that can offer kids focus, discipline, patience and a goal to strive for (set completion, player collecting etc). Things that are lacking in many other activities today. It is also something that can connect grandfathers, fathers and sons.

    I am not a regular poster, but do enjoy reading hobby related topics. I am most intersted in posts that talk about collecting memories, pictures of peoples collections and individuals sharing why they collect what they do. I try to bypass most of the other nonsense that disrupts most message boards. >>



    Well said, I bring up collecting cards to my high school students, they laugh until I tell them how much cards are worth. I even had my students do a project with baseball cards as the focus. I too wish that there was a place where I could bring my cards to share.
  • BigRedMachineBigRedMachine Posts: 2,563 ✭✭✭
    Robbie,

    That's the least ignorant thing I've read on here for awhile.

    You should post more.

    shawn


  • << <i>Selling: Having a phone or email conversation with a player's friend or relative, and selling him or her a couple of commons of the player. >>



    That is a great feeling, NM. I sold a PSA Don Kasso 1961 Nu-Card not long ago and the person left feedback saying "That's my dad!! Loved the card. Thanks!"

    I gave her the "that's my dad" discount and refunded her money... she was very grateful and I felt wonferful being able to give her a little momento of her father's youth she didn't even know existed.

    image

    Snorto~
  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 29,339 ✭✭✭✭✭
    None of my friends collect Sportscards so the interaction I get here is it, I do love meeting new guys that are into the Vintage Football and especially guys that are building the same set as I am.
  • nearmintnearmint Posts: 1,111 ✭✭✭


    << <i> I gave her the "that's my dad" discount and refunded her money... >>



    Very nice, Snorto! I'm sure she was tickled.

    Um, by the way, did I ever tell you that Bronko Nagurski was my grandpa?


  • << <i>

    << <i> I gave her the "that's my dad" discount and refunded her money... >>



    Very nice, Snorto! I'm sure she was tickled.

    Um, by the way, did I ever tell you that Bronko Nagurski was my grandpa? >>



    You did not... send me a PM and I will get a 2006 Topps Hall Of Fame Nagurski right out to you. Don't spend it all in one place. image

    Snorto~
  • WinPitcherWinPitcher Posts: 27,726 ✭✭✭
    Mike the seqence of pictures was a great touch.


    Steve
    Good for you.
  • jeffcbayjeffcbay Posts: 8,948 ✭✭✭✭
    I had listed a Steve Bechler RC on ebay a few days before he died back in 2003. Of course it ended for about 10x what it was worth. Right after it ended the buyer paid for it and she said she was his Aunt, and she loved this card because it was the only card showing him smile. I shipped her the card and refunded her money. We exchanged several emails after that, and she talked about watching him play as a kid and watching him grow into a Major League Baseball player. It was one of the best experiences I've had in this hobby. image

    image
  • I dont have any friends that collect anymore (they are all into online gaming, Iphone apps, Ps3) Heck I can barely get them to play a boardgame.

    i guess im just old school.

    I love the smell of old cardboard. Nothing beats holding raw bowmans or vintage topps cards image
  • Getting that card I really wanted on eBay for opening bid or well under my max.
    Collecting PSA graded Steve Young, Marcus Allen, Bret Saberhagen and 1980s Topps Cards.
    Raw: Tony Gonzalez (low #'d cards, and especially 1/1's) and Steve Young.
  • TheThrill22TheThrill22 Posts: 976 ✭✭✭
    Putting sets together with my daughter because she still likes it.
  • artistlostartistlost Posts: 2,240 ✭✭✭
    I love clicking through all my many bookmarks for Ebay searches and finally seeing one of them be fruitful. Then, I love the anticipation that my snipe bid will be enough. Followed by the last dying seconds of refreshing the page to wait for my snipe to go off. The painful final 5 seconds of holding my breath that no one else's snipe will trigger. The joy of winning the card. The long wait of checking the mail daily for it's arrival. Then the pure joy of that bubble mailer being here. Scanning the card and sharing it here.

    Then finally the many hours of flipping through my modest but well enjoyed collection.

    I just love this hobby!

    mathew
    baseball & hockey junkie

    drugs of choice
    NHL hall of fame rookies
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,351 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Well said Mike.

    We're indeed all just collectors. Next week marks the 5 year anniversary for me on this board. Hard to believe.

    I nearly left myself a couple years ago and became frustrated with my collection and it was you who got me to refocus. Don't know if I ever thanked you for that.

    I'll explain more later. Feel like sharing soon, perhaps a five year anniversary contest. Would hate to see this forum go away, let's all keep our eye on the ball.

    shawn >>

    Thanx Shawn - I can't think of a better compliment!

    We're here to help each other, inform each other and support each other in our collective efforts.

    It's a new week - LET'S HAVE A GOOD ONE!
    mike
    Mike
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,351 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>As you can see from my post count , I don't post much , but I have been around alwhile and have been reading the forums everyday now for 8 years .................I read the ' Train Wrecks ' and find some of them amusing , but I have no desire to add fuel to the fire ! I remember one time I responded in a thread about something giving my opinion , and someone responded that ' That's the most ignorant thing I've ever Read " ................ kinda stung a little bit , but I never responded to that insult , even thou it made me mad ! The only words that should really hurt are if your loved ones say them to you .......... complete strangers on the internet ....... who cares really who is more 'Potent With The Written Word " ! Life is to short to get worked up over a Internet Chat Board !
    I hope that is just a rumor about shutting down the Forum , as I come here each day to learn a little more knowledge about Card Collecting and looking at other collectors sets and cards !
    Robbie >>

    Robbie - you have the right attitude! This IS just chat - not life threatening - no one's waiting for a heart transplant - just cards from PSA. image

    It's a hobby - for fun.
    mike
    Mike
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,351 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Mike the seqence of pictures was a great touch.


    Steve >>

    Thanx Steve

    And to those above who support our effort to have fun - THANX!

    mike
    Mike
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,351 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I had listed a Steve Bechler RC on ebay a few days before he died back in 2003. Of course it ended for about 10x what it was worth. Right after it ended the buyer paid for it and she said she was his Aunt, and she loved this card because it was the only card showing him smile. I shipped her the card and refunded her money. We exchanged several emails after that, and she talked about watching him play as a kid and watching him grow into a Major League Baseball player. It was one of the best experiences I've had in this hobby. image

    image >>

    Inspiring Jeff!!!!!

    mike
    Mike
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,351 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I love clicking through all my many bookmarks for Ebay searches and finally seeing one of them be fruitful. Then, I love the anticipation that my snipe bid will be enough. Followed by the last dying seconds of refreshing the page to wait for my snipe to go off. The painful final 5 seconds of holding my breath that no one else's snipe will trigger. The joy of winning the card. The long wait of checking the mail daily for it's arrival. Then the pure joy of that bubble mailer being here. Scanning the card and sharing it here.

    Then finally the many hours of flipping through my modest but well enjoyed collection.

    I just love this hobby!

    mathew >>

    Thanx for sharing Jeff - there's no modest/small collections - just small people who are unable to see it as a personal prized possession.

    mike
    Mike
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,351 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Putting sets together with my daughter because she still likes it. >>

    Priceless!!!!!

    mike
    Mike
  • frankhardyfrankhardy Posts: 8,044 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Spending about $3.00 at a card show to pick up some commons to complete a set that i was working on is almost as good a feeling as spendings the big bcks for that early Mantle or other Yankees card that I have picked up. >>



    I was thinking the same thing. I am a Cardinals team set collector. Just this week I put together the most worthless of all team sets - a 1983 Fleer Stamps Cardinals team set. What was neat was that I had the full unopened panels out in my garage that I had forgotten about. I had gotten them before I even started my team set project. I stumbled across them the other day so I opened them up out of the clear plastic wrapper, tore them apart, and got the Cardinals and put them in my album. I like that (maybe even more) than I did when I got that long sought after 1972 Topps Cloth Marty Martinez.

    This board has been great for me. I love the information I get from it and I love being able to share my collection and information because nobody that I know around my hometown really collects, except for my son...

    ...which bring me to another joy that I have. My 9 year old son loves to help me sort and put sets together. He has actually earned cards and sets from me for helping me out.

    One other thrill - knowing that my team set collection will never end due to 2 reasons - (1) I will never find all that have been made. (2) As long as baseball is being played and Topps keeps making cards, I will get at least one new team set per year.

    As for the bickering that goes on - I want no part of it. I don't understand people that can't go through a day without fighting and arguing. I love a friendly debate as much as anybody, but the bickering and fighting I can do without.

    Shane

  • DboneesqDboneesq Posts: 18,220 ✭✭
    Guys,

    I didn't get involved in these boards until after I was forced to sell most of my collection (see my sig line). I wish I would have been active on this board BEFORE I consigned my collection to that one time big auction house that recently went out of business ... for two reasons:

    1. From a selfish standpoint, I would have made a LOT more money selling to board members ... the auction house lumped so many items into each auction that it was hard to really know what was in each one and

    2. It would have been nice to see people I have become friendly with get some real nice items.

    I still have a list of every single card and pack that was sold ... man, it hurts when I look at it every so often.

    This board has allowed me to STAY IN THE GAME very cheaply, as has my TTM project. SOOOO, to answer the original question:

    Running to the mailbox every day (damn ... the mailman is late today) to see what autos have come back and being able to discuss pictures of men on cardboard that I idolized 40+ years ago with other adults! My wife and 2 daughters JUST DON'T GET IT! LOL

    JOE ... in all seriousness ... this board has really helped me keep my sanity since I was forced to close my law practice and move my office into the house to help care for my girls. I am sure this board helps a lot of others in ways you just would not imagine. THANK YOU.
    STAY HEALTHY!

    Doug

    Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
  • frankhardyfrankhardy Posts: 8,044 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Guys,

    I didn't get involved in these boards until after I was forced to sell most of my collection (see my sig line). I wish I would have been active on this board BEFORE I consigned my collection to that one time big auction house that recently went out of business ... for two reasons:

    1. From a selfish standpoint, I would have made a LOT more money selling to board members ... the auction house lumped so many items into each auction that it was hard to really know what was in each one and

    2. It would have been nice to see people I have become friendly with get some real nice items.

    I still have a list of every single card and pack that was sold ... man, it hurts when I look at it every so often.

    This board has allowed me to STAY IN THE GAME very cheaply, as has my TTM project. SOOOO, to answer the original question:

    Running to the mailbox every day (damn ... the mailman is late today) to see what autos have come back and being able to discuss pictures of men on cardboard that I idolized 40+ years ago with other adults! My wife and 2 daughters JUST DON'T GET IT! LOL

    JOE ... in all seriousness ... this board has really helped me keep my sanity since I was forced to close my law practice and move my office into the house to help care for my girls. I am sure this board helps a lot of others in ways you just would not imagine. THANK YOU. >>




    Doug,

    How is your wife and daughter, now?

    Shane

  • DboneesqDboneesq Posts: 18,220 ✭✭
    Shane ... thanks for asking.

    My daughter is now Cancer Free for over 4.5 years. She is 10, in the 5th grade, an A student, taking Martial Arts for 1.5 years and if she passes her belt test on Friday she will begin studying for her Brown Belt, takes dance lessons .... SOOOO, she is just like any other 10 year old girl who drives her daddy crazy! LOL Still, as a dad you always worry when she does not feel well.

    My wife is Cancer Free for 1.5 years, although she still has to take medicine for the next 4 years. The effect of the medication kind of sucks, as it makes her bones ache from head to toe. Still, she is tough as nails and never complains ... sometimes I WISH she would complain!

    With that said, I must say that I am a lucky guy, as my two girls are still alive.

    STAY HEALTHY EVERYONE!
    STAY HEALTHY!

    Doug

    Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
  • I'm like others on here because I rarely post due to what appears to be so many educated people being on here already that probably can contribute anything that I can. image I like this hobby for what many others have said already and that's the simple fact that you can be involved with a lot of money or little money. I have my PC stuff that I try to pick up regardless of cost (rarely is it expensive) but I like to look in dime and quarter boxes or look for cheap boxes of wax to open for the fun of it. I used to be big into getting autographs and still like doing that to see what I can end up with for hardly any cost, much cheaper than going to a show and paying. I have a 5 year old who likes jersey cards but probably likes stickers more and picks cards out based on if they look "cool" and has no concept of value or worth outside of that so I guess he's on the right track.
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,351 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>With that said, I must say that I am a lucky guy, as my two girls are still alive. >>

    Thanx for sharing Doug; that 's good to know!

    Thanx for the post
    mike
    Mike
  • TabeTabe Posts: 5,920 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I have reached a point where I've essentially stopped acquiring new items. A few years ago, I severely narrowed my focus down to completing two sets - the 2001 Pacific Atomic Football Patch Variation subset and the 2003 Press Pass Football Master set. I am fairly close to completion on both but haven't found anything I need in a very long time. In addition, I've kind of lost interest in getting anything new.

    That said, I still visit here daily and I get joy out of just interacting here. I am a big sports fan, and love sports cards (even if that conflicts with my loss of interest), and love to follow the discussions here. I've learned a ton about the hobby during my time here and hopefully have contributed a nugget or two of information along the way. So, until I begin collecting actively again, that's what makes me happy.

    Tabe

  • TJMACTJMAC Posts: 864 ✭✭
    Bump! I hate to see this thread get moved down to far. Given all of the drama around here, lets focus on something about the hobby that brings happiness.
  • Indy78Indy78 Posts: 802 ✭✭✭
    One of the things that makes me the most happy in this hobby, is simply sorting through a box of cards. I was reminded of that this past Christmas. My wife bought me a box set of 1991 Topps baseball cards as one of my gifts. I mentioned to her around Thanksgiving time that I really liked the design of that year, and that it would be a cheap stocking stuffer. She took the bait. I had the following week off, and spent an hour or so each evening sorting through the cards, putting them in an album, and reminiscing about the players and games of that era. Nothing fancy. No fretting over card condition or centering. No worrying about whether I paid too much for the cards. Just a good old relaxing time kicking back and enjoying the hobby.
  • TJMACTJMAC Posts: 864 ✭✭
    Indy, sounds like a fun time. That is what makes the hobby special.
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