Am I destined to be a player collector?

RAWcardDAWG

I'll start this off by saying I'm a relatively young collector (23 years old). I don't have a lot of money to be spending on cards, and the majority of my purchases are done using the profit I make when I buy a card for cheap and re-sell for high. I am very knowledgable about the game and the players before my time, and I played baseball my entire life until I graduated from high school. As a collector, I love the look of "older" cards (50s, 60s, and early 70s), and have always been attracted to them as a collector. That being said, I don't feel like I could ever spend a good chunk of change on a PSA 8 or 9 of some player that I've never even heard of, even if I had unlimited funds. It just doesn't appeal to me. Maybe that will change as I get older, but right now I think I'm destined to be a collector of star players. I guess that is what makes this hobby so fun because everyone collects different things. Hell, I saw a Brett Butler collector in a thread the other day.

Are there any other folks out there who feel the same way?

TNP777

<< <i>Hell, I saw a Brett Butler collector in a thread the other day. >>

that dude is a total tool. Feel free to scorn and ridicule him.

digicat

<< <i>I don't feel like I could ever spend a good chunk of change on a PSA 8 or 9 of some player that I've never even heard of, even if I had unlimited funds. >>



I agree with this mind set. However, who said you need to buy graded copies of those cards? Raw cards are a perfectly fine route to go.

I collect SF Giants, and have Topps team sets from 1958 on up, as well as rookie cards of EVERYONE who's ever played for the Giants in the SF era. 99% raw. Only the Hall of Famer rookies and a few stars are in graded form.

jeffcbay

There's no shame in being a player collector. As long as you collect what you like, it's all good. Some people set goals for themselves and try building complete graded sets, and I can see that being just as enjoyable as collecting a single player. For the longest time I was a Ripken-only collector, but I've recently branched off and started collecting Brooks Robinson cards. It can be VERY expensive, but the best part about our hobby is if you need some extra cash, you can sell a couple cards and you're all good. Collecting cards are sort of like a savings account with a slow withdrawal process. It's better than a hobby like racing cars or shooting guns where you just burn through cash and have nothing to show for it.

Oh, and

ReggieCleveland

Collect what you like. I'll say this though, don't think for a second your collecting focus won't change over the years. I started out as a player collector (which I still am, to some degree) but have really focused on a handful of very difficult sets over the past year or so. My only advice would be to not assume that when your focus starts to shift that you'll be done with your previous focuses. I've sold a few things when I assumed I was done with that aspect of collecting that I wish I hadn't. Other than that, have fun.

CollectorAtWork

I agree, I'm like that too. Part of me is a set collector. I like finishing sets. However, when I see how much money that I am paying for common players that I don't care about, it really pushes me to change my focus. Therefore, these days, I've been selling off my sets, and just buying cards that I like to look at every day. And these cards tend to be the star HOFer's.

I did collect cards when I was a kid, mostly the junk 80s. So I am still going to try to do a set run from my birth year (1973) through the end of my high school (1991), so I can get a lot of the cards that I grew up collecting at a relatively cheap price.

fiveniner

Collect what your budget will allow you.

llafoe

<< <i>Collect what your budget will allow you. >>



Great advice since most collectors are obsessed with and addicted to collecting!

byronscott4ever

Collect what you like and like what you collect (within your budget of course)

calaban7

I have a few players set , mostly of players that have moved me , on the field or off , over the years . I'm older than most here , so my player sets have fewer cards to collect , but generally harder to find . When I acquire a difficult card ; its nice .

I would tell you to collect who you like , at the prices you can afford . Graded or raw is nice either way . There's advantages to both . The enjoyment of looking for and finding cards of your liking is worth the effort . You'd be surprised at who you meet and what you find .

Good luck ---- Sonny

bobbyw8469

I hope you can be a super baller.

TNP777

<< <i>I hope you can be a super baller. >>

one can only be a super baller if one buys the super baller lot. Alas, all super baller lots have been spoken for.

captainthreeputt

As everyone said, collect what makes you happy, and there is nothing wrong with raw cards, or even low grade cards. When it gets to olde cards, many collectors like to collect All 1's, 2's or 3's.

One of the coolest collection I saw was someone who collected T206 in PSA 1's, but they were almost all beautiful fronts and tears on the back. Very cool!

Good luck,

Brian

cpamike

<< <i>

<< <i>Hell, I saw a Brett Butler collector in a thread the other day.

>>

that dude is a total tool. Feel free to scorn and ridicule him. >>



You are being too kind.

1985fan

I agree completely. I have a couple sets I am working on completely graded, but other than that, not only is the cost a factor for me, but storage alone for a massive number of graded cards would be a huge barrier. Heck, even collecting team sets, with the countless number of cards, inserts, and the like make that literally impossible as well.

What I've done with some sets is to get the key cards of the set graded and display those but keep the rest of the cards raw. Anything that makes you happy is the best course for you.

georgebailey2

<< <i>

<< <i>Hell, I saw a Brett Butler collector in a thread the other day. >>

that dude is a total tool. Feel free to scorn and ridicule him. >>



Schizophrenic, low self esteem or both?

Is there a thread that tells the story of your man crush? (in other words, why Bret Butler as opposed to a more credentialed player? - same could be asked of the Chris Sabo fan)

fur72

My biggest suggestion is to stay focused on what you decide. If you are gong to collect cards of only a handful of players stick to the plan. Its very easy to get distracted and you end up with a big pile of crap you will need to unload someday.

jeffcbay

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>Hell, I saw a Brett Butler collector in a thread the other day. >>

that dude is a total tool. Feel free to scorn and ridicule him. >>



Schizophrenic, low self esteem or both?

Is there a thread that tells the story of your man crush? (in other words, why Bret Butler as opposed to a more credentialed player? - same could be asked of the Chris Sabo fan) >>



I stopped asking "why" when a guy came up to my table at a show and asked if I had any Kelly Stinnett cards. That was his favorite player to collect. So, to each their own.

RAWcardDAWG

thanks for all the replies guys.

I'll admit I don't really have a plan as to how to collect. Usually, I go on eBay twice a week and spend some time just searching for cards by player and year, and add the ones that I'm interested in to my watch list. Then, over the course of the week, I'll monitor the cards and if they are within my price range, I'll place a bid or two. I don't like to spend a lot, so that means I usually miss out in the end. But I've been able to get a lot of steals at low prices. Sometimes they just slip through the cracks. That's the most rewarding part about it for me.

jradke4

well i don't feel bad that my collecting has morphed to be more of a player collector.

so i started collecting cards in the early 80s. around 1983 i found the card shop near my house. i found it one day when i went to the pepperridge farm outlet with my mother. she when in for goldfish and i went next door to look at the cards. so i started going there and i started collecting more than just random packs at the grocery store. i started putting my own sets together with the help of their singles they sold for what seemed like every year from 1950 to that current year. they had it all baseball, football, basketball, hockey and even non-sports cards. as the years progressed not only did i put my own sets together but i also bought factory and hand collated sets from them as well. eventually i started buy whole wax boxes. at that time i collected every major baseball, football and basketball set. i wasnt into hockey at all. at the time it was easy to do. either 3 or 1 set for each sport with boxes going for around $12-18, two to three boxes and you nearly had a full set. then the explosion of the 90's. i dropped baseball to focus on football and a little basketball with the Shaq hype. then finally to just football. once all the parallel and even more inserts came out around the mid 90's i went back to just buying a few packs and then focusing on favre cards. so it has continued that way. i collect mainly favres, but with a few other football stuff in there as well. for awhile i was big on the finest football sets and do a have nice run from 1992-2007 of sets, that is including the auto's. but they the went goofy with boxes and sets as well.

just collect what you like. at the end you may find out that you have collected some real nice star cards of a year or two in which you have fallen for a card design and you might be off collecting the whole set.