5 Questions for Collectors Part 3

 

There aren't a lot of card collectors in my circle. There's one guy I get to talk to on a regular basis and I really enjoy it, but that's it. Back in the day (boy, do I sound old!), hanging out in the LCS and talking baseball and cards was the best. When I get to visit card stores now, it's just not the case anymore. 

That's what makes the blogging world so awesome. I get to see things others are collecting, share what I'm collecting and get to know others who have the same kind of passion that I do. One way that has helped me are my previous "5 Questions for collectors" Part 1 and Part 2. People take the time to answer questions and we are able to build card collecting friendships! If you've answered those previous questions, I've got 5 more for you...if you haven't, click on the links and give it go! Answering the previous questions isn't a prerequisite for these!

1. Do you stop collecting a player when they leave your favorite team?

There have been players that have left my Rangers that I basically quit on. I think maybe it's how they left the team. For instance, when Ian Kinsler left, he didn't leave on good terms in my opinion. He's consulting now with the team, but I pretty much quit on him when it came to my collection. You could probably put Josh Hamilton in there too, but I think I quit on him for all of the off the field antics. 

That being said, I'm still collecting Marcus Semien, Pudge Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez...all players who left the Rangers (Pudge did come back). As a matter of fact, here's 3 cards I got this week.

2. Have you ever thrown a card/cards away?

Don't judge me but, I'm sorry to say that I have actually thrown cards away. Let me preface that with they were newer cards and they were pretty jacked up. They were commons with major creases, I mean they looked really bad. I haven't and I can't imagine there being a vintage card that I would toss. Heck, half of the appeal of a vintage card is that it looks vintage!

3. How has your collecting changed since you've started collecting?

When I first started collecting it was about sets. Topps, Donruss, Fleer, etc...complete the set. I still collect sets. I don't buy completed ones, I open packs to get the majority of the set and then trade or pick up the ones I need to finish. I have added player collections. I've got a handful of players that I will pick up any of their cards. I also collect Topps playing days cards of certain players. The majority of these are newer players which makes it pretty easy to do, but I'm starting to branch out into older players. I've also added few subsets of insert cards that I try to get. It changes from year to year, but I do chase one or two for each release.

4. What's one tip that you would give a new collector?

I know this sounds cliche, but collect what makes you happy. Don't try to get everything, because there's just too much out there to chase. If you get too caught up in the chase or chase dollar signs I think you'll burn out or get frustrated and get out. Remember, its a hobby and is supposed to be fun!

5. What's one trend in the hobby that you don't like right now?

There is a growing trend that base cards are worthless and the only thing that matters are the parallels or inserts. It literally breaks my heart to watch people bust open a pack of cards, pull the inserts and leave the base cards on the counter at the LCS or to hear people say they toss them in the trash or burn them. If all you want are inserts and numbered cards, there are products out there for you. Quit wasting the other cards, there are those who want to collect them. 

I guess that's it for now. I hope you take the time to answer questions. I'm all about making friends, talking cards and trading cards.

Peace,

Michael

Isaiah 40:31

Ramblings of an old collector

 Pitchers and catchers reported, the rest of the teams reported and Spring Training rolled along and has come to a close.  I've never been to Spring Training. Those of you who have been or get to attend regularly, I'm a little jealous. Okay, I'm real jealous. One day, I will make it to Spring Training. Now, it's baseball time! Is there a better time of the year? 

Time to ramble.

* I completed my first set of 2026. Okay, its not a set, but a subset. I finally finished my 2023 Topps Father's Day patch set.

 

 

 

 

When I was down to about 10 cards, I found a pair of them on Facebook for a really good price so I picked them up. After that, I really started looking on TCDB to trade, but I couldn't find anyone willing to trade for the cards I needed. So I do what every other collector does, I went shopping online. I could find the cards pretty easily, but what people were asking for them I wasn't paying so it took awhile. Pete Alonso was the last card that I needed and found it on Ebay for a price I was willing to pay so I could finish the set. 

* Like I said in my last ramblings, I've been picking up card lots lately. I've recently got my hands on a 1980 and 1976 Topps lots. I'm about 50% on the '80 set, but only about 200 of the '76 set. I'm definitely not in a rush to complete these sets. The '80 set is in better condition than the '76 set, but its a start. 

* I'm not sure I know what I think about this MLBPA stuff. What I do know is that I don't want a strike next year. I hate it when there's a strike. 

* For the first time in a long time, my TCDB trade queue is empty. Part of the empty queue is on me because I haven't thrown any offers out there. I will say that I haven't been real successful lately finding trade partners. I guess I'm going to have to spend some more time figuring it out. 

* Shout out to Johnny's Trading Spot for sending me a bunch of Ranger cards. Johnny went above and beyond in sending these cards. It is greatly appreciated.

There are a few doubles in what was sent, but they will end up with my grandsons. All of these pictured made the collection!

* I'm a very patriotic person. When it's the USA versus anybody, nobody roots any harder for the Red, White and Blue than me. Now, I wouldn't say that I got into the WBC, but I was rooting for us to win. I understand there was some kind of controversy in that last game. I didn't see it, but okay. 

* Bought my first 2026 Topps baseball cards. I bought the last two fat packs at Walmart and this is what I pulled.

This is not a card for my collection, but I've got no idea what its worth. Anybody got any ideas, let me know. 

* Something else about the WBC. I was never an Aaron Judge fan, but I absolutely loved the way he talked about the honor and pride of wearing the USA jersey. Kind of changed my thoughts about him.  

* I went back to Walmart on a "honey do" run and picked up a Blaster box and really didn't do too bad. 

I like the All Topps Team cards, but I'm just not feeling it as far as choosing that to complete. I do think I'm going for the Big Ticket Players though. 

* One last thing to come out of the WBC...I call myself a baseball fan, but how in the world did I not know what kind of player Brice Turang is?? He's definitely someone that I'm going to start to follow a little bit more. 

I guess that's a wrap. Till next time!

Peace, 

Michael

Isaiah 40:31

Ramblings of an old collector

 

I love baseball...the smell a leather glove, the weight of a baseball in your hand. The pop a catcher's mitt, the knee-buckling curve ball, 6-4-3 double play, the diving catch in the outfield, the play at the plate...it doesn't get any better. Those that don't like the game, that say it's to slow or boring, don't see the artistry or the strategy that goes into it. They don't appreciate the one on one battle between pitcher and hitter. They don't understand what it takes to hit a round ball with a round bat coming at you at 90+ miles an hour or moving in a manner that seems to defy logic. Maybe, its one of those games that you had to play to understand and appreciate, I don't know. I do know that I can watch a game that ends 1-0 or 12-10 and enjoy both. 

I really love the history of the game. Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Joe Dimaggio, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Satchel Paige, etc...I could go on forever. I think that's why I really enjoy collecting cards. No, my collection is not that diverse, or exploding with vintage cards. My collection is not full of graded cards in order to flip for profit. My collection is just that, my collection. I collect what I like and try not to get too wrapped up in all of the other stuff that goes on in the hobby. If you enjoy the other stuff, grading, flipping, breaks, more power to you, that's not just for me. I hope you do it because you enjoy it and can appreciate the cards. 

Was that a ramble or preaching from a soapbox? Either way, on the ramblings!

* The design for 2026 Topps is out. Like most bloggers, I'm going to comment on the design. 

I like the white border. Hate it when the black or dark borders get nicked and show white. I like that the player's name is easy to read. I had a hard time with that in last year's design. I do think the design is kind of basic for the 75th Anniversary design. Overall, it's a decent design. Not spectacular but decent.

*Still missing 40 2024 Topps to complete my sets for my grandkids. I need 46 to finish 2025 Topps. Somehow, I've managed to put them on the backburner. I guess I figured I would just run across them. I'm going to have to put some effort into finishing these sets.

* No New Year's resolutions this year. Maybe a few goals. I haven't set them yet. I'll let you know when I know. 

*I've managed to purchase a few lots of Topps cards lately. The lots are of years I missed when I was on my hiatus from collecting or years I didn't have very many cards. I picked up 2008, 2009, 2010, 2016 and 2019 Topps lots. Now I've just got to get them organized. 

* I understand that MLB is going to use pitch challenges in Spring Training. I don't think I'm a fan of that. I like the human element in the game. I say that, even though I started out as a hater of the pitch clock and now I like it. I still think that MLB needs to tweak the pick-off throw rule.

* Huge shout out to my new friend Casey! He found my blog online and sent me a PIF gift of cards.

Casey sent a bunch of 2010s for my set and and a some Corey Seagers. The cards came at a great time because of some troubled times at my house. Thanks Casey! 

* The ice days around here have allowed me to do quite a bit of cleaning up in my card area. I'm still not done, but its way better than it was. 

I guess that's all for now. Hope everyone has a blessed day! 

Peace, 

Michael

Isaiah 40:31

Merry Christmas!

 

I just want to take a moment and wish everyone a Merry Christmas! There aren't enough words to describe how much I truly appreciate all of my blogging world friends. I hope everyone has a joyful and blessed Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas!

In Christ,

Michael

Isaiah 40:31

My Favorite players that I don't collect: The New York Mets

 Since I started this journey of getting one playing days card of my favorite players that I don't collect in New York with the Yankees, I thought I might as well do the Mets next and get out of New York! The Mets have had all kinds of great players come through their organization later on in their careers like the Great Willie Mays. Problem is I don't associate Willie Mays with the Mets. To me he will always be a Giant. That being said, there are players that I like that I do associate with the Mets. So, here are my favorite players that I don't collect who were New York Mets. 

My New York Mets list is pretty short comparatively to the Yankees. 

My first thoughts of Gary Carter will always be of an Expo, but if not Montreal, its the Mets. Since the Expos are no more, I'm going with the Mets. Now, I'm not going to say that I'm a big Gary Carter fan, but I did always seem to root for him. 

My favorite card of Gary is the 1980 Topps. As I've said before, you can't go wrong with a catcher's card depicting him making a play. One of the best to play the game.

Honestly, my first memories of Tom Terrific are with the Reds. As I got older and became more of a student of the game, that shifted. Kind of funny that my favorites off of the Mets so far actually come from other teams! Seaver was so dominant in '69 with a 25-7 record and a 2.21 ERA. I think he was even more so in '71. He was 20-10 and his ERA was 1.76. How in the world do you lose 10 games with an ERA that low?

       

'69 Topps or '71 Topps will be my choice to represent Seaver in my team collections. I'm leaning toward the '69, which I've already got, but I like the '71. I just don't know that I can find one in the condition that I would want. 

Being in an American League city and the fan of an American League team, I don't follow the NL as closely as I used to. I do keep up with the Braves, Cardinals and Dodgers more than the rest, but I always seemed to see David Wright on Sportscenter making a defensive play or coming up with a big hit. He always seemed to play the game with that characteristic of "whatever it takes for my team to be successful" attitude. You hear alot of players talk that way, but Wright seemed to walk the talk. 

I'm a sucker for the action shot, especially when you can see the ball that's being played, and the 2011 Topps card is a great one. 

That wraps up my favorite Mets players. Not near as many as the Yankees, but what do you do? Now, I'm sure that there are some that will ask about some other Mets, like Piazza, but for me, he's overrated. He's got a cool story and I appreciate the talent, but there's another catcher from that same time frame that will always rank ahead of him in my eyes.

Peace,

Michael

Isaiah 40:31

Ramblings of an old collector

 Random thoughts about baseball, baseball cards, collecting and life. 

* Congratulations to the Dodgers for winning their 9th World Series and back to back since 2000. Back in the day when it was the Dodgers vs Yankees, I was always rooting for the Dodgers. Not gonna lie, I was kind of rooting for the Blue Jays this time. American League, its been awhile since they won and I'm not a fan of dynasties unless it's my team! LOL!

* I am a fan of Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts and glad that they picked up another ring. Probably a bigger fan of Ohtani than the other two, but they are in my playing days collection. 

     

* Speaking of Ohtani and Freeman, I am still trying to get a couple of their rookie cards. 

     

I see the Ohtani Debut card all the time, it just hasn't been the right time or price. As far as the Freeman card goes, I never see that one out and about. I'm sure that one day I'll run across both of them at the right price.

* League MVPs were announced and no surprise it was Ohtani for the National League. As far as the American League goes there was some competition between Raleigh and Judge and it didn't seem as clear cut as Ohtani. To be honest, I was in Cal Raleigh's corner until I actually looked at some stats. Judge was the right call. Better average (.331 to .247), only 7 behind in home runs (53 to 60), scored more runs (137 to 110) and only 11 behind in RBIs (114 to 125). Now there is an argument to made about who was the most important to their team and I can't answer that one. All I can do is base it on what I saw in the stats and much to my chagrin I'd have to vote for Judge. 

* Now its time for the  Rule 5 players, free agency, trades, 40 man rosters, etc... All fun stuff! I've been trying to follow what's going on, but it's getting harder and harder. There are more false stories generated by AI that make it difficult. It was already difficult to decide what information you could trust, now it's near impossible. People will post just about anything to get clicks. 

* Until recently, the only cards I had on my wantlist in TCDB were the cards I needed for sets. About a month ago, I put some of my player collection wants on the wantlist too. Ever since, the majority of trade offers that I've received have been on those player collection wants. I wonder if that's because it seems as if the majority of the hobby has gone away from set collections and to player collections? Who knows?

I guess that's all for now. 

Peace, 

Michael

Isaiah 40:31

5 Questions for collectors Part 2

I think one of my favorite parts of collecting cards is the community that exists between collectors. I enjoy reading other collector's blogs. Finding out what they collect, finds that were made at shows or hearing about card shops and trades that were made. I try really hard to comment on the blogs that I read. I don't always because sometimes, I don't have anything to say, but I do try to say something on most of them. 

I do like learning more about fellow collectors. What they collect, how they collect, where they find their cards, etc... Ever since I found out Johnny's Trading Spot is a Braves collector, Night Owl, the king of the Dodgers collector and Nacho Grande the Barry Larkin guy, just to name a few, when I run across something maybe I pick it up, or wonder if they already have it. Most of the time, I figure they already have it. I do know that if I pull a card and don't need it, but it fits their collection, I have no problem sending it their way.

All of that to say, I like learning about people and their collections. I learned quite a bit in my first 5 questions post. (If you missed that one, check it out and answer the questions!) To continue that, here's round two of 5 questions for collectors. 

 Question 1: How did you get started collecting cards?

I got started collecting back in 1980. The summer of 1980 I started working at a card shop owned by a family friend and Dr. James Beckett. I had some cards before I started working there, but definitely wouldn't consider myself a collector, just a baseball fan. Working at the card shop really piqued my interest in cards. I really got into collecting in 1981. In 1981 the hot card was the '80 rookie Rickey Henderson and there were a lot of collectors still chasing the '79 Ozzie Smith. 

     

The thing that drew me into collecting though was the release of the new Fleer cards. The Fleer error cards were a big thing at the time. Especially, the "C" Nettles card. I believe chasing the "C" Nettles card is what really got me into card collecting. 

    

From there it just took off. I will say, I used to think I had a ton of cards. After seeing some of the collections of others, I'm just small potatoes. Being small potatoes fits me just fine, because I can't even find enough time to do all that I want to do with my cards. 

Question 2: How do you store and display your cards?

My card collecting space is extremely limited. I have a storage cabinet in the garage that holds all of my non-Topps cards. I have two glass door cabinets that hold the majority of my cards. I have a couple of shelves to display some of my favorites. I do have some plans to build some wall displays for my cards. 

My complete sets are in binders...all but those that I haven't moved to binders. My subset collection gets put in a subset binder when they're complete.

    

I've got two different types player collections. First, are my main players that I collect. It's dominated by Rangers (of course!), but I've got some other guys I collect too. The main players that I collect are Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Evan Carter, Wyatt Langford, Jacob deGrom, Josh Smith, Bobby Witt Jr., Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw, Adrian Beltre and Pudge Rodriguez. I've got a pretty good start on Jack Leiter and several Nathan Eovaldi who might become a main collection too. Most of these in this collection are in top loaders. Carter, Seager, Semien, Langford, Smith and Witt Jr. are in binders. 

     

My other player collection is my Topps playing days cards. These are just some of my all-time favorites and their Topps base cards. These cards are also in binders. 

Question 3: How much do you consider condition/centering when adding a card to your collection?

This is a tough question to answer. The best way for me to answer this is on a card by card basis. The older the card the more leeway I give on condition and centering. I still want to see some border on all sides of the card and I don't want the back of the card to be so off-centered that you can't read it. I think the biggest thing I struggle with is paper loss. I'm better at accepting it if it's on the back of the card, but not interested at all if it's on the front. Just not a fan of paper loss. 

Question 4: What is your biggest regret when it comes to card collecting?

I have two regrets when it comes to my collection. First, was missing out on a '57 Roberto Clemente. I saw one that I liked at card show that I said I'd come back for and when I did, it was gone. 

The second one and probably the biggest is taking all of those years off between collecting. Basically, I took off card collecting from 1998 to 2017. It's been fun, but a little difficult trying to fill in the holes. I still have a long ways to go, but I'm enjoying it. I'm about to start looking for some starter sets for some of those missing years. So, get ready guys I'm about to come calling.

Question 5: When you are thinking about your cards, are you thinking about the ones you have or the ones you are chasing?

This is a really interesting question. I think I spend more time thinking about the chase than I do what I've already got. I'm not sure why. Is it that I enjoy the chase more than the card itself? I really like the cards, so I don't think it's just the chase. That being said, I really don't spend much time looking at my cards that I have either. Maybe asking myself this question will remind me to appreciate what I have already found and spend some time looking thru my collection. 

That's it for the 5 questions. Please take a moment and answer the questions! Let's keep growing the community of card collectors!

Peace,

Michael

Isaiah 40:31