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
Blogging is still the best for finding a collecting community that is on your wave length. Other social media is OK, too, but I still don't know why a lot of collectors left blogging.
ReplyDelete1. I don't collect players, I collect my team. So if the player leaves my team I won't want his cards because he's not on the right team!
2. Yes, I've thrown cards away, I've written about that. There are cards -- junk wax cards are a good example -- that if they're in bad shape, they're not going to fit in your collection (unless they're the first cards you collected) and nobody's going to want them. So why have them fill up space?
3. I still collect much like when I started -- collect my team and try to collect the set. The set-collecting days are starting to go away, at least for modern sets, because of the changes in product and the hobby.
4. Ignore the dollar signs. Too much of the hobby is connected to that, whether it's prospect chasing or grading. You're going to burn out.
5. Too many of them: short-printing base cards, paralleling everything, hyper-inflating prices on cards that are not rare, catering to the breaker crowd, cost-cutting by Fanatics. I could make a long list.
1) My first priority are my Braves: If it is a Braves card it gets top honor in my collection, middle priority (which is going by the wayside quickly) are my set builds: if I need the card I need the card, and lastly is the PC (guys I collect) I grab them all then at some point in the future I check to see if I needed it, lol. That too has been cut in half, and hopefully will get cut again in half in the coming years but that is unlikely.
ReplyDelete2) Absolutely, and probably should dump tens of thousands more right into the trash and not just jink wax - I have monster boxes of Topps flagship from just about every year that just occupy boxes and and a whole lot of space.
3) When I first started collecting I built the Topps sets, then I went to collecting everything, and I mean everything: master sets, got rid of everything but Braves, and that didn't last too long, and quickly turned into set builds again, but not all sets like I do now (sort of), and then added player collections. The later two need to stop especially the set builds beyond flagship Topps and even that is pushing it's limits.
4) I would tell the new guy, don't fall for the money grabs just keep it FUN!
5) Almost everything these days. Big breakers is where Fanatics is focused, then the slabbing industry, but the absolute worst is the 57 parallels for every set released.
1. No
ReplyDelete2. Only ones that are destroyed.
3. Not many changes.
4. Enjoy the hobby!
5. Parallels that are hard to identify correctly.
1. Do you stop collecting a player when they leave your favorite team? Absolutely not. Couldn't care less about team affiliations.
ReplyDelete2. Have you ever thrown a card/cards away? Yes, but they deserved it.
3. How has your collecting changed since you've started collecting? I became more focused - as a kid it was get one of everything. In my return I had a long list of items I wanted and over time I have focused it more on more on the cards I want the most.
4. What's one tip that you would give a new collector? Keep in mind the opportunity cost of what enters your collection. Adding every card you like might prevent you from owning the card you love.
5. What's one trend in the hobby that you don't like right now? Petty fraud. It seems like there is some quantity of outright deception and lying that takes place in online card listings that is below the level of law enforcement. The part that bugs me is how often people just shrug and go along with it.
1. Just a set builder as my PC guys rarely changed teams.
ReplyDelete2. Unfortunately yes when they were floating in flood water from my mother's basement
3.I deal with changes all the time when I see cards
4. Ya hit the nail on the head
5. Tired of all the shiny stuff as well the slabbed as well all the supposed collectors when they just want a fast buck as well some of them couldn't tell you the difference between an original version compared to remake version
1. Do you stop collecting a player when they leave your favorite team?
ReplyDeleteNot really. I might take a break from collecting their stuff, but eventually I go back and collect them again.
2. Have you ever thrown a card/cards away?
Yeah. I've come across moldy cards in collection purchases. I dumped those. I'm sure I've done it other times as well, but it's early and I haven't had my coffee yet.
3. How has your collecting changed since you've started collecting?
I started collecting baseball cards in 1981, so a lot has changed. Back then I had an allowance of a dollar or two, maybe less. My collecting budget has obviously increased, so that's the biggest change. But I've also added new athletes, teams, and sports that I collect since back then.
4. What's one tip that you would give a new collector?
I'd say collect what you want to collect and don't worry about anyone else. I'd also toss in something about collecting within your means. I dealt with CC debt when I was in my 20's and it was arguably the hardest (and greatest) life lesson I ever learned.
5. What's one trend in the hobby that you don't like right now?
I'm not a fan of the excessive parallels and inserts card companies are shoveling into packs. I wish they were more limited, so when you pulled one it felt like a "win".
1. There was a time when Barry Larkin was rumored to be going to the Mets and I had to weigh whether or not I'd continue collecting his stuff. Luckily for me, Larkin retired a Red. He's the only player that I have a true PC for.
ReplyDelete2. Damaged cards that are "worthless" even when not damaged get used as packing material, I don't know that I've ever actually thrown a card out. Recycle/reuse I say.
3. When I got back into collecting, I thought I'd collect a ton of sets AND collect all the Reds cards I could. A year or two ago, I gave up on the Reds aspect of my collection. I no longer consider myself a team collector, I have one Reds "Frankenset" and that's it. I do still have my Larkin PC, and I've got several other players for whom I stash cards when I acquire them, but none of those are true PCs (Griffey, Votto, and some of the current Reds that might be worth collecting down the line).
4. Don't yuck someone's yum, and don't let others yuck your yum. By that, I mean everyone likes different things (and that's okay). Some people love high-end stuff and throw base cards out, others only want to collect early 90s "junk wax." Do what makes you happy. Also, for as much as I love TCDB, don't let the collection numbers drive you to do stupid things to be #1 at something.
5. Selfishly, I hate that blogging seems to be waning. I also hate that Topps/Fanatics seem to no longer care about set collectors.
I like your answer on #5. Base cards are important to me in all eras
ReplyDelete