I've read that Blogger has been having problems and I've noticed that a lot of us bloggers don't seem to be writing as much. I know I haven't written as much. Kind of hard for me to see if blogs are being viewed as often either as I haven't written consistently and my readership numbers have never been that big anyway. No complaints, just curious as to what others think. Since I've put that out there I might as well ask some more Questons from the Dugout(new name!).
Question: What matters more to you: the player, the card design, rarity, or value?
I thought this question wouldn't be too difficult, but it wasn't an easy answer for me. After much thought, the player and the card design are the two most important aspects to me. I'm going to collect the annual Topps set, so that design and those players are a given, but when it comes to subsets, Heritage, or anything else the design is what gets me to chase it.
When it comes to players, I'm going to collect the Topps playing days cards of those players that I really like. There are several out there that I want to collect that I haven't really started, but will one day. Plus there are my player collections too.
Question: Would you rather have a great local card shop or a great card show once a month?
This one was easier for me. I'd rather have a great card show than a great local card store. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a great LCS nearby, but I'd want it to be like the old card stores. You know, the ones that had a ballgame on the TV, cards sorted by year for set builds, stars sorted by player. You could go hang out, talk sports and look at cards. Those don't exist around here anymore. Public Service Announcement-If you have a LCS like that around you, make sure that you support it. They are a dying breed. Now back to the regularly scheduled show...
The best thing about a great monthly card show is options, options options! There are more variety of cards and more price points on something you are looking for. There's also a revolving inventory. Plus, you get to meet people from all over. The one drawback is timing. Having to wait for the monthly show and having my personal schedule cleared in order to attend.
Speaking of card shows, I picked these two cards up at a show recently.
Would you rather have a great local card shop or a great card show once a month? Easily the card show.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes you walk away from a dealer’s table? A fundamental disconnect between card condition and price. While a *true* Near Mint '52 Topps common can be $100 or more, I immediately bounce from a table when I see the same card in no better than Good condition with rounded corners and a $50 sticker.
Q1. I'd say the player (and team) matters most... followed by design. Rarity and value are fun components of collecting, but since I don't sell cards very often... it doesn't matter nearly as much as the first two things.
ReplyDeleteQ2. I'd rather have a great LCS that has amazing dime boxes and quarter bins. I already have access to some cool card shows. I just don't attend them, because I'm too cheap to pay for admission. But honestly... my #1 choice would be to have another great flea market to walk around. I love them way more than card shows or card shops.
Q3. Pokemon and slabs. Although I have both sitting in my collection, I don't actively seek either at card shows. Although my last two eBay purchases were cards that had been slabbed (for autograph authenticity purposes). I will also walk away from a dealer's table if there's a lot of people around. I'm not a big fan of crowds... especially when we're fighting over dime cards.
1) I'm a team collector first and set builder 2nd. Design would be next with value and rarity equally last.
ReplyDelete2) I have a great local card shop, and know of many within a 90 minute drive, but you can only visit them so many times before it becomes nothing to see. I don't rip boxes so the new stuff doesn't pull me in. I'd rather find bulk deals afterwards. Usually comes in much much cheaper. The same can almost be said for card shows, but there is always a chance that a table or two will have the bulk deals that I like.
3) I'm pretty much with you on the walk away from tables pretty quickly too. I do like non-sports cards, just try to avoid the "new stuff especially Pokemon/gaming. If I see slabs I'm probably not going to look at anything else on the table drives me away like it was the devil. For me to spend time a dealers table there has to be lots and lots of baseball RAW baseball cards.
3
1. Player then Design. I like Heritage as well.
ReplyDelete2. Never been to either one.
3. Same as Q2.
Great questions and thought behind them. Enjoy it all!
1. The set has to have more then design to me if I can make it without having to find a lot of SPs
ReplyDelete2. I can't decide on both cause I prefer both to help with not just my needs but my friends in the blogging world as well my other trading friends
3. Alot of slabs or overpriced or very rude dealers that ignore when trying to to conversation with them as well waiting patiently to pay only to have them start packing up or not willing to unload a bunch of stuff for a reasonable price
1. I need both design and the player photo, that's what made the '70s and '80s so great. When design became diminished cards got samey-same. I can't collect just the player, that's just collecting photographs.
ReplyDelete2. Card show. I didn't grow up with any reliable LCS, many of them over the years have been suspect. Plus I love variety and that's what card shows offer. I love them.
3. I walked away from a table this weekend because a customer was cleaning out the dealer's discount box and moving them to a nearby table to assess what he needed and didn't, meaning anyone else shopping at the table couldn't look through those cards. The dealer wasn't saying anything so I walked.
I think the blogger issues have been pretty much fixed, for now anyway.
1) It's a combination of player and design. I'm always on the lookout for Red Sox players, but I want the card to look good too.
ReplyDelete2) A great card show - even if I never spend a cent, I can spend hours going up and down the aisles just looking at the cards.
3) I'll walk away if the dealer doesn't clearly price what his cards are going for. Conversely, if he has a cheap dime/quarter box full of cards and doesn't have any organization to them, I'm not going to waste my time digging through them.
1. I collect any card, within reason, of my two main players; Francisco Lindor and Jose Rameriz. I don't need all the various numbered cards but like to have a variety of cards. Now for my new Florida/ Miami Marlins I want to collect any and all cards because I plan various projects with those cards.
ReplyDelete2. As for a card shop or card show, I would love to have a local shop that I could go to pass time and meet other collectors in my area. Like you though I would want it to be old school style with boxes to dig through. There is a card show nearby but it is every other month and I try to go a couple of times a year. That allows me to see fresh inventory from the dealers.
3. The biggest turnoff to me in going to card shows is a dealer that does not have clear pricing points. I should not have to ask how much cards are; as a dealer have your price points visible to all who come to your table.