Questions for "type" collectors

[marvymelvin]

So, about 20 years ago after my Dads passing (I have talked about him a bit previously about his "big trip to the Big City" in 1959 and saw the Yanks play the Orioles) I began putting together a set of 1960 Topps Yankees in as best as condition as possible. I finished that about a year ago. I also bought a 1952 Topps Mantle about 5 years ago after selling some properties. Then I fell off of the card planet per se. Just this past spring I joined net54 and have been slowly but surely expanding my collection of strictly Yankees pre-war all the way up to my 1960 team set. Well, it gets pretty boring in between time when the cards I am hunting, or the funds, are not available.

I think it would be fun to pick up a pre-war card or two along the way from different sets. Obviously grabbing a Yankee/Highlander would be the best for my likes, however not always available, and also not available at the right price.

So to my questions about type collecting.

How do you select the player you want to represent each set in your type collection? Favorite player, only HOFers, or do you just grab any player?

Does any type collector out there collect by a favorite team?

I would love to read posts or hear from all of the "type" collectors on the board to share about how you do it. I am grateful as always for your input.

[Louieman]

For me, I'll sometimes pick my favorite player from a set, but more often than not, I decide based on which card is the most aesthetically pleasing, as a total package. For example I really want to get the 1949 Bowman Paige, but just as strongly I got the 1949 Bowman Andy Seminick because I think it looks better than any card in the set. Sometimes the aesthetic of the set drives me to get one, and then I have to pick whichever card I like the most. For example I really like the 1933 George C. Miller set, and the one card that I really want is the Alexander card, b/c it looks the best imo

I like obscure sets as well, but again it comes down to the aesthetic of it

[Vintagecatcher]

Hi Brad,

When I started my collection, I picked 7 catchers that had the greatest variety of "type" cards available. I also enjoyed picking up types from some of the classic sets: T3 Turkey Reds, T206 White Borders, M116 Sporting Life, T205s, and T207s.

It was fun having some common threads between the players, and it made for an interesting display.

Best of luck in your collecting quest,

Patrick

[ethicsprof]

one of my favorite things about type collecting is the freedom to choose whatever 'suits my fancy' as the representative for a particular type.
Sometimes it may be a big catcher's mitt that i'll be looking for. For example,
my representatives for T210 is Smith(Lynchburg) with mitt; for D311 Mitze with mitt; for e106 Gibson back with mitt; for T222 Lapp with mitt and another Lapp with mitt for T5; for t206 spencer with mitt(Lionel carter) and
carrigan with mitt; m101-2 ira Thomas with mitt; for dietsche PC Charles Schmidt with mitt. Over the last 7 years or so, I've at times looked for a hall of famer, other times looking for the 'unknowns' who played very little, other times looking for cards which may match or come close to matching some of
my type 1 photos. etcetera.
It's all great fun and a fascinating conduit toward 'knowing' the history of vintage baseball.
all the best to you in your type collecting,
Barry

[ValKehl]

Brad, in addition to type cards, I collect cards of Walter Johnson, Sam Rice, and, more recently, cards of all the other players on the 1924 Washington Senators championship team. My cards of WaJo, Rice, and the other 1924 Senators also serve double duty as my type cards. For the sets that these players are not in, I try to get any Washington players (but some sets don't have any Washington players) or at least players who played for Washington at some time during their careers.
Val

[jbhofmann]

Call me a newbie or a rube but what exactly constitutes "type" collecting?

All cards of the same font? (I know, terrible joke..)



But seriously, would someone mind explaining it a little?

[ullmandds]

I used to be a "type" collector(trying to collect a "type" card of each ACC designated card set...ie-e90-e107)...but I eventually got burnt out spending lots of $$$$ on cards that meant little to me so I refocused.


Some people have HOF type collections...some focus on a specific team...but some issues are just so tough that just finding one is a challenge.


Personally I have grown to appreciate type collections a lot more that have a more specific focus...ie. team...catchers only.

[Leon]

Call me a newbie or a rube but what exactly constitutes "type" collecting?

All cards of the same font? (I know, terrible joke..)

But seriously, would someone mind explaining it a little?

A type collector generally wants a type of each card. Then there are set collectors who collect sets.

[bwbc917]

I am a Cleveland Indians type collector. My goal would be to get one type of each card, pin, stamp etc. that showed a Cleveland Indian. This started in the late 70's when I got back into cards. (Yep all my childhood cards were gone and by my own choice, DOH!!). Since I retired in 2008 the collection has blossomed.
I know some cards I will never get because of cost or scarcity, JUST SO for example. I do have hope of getting an E-107 one of these days. I have 18 "cards" still on the list that I feel I can legitimately find and afford.
I also collect the current cards. That is a mind-boggling and time consuming effort. I guess I could make it simple by getting a 2014 Topps card, one Bowman etc, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I have to try to get one with each kind of border etc.
For ex. I have 8 different styles of card from the recent Bowman chrome and there are some types I have yet to get.
That's a brief look into one guy's obsession.

[Exhibitman]

I wouldn't call myself a hardcore type card collector but I end up collecting types as I try to get cards of the players I collect. If I like the set, I will probably collect more than one card from it. In prewar, I collect Lefty O'Doul cards, so his cards are my go-to types:

Leader Novelty:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/frankleftyodoulcard/leader%20novelty%20odoul.jpg

W553:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/frankleftyodoulcard/1929%20W553%20OquDoul%202.jpg

US Caramel:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/frankleftyodoulcard/1932%20US%20Caramel%20OquDoul.jpg

and so on.

For postwar, I collect Aaron, Koufax and Al Rosen, so that covers a lot of ground there.

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/miscellaneous4/websize/1954%20Johnston%20Cookies%20Aaron.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/miscellaneous4/websize/1960%20Morrell%20Koufax.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/miscellaneous4/websize/1954%20Red%20Heart%20Rosen.JPG

If one of my players isn't in a set, I usually choose another player whose card appeals to me. I always try for a HOFer or popular player, like this Foxx I got as an RDM Studio [Burke] type:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/miscellaneous5/websize/1936%20RPPC%20Foxx_%20Jimmie%20by%20Burke.png

I don't care for commons unless the set is really rare. This 'common', for example, is just dandy with me:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/saleholding/websize/Darby%201.jpg

As you can see, I am not a condition bug either.

[darwinbulldog]

I usually just take whatever I can get my hands on at a decent price, but I'm a little more liberal with my idea of what constitutes a "decent price" when it's a player or image I particularly like.

[Rickyy]

The best part about "type" collecting is you can always change it up to suit your tastes as they morph and change... I have sometimes collected the same player on different issues, and then sold them and changed them up... currently have a mix of HOF and commons... vertical and horizontal poses etc..

Ricky Y