Why we collect what we collect

[Vintagevault13]

For me, collecting is very personal and goes way beyond just collecting what I like. My collection mainly consists of:

Hank Aaron: favorite player. Growing up in ATL, he was AND is "the man".
Reggie Jackson: other favorite player. Started collecting in 1974. Reggie
epitomized the mid-late 70's (see 5 WS rings in 7 yrs).
Topps sets: 1974-1981. Sets I collected as a child/early teen.
1965 Topps: birth year
1952 Topps: collecting low-mid grade (very slowly). Always seemed like the
ultimate set.

I know we all collect for different reasons. I look forward to reading other responses and reflections.

[Bestdj777]

Mantle because he was my mom's favorite growing up and because I had no idea how many cards there was for him when I got started.

[ALR-bishop]

i was born in 1950, started collecting in 1957, and have never really stopped. With one exception everything I collect in postwar, because those are the players I grew up with and actually saw play.

I have collected everything listed for Topps in the Standard Catalog from 1948 to 1994. After 1994 I have only collected the regular set, any update to it and all the Heritage sets. I have included an unopened pack and any variations listed in SCD, Beckett or the registry in all the sets

I also have collected Fleer, 1923 ( only prewar ) and 1959 to 2007. Most of the many Fleer sets I have collected from 1964 to 1980 are not catalogued anywhere that I know of except for the Fleer Sticker Blog

Mostly now I just do recurring variants/print defects and unissued Topps test sets.

Mostly what I miss today are those wonderful wax packs and cards that came out of them bathed in gum dust and smelling just right

[gnpaden]

1958 because it is my Dad's birth year
1955 because I love the horizontal cards
Michael Jordan because growing up in the 90's there wasn't anyone else..

[KCRfan1]

Mostly what I miss today are those wonderful wax packs and cards that came out of them bathed in gum dust and smelling just right[/QUOTE]

Amen to that.....

[KCRfan1]

Mostly what I miss today are those wonderful wax packs and cards that came out of them bathed in gum dust and smelling just right

Amen to that......

[Mark70Z]

Brooks Robinson - hero growing up.

Orioles memorabilia - favorite team growing up and never stopped lovin' the O's...

[Laxcat]

Maris- started strong with the collection from my dad. I have always seen Roger Maris as, my personal, Steve McQueen of baseball.

Clemente- cause damn. Awesome human. Great ball player. Loved his fans and played for one team.

T206's- we all have to chase a ghost or two right?

[pawpawdiv9]

so i can have a man cave!!!
I started early with some of those 88 donruss & early 90's topps....but too busy with school back then. Afterward school, started doing Nascar stuff. Those dang die-cast cars take up to much room. I need to sell that stuff to make room. Sometime after Dale Sr death, i stopped collecting for like 8-10 yrs and concentrated just on work. A few years ago, i come back into the hobby after a long snap. Decided to go the Mickey Mantle route and collect all the years 50-60's and several oddballs. Won several lots in a AH and got a new buddy (Bestdj777) who shared my interest in Micks. After acquiring the 'white whale' 52 Mick, i basically was done.
So i changed my focus to just HoF'ers RC's and just recently sold off most of the Micks to be able to do more projects, like the Ty Cobb T206 cards, which i got the red & green.
Of course theres several more cards i love to grab, but i got where i dont just settle, i try to get a nice centered one.
BTW, i also have had a few football RCs i had to grab while on the chase. WHAT A THRILL RIDE it had been so far!!

[JoeDfan]

Joe D., because when I was a little kid, my dad had a baseball room. He loved Mick, and had all his cards. They were the front and center showpiece. But I always loved to look at his little Joe shrine in the back corner.
Dad is gone, but that shrine lives on.

[Econteachert205]

I try to collect the things I dreamt about having as a kid.

[pokerplyr80]

I try to collect the things I dreamt about having as a kid.

Same here. Lately I've been picking up the cards I always wanted growing up. I still have quite a few to go. Just picked up a Mantle rookie and working on getting his regular issue from every year. Have about half so far.

[RTK]

I try to collect the things I dreamt about having as a kid.

So true, the memories of riding our bikes to the local store, buying two or three wax packs, and opening them up on the front porch. I was born in 1960, my first cards were from 1965, a time before cards were something akin to blue chip stocks on the NYSE. We wanted our home team guys, especially the Cubs since we lived in suburban Chicago maybe Mantle, Aaron & Mays as well. I suppose that's why I'm not caught up in graded cards, slabbed, locked down pieces of card board. I like the idea of what kid owned the cards, where they were bought, who touched them and how they were treasured.

[Vintagevault13]

So true, the memories of riding our bikes to the local store, buying two or three wax packs, and opening them up on the front porch. I suppose that's why I'm not caught up in graded cards, slabbed, locked down pieces of card board. I like the idea of what kid owned the cards, where they were bought, who touched them and how they were treasured.


Couldn't agree more!



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[MCoxon]

Style: player collecting because I feel its a bit more manageable. You can start with a basic set, and once mastered, move on to the master set if you still are into it.

Players and Teams:

1) Cleveland Indians, and especially Rocky Colavito because he was my mom and uncles' favorite. Also Feller because he was a great man

2) Sandy Koufax because he was a left-handed pitcher, and growing up I wore #32 as a left-handed pitcher because of him.

3) Roberto Clemente because of his passion for the game and for helping others; one of his was also the first "vintage" baseball card I ever got (1972 Topps in-action)

4) Pete Rose, because he's got an intriguing/notorious character; he was big when I grew up; and I sense he's got a lot of upside potential if his image is fully rehabilitated

5) Hank Aaron, because I can't think of another player in any sport who could hold so many all-time records and yet be under-rated at the same time. He was so consistently great for so long and faced tremendous pressures chasing Ruth.

Sets: I bounce around sets based on what appeals to me aesthetically. I started big into '56 and '57 Topps. But lately I have gotten more into '71 Topps and the '70 Kellogg set not because they're very important sets or hobby standards, but because they look so great

[SAllen2556]

Overall, I collect based on the periods when my home team was good. Unlike the stupid Yankees, my Tigers didn't have decades of dominance - just a few blips here and there.

Collecting Diamond Stars and '34 Goudey as I've learned more about Tiger history and what great teams they had from the mid 30's to the mid 40's. Even getting into the 1887 Detroit Wolverines. Just got a Charlie Bennett Allen & Ginter. And have picked up some t206 Tigers for the '07-09 years.

And it goes without saying, the sets when I was a kid. My dad collected coins so he understood the collecting sickness! He used to help me send in my mail orders to Renato Galasso and take me to the big card shows.

And count me as one who hates graded cards. I understand why, but I still hate 'em. I don't see the point of buying a card if you can't feel it or smell it.
The smell of wax on a baseball card is as alluring to me as any French perfume on a beautiful woman....well...no...but it's close!

[JollyElm]

The smell of wax on a baseball card is as alluring to me as any French perfume on a beautiful woman....well...no...but it's close!

Exactly!! And to extend your metaphor, I would much rather see a beautiful girl absolutely naked than see her wearing a full length parka.

[Vintagevault13]

Exactly!! And to extend your metaphor, I would much rather see a beautiful girl absolutely naked than see her wearing a full length parka.


Possibly the best argument yet for raw cards [emoji38]


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[ls7plus]

Stars and HOF'ers across eras; those who made a significant impact on the game (excluding some I have met personally and have proven to have one public persona, and another in private, with the latter tending towards being a true A-hole). The card connects you to the player and takes you back to the time (and sometimes also the place,i.e., with regional issues). With photographic type images, the card has captured an instant in the player's life, to be preserved for years, decades, centuries, even millennia. The history of the game you can truly hold in your hand!

Larry

[Brianruns10]

Because of what these cards meant.

I collect '52s, having picked up the bug from my Dad who saved all his cards from '57 to '63. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, by which time baseball had lost its luster. I never really fell in love with the game, never had a great sports team I followed. The players were all rich free agents who'd abandon their team and town for another if the money was good enough, and would do roids if it meant they'd accumulate homeruns that much faster. Baseball cards of the period were prefab collectibles that went straight from the shelves to dealer's cases. Never loved, never cherished, and frankly they were quite ugly.

I fell in love with the old cards because they represent a different time that I sorely wish I could've experienced. Each card I handle, I think of the kid who bought it, using allowance money or lawnmower money, and always to the chagrin of his parents. I think of how he admired those players, who all worked regular jobs in the off season, who were equal parts athlete, greek god and older brother, rolled up in one.

I think of my dad who tells me stories of how he and his friends would bike all over town in search of the the latest series of cards. He'd tell me about his most cherished players (Joe Adcock and Stan Musial). When I ask him what baseball was like in the 50s when he was growing up, he gets a distant look in his eye and says, "Oh baseball was *everything*."

I think of how these cards in their own subtle way helped push civil rights forward. Look at the '52 set...the black players aren't treated any differently from the whites. The vaunted sixth series kicks off with the stars of each of the three New York teams: Mantle, Thomson and Robinson. That HAD to have had an impact on kids, even if they didn't realize it. It didn't matter that Robinson was black. What mattered was, he was a damn good player.

I wish I could've known that feeling of a kid in the 50s. Wish I could've gone to a Dodgers game at Ebbet's field. Wish I could've seen a team chock full of players who made their whole careers with a team, who had some semblance of loyalty. Of course the players had their vices..they drank, smoked, slept around and swore. They might scuff up the ball or steal signs. But they didn't shoot up and become monsters to slug homeruns. They were regular guys, and the cards captured that.

And lets not forget the cards themselves, which I collect as works of art. Gorgeous colors and wonderful design, and not with the intent of being instantly collected, but made to be enjoyed and swapped. Made to be fun. Sure I have to watch my budget, and I don't spend carelessly. I'd like to make my money back if and when I sell a card. But ultimately I have fun doing this, and I love looking at and reading these cards, and imaging where they've come from, and where they'll go to next. It's a hell of a hobby.

[Leon]

I enjoy collecting baseball cards because I grew up playing baseball, I am a collector and hoarder :) by nature and it keeps me out of bars at night!! (and I like collecting stuff we don't see every day...)

[Vintagevault13]

Because of what these cards meant.



I collect '52s, having picked up the bug from my Dad who saved all his cards from '57 to '63. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, by which time baseball had lost its luster. I never really fell in love with the game, never had a great sports team I followed. The players were all rich free agents who'd abandon their team and town for another if the money was good enough, and would do roids if it meant they'd accumulate homeruns that much faster. Baseball cards of the period were prefab collectibles that went straight from the shelves to dealer's cases. Never loved, never cherished, and frankly they were quite ugly.



I fell in love with the old cards because they represent a different time that I sorely wish I could've experienced. Each card I handle, I think of the kid who bought it, using allowance money or lawnmower money, and always to the chagrin of his parents. I think of how he admired those players, who all worked regular jobs in the off season, who were equal parts athlete, greek god and older brother, rolled up in one.



I think of my dad who tells me stories of how he and his friends would bike all over town in search of the the latest series of cards. He'd tell me about his most cherished players (Joe Adcock and Stan Musial). When I ask him what baseball was like in the 50s when he was growing up, he gets a distant look in his eye and says, "Oh baseball was *everything*."



I think of how these cards in their own subtle way helped push civil rights forward. Look at the '52 set...the black players aren't treated any differently from the whites. The vaunted sixth series kicks off with the stars of each of the three New York teams: Mantle, Thomson and Robinson. That HAD to have had an impact on kids, even if they didn't realize it. It didn't matter that Robinson was black. What mattered was, he was a damn good player.



I wish I could've known that feeling of a kid in the 50s. Wish I could've gone to a Dodgers game at Ebbet's field. Wish I could've seen a team chock full of players who made their whole careers with a team, who had some semblance of loyalty. Of course the players had their vices..they drank, smoked, slept around and swore. They might scuff up the ball or steal signs. But they didn't shoot up and become monsters to slug homeruns. They were regular guys, and the cards captured that.



And lets not forget the cards themselves, which I collect as works of art. Gorgeous colors and wonderful design, and not with the intent of being instantly collected, but made to be enjoyed and swapped. Made to be fun. Sure I have to watch my budget, and I don't spend carelessly. I'd like to make my money back if and when I sell a card. But ultimately I have fun doing this, and I love looking at and reading these cards, and imaging where they've come from, and where they'll go to next. It's a hell of a hobby.


Great post. I also collect 52's (lower grade) for many of the same reasons you stated. Especially for 50's cards, I love "well-worn and loved" cards because I know each card has a history. Imagine the child that opened the pack 60+ years ago is now 70+ years old!


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[Vintagevault13]

I enjoy collecting baseball cards because I grew up playing baseball, I am a collector and hoarder :) by nature and it keeps me out of bars at night!! (and I like collecting stuff we don't see every day...)


So true. While I occasionally get in the doghouse for spending too much, there are definitely worse vices! I have to remind my wife of this every so often (actually she is quite supportive of my hobby/addiction - as long as I don't go too overboard).


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[dclarkraiders]

I am intrigued with the 1950's which is mainly what I focus on in my collecting endeavours. I was born in 1962 so I obviously missed that time period. When I was a kid(early 70's), my Dad, brother and I would play each other in APBA Baseball(1950's players) and my Dad would tell us stories of the players that we had on our teams while we were playing. Some of the players on my APBA team were mediocre(kidding) players named Aaron, Mays, Robinson, Adcock, Campanella, etc. I am mainly focused on Brooklyn Dodgers 1950's players at this time even though my favorite team is the Baltimore Orioles(second favorite is the Dodgers). My Dad was a big time Dodgers fan and I guess that I am collecting the players that he got to see play in person. I just got back into the Hobby a year and a half ago and I decided to collect some of my Dad's favorite players. Currently I am focused on Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, Clem Labine and Carl Erskine and will expland it futher after I have obtained one of each players card that is either a Topps , Bowman or Play Ball in a Dodgers uniform.

Duane

[WillBBC]

Clemente--when I was 14 I went to the Hall of Fame with my late father. They had a huge Clemente exhibit running that just opened my eyes to his era. I couldn't get enough.

Yankees--grew up in north Jersey going to a dozen or so games every season, perfect timing.

T206 Brooklyn players--I could listen to my grandparents talk about living in Brooklyn in the early 20th century for hours, and I did. It never, ever got old. My grandfather absolutely ate up baseball in New York for decades. So I figured why not, let's start nabbing some of these beautiful cards.

Great idea for a thread, brings back many, many great memories.

[rjackson44]

ed stop buying my stuff

[71buc]

I am a child of the 70’s and a product of a biracial marriage. At an early age I was very much aware that what was occurring in my house was different from the homes of my friends. My home sounded and smelled different. Spanish was my mother’s preferred way of speaking to me. It embarrassed me when she did so in front of my friends. I always answered in English.
Then I found baseball and the 1971 Pirates. They too were distinctly different. Many of their best players spoke Spanish and they carried themselves with a cocky swagger. In short to the eight year old version of me they were F**king cool. They were Carlos Santana, Celia Cruz, Johnny Cash, Miles Davis, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rolling Stones all rolled into one bad ass band. Suddenly being different from my peers was also cool. Because of this the 1971 Pirates have always been my favorite team I loved them all, Clemente’s intensity, Stargell’s bat twirl, Blass’ enthusiasm, Sanguillen’s gap tooth grin, Dave Cash’s fro, and the militant attitude of Doc Ellis. I still do. Although my baseball collecting interests venture into other avenues I always return to the team that brought me to the dance.

[Vintagevault13]

ed stop buying my stuff


That's funny. Hank and Reggie are not a collecting combo you see very often.


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[JollyElm]

I am a child of the 70’s and a product of a biracial marriage. At an early age I was very much aware that what was occurring in my house was different from the homes of my friends. My home sounded and smelled different. Spanish was my mother’s preferred way of speaking to me. It embarrassed me when she did so in front of my friends. I always answered in English.
Then I found baseball and the 1971 Pirates. They too were distinctly different. Many of their best players spoke Spanish and they carried themselves with a cocky swagger. In short to the eight year old version of me they were F**king cool. They were Carlos Santana, Celia Cruz, Johnny Cash, Miles Davis, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rolling Stones all rolled into one bad ass band. Suddenly being different from my peers was also cool. Because of this the 1971 Pirates have always been my favorite team I loved them all, Clemente’s intensity, Stargell’s bat twirl, Blass’ enthusiasm, Sanguillen’s gap tooth grin, Dave Cash’s fro, and the militant attitude of Doc Ellis. I still do. Although my baseball collecting interests venture into other avenues I always return to the team that brought me to the dance.

Very cool!!