Your hobby doesn't do anything. [Archive]

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07-16-2006, 07:02 PM

Posted By: Gilbert MainesI mean: you buy cards, you put them away. Wow. End of hobby! As Joann would quip: lololol. Oh yeah, sometimes you pull them out and look at them. And there are the endless books about cards, baseball, players and all. But your hobby doesn't do anything. Even comic books have a dimension beyond their simple existence - there is the Huey, Dewy and Louie adventures, not to mention those of Donald, Daisy, Gladstone - ooops, he is a gander. And the Marvel stuff, et al. Now model railroading, thats a hobby. Collectables with a function, plus technology, neat operations - and if you can afford it - crashes! Any thoughts fellow whimps? Edited to add: Its difficult to beat railroads with Americana or history, according to my Rails & Sails cards, railroading was around before US coinage.

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07-16-2006, 07:20 PM

Posted By: Dan BrettaMy collection helps me further my education of the game of baseball. I know what interests me, but sometimes when I pick up a new item and start the research it takes me in a whole new direction and I like that. I would bet most people here enjoy the research as much as the cards otherwise they'd be on the beckett boards discussing the latest insert cards. Not that there's anything wrong with that ($1 to Seinfeld)

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07-16-2006, 07:23 PM

Posted By: David VarghaIt keeps me from being out in the general public. Many people are thankful for that. DavidVargha@hotmail.com

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07-16-2006, 07:31 PM

Posted By: Eric BYou can say the same things about art, music, sports, Sitcom television, etc. What's your point? We should all become Amish???

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07-16-2006, 08:13 PM

Posted By: Gilbert MainesAmish? Is that bad? When is the last time you found an Amish person perpetrating a scam eBay sale?

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07-16-2006, 08:23 PM

Posted By: RichardThere are times where I think along these same lines and wonder what the 'point' to this hobby is. When I get in these moods, my conclusion is: if it's pointless stop doing it; otherwise find a point. Eventually I apply some of my near-famous circular logic and express the hobby in a light that justifies it for me: collecting baseball cards is relaxing and enjoyable, which in itself should be justification. On the days when that's not, I convince myself that it's a history lesson, a geography lesson, a study in business and politics, and, an oft-dreaded math lesson... Richard.

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07-16-2006, 08:35 PM

Posted By: Brian C Danielsto tease Koteles who sold me a chunk of his collection ( I still have ) back in 98-99. <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

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07-16-2006, 08:48 PM

Posted By: anthonyjust how dumb they really are when they say "oh, you collect baseball cards? how immature"... i explain to them that my collection is worth more than their BMW SUV, i watch their jaw drop, then i tell them to go piss up a rope, but thats not everyone i come across. most of the time i'll pull out my star/hofer players and think of what it would of been like to see these guys play.

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07-16-2006, 08:59 PM

Posted By: Dan BrettaI have never had a single person tell me they thought my collecting cards (and memorabilia) was dumb or immature...yet I hear people say stuff like that all the time here.

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07-16-2006, 09:08 PM

Posted By: Eric BNo, the Amish aren't bad. My point was that art, music, sports, TV and card collecting all serve no "purpose", like you mentioned. Neither does flower gardening, antique car collecting, painting your house yellow, or wearing clean underwear. But we do all these things because it makes us feel good.

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07-16-2006, 09:30 PM

Posted By: V117Collector WANTING SOMETHING THAT IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE AND ACHIEVING A GOAL, SUCH AS COLLECTING RARE BASEBALL CARDS, IS A SIGN OF FULFILLING ACCOMPLISHMENT! THAT'S SOMETHING, YES?

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07-16-2006, 10:26 PM

Posted By: AnonymousGilbert, don't totally agree, but you do have some good points. I would love to collect vintage cars, vintage to me would be 1950's and 1960's, you can at least drive them. A few problems, I can't afford them and I hate working on cars. I do go through periods where I wonder what I am doing. I have had 100's of vintage bobbers, sold them, had complete sets 1967 through 1996, sold them, had unusual memorabilia, sold that too. Right now I'm wondering should I sell my Old Judge cards and buy some more Cobbs. Also have some comic books. Joe

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07-16-2006, 10:26 PM

Posted By: anthonywhere do you live??? i live just outside of los angeles (with over 180 countries represented) and i can honestly say that i've been told that more times that i can remember, including by my stupid x wife, who thought i was an idiot for wanting to buy a NM 1952 mickey mantle at $6000 back in '88 at the "boardwalk and baseball" in florida....when i showed her the paper one day that had the same card go in auction for $50k she almost sh*t her pants! since that day she didnt complain much about me buying baseball cards, now she just complains about everything.

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07-16-2006, 10:44 PM

Posted By: nbrazilthis is essentially asking why do we collect baseball cards. and the answers vary as much as the number of collectors that are a part of this board. from a practical standpoint...yes...they dont do "anything." But, as a poster states above...neither does most forms of art (he includes other things like sports, but i wouldnt put them in this category since they CAN provide something tangible to the individual [such as physical exercise, entertainment, etc]). In art, we find meaning from what we see/hear/touch. The artist has his own meaning embedded in his piece...but, in the end, it's our own interpretation that counts. the same goes for baseball cards. some people do it (or has some motivation in it) for investment purposes (which seems to be the motive of the poster who mentions the increase in the 52 topps mantle). Some do it to hold onto memories of the past. the list of reasons can go on and on.

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07-16-2006, 10:51 PM

Posted By: Dan BrettaAnthony, I live in Nebraska.....People are a lot nicer here than in LA I guess.

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07-16-2006, 11:27 PM

Posted By: John_B_CaliforniaLife is way too short to be worrying about what everyone else thinks. I'm 28, and one of the reasons why I collect is that I find the idea of building something (i.e. a collection) very cool. To start with some allowance money when I was 12, and then progress on and off through the years, gaining more knowledge, building a collection, to me, that's a great thing to do. To get cards that I once dreamed about is very alluring. When I was 9 or 10, I got a book of Dover reprints of all these great cards (Goudeys, CJ's, etc). And then after all these years to actually be in the market for the real cards.....that's just neat. That pull is too hard to give up. Why fight it. Now if you have to choose between the next Mastro auction or paying the light bill...ok, then you've got a problem <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

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07-17-2006, 07:11 AM

Posted By: Sean CoeWhy does a hobby have to do anything other than give satisfication to the participants? I have never met anyone who thought my hobby was dumb or immature, but if they did I wouldn't care. Half of the fun is being able to relax with my collection and become a kid again, at least for a moment or two.

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07-17-2006, 07:54 AM

Posted By: Gilbert MainesA long time ago, when I first started buying cards in packs, I found a book which had the yearly statistics of old ballplayers. Although my friends seemd to have no interest in those guys, I was fascinated by the stats. I quickly discovered that Cobb was not alone with unbelievable accomplishments (I mean in the 50s players infrequently had a season as good as Cobb's average performance) but there were the previously unknowns such as Speaker, Hornsby, etc. This book taught me, through comparing stats, much about baseball history. At that time, nobody ever went to the library, or bought books - mine was a soft cover freebie, advertising some product, I presume. Now I go to the library and buy books, and I continue to be fascinated by the history and accomplishments in baseball. Occasionally I purchase a card to commemorate some specific accomplishment which I find worthy of note. So my hobby is not simply a one dimensional compilation of drawings and photographs related to baseball, it is a portrayal of the history of the game which I design by myself. That is, my collection is a piece of art which I am creating through the use of the art of others. This is no mere simple collection, this is a Gil Maines original piece of art, and a testament to a historical occurance, still unfolding. See? I am way more full of crap than you thought. But I do see my collection as my creation. And I know that someday it will be parted out by some seller. This is why the Vogner collection should have been labeled. It too was a creation, not simply the assembly of cards. Ok, send the men in their clean white coats to take me back to the looney bin.

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07-17-2006, 08:09 AM

Posted By: bob donaldsonWell it's a hobby, it doesn't necessarily have to do or accomplish anything besides give me a smile, help me appreciate the game I love or bring back favorite childhood memories. I spend all week doing things for my company (and other companies as I'm a consultant), wife, kids (3,16,17), dog, father, mother, sisters, next door neighbors, friends etc., that a few hours a week researching, looking at, talking about, trading, buying sometimes selling BB Cards is a welcome respite. They're only pieces of cardboard, but then that's the beauty!

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07-17-2006, 08:32 AM

Posted By: warshawlawThe process of collecting relaxes me. I find thinking about cards, looking through them, going to shows, etc., to be a great stress reliever. That's worth whatever I spend in and of itself. Doesn't hurt that the ROI beats anything else I've had...

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07-17-2006, 09:33 AM

Posted By: Bill StoneOther than the pure joy of the cards themselves I like to think that the hobby has enabled me to enjoy so many other things about baseball --for instance I bet our community of collectors get much more out of watching Ken Burn's Baseball documentary or Bingo Long and the Traveling All-Stars not to mention Eight Men Out and Field of Dreams !! than other movie fans. The hobby also contributes so much to understanding the historical influence of baseball in the American culture.

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07-17-2006, 09:44 AM

Posted By: steve f We took our vintage collection to a retirement home for a casual card show. Believe it, our collections WILL do something and very powerful I might add. Call the Rec Dir of your local nursing home and set one up, they'll be thrilled to have you and you'll get a chuckle out of it as well, I promise.

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07-17-2006, 09:49 AM

Posted By: Judge Dred (Fred)Gil, I want to thank you for rationalizing this for me. I now see the light. Through this epiphany I have now realized that I've wasted a great portion of my time on earth and that living an Amish existence may not be such a horribly difficult task. Now I can live the rest of my life wondering how I could have been so stupid for being interested in collecting images of dead men that used to hit, throw and catch a stupid baseball. Give me a week, I'll be back to collecting again... it's a disease...

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07-17-2006, 09:50 AM

Posted By: AlanMy collection concentrates on Jewish sports history !!! A Judaica collection, therefore, is a "mirror' of Jewish history and creativity throughout the entire world, from creation on down through the centuries. Events that have literally shaped the world and changed the destiny of man, famous discoveries and inventions, the arts and sciences, letters and literature, diplomacy and politics, history and geography and so much more. Alan

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07-17-2006, 11:43 AM

Posted By: BobWell, it keeps me off the streets and out of bars for starters <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14> Seriously as I collect more and more players, I find that I am more interested in finding out something about them and I have started to read for pleasure again, as opposed to listening to books on tape (lazy) or the stuff I do at work. Also, there is the opportunity to meet new people and interact with them through emails, forums and shows (in person). 99% are good guys (or gals although I have never met a female collector). Finally, there is the investment end of it, the dreaded "I" word. As far as people in the general public thinking we are "dorks" when they find out we collect baseball cards, I always say "I collect baseball cards from the early 1900's" and have never had a "dork" look on any face because they are aware of the value, even the non-collectors know they are worth a lot. (It also helps that I am 6-3 225) <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

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07-17-2006, 12:43 PM

Posted By: davidcyclebackThe traditional reason to have a hobby is to have something to do to fill the time or relieve the stress, away from the stress of work or whatever. If a hobby doesn't have a serious purpose beyond enjoyment and relaxation, that can be it's purpose. Collecting vintage memorabilia, one's learns at least a bit of history-- and that is a good thing. Some people learn a lot of history, reading books about the whos and wheres. If a collector is an expert in a certain era, or about a certain type of material, they are experts about a bit of history. Most tobacco card collectors have at least some idea of how the tobacco companies works, how the advertised with cards in packs of tobacco, who were the major brands of tobacco, that there were suits that broke of the monopoply. This history is not not common knowledge. A business professor writing a historical paper about the tobacco industry marketing asked me how tobacco cards were distributed and how the tobacco companies otherwise advertised using famous baseball players and celebrities. I explained to him how it all worked, and this was knowledge I picked up as a collector spending weekend money on T206s and T205s.

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07-17-2006, 12:53 PM

Posted By: BrettWell, I can understand why people put their baseball cards in safes, but when you think about it, you have spent thousands of dollars just to have the cards in a safe 90% of the time. Whats the joy in that ? Thats just like buying a brand new Ferrari. Whats the use of owning one if its going to be in the garage 90% of the time right ? My opinion on this is a bit bias, because most of my cards are lower grade. I like to display them, and look at them alot when i walk past them. I've always been interested in History, and I love baseball, so i collect pre war cards. With all of the steroid crap going on, modern baseball just doesn't appeal to me as it use to. Paying like $15 for a pack of 5 cards doesn't interest me either, especially when half of the cards aren't worth the paper they're on. I also think that with the games used cards, or autographed cards have ruined collecting. When i 5 years old or so, i use to buy the packs for 25 cents and try to collect the set. People now just buy packs just so they can get a game used card, or an autographed card, just so they can sell it on ebay. Sorry if that offends anyone on here, but thats just how i feel.

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07-17-2006, 01:14 PM

Posted By: ChadLike most Americans and especially Americans who grew up poor, I have an affinity for the underdogs which is why I collect Negro league players. In a way, I think collecting the cards of great, but forgotten players like Johnny Davis and Oscar Levis and Esteban Montalvo and Lefty Lamarque and Terris McDuffie and Nip Winters keeps the memory of them alive. These guys weren't hall of fame caliber, but they would have been multiple all stars if they'd played in the majors adn they don't deserve to be forgotten just because of the color of their skin. An offshoot of this is that I like to collect cards of early Japanese baseball, obscure minor league teams, Venezuelan cards and Federal League cards. The more forgotten and marginalized the more they fascinate me. In a way, I think we use cards to recreate the time and place of the beaseball and era the cards represent. That's the fun of it for me, at least. The one set of cards that doesn't exist that I really, really wish did exist, would be a set of cards from the team the Dominican dictator Trujillo put together to win the Dominican baseball championship and help keep himself in power. Still, sometimes, I think I should be using this money to use for my other passion--SCUBA diving. It's tough sometimes. --Chad

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07-17-2006, 01:23 PM

Posted By: davidcyclebackChad, your point is good. Many early players, and perhaps even teams, would be long forgotten if it wasn't for card and memorabilia collectors. Collecting encourages interest in details of the past that would otherwise be forgotten. At the least, collecting heightens the interest and appreceation of the history. A non-sport collector commented that the relative prices for vintage baseball memorabilia is a sign that baseball collectors are nuts (Which may be true). I suggested that the high prices show that baseball hobby has far greater appreceation and interest in the history and artifacts of it's genre that in comparable vintage hobbies where the prices are bargain basement. Beyond opinions on price, it's hard to argue that an unusually high appreceation and interest in history and its artifacts is anything but positive. Some elementary classes have students collecting baseball cards in order to learn about history (of cards, baseball, etc), how to organize and research, etc. The classes use baseball cards to catch the kids' interest. In fact the New York City Department of Education has specific information about baseball cards and collecting to be used for the classes across the city.

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07-17-2006, 02:00 PM

Posted By: GenoI don't get it - doesn't anybody else put their cards around the table, play poker, and drink beer with them? I'm in the middle of a great game with Barney Pelty, Zach Wheat, and Elroy Face as we speak. You have to watch Face, he sometimes cheats a bit on the ante. After that, we are going down to the pub - the guys in SGC/PSA slabs sit under my pint and let me know when I need another one...if I take Don Mossi with me, I always get the better chick of the two... Cheers, Geno

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07-17-2006, 02:10 PM

Posted By: Frank EvanovMy hobby does tons of things for me. It relaxes me after a tough day at work. It excites me to find something that I've been seeking for a long time. It challenges me to hunt down that missing card. It entices me to read about the people on the cards and how they lived. It enrichens me both in a literal and a figurative sense. It mystifies me as to when or where a card was issued. It introduces me to people whom I've never met, but now consider friends. I'd tell you more, but I'm too busy with my hobby! Frank