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If you could start your collection from scratch, knowing what you do now...
Would you change anything? If so, what you do differently? And let's say that you have pretty much the same bankroll. Would any of you change your hobby? And if so, how come?
Baseball Photography would still be my primary focus, but I would try to be much more patient. Instead of loading up on hundreds of photos, I would use the same budget and spend the dough on just a few dozen photos. The old "less is more" line of thought. Of course that's what I've been trying to do for the last two years now, And by the New Year, my Baseball Photography count will be about 70, and with any luck, I'll have that number under 50 in a year from now. Although I had some fun collection many small pieces of Baseball Memorabilia, I've sold them all off over the last two years and reinvested that loot into the cool variety of Beatles novelties, records, photographs, toys, and ephemera! So much stuff, I just love it! So...what would you do if you were starting from scratch? Would you change absolutely nothing, maybe tinker here and there, or maybe you'd switch over to cards, or go for the complete makeover? Lets here from all you guys out there! What would you do? |
I think I would also be more focused with my collection and spending. As you stated, less is more. I started collecting as a kid during the 80s. The hobby has changed and thank God so have I. I could very well change my collecting focus in 10 years.
I have always enjoyed collecting HOF and current pitchers and I will most likely always collect Bob Gibson. |
What would you do differently in the hobby?
Jimmy,
I absolutely would not have bought as many modern baseball cards as I did during the late 1980's and early 1990's! :eek: :rolleyes: As all of us have known for quite awhile, because of the quantities produced they are virtually worthless. I actually came to this realization in the the mid-late 1990's and donated the great majority of them to charity and used them as a tax write off. The idea about streamlining the focus of your hobby and selecting quality pieces over quantity is a solid one and I believe most of us could really benefit from following this strategy. ;) |
I would have been more focused and less prone to random accumulations of any cards I could get.
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After so many years it's so hard to say what I'd do differently.
There were certainly pieces I still regret not buying. Especially the 1912 world series pennant I saw. At the time buying it would have been a huge stretch, but I've never seen another. And there's so much that was really cheap when I started that's really good now. And knowing what I know now I might try to be more focused and buy less cheap stuff. And I might have had less fun along the way. Steve B |
Second time around
This is my second effort at a collection. I have been back at it since July 2010. My first collection came and went by 1980. If I could rewind to 1980 I would never have sold my first collection. If I could go back to July of 2010 I would have completely skipped the 1961-1969 Topps. Whenever I run out of Pre-war money, I will sell those off without much of a second thought. The Fifties still fall in my "cool" zone, but 95% of what I am adding is pre 1940.:)
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I have been focused from day 1, approximately 16 yrs ago, and wouldn't change a thing. Type cards are what I enjoy.
I have always said that if I ever collected autographs the only way I could do it and sleep well at night would be to collect legal documents with the signatures or bank checks (I understand bank checks need to be scrutinized too, but they are still probably safer than 3x 5 cuts). LL |
The only thing I would have done differently: I stopped collecting after 1984 and did not get back into it until 1990. I had been a set collector (which was easy with just Topps), but when I got back into it, I decided to start where I left off (1984) and get one set of each year up to current and then continue. Long story short; I ended up selling all my 1980 sets; I only now have Topps 1976-79, and refocused only on Padres team sets from 1980-85 and 1973-75, and then refocus also on my love of the 1950-52 Bowman baseball artwork cards, 1934-36 Diamond Stars, and T206.
Other than the 1980s sets, I pretty much collect what I've always collected. I try now to stay away from modern/current cards, too.... |
Nice post, Adam!
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I recently added this stellar and possibly unique Beatles piece to my collection. And when it arrived, I went through my photos and picked out a few that I can live without, and sent them off to auction. Kinda like a trade, with a couple months window to get the money back. Works for me! Here was the auction's description... IS THIS COOL OR WHAT! AN ORIGINAL FIRST ISSUE PERFECT CONDITION MONO COPY OF THE BEATLES CLASSIC 'BEATLES '65' ALBUM WON IN A RADIO CONTEST! (Capitol T-2228). THIS ONE IS COMPLETE WITH THE ORIGINAL BOX AND LETTER FROM THE RADIO STATION (WABC 95,5 FM IN NEW YORK, AN AFFILIATE OF ABC.) THIS ALBUM WAS WON IN A CONTEST BY A WOMAN FROM NEW JERSEY WHO WAS SELECTED AS A "RUNNER UP" WINNER FOR THEIR "WABC-Colgate Beatle Bath Contest." THIS IS TRULY A GREAT ITEM AND THE STORY OF HOW IT WAS OBTAINED IS A HUGE PLUS! THE CONDITION OF THE SEALED ALBUM IS PERFECT! I MEAN THIS PERSON, WON THE ALBUM AND SIMPLY PUT IT AWAY NEVER TO TOUCH IT AGAIN FOR MANY YEARS UNTIL VERY RECENTLY WHEN SHE DECIDED TO SELL IT. SHE WON THE LP ON JUNE 21, 1965, SO SHE HAD ALREADY BOUGHT A PLAY COPY OF THE ALBUM PRIOR TO THAT. THERE WAS NO NEED TO OPEN THIS ONE! THE LETTER WITH THIS ITEM IS ON THE ORIGINAL WABC LETTERHEAD. THE BOX HAS SEAL TAPE WITH THE "ABC" LOGOS ALL OVER IT! ALSO, THE ORIGINAL MAILING LABEL IS STILL ON THE BOX WITH THE DATE, JUNE 21, 1965. SO YOU REALLY CAN'T BEAT THIS ITEM FOR IT'S SHEER HISTORY AND EXCITEMENT OF HOW IT WAS OBTAINED! AGAIN, THE CONDITION OF THE ALBUM ITSELF IS TOTALLY FLAWLESS WITH A TOTALLY FLAWLESS SEAL! NO PROBLEMS OF ANYKIND ANYWHERE. THE BOX AND LETTER ARE ALSO IN SUPERB CONDITION! Attachment 75196 Attachment 75197 Attachment 75198 Attachment 75199 Attachment 75200 |
Sweet, Jimmy! :)
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Like others have said I probably would not buy any modern and stick with vintage. I have been collecting since I was 8 years old (I am now 48) and have bought and sold my collection many times over the years. My one regret was not getting into pre-war before the big boom started. I can remember going to shows, which were few and far between during the 70's, and talking with old timers who were selling T cards for a buck a piece. I bought a few just to say I had them but was focused on the cards I could buy at the local dime store. I can only imagine what I could have bought if I was focused on the pre-war cards at that time.
Now I collect mainly the sets I put together as a kid, early 70's Topps as well as a few other 50's sets that catch my eye such as the Dormand post card set. I would love to do pre-war but my budget will not allow it at this time. If I could do it all over again I dont think i would have sold most of the older cards I accumulated. I had a great collection that included Topps sets from 1962 forward as well as many nearly complete 1950's Topps sets. These were all sold when I felt the time was right and the money was good but I misjudged it by about 5 years! Does anyone think I can give Kit Young his money back and get my vintage sets returned to me that I sold to him in 1983? LOL |
You should collect whatever you want at any given time. If you decided that, based on new info, you no longer wanted to collect photos, then time invested should be irrelevant - just keep what you have in photos and move on to your new passion....or don't.
If I could go back in time to my first days of collecting, then based on what I know now, I would certainly have bought different stuff purely for financial reasons, but I still would have primarily collected photographs. Those are the only items that I've always kept a few of, no matter what the situation. I guess I would have bought more of the Van Oeyen photos of famous players - there were some great ones really cheap 10+ years ago. Now I can't afford them. |
What I know now is irrelevant.
If I had to start from scratch now, I couldn't afford anything. |
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Jimmy, I've been thinking about your challenge question for a couple of days. I have to say I'm very comfortable with what I've chosen to collect. It's kept me entertained for over 40 years, and fortunately I never confused collecting with investing so I never took a beating when a market segment collapsed.
The one thing I would change, however, is the approach I followed to find the items I sought. I was a latecomer to ebay, and can't even imagine how many things I missed if I'd been paying attention earlier. I advertised in a few publications and attended conventions and antique shows, but I didn't take the time to travel the countryside and visit small towns and shops off the beaten path. My biggest mistake, though, was not telling enough dealers what I was looking for. They knew I was a good customer and would regularly hold things for me - but by not making a stronger effort to educate them about the breadth of my interests, I missed out on some wonderful items. The last couple of years have been among the most productive because I've adopted those strategies and tactics. Better late than never! PS - That Beatles record is incredible. |
I would have been wise enough to know the difference between the thrill of the hunt versus the more sublime gratification of the acquisition. The collection itself is the aftermath of many thrilling (and successful) hunts.
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I probably would have focused solely on vintagae pennants instead of spending my resources on so many modern, boring pennants. I have had to pass up a few great bargains over the past few years on vintage pennants due to over-spending on more modern ones.
I still enjoy the modern ones but not as much as the vintage. I would probably have purchased the vintage ones first and once I got them all, then bought modern. |
As a new pennant collector, I am also learning this lesson. I missed out a few good vintage pennants because I spent my budget on several modern ones. I now realize I'd be much happier with one vintage pennant than several modern cheaper ones and I'd save precious wall space. My new rule is only buy modern pennants for big events (championships, all-star games).
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I would focus more on quality than quantity. Remembering passing up on a E121-80 Peckinpaugh due to price and fact I thought I would find it at the National. I didn't find it and later found one on EBay but not near the quality. Also, no more cards missing large areas of print on the back. I was lucky and was able to sell these off at a slight loss. Quality is very important!
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Pre war pro model bats
On the whole, I have few regrets. There were a few bats that I passed on 20years ago because they were asking $100 more for them than the going rate, and these 3 or 4 bats (or others like them) haven't surfaced since. And there's a few high end bats that I didn't notice going up for auction that I wish I'd seen and that have also not been offered since. But, for the most part, I've got a lot of great bats at very fair prices through simple perseverance.
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If I could go back in time and restart my collection based on what I know now, I would would collect American gold coins.
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