collecting more....or less, nowadays ??

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Posted By: leon

Are you collecting more, or less, nowadays...and why?

Me- I am collecting more even though I was supposed to be paring down. It hasn't happened very well though. There are so many different cards, and subsets, it can make one go crazy!! Just when I say I am not adding anything else to my collection for a while I see something that is really neat and have to have it. Good for auction houses....bad for my budget.

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Posted By: bigfish387t

I seem to be on a buying spree every other day. I am trying to cut it down to one card a week but that has not worked. As you state above Leon, new stuff pops up and " I got to have it " pops into the brain. Had this type of reaction to the Kotton Cobb you blasted out of the water on ebay. All in good fun. Can you bring that card to the national? Would love to look at it and make you an offer.

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Posted By: Jimi

I seem to be buying more and trading less. Not really sure why though....addicted, maybe?

Looking for HOFers and T222s!

Jimi

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Posted By: Jimmy

I seem to buy what I can when I see something of interest. This year I have definitely been more selective and careful of what I am collecting or reselling. In the past I had no problem buying a lot at one time, but seem to take a few more single items this year. The key for me is just to keep looking, and things will come around. I would say I have purchased a lot this year, but also sold many items to keep things balanced because of the cost of bringing up a growing family.

Jimmy

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Posted By: barrysloate

I used to have the kid in the candy store approach to collecting but it wore me down. I used to have a six figure collection and no money in the bank. I finally decided to rein it in.

I demonstrated to myself that there is always something to buy, so at some point I just said enough is enough. I still have a modest collection but more money in the bank. And as I get older, I prefer it that way.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

I echo the sentiments of Barry and Jimmy.

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Posted By: Shawn Chambers

Barry,

I finally have a "six figure collection", but two of the figures are to the right of the decimal point!!



Shawn

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Posted By: Bob

I find myself buying fewer and fewer "type" cards and spending my money completing sets or upgrading.
I agree with Barry, a six figure collection is nice but it is also nice to be able to take trips and enjoy life while I still can.

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Posted By: barrysloate

I actually do miss many of the great things I sold, but this is first and fivemost (one more than foremost) my business so I do have to watch what I am doing.

Edited to add Shawn, I know what you mean. It does get expensive to keep a collection.

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Posted By: Jason L

which HAS to stop.
Made a very satisfying deposit at the bank vault last week.
hate to keep these things at home, even if they are a mere pittance compared to most of your collections.

So, the answer is: buying alot less material

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Posted By: ErikV

I've deffinately been collecting more. However, I've sold off
quite a bit of stuff to raise money to buy the cards want.

In terms of disposable income, not very much at all!

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Posted By: barry arnold

about the same, even though i've finished my Monster project.
a few packs, some types via Leon and Scott's auction, a 'new' Burdick,
a baseball stamp, my first drum.
life is good.

best,

barry

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Posted By: Anthony S.

After a 9 month type card frenzy, I've come to terms with the fact that I'm, at heart, a set guy. Actually, I doubt it's heart, so much as obsessive-compulsion. Something about continually whittling a few lists down, or acquiring that specific card that's been eluding me is very satisfying. So the same amount of money is being spent, but just on more cards.

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Posted By: Marty Ogelvie

I am buying more but I am flipping the new stuff and keeping the OLD (pre war) stuff.

I know enough about the new stuff to buy hoards and sell it on my website but then I turn around and take the proceeds to buy pre war stuff.  When you first put your hands on a piece of card board that is over 100 years old, that new stuff just doesn't have the same appeal.

martyOgelvie
nyyankeecards.com

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Posted By: jP

live in los angeles california so since gas has gone up im collecting substantially less. the only thing i seem to be collecting more of lately is gas reciepts.

my collection: http://s102.photobucket.com/albums/m95/obaks/

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Posted By: Darren

about the same

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Posted By: Matt

I am nearing the end of transforming my collection from a "whatever I like" collection to a 25 card collection, with only a few targeted cards left. As such, I've been selling a lot more then buying lately, but still very active on both ends.

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Posted By: Jason L

what's in your 25 card collection?!?!?
That sounds far far too focused for my abilities

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Posted By: Rick McQuillan

I seem to be buying more and selling less. I put myself on a strict weekly budget, but I go well over the budget every week. I'm buying more online. I have a 180 mile round trip to the nearest monthly card show, so I can stay home and buy a T206 common on the BST with the money that I save.

It seems that lower grade T206 and T205 commons prices are going up, but I see some softer prices on some of the PSA 1 & 2 HOF'ers. I've been tracking the lower end O'Hara and Demmitts, and the prices are still strong. I've been hoping to catch a decent one for under $1k, but I haven't found one.


During these tough times you have to remember what is important in life and keep your priorities straight:

#1 - cards
#2 - family and friends
#3 - electricity and heat
#4 - food
#5 - work

Rick

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Posted By: Kenneth A. Cohen

More - if I don't get that package in the mail every so often I get the d.t.'s.

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Posted By: T206Collector

I started picking up some cheap SGC 60 T206 cards in May, but I stopped in June. Basically, funds are going exclusively to signed deadball era cards -- which have essentially dried up since a flood of them hit the market from Pittsburgh last year. Spending a lot more money on things like backyard landscaping and pre-school tuition than I ever did...

If you narrow your focus enough, costs go down.




_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Visit http://www.t206collector.com for signed deadball card galleries, articles and more!

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Much less since I started to really focus about two years ago. I have to say though that it is much more rewarding. I was getting so many packages in the mail that I would just pile the stuff up that I was getting and not doing anything with it for months at a time.

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Posted By: Dave Hornish

Spending about the same but buying fewer cards. Quality over quantity now.

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Posted By: Josh

I have been buying more than usual. It is a real bad time for me to be doing this though. I am in the middle of remodeling my place here in Santa Barbara. All my estimates have doubled and tripled! This baseball card buying habit is worse than anything I think!!

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Posted By: John S

I continue my maniacal pursuits of whatever currently interests me...I rarely sell (and have accumulated many things since 1978) so I have attempted to convince my wife that we need an addition onto the home complete with a hobby room. She has suggested that I get a new wife.

A more direct answer to the question would be that my pre-war collecting began in the mid-80's, peeked around 2000, and has been rather consistent since then. I have been fortunate enough to have purchased a few large collections in the last year which have been used to finance my addiction.

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Posted By: Richard

Courtesy of a reasonably fine-tuned focus (pre-1920 Toronto), I am definitely buying less.

And I think I like it better this way. I should admit, that on a regular basis I seriously consider expanding my focus to include casually building a set or some kind of '10 card collection' as well, but after a couple of days (and after looking at the cost of the key cards of said expansion), the mood passes.

Regards,

Richard.

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Posted By: Bruce Dorskind

Whilst we have been dedicated collectors of rare and extraordinary
baseball memorabilia for more than three decades, we find it ever
more challenging to add significant pieces to our card and advertising
collection.

It appears that are less than a half dozen auction houses that now offer
the material that captures our interest.

We have been fortunate to add more than two dozen pieces to our
collection this year including four "one of kind" and/or best card extant
additions.

We look for an extremely volatile market over the next two years. We suspect
that a number of the new "high rollers" will lose interest, that among the 100,000+
Investment Bankers who have or will soon lose their jobs will be a number of
collectors, and we are aware that several great "old time" collections will come
on the market early next year. That should present some interesting opportunities.

Our passion for this hobby is one we will take with us to the grave...


Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List

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Posted By: Anthony S.

"Our passion for this hobby is one we will take with us to the grave..."

Will all of you be able to fit in that grave?

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Posted By: David Atkatz

Bruces, it's your pomposity that is "rare and extraordinary."

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Posted By: Tim

I echo what several others have said. I am buying fewer cards, but higher quality, in the end spending about the same if not a little more.

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Posted By: peter ullman

I'm buying a little bit more than usual these days...there seem to be decent deals out there...prices on low/mid grade have come down significantly on many types of cards...and these are the cards for me!

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Posted By: Bob

Mid-grade (SGC 30 and 40) caramels are still the best buy around. Besides when the guys Bruces talks about going belly up start having their fire sales, you can always upgrade.

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Posted By: Rawn Hill

With my collection, it seems as though more items are coming up for sale, as such, I'm buying even more than ever. Although not the high dollar items of some fellow collectors, I find that the items that I am after are cheaper and more plentiful.

Rawn

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Posted By: Paul

Do you get a "group" discount for the burial plot?

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Posted By: Bruce Babcock

Generally, I'm buying less than in years past. And I'm selling things to finance new buying. I've collected many of the things I set out to collect. I tend to buy things that I've never seen before. I'm going to the National with a very short want list and may find nothing there - but I look forward to seeing some "new" things that I "must" have.

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Posted By: JP

I like the "whilst" but where are the "hitherto" and "henceforth" and even "thenceforth" that I have been so desparately waiting for?

Erelong,
Moi