Why I collect

[Cozumeleno]

(I apologize for the length of this rambling ...)

It just hit me over the weekend.

So I got into pre-war cards only a few years ago after collecting current and other 'vintage' stuff for most of my life. Most recently, I have been in search of the last few T205 cards for my set (cheap plug: Now down to Cobb, WaJo, and Joss if anyone is listening) and, frustrated, have really been going all out in the past few months. Looking at websites of dealers/shops, joining collecting groups, checking AH listings, scanning old B/S/T listings here, etc. Pretty much anything I can think of.

Fast forward to this weekend when I went to a small advertised show at a nearby mall - by small, I'm talking like ten tables. Now, I wasn't expecting there to be much, if any, pre-war stuff. But since it was only about 15 minutes from my house, I figured I'd stop by.

I was correct to have the low expectations of finding what I needed. A couple of guys knew what I was talking about but had none. One guy had a single common that he was digging around for. A couple more didn't appear to have any idea what I was talking about. And one gave me a perplexed look as to why I was looking for that.

I have been to a few setups similar to this, flea markets, etc., but I have not been to an actual card show in many years so I'm somewhat insulated from the reality of the industry as a whole. All of a sudden, it hit me that the pre-war community was a lot smaller than I probably envisioned. Now, I knew it was a small population. But going out and talking with those few dealers (some of which had large offerings) actually emphasized that for me even more. Whatever percentage of dealers I thought had pre-war cards for sale was in actuality much smaller.

I think I expected someone to have something, even if it wasn't what I was looking for. A few T206s, even. Things like this site as well as seeing a good amount of pre-war listings on eBay fooled me into believing it's a bigger market than it really is - at least in terms of comparing it to the collecting population as a whole.

On the drive home, the experience made me reflect on why I enjoy collecting pre-war cards. I thought back to a recent conversation I had with a non-collecting friend. I basically was explaining to him that I collected cards of players that I'd never seen play and many of which, had not even heard of until I started collecting. So why did they appeal to me?

The reasons I came up with were many I thought about before, including just being a busybody that always feels like he has to be doing something. But I also realized that much of it is the very thing I was bothered by - that they were not as easy to find. That's often frustrating in the day-to-day search and I don't even collect what I consider to be the rare stuff. But I realized that it also is a reason I love collecting pre-war cards in the first place. Finding a card you needed is so rewarding and I know my T205s will mean so much more to me once I find the final few.

I'm not trying to denigrate collecting newer cards at all. There are certainly rarities there. Plus, everyone should collect what they like because, guess what? In the grand scheme of things, we're all just nuts anyway. But it helped me to realize that part of the reason I enjoy it so much is also the part that frustrates me - the pursuit.

[Rookiemonster]

I have the a different point of view .the first time I went to the east coast national I was overwhelmed by the amount of pre war cards .
Loads and loads and loads !! I went looking for a willie mays rookie
And anything else that might be in my price range . Nobody had a mays rookie for sale ! This place is big and memory lane had one that was going in to a auction but it was very high end and not for sale.so I took in the sights and sounds and picked up a few smaller things . But the pre war presence was unlike anything I've seen before .

[Cozumeleno]

Yeah, I'm sure at something like the National it's in abundance. But I think I was under the impression that more dealers would at least have some. Like I said, there was a very small group at this event I went to so it was a small sample size. But to find one pre-war common in about ten dealers was a little surprising.

[ALR-bishop]

I started collecting in 1957 and did not stop. I have done Bowman, Topps and Fleer set runs. Only one pre war set, the first Fleer set. I just preferred to collect sets with the players I grew up with and or followed personally.

[Cozumeleno]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

I started collecting in 1957 and did not stop. I have done Bowman, Topps and Fleer set runs. Only one pre war set, the first Fleer set. I just preferred to collect sets with the players I grew up with and or followed personally.

You're not only NOT alone, but I'm the one in the minority! I think that's how most people feel.

By first set, do you mean the entire 1923 Fleer set?

[ValKehl]

Cozumeleno, you "hit the nail on the head," at least with me, when you mentioned the enjoyable frustration of the pursuit of the much scarcer pre-War cards.

[ALR-bishop]

Coz---I started collecting the 1923 Fleer set as part of my post war Fleer run. Have not finished it yet. Tough set. It is assumed there are 60 in the set since it is just the W515 set but with Fleer backs. Very Ugly set

[Cozumeleno]

That's incredible - those are so rare that I didn't even think collecting an entire set would be possible. That Ruth is insanely nice.

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

Coz---I started collecting the 1923 Fleer set as part of my post war Fleer run. Have not finished it yet. Tough set. It is assumed there are 60 in the set since it is just the W515 set but with Fleer backs. Very Ugly set

[Leon]

Type collectors sentiments.

There is lots to like about collecting...especially things which are seldom seen.

Originally Posted by ValKehl

Cozumeleno, you "hit the nail on the head," at least with me, when you mentioned the enjoyable frustration of the pursuit of the much scarcer pre-War cards.

[Enfuego]

I collect because it keeps me sane.

[smallpaul2002]

I collect hockey cards (1965 Topps), and although I have been collecting this set for less than 3 years there is a certain satisfaction one attains when "you get 1 card closer to completing the set". After 3 years I'm now only 15 cards away from completing my 128 card set.

To me it does not matter what you collect. as long as your happy with what you own. There is more to this hobby than" just collecting". It is the negotiations, the people you meet, and the thrill of getting that last card..

After this set, I'm sure will start another set to keep me in the game. Without a doubt card collecting can bring a smile to your face, no matter who you are or what your budget is..in the end beauty cannot be judged objectively, for what one person finds beautiful or admirable may not appeal to another.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

Originally Posted by smallpaul2002

I collect hockey cards (1965 Topps), and although I have been collecting this set for less than 3 years there is a certain satisfaction one attains when "you get 1 card closer to completing the set". After 3 years I'm now only 15 cards away from completing my 128 card set.

To me it does not matter what you collect. as long as your happy with what you own. There is more to this hobby than" just collecting". It is the negotiations, the people you meet, and the thrill of getting that last card..

After this set, I'm sure will start another set to keep me in the game. Without a doubt card collecting can bring a smile to your face, no matter who you are or what your budget is..in the end beauty cannot be judged objectively, for what one person finds beautiful or admirable may not appeal to another.

Well said! I tell my kids often that they will run across those who have more than us and those who have less but that isn't the measure of a person. I also stress the need to be content with what we have. I must admit that when it comes to cardboard, I struggle at times. At the end of the day, however, this is a ton of fun! Once I found what I liked AND could afford, it all seemed to come together.

[PineTar5]

I like the whole process of developing a theme, hunting, finding, organizing, cataloging and learning. I especially like flipping through boxes and finding stacks to "consume". I have been interested in the all time top 100 or so players and around 2000 started a Pre-War collection of reprints & new issues of Pre-War legends. This started with Dover reprints, TCMA, Conlon, various mini-box sets, etc. and then the major brands started releases of new cards with old players. At the time this was a decent way to look for players w/o thousands of different cards (especially when I excluded the pre-War printings) but now I can't keep up with all the Ty Cobb, etc. new cards.

I have enjoyed:
* compiling various lists of top 100 or 150 all time players and selecting which Pre-War players deserve to be on my list of greatest players by position. This means they need to relatively compete with modern players so it's not top 100 pre-war.
* Learning about new players.
* Getting familiar with Pre-war cards via reprints
* inventorying the collection on PC/web
And mostly I enjoy going to shows and flipping though the <$1 boxes looking for new additions. This weekend I came home with a handful of dime box cards I like such as Pie Traynor and Paul "Big Poison" Waner (my authentic Goudey Big Poison and Little Poison cards from a trip to Pittsburgh years ago are some of my favs).

I must be far more selective in my authentic and vintage pre-war collecting due to cost which means the work/time to card purchased ratio is much different.

[ZenPop]

I collect because:

1. I LOVE baseball... and the history and stories associated with it.

2. I'm an artist and designer and I think many baseball cards look like little, painted masterpieces that should be hung in museums.