Box of Twenty

[wondo]

Could anybody do this? The theory is that you collect 20 and only 20 cards. Over your collecting life you may rotate. These cards are the essence of baseball cards for you - rare or nostalgic or classic or aesthetic or .............anything you want. Price is meaningless and actually, so is sport - throw in football, hockey, basketball, curling. What is meaningful is the connection you have with the card. Sometimes it just happens when you see it. Sometimes it's a long-treasured common or that one card that just gets you.

My number one card is the 1967 Topps Al Kaline. As a six-year old in Detroit, he was the man. And yes, as a six-year old I was allowed to roam the neighborhood with my buddies talking Tigers and trading cards. I was introduced to baseball cards that year. Never understood why, after the third series, he never showed up in the packs.

Also included is the T202 Cobb/ Jennings 1951 Bowman Mays, 1956 Topps Clemente, N43 Ewing, 1967 Topps #215, 1990 Donruss Delucia, N150 Sullivan, and many more.

What ya think?

[Peter_Spaeth]

I would find that impossible, but forced to some not so obvious cards might make the cut just because I like them so much.

[Snapolit1]

I think limiting my collection to some random number would kill a lot of the joy of collecting. Maybe I want 21 cards. Or 121.

[cdn_collector]

In concept, it's a great idea. There have been threads on this board about it, with assorted variations. 30 cards, 50 cards, grow the number once a year on your birthday, etc.

And it's fun to think about what that list might be.

But in practice, for me at least, it's too tough to commit to getting rid of some cards. I settled on a very focused player collection *instead* of a set number card collection because I know I can't keep it to only 20 (or 30 or 50) cards.

I've gotta believe that anyone that succeeds at doing it would have one cool collection -- not just b/c of value or rarity, but because they'd have a great story for each card, too.

Cheers,

Richard.

[53Browns]

I only need one. A T227 Baker. Done.

[mechanicalman]

I recently forced myself to rank my top 20. It was both fun and excruciating. I love the idea, but I think the fewest I could do is 50.

[Butch7999]

However many cards we actually have currently, plus the next one, is the very least we could stand having.

[orly57]

I think that limiting your collection to only cards that you truly love is a good idea. Sure we all love our cards, but I bet if you think about it, you have a bunch of cards you could live without, or cards that have flaws that you focus on every time you look at it. Then you fear that selling it would leave a hole in your collection that you think you can't fill right way, so you keep it. Selling those types of cards is extremely liberating, plus it adds up big time and you can afford a few cards you really do love. So maybe the answer isn't limiting it to a certain number so much as to cards you 100% love.

[Luke]

Originally Posted by orly57

I think that limiting your collection to only cards that you truly love is a good idea. Sure we all love our cards, but I bet if you think about it, you have a bunch of cards you could live without, or cards that have flaws that you focus on every time you look at it. Then you fear that selling it would leave a hole in your collection that you think you can't fill right way, so you keep it. Selling those types of cards is extremely liberating, plus it adds up big time and you can afford a few cards you really do love. So maybe the answer isn't limiting it to a certain number so much as to cards you 100% love.

A few years back, I adopted exactly this mindset. I had been trying to complete sets, and in the process had accumulated some filler type cards that didn't bring me any joy. Nowadays, I don't care how many cards I have, just that I love each one. It would be very tough and not enjoyable for me to get down to 20.

[iowadoc77]

My wife would be all for it.
I don’t think I could do it.