What keeps you collecting?

[Brian Van Horn]

"What keeps you collecting?"

Addiction is fun!

It's like a never ending journey. People ask me what the focus of my collection is and I answer there is no focus. I see something, I ask the price or I bid on it. If I lose, I lose. It is not the end of the world. Another card always comes up and another purchase is made or another pursuit begins. I subscribe to the motto of life in collecting that variety is the spice of life. It's always enjoyable.

[WillBBC]

It furthers my quest for knowledge.

I love baseball history and sports history in general and few things give you as much as a connection as a collectible from an era. Be it the 19th century, early 20th or even today.

Cards and collectibles also paint such an incredible picture of cultural periods. I love hitting up antique shops and just thumbing through early 20th century items. Be it cards, stamps, miniature flags, pictures, memos, you name it.

[joeadcock]

In relation to M's Fan comments that feels value of baseball cards(and other mem) will "go down in the long, long term as the collecting generation gets older and older each year". I had never thought of it that way.

Do most believe that the value of cards will go down in the long term? I thought(perhaps incorrectly) that they would go up in the long term as others began picking up the collecting desire. Especially, as new prewar collectors get interested the same way I did(and others).

I also assume as we get further from the 19th century that the value of these pre 1900 cards will rise further and further.

Any one feel similarly, or the opposite?

Frank

[iggyman]

Frank, I've never bought into the theory that once all the baby boomers retire or die, prewar card prices will plummet. As long as baseball is thriving and the population in the U.S. is growing (which is the case now and will continue to be the case into the future), new collectors will take the boomers place. I think it's as simple as that. The collecting gene is in all of us, it's what separates us from the aliens.

Lovely Day...

[Collect Equity]

Originally Posted by danc

If I had my choice...hmmmm....top row, right, maybe?

DanC

Well you're in luck Dan because she reentered the market -- last week her husband died of old age and her kids put her in the assisted living center over on 5th ave.

She's lonely and looking for love

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by iggyman

Frank, I've never bought into the theory that once all the baby boomers retire or die, prewar card prices will plummet. As long as baseball is thriving and the population in the U.S. is growing (which is the case now and will continue to be the case into the future), new collectors will take the boomers place. I think it's as simple as that. The collecting gene is in all of us, it's what separates us from the aliens.

Lovely Day...

I concur with Iggy. Granted that some sectors will fall out of favor and some will experience unexpected growth.

Baseball has so much history going for it that Football and Basketball, no matter how good their TV ratings are, will never be in Baseball's league, so to speak.

Historically speaking, photography, film, written word, and good old fashioned folklore will keep Baseball at the top of every want list for generations to come.

Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Jackie have transcended almost all walks of American life and history will ensure their legacies continue onward.

But perhaps most importantly, Baseball is no longer just an American game. Asia and Latin America are only going to continue to grow in popularity. And just as American collectors fancy Japanese pottery or samurai swords, I can see Japanese Baseball fans someday striving to collect memorabilia, cards, or autographs of America's greatest players and teams.

The sky is not falling... That's how I see it, anyway.

[Bilko G]

i keep telling myself that its a great investment

[Matthew H]

I don't subscribe to the baby boomer theory either. I'm not a baby boomer. My father is and he has absolutely no interest in collecting. My grandma collects thimbles and spoons, that form of collecting may fizzle with their generation; Not sports cards (or comic books).

Kids still collect cards. When that stops, then maybe we might be looking at last generation (maybe).

What does pre-war baseball cards have to do with the baby boomer generation anyway?

[T205]

The thrill of the chase, the sweet taste of victory, and the disappointment of defeat. Nothin' like it in this world! Also the history of the game. I believe someone else said this and I agree. Its fun to wonder where a certain card has been in its lifetime. Its funny though all the cards I get seem to find a home in Japan, taking a trip around the world to end up in my collection!

[Chris D.]

The love of the game and its rich history. I have been collecting on and off my whole life. Obviously, when I was a kid. Again in my late teens/early 20's. And now since 2004/2005 when I was in my mid-30's. I have taken breaks here and there, but I keep coming back. I have been collecting vintage for the last 5 or 6 years and it's like owning a piece of history. I love the game. I even play in a 35+ men's wood bat league and it's a blast. My 15 year-old daughter loves it too and I'm glad I can leave her something from a bond we shared after I'm gone in another 60 years.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by thekingofclout

No wife to spend all my money.

Same here, although lately I've been trying to keep myself from spending all of my money...

[Anthony S.]

I originally came to this site back in 2007 with every intention of selling off my entire collection. I hadn't so much as glanced at my cards in 7 years and figured the time had come to sell off what had primarily been a childhood obsession (with a couple years in my early 30's thrown in for good measure). Within 30 minutes I was hooked again. Not only did I not sell any cards, other than a few dupes, I've since added several hundred to my collection. It's like dropping Charlie Sheen into the middle of a hooker convention. I'm powerless to stop.

[dstraate]

Absolutely nothing to add to this thread that hasn't been said already, so I'll just say this is a really great read. Appreciate all the thoughts.

Alright, back to staring at my computer screen.

[ValKehl]

What iggyman & Jimmy said + 1.

The only way I can see vintage bb cards going to heck value-wise is if baseball ever ceases to be a major sport.
Val

[PowderedH2O]

This my first post here as I am fairly new to this forum, but not to cards. I think I have that collecting "bug". I collect a few different things, because I have that gene that can't allow me to stay focused on one thing for any length of time. But this is not such a bad thing, since it makes it fun for me whenever I rediscover the collections I've been ignoring. I'm currently working on a 1940 Play Ball baseball set and a 1955 Topps Baseball set. But I've collected comics, records, and football cards for years. When I get bored with the baseball sets, I will go back and work on one of the other things and have fun with those for awhile. When my co-workers ask me why I 'waste' money on cards, I merely tell them that this is what I do for fun. They buy booze, go to strip clubs, go out to eat at fancy restaurants, movies, etc... This is what I do. The difference is, I can usually get my money back from a vintage card after owning it for awhile. That money for the dinner is gone forever...

Sam

[rdixon1208]

Originally Posted by PowderedH2O

This my first post here as I am fairly new to this forum, but not to cards. I think I have that collecting "bug". I collect a few different things, because I have that gene that can't allow me to stay focused on one thing for any length of time. But this is not such a bad thing, since it makes it fun for me whenever I rediscover the collections I've been ignoring. I'm currently working on a 1940 Play Ball baseball set and a 1955 Topps Baseball set. But I've collected comics, records, and football cards for years. When I get bored with the baseball sets, I will go back and work on one of the other things and have fun with those for awhile. When my co-workers ask me why I 'waste' money on cards, I merely tell them that this is what I do for fun. They buy booze, go to strip clubs, go out to eat at fancy restaurants, movies, etc... This is what I do. The difference is, I can usually get my money back from a vintage card after owning it for awhile. That money for the dinner is gone forever...

Sam

I like cards too, but somebody's got to help the girls get through college.