Cards we choose to collect

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

I am a little torn in my collecting at the moment. The Obaks are awesome, and I enjoy them very much. I also think I would like to collect some of the southern league issues in T206, T213, T210, etc. I have been drawn to these cards because of the sheer beauty of them, especially the Obaks. Also, there is just something about the history of the game and the country that really comes shining through in issues like these. I mean it is interesting to me to see these obscure men who played ball back in 1910 or so in places like Oakland or Montgomery or Memphis or wherever. Also, from a collector's perspective, they are different from what a lot of fellow hobbyists choose to collect.

But there are times when I start wanting a Mathewson, Walter Johnson, or Cy Young. My collecting budget isn't big enough to do it both ways for very long.

This got me to thinking about why we choose to collect as we do. Do you collect the cards that you do because of players, because of individual sets that are just visually appealing (players aside), or because those particular cards you collect "speak baseball" to you better somehow?

I think I am a mix. When I was a postwar card collector, I was very player driven. If the player wasn't a HOFer, I didn't care quite so much. But now my prewar exploits, limited they may be, have manifested themselves in interest beyond HOFers. I am interested in minor league prewar for goodness sakes! I NEVER thought that would happen. What category do you guys think you fit in?

I am tempted to buy a Mathewson or two, and it wouldn't be the worst thing if I did. But the way I operate I would eventually think of how many Obaks or T206 SLs I could have purchased with those funds.

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