Is anyone else alone in collecting cards?
 

I am wondering if I am one of the few. I have a good amount of friends remaining in my life. I have a finacee who has a son of 13. I have a brother and other various family members. I also work at one of the largest corporations in the country and work in an office with almost 100 people in it; however, dispite having all these people in my life not a single person collects cards or gives a crap about them. I have tried to talk to my friends, my brother, and my future 13 year son in law about cards, trying to find a spark in someone, but nobody cares at all.
I am wondering if I am the only one that does not know a single other person that has any interest in cards. I post on Net54 so often because I literally have nobody to talk to about cards. I am tired of trying to talk about it with people that do not care, like talking to a brick wall. Am I one of the only ones in this situation? If you have people to talk it with, how many people do you know that collect or used to collect that will listen to your cardboard loving chatter?

i have 1 friend here who collect seriously hockey pre war card. when i meet this friend in 2001, i meet him in a sport cars show.... and when i saw how i collect card i give to him the sick of card collecting. so a search into his old shoebox of card he collect when he was young and found a mario lemieux rookie card.

since this day my friend collect card also, but he collect less since a couple years, he now collect antic pub etc but he go to the card show with me and buy card when a deal come up

Zach-- Your not alone. The card collecting bug recently hit me and I joined Net54 because there is nobody I know that shares the hobby. I have been in the military almost 20 years and am currently stationed at a large base and have never encountered anybody that collects cards.

I have one friend who collects HOF rookie cards and any/all modern cards. He's not into pre-war....yet, but he knows a lot about it from hanging out with me. I saw him looking at T202's online recently, but he hasn't brought it up. Other than that there's a few board members that I've met at local shows. I wish I could find more time to hang out with those guys. It's always really fun for me when we can get together. .

Yep, same thing here. Nobody I know collects cards anymore. My wife used to collect cards in her youth also, but it was the same 80s/90s junk. However, now she dislikes the hobby since she thinks I spend way too much time on it. ;)

I'm in the same boat. Now and then I try talking to my wife about a card I'm really excited about and she'll sometimes partially listen, but that's about it. I know a few people (co-workers and friends) who used to collect when they were kids in the 80s and 90s (all of whom think their collections of wax junk will be paying for their kids college - LOL), but have no interest in cards today.

I tried talking to my niece and nephew (10 and 4) about it. My nephew didn't know what baseball was and my niece said, "why? what's the point?" and promptly went back to playing a game on her iPad.

Standard responses I receive when I mention I collect baseball cards:

• Why? Haven't you grown up? (insert look of disgust and disappointment)
• Nobody cares about cards anymore. You're wasting your money.
• Oh yeah? I did too....when I was 8. I'm saving them to pay for my kid's college.
• Uhm, okay. Good for you.

My wife doesn't like how much money I spend on cards and thinks I'm a big dork for collecting, but also acknowledges it's something I enjoy. When I recently mentioned I'm thinking of selling the bulk of my collection to help fund a new home purchase, she actually said she didn't want me to part with my cards. However, I'm sure her attitude will change when touring model homes...

I would be in the same if not for several good friends in my area that I made through the hobby. I suspect that this is fairly typical.

no one
 

Except for my hobby friends same for me (nadda). When I tell others that I collect and buy and sell baseball cards they kind of giggle and say "that's nice."

I can relate to the original post.I to dont know anyone else in the flesh that collects.And whenever its brought up people are shocked.Its kind of a running joke at work."Any new cards this week"?Snicker Snicker.

My dad collects baseball memorabilia but I don't know anyone else who collects cards. I only collect cards because he took me to shows when I was a little guy. We live on opposite coasts and it's always nice to come home and hang out while he shows me all the new stuff he's bought.

I know a few people....my older brother, we talk a lot by phone, 2 old farm boys near Flint mich (in their eighties, and they "have it all"). FKW of century old cards and a frequent poster on net54 lives on the big island but we have only met once. There is not even a place to buy supplies here. No toploaders or boxes. At least I can talk to my brother about cards for hours on end. Aloha, Dave. ps here on TBI I did find a whole set of davy crockett cards,1956, beat but for 5 bucks and a small group of parkhurst hockey cards 52, 53, 54. and outside of cards I found a "second state" Beatle lp butcher cover for 5 bucks....flipped it quick for 1k. oh yeah and a brass baseball glove ashtray from the old Russwood Park in Memphis home of the southern league,(sent that to a net54er who collects southern league stuff).

I've shown my room maybe 3 times and got shrugs, so now it is not shown. No other collectors around here.

Rawn

So few understand... Actually might be annoyed if more did. :D

Absolutely no interest from those around me. Girlfriend has mild interest in what I do and I can occasionally talk to her about cards. My brother has a mild interest in Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas rookies. That's about it....

I have family members who like to collect other things so they "understand" my "need" to collect cards, but aren't overly interested in discussing sportscards.

It's lonelier than a Maytag repairman
 

When I mention cards to my friends the only thing they are interested in is how much the cards are worth. I've pretty much given up talking about my collection when I'm with my friends. I have a son who would like to collect, but with a baby at home and another on the way, he is poor as a church mouse. Maybe when he gets older we can share an interest in the hobby.

Best regards,

Joe

...

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nice
 

Nice John......hey, you still have me :) so you aren't really all by yourself.

1 Good buddy...
 

I have 1 good buddy locally that is an avid collector. Our taste are a bit different, but we both admire what each other collects. We routinely talk about what is going on in the hobby, collecting interest, etc. Besides him, all I have is ole friends who have childhood collections, but no interest in collecting.

By the way... Who is Eric Carmen and why does he have a wig on ? :D

Is anyone else alone in collecting cards
 

Except the dealers and collectors I know, only my 9 year old has some interest in the vintage cards. I have a brother and a few friends that like the modern cards still


Jimmy

Forever alone :(

My buddy I used to work with collects,but I only see him about twice a year.
Thats it.

My sons understand my interest, having collected some in the 80s and 90s. They have virtually no interest anymore. Otherwise, I'm on my own. I'll probably pass out the first time someone says "tell me about your..."

I might as well be on a deserted island when it comes to collecting. My friends are all big time sports fans but they all ridicule card collecting and are cynical about spending money on pieces of cardboard. I tried to explain to them the nuances of vintage cards but they give me this blank look. It sucks. I live in Miami, and I have no idea if there is even a T206 collector within a 25 mile radius.

I work for a Wall St. firm and you can imagine that baseball cards are at the very bottom of the list of things to spend your money on. If it's considered an "alternative asset class" they're being nice.

I think we're going about it wrong in how we mention our hobby to other people. If you merely say "I collect baseball cards", it conjures up negative images of hoarding (or lunacy) to a person that doesn't like to collect objects -- due to whatever philosophical reasoning they may have. I think you need to add a qualifier like "vintage", "rare", "really old" or "high end" so they understand that there's a big difference between this and junk and that there is a historical value. I don't think buying a T206 card is that much different than buying an Andy Warhol, a Picasso, or a sculpture. If I were to say "I collect original Andy Warhols", I would be complimented to no end. People would beg to see them. Cards get the opposite effect.

I'm in the same boat as most members, no one at all to talk cards about so when I found this site, even reading posts was like a huge breath of fresh air.
I have met a few members at auctions and it's has been great talking with them albeit for a short while.

Last October a group met in Ann Arbor Mi, but I was traveling and could not attend. That sucked, missed my chance to meet a bunch of cardboard junkies in person. There is talk of another get together and I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Other than me, no one in my family collected anything. I was unique in that I was the collector.

who collects
 

very few i know, except my boy john d!!:D

collecting vintage cards
 

not alone---just contemplative solitude.

all the best,
barry

I can't stand when people only ask how much my collection is worth! It's like asking how much is in someone's 401K, or stock portfolio.

For the most part I'm totally alone as well, but I do have a few friends who collected pretty heavily with me when I was a kid. One worked in a card shop and had a pretty ridiculous collection of 40's/50's/60's for a 14 year old. All have "grown up" since and for the most part have given it up. It is nice have some buddies though who can at least appreciate cards. I'm getting married in 9 days and will be giving cards to my groomsmen (one thanks to Cy!), and I know each will get the significance of his card. That said, I rarely tell them about my purchases because A) they think it's ridiculous and irresponsible to spend the money I do and B) they then get jealous!!

I too am a one man wolf pack....

I am also on my own. My wife listens to me about cards like I listen to her about fashion. It's been 20 years since I've had a friend who collected. I stopped while I was in the Marines for 12 years and never once encountered another collector. Look on the bright side - more for us!

Mostly alone-an old friend of mine and I collected modern stuff back in the 80's and eventually became weekend warriors but after we stopped that and split the inventory he really didn't collect anymore. I have another friend who is a casual modern collector but that's about it. And when I talk research on this stuff, fuhgeddaboutit!

I'm all alone also.:(

The only people that I can talk about baseball cards with are at the shows. Most people that I try to talk to about cards will give me the same answer: "My Mom threw out my cards".

Thank God for Net54, otherwise I would think that I was the only one interested in cards.

There should be support groups set up for us where we can discuss our loneliness when it comes to collecting cards.

Same here. Exactly

Wow, I really actually thought there were some cliques of collectors on here or at least I thought most of Net54 members have a lot of people around them that collect. I am now discovering that most people in this world do not collect jack squat.
I guess there is one advantage to having such a small population of collectors out there, less competition, lower prices, and more availability of cards. I don't think I would be owning some of the cards I have if it was not for such a small population of collectors.:cool:

Is this board pager-friendly?

I too have made all of my collector-friends through hobby boards and card shows. No one else in my family or circle of friends/acquaintances collects.

A few months ago I purchased an old PCL program and found out the seller (Andy) actually worked across the street from me ! small world we live in sometimes.

No other family or friends collect the pre-war. My brother collects football cards so at least I can talk about selling nightmares or great buys.

Zach,

This is a great question. I think I'd have to agree with the majority here that none of my friends/relatives are into cards. I won't repeat the already mentioned reasons, because they are the same.

That is why I love this board!

alone most of the time thats why I am a Net 54 junkie
 

I am "luckey" to have a couple of passionate local collectors that I can share with,.......... Sharing your collection with someone who appreciates it is very enjoyable ...Have also tried to reach out to a couple of others ( Gary and Ed) with no luck?..... a WNY get together could be fun.................Good topic,........ interesting responses

A guy I work with collects celebrity autographs and knows about baseball and baseball history, so he has an interest when I talk about sports memorabilia and sales. He knows what was Merkle's Boner and who was Walter Johnson and Dizzy Dean and all that.

I never thought it was a big deal that there were few to know local people who collect what I do. As I've had a website for over 10 years, I can show stuff off to fellow collectors-- it's just that they don't live nearby. The internet makes it a small world.

Besides, just because someone next door collect the same stuff as you doesn't mean you'll like the guy. After all, I've observed various feuds on this board.

Hahaha...nice Japanese version by Erik Carumen...:D

My best friend and his girlfriend are big antique advertising collectors and I also have other friends who collect stuff (one has a top notch James Bond collection) so I can at least talk "shop" with them and they understand...but I don't know anyone else personally who collects cards. My exgf didn't understand it...but supported my hobby since I enjoy it.

Ricky Y

You know what, seriously, it is getting to the point where I just wish I knew someone that collected "something," everyone I know does not collect a damn thing at all. At least if I found another collector then I could gab a little, everyone around me just wants to watch TV, or be out drinking (I can join them for that on weekends), or buying clothes, or playing on their cellphones or Ipads.

Map of N54
 

What might be cool sometime is to make an online map of N54 members so you can see who's around you in case you want to get together for a beer, ball game, or show-and-tell session with your cards. Or for those of us that travel a lot, you could drop a message to somebody when you're coming to town, instead of eating dinner by yourself...

Take Care,
Geno

Thats funny!!!

Say 'antique sports memorabilia.' It sounds less geeky than baseball cards.

I'm an art historian by trade, but there's always the question if something is or is not art (We'd have a two hour argument here if that Mark Rothko painting is art)-- so I often say I date and authenticate "artifacts" (a photo is an artifact, a lithograph is an artifact, even a T206 and a 1930 baseball pin is an artifact). A portion of the lay people then assume I work with 200 BC archeological items.

david
 

if the folks think of the field as 200 BCE, then their wrong assumption is less culpable methnks.

all the best,
barry

This is a good idea and would be fairly easy to do. It wouldn't have to be specific to home address for those concerned about privacy. All of us lonely geeks could look each other up when traveling.

+1

I feel your pain. With the exception of 3-4 years in elementary/middle school, the only people I had to talk "collectibles" of any sort with were the owners of the various card and comic shops I would frequent. Rare were the times when someone would mention having a collection of anything made earlier than the 1980's, let alone something that I was interested in.

Even now, when people ask what I do for a living and I tell them, "I buy and sell collectibles on the internet," I mostly get amazed stares and the inevitable, "you can actually make a living doing that?" I tell them I'm not getting rich, but do manage to make ends meet, and then the conversation turns to something else (except the rare occasion where they ask me about some "rare" recently-made collectible that they have and I have to break the bad news to them).

I will admit that I am blessed to have made a couple of friends locally in the last few years (that I also do business with) that I can have an actual conversation about "the stuff" with, and there is something refreshing about talking about such things without having to type the conversation.

Geno - Nice idea...

Im lucky enough the have my Father. He collected as a kid and started up again when I was a kid. We had muliple talks about cards playing golf yesterday...we both picked up a n28 for our seperate collections, REA, @sshole sellers, etc....it was a nice afternoon. I thought this was far more common, but now Im guessing not. I dragged him into vintage as his only original interest was cobb. My wife tolerates it and some other friends will ask questions, but no one ever wants to see a card...:confused:

Ive got two coworkers who collect both vintage and modern cards. We have some good discussions about pick ups, auctions, etc. i also have a buddy out of work who is a big collector. I guess im in the minority that has friends outside of the show circuit who are big collectors.

Danny

There are a couple of people I know in my area who collect. One collects new football cards and the other collects autographs. Although our tastes are very different at least they both can relate to my enthusiasm and passion. However, there really aren't any collectors of baseball in my immediate social circle. My own children could care less and my wife indulges me. We have been together for 32 years. I knew she was a keeper when she bought me an autographed Pete Rose 8x10 for my 16th birthday. I turned 49 last month and my kids bought me a Duke Snider Hartland and my wife gave me the Ted Williams hartland. My friends all gave me eBay gift cards so I could "Buy more toys". Although I am essentially alone in my collecting my friends and family regularly contribute to my insanity.

Well, it looks like most of us are alone when it comes to collecting cards.

It makes us an unique group that stands out by itself. We should be proud.

The next Net54 shirt should have the slogan. "I love Baseball Cards and I am Proud of It"

How about bumper stickers that say "My Dad collects Baseball cards, and I am Proud of him"

Happy Mothers Day To All!

Member map
 

Goggle has something called "Member Map" that you can use to put "pins" on the map and profiles. I don't know anything about it, I just pulled it up in a search. Anybody have experience with any others?

Take Care,
Geno

There aren't a whole lot of card collectors here in Omaha, that's why I was stoked to find this forum! Been collecting the T206 set for four years now. It's slow going, but I love it!

Rich

I have one good friend who sporadically collects pre-war cards and one acquaintance who used to but I am not sure if does now or not. A 54er in Hot Springs collects but unfortunately we've just met one time to talk cards. That's it. There's also not a single card shop with anything earlier than shiney cards in a 600 mile area north, south, east or west. Card oasis :(
I, too, have to be sure and add "but I only collect cards from 1900-1919" whenever anyone asks me if I collect baseball cards. That usually impresses them believe it or not. :D

just think about how the hobby has changed with the advent of the internet - a lot fewer local shows, a lot fewer local hobby shops. with the internet, we can purchase cards through ebay and other auctions without any personal connection - bid, win auction, pay through paypal. there's less of a personal medium. however, for those seeking some kind of connection to the broader collecting community, the internet has broadened our virtual networks - we can share our ideas through places like net54.

I'm actually enrolled in a local card collecting support group. we meet every Wed at a local church. i remember walking in on the first meeting - i was very embarrassed and sat in the back. once i summoned enough courage, i stood in front of the group and announced that i too am a card collector.

once i get through their 12 step program, i'll be a free man.

Are you joking?

tbob
 

I understand your luck with the 1900-19 assertion.
In a similar vein, I will say proudly that I collect 1900-1939 and they get a bit interested. Then by the time I do some name dropping and say 4 ty cobbs,
4 babe ruths, a couple of wagners and a couple of dimaggios, at least a few really want to chat about them a bit. Granted, I probably have that desperate look, as i'm doing it. :)
all the best,
barry

I miss my Dad who died too young, he was my collecting partner.
My uncle is the only local person I know who collects and he literally thinks spending 20 bucks for a single card is steep.

C.A. is for quitters. :D

I have no one. The only interest shown is when I mention I sell stuff through the interwebs. My wife does enjoy going to auctions though.

Back in the day, had a major bromance going with a fellow Schmidty collector. All the time helping each other out, actually carrying each others wantlists to shows the other couldn't make. As our checklists got more filled, the competition caused a straining.

The breaking point was when I told him about a mint 1972 PR rookie I had located at a great price (he already had a lower grade). I asked him if he wanted to come with me, I could pick him up since he was on the way. Nah, he was busy. Turns out he beat me to the store by an hour. Then he offered to sell me his lower grade for about the same price. Never spoke to him again.

I don't have any friends or relatives that collect cards. I have a close friend that collects autographs so I've got somebody to go to shows with which is great.

I have another friend who likes to go to shows just to break some wax. He doesn't even collect but has the most ridiculous luck I've ever seen. He can't open 100 bucks worth of packs without flipping it for 400-500. It's insane. His luck must be transferred this way!

I have 1 single friend who has moved away from here and now lives in the middle of the country while i am on the coast. Nobody else in my personal life has any interest in the least in my collection, its really frustrating at times. I suppose this is why i love so much showing off my collection on the net, its the only way i can get intelligent comments from people who can enjoy what i am showing.

All i get are idiots asking me if all my cards are MINT. Geez, when you collect old cards if all my cards were MINT i would have to be a billionaire, and when you try to explain to these people why my cards are not all mint, they look at you with this blank stare. I could tell every person i know that i just got a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth, and they wouldnt give a crap. Frustrating as hell sometimes.

I have a ton of friends on the computer obviously who are into collecting, and i treasure my computer friends so much, but damn i wish i had someone in my private life with my interest in collecting!! :(

Thank God for the internet. I now have tons of friends, mostly 54ers, a lot of whom I have never met but whom I have conversations with through emails. The best reason to go to Nationals is to actually meet your card collecting compadres :)

I too am in the same situation as most of you. I have one person at work that I will sometimes talk cards with and I also have my Dad. They both think my collection is nice and are amazed how old they are, but that's about it. I always try to "Seek" out people to see if they collect, but feel that I must be careful, because of how most people react. Most of the time the people I run into "can't understand how I could spend that type of money on a piece of cardboard!" As with most of you, I feel that this madness that I call collecting is something that only us collectors can fully understand. For me it's not at all about the money I spend on a card, but more about the history that I have obtained. Only a few people can understand that!

I only have one friend that collects cards and he lives in England. It would be great if he could visit so we could go to a card show while there are still a few around.

Barry, in a similar vein, I tell folks that I collect bb cards that are 100 to 125 years old. This usually gets their attention for a few minutes, as they are surprised to learn that bb cards were in existence so long ago. But, it doesn't take very long before they look to change the conversation to something that interests them. I assume that stamp collectors, coin collectors, etc. have the same sort of experiences.
Val

The big difference is that prewar card collectors are cool and coin and stamp collectors are nerds, we all know that. :D

collectors
 

val,
when they do shift their interest back to themselves, I look for any opportunity to see if there's any possible congruence between what they're talking about and these fabulous cards. Kinda like doing scratch offs.

bob m,
my university students tell me that the word 'cool' ---when I use it---ages me. Being cool may not be much better than being a nerd nowadays.
I'm guessing that you and I are about the same age---vintage. :)
all the best,
barry

Pre-war card collectors are "beast" :)

Is that a reference to The Hangover movie:D

I had one friend in KC (hey chris). Met many times for lunch and always had a show and tell. Loved it. Moved to Iowa and notta. Now in MN and haven't meet anyone here that collects. I know Peter and several others are here but work kinda makes it hard to meet up. Anyone in the twin cities area want to get together and BS cards I am always here. I do talk to Turner quite often and it's great to have a friend like him especially since he is a 205 guy.

in the past few weeks i was showing my dad some of the t206 cards that i have and he thought they were pretty cool. So now he has got a few now, so its nice to have something in common with my dad again.

even better my dad and i both invested 50/50 on a red back cobb i just sent in to sgc that gets to stay in my collection lol

I have just one friend who collects--some vintage baseball, but he focuses primarily on older pro and college football.

Look at the benefits of the fact that collectors "seem" to be spread so thinly:

If everyone and their neighbor collected basically the same stuff as we do, values would rise through the roof, and few of us would be able to afford the objects of our personal desire!

Good thread,

Larry

First off. I must say that I've been blessed with more true friends then any one man should ever be entitled to. And for that, I'm eternally grateful.

That said, most of my friends collect, and for the few that don't collect, they still are Baseball fans and love looking over my collection. It's also my friends, that I've made many of my biggest trades with as well.

And since we're all Boomers, my Beatles collection, is just as popular or maybe even a bit more so than my Baseball photos! I've recently discovered how much fun it can be to have an old High School friend over. I started playing one of my Beatles playlist from my itunes, while I brought out ALL of my Fab Four collection, and we spent a couple of terrific hours bringing our childhood back to life! :D

Downside was, we ran out of time before we had a chance to visit Babe, Lou, Joe, and Mick. Well, next time, I'm sure. ;)