What are you doing during the down time (hobby related)?
 

Our state is shut down. Last I checked, I think hospitals, grocery stores, banks and restaurants (take out only) are still open. Crazy. My personal guess is that it’ll happen nationwide, but who knows.

Anyway there are other threads for speculation. For this one I’m curious about what other people are doing....buying, selling, sorting, finally putting those sets in binders? I’m doing a Marie Kondo of every single thing. Surprisingly, the pile of things that don’t spark joy is growing quickly. Looking forward to the next show I set up at....whenever the hell that happens.

General cleaning closets and storage rooms. Working to consolidate and organize cards from collections bought in the past. Trying to make things more easily found when needed. Such is the life of an old timer who buys it all! :mad:

I am working from home, as is my wife. I think this will be status quo for the foreseeable future.

Still trying to find a job which has now been made to be incredibly difficult because nobody knows what the future is going to hold and are pretty much not hiring right now. And to make matters worse the unemployment runs out in four weeks. Looks like it's Uber driving for me!

The good Lord has provided this far for my wife and I am am sure he will continue doing so. Something with break soon. Cleaning the basement is on the agenda for this week.

Will be going fishing. No people, no recirculated air, no restaurants or stores to go in, no door knobs and such to touch, no news talking about doomsday. Is cheap, easy on the soul and mind, wonderful scenery, a most fun game to catch Mr. bass or trout.

I hope everyone is able to enjoy their cards in their downtime. For me, I'll be cleaning and organizing.

For now, I'm just admiring Dave's photo icon of Mr. Crawford.
For the duration I'm having a unique opportunity to work on a couple of projects including a new set from Banty Red. It seemed like an impossible mountain that I put off twice in the past. There is time for the foreseeable future to put it together.
I have a few boxes of negatives to go through and catalog as well.

I don't have any idea when we'll be back on the field in the HS &/or college game. There's actual work to do but it's hard to prepare for the June draft without seeing kids play and that causes some discomfort but it is what it is. There's been a complete shutdown--complete. I will say this...if the draft happens in June, it will be wildly less predictable.

Working from home. In the downtime I have several albums of boxing type cards that are badly out of order, so I will re-order them. I've been putting it off for a long time, so may as well do it now.

Andrew, what's your line of work? I work for a huge company in Northern Illinois (LZ), we are worldwide, with a big location possibly near you. Openings in several different areas.

Sorting, organizing, and logging more card info.

Also looking for better deals, but (despite a minor one that I mentioned in a thread elsewhere), the card market still seems quite strong so far

I've been able to scan some items for my personal collection that I've wanted to have digitally available but never seemed to have the time. Now, there's more time than any of us know what to do with it!

Putting together a 2020 Topps Heritage baseball (1971 Topps design) base set. I'm about 50 cards away. Good times seeing it come together.

Working.

I have considered this as well. Cheap fun for sure. I bought one blaster a couple of weekends ago.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

I recently finished a 96-card Diamond Stars set and am now working on a '71 Topps set. It's a good time to have a hobby, I guess, just to take your mind off all of the hysteria out there.

Updating/editing my master Cleveland Indians/Naps checklist.

Trying to keep my company, which makes the majority of its money on live auctions, afloat

I will be working on adding old vintage baseball related magazine ads (have a lot of old ads in boxes) to my existing collection. I have a lot of old ads that still needs to be cataloged and put in archival backing boards. Also will be spending more time on the net hunting for new Old Ads to add to the collection!!!

Reading net54 to see what is happening in the world. The city hasn't shut down yet but things are getting close.

Can't see buying or selling anything right now, so to get my baseball fix have been reading up on players I always wanted to know more about. Read quite a bit about Oscar Charleston last night.

Those were pretty cool. Bought me and my sons each a box. Some real time warp kind of stuff. (A DB Cooper card??!! A Willie Wonker card??!) Was cool. And design of cards is really nice.

No changes
 

Not much changing for me that are hobby related. Still buying and selling on eBay. Buying on Net54 and COMC.

The biggest thing for me is that the card shows where I had planned to set up are probably cancelled, although I haven't heard for sure. It takes a ton of time to get organized for a card show, so I should have some time on my hands, so I'm thinking about moving up to an anchor store on eBay and adding a couple of thousand items. I'm not sure if I want my basic monthly store fee to increase from $59 to $299.

I think card shows are going to be out of business for a month or so, at least. I will be going through the plethora of hobby related things I have piled up. I have boxes of stuff I still need to go through. :)

Since cash is king at this time, this is great buying opportunity for card dealers. Stocking up for this years National in Jersey. If by chance this gets postponed, I will be stocking up for the National in Chicago in 2021.

Getting sick. No, not with the coronavirus, but change of the season allergies. Happens twice a year.

Have quite a few boxes of cards to go through and organize. Prob get some stuff listed on my Ebay store.

Writing to my reps in Congress every day demanding that the package include the equivalent of business interruption coverage for small businesses: straightforward direct indemnity for operating expenses and demonstrable lost income the way an insurer would: rent, insurance, utilities, income lost from eBay sales and auctions delayed or canceled, etc. Regardless of your politics, we who have small hobby-related businesses must reality-check our reps and make sure we are not left behind, and the only way we don't get left out is to make some noise. My reps are going to hear from me every day until the legislation is passed.

Feel free to delete, Leon, if this is too political, but there are too many guys on here who run side or even primary businesses involving the hobby and who are facing really bad situations to ignore the issue.

+1. I have a wicked cold! Feel better Brian.

I relocated my family to the outer banks, NC for the foreseeable future - empty and pretty. I am lucky that I can work from anywhere. My kids are annoyed, but oh well.

Be safe everyone, and please stay the hell home for a while and do not interact with others!

You as well, but you have a double dose. Cold and annoyed kids.

I sincerely wish you the best. This hurts to read. The good news is; we are a hearty (stupid) bunch and our hobby is the last thing we want to compromise. Hopefully, this mentality will keep you afloat until we can really get back at it!

I can't ever hear or read the word "plethora" without immediately quoting El Guapo

+1 here too (coastal North Carolina). The pollen is thick right now.

Thankfully I've been working from home for 15 years already, and my wife has for 10, so no major changes to our lives other than "staying the hell home" instead of movies, restaurants, and hanging with friends.

Looking forward to some spearfishing when the weather allows.

I am still working.........so far. I think its only a matter of time though. Then I will be cleaning up my card room. Getting a bunch of stuff for a craigslist ad to sell. And looking for any Star Wars stuff I may have for my son. He is big into Star Wars now.
Bob

Yep, I've always said there were 5 seasons in NC, with Yellow Season falling somewhere between Winter and Spring.

Me too
 

The walnut trees are producing pollen, which usually shuts me down for a few weeks, until the grass pollen arrives, which takes away my ability to breath until around the middle of June. Then, a couple of good months until the corn starts tassling, which shuts me down again until the first frost in October.

During the winter I run 3-4 times a week, but usually by mid-May I can't run anymore.

I understand really empty now. Dare shut the door to visitors. Am looking forward to trip scheduled for May 1. Praying this passes and we can do some feeshin!

Yep likewise for me too...working from home mandatory until 4/7. I actually looked at some cards last night...good way to take mind off of things!

Ricky Y

I’m not buying anything.going thru olds auction catalogs.I work in nyc and things are bad ..net 54 keeps me entertained thx mr.leon

Yup. They closed both bridges to visitors. Its sunny, warm and beautiful here- If you didn’t turn on the TV, you’d think it’s just another day in obx paradise.

Sorting cards and listing on e-bay.

Spring cleaning, putting all of my commons (modern mostly 1988-1991) in the fire pit. Need some room and nobody wants these.

I appreciate that. The state just shut down our live auctions (and all non-essential businesses, they're not picking on me!) and we had a live auction scheduled for Saturday. We are in scramble mode trying to move it online.

We normally advertise our pre-war auctions here on Net54, but if anyone wants to check out an auction of mostly 1950 - 1980 stuff there is a gorgeous 1955 Topps Clemente rookie in PSA 7 (and we graded it ourselves out of a large raw estate collection that was consigned, no worries about trimming or altering) a bunch of complete sets from 1970 - 2004 and tons of graded and raw singles, autographs, etc. I'd be grateful for the support. The link is in my signature. The auction will start Thursday night and run until the 29th.

Best of luck to anyone else whose livelihood is being affected I feel your pain. Maybe post here if there's something we can do for you as a community?

This...

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=280478

Brian (always looking for an excuse to do a little research, and this is a heck of an excuse)

Working - while the rest of my family is staying home and safe. Also doing a little spring cleaning so I can donate some items.

Stay Healthy and Safe!

Jimmy

Working. Installing back up generators for the wireless phone industry and DC power plants for various local and State police departments. This will last until June, when I officially call it a career.

Hunkered down in a quiet, snowy hamlet in northern Alberta, I'm quite content to watch DVDs of the 1972 Summit Series and 1976 Canada Cup while I sort and reorganize a large collection of vintage boxing cards and ephemera.

I will be working from home starting Thursday. Nice to have the option but we are so busy it won't exactly be a break.

I'll be dedicating extra time to my art. I think we can all relate to Mr. Keith Comstock right now...

Mostly working from home on my laptop on my dining room table. Ocassionaly play YouTube card videos on my iPad mini to break up the monotony. We've been in this status since about last Thursday. I did pickup a '70 Topps Roberto Clemente PSA 7 at the LCS yesterday, kind of a last hurrah. The owner is getting ready to shut down for what may be a good long while.

Well now its official. I will be "working" wink wink, from home for a few weeks. Time to clean up that card room and get a Craigslist pile for sale.

About 12 years ago I sold a vehicle on Craigslist. NEVER again...

I won’t even give things away for free on Craigslist anymore.

Working … for now. But we'll see for how long.

I've decided against buying online for now because I don't know where the cards/other items I buy are coming from, who's touched them, etc.

I've also decided against selling for the moment. Don't want to try and sell when the market is taking a downturn. Would rather hold and sell later in the summer/fall, if things are back to normal by then.

In the meantime, I've decided to try and get a bit organized. Also trying to get some scans in that I've been wanting to do. Also working on a website with all of my stuff that's FT/FS.

Cali has just been shut down completely. I now plan to soil myself, then regroup. TG weed is legal here or I would never calm down enough to sleep.

I’m still working a normal schedule, so no change there. For the hobby, I’ve stopped buying, instead I’m taking my card budget and putting it in the stock market. If some of the key cards I need come up, I’ll reassess, but that’s the plan for now.

A welcome diversion.

Reorganizing these
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From this
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To this
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To display like this
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I'm working from home, as of this past Wednesday. I've decided to take to the sidelines with regard to collecting. Going to focus more on appreciation of what I have, as opposed to acquisition of what I don't. I was really already there. I work in the pipeline industry and the latest Saudi hijinks have got everyone on edge even before the coronavirus thing hit. That only compounded it.

If you'll forgive me for being philosophical for a moment, it is really odd how time seems to have stood still. My wife and I have OKC Thunder season tickets, and I was at the Thunder-Utah Jazz game that was postponed at the last minute due to Rudy Gobert's positive COVID-19 test and was likely the catalyst for the decision to suspend the NBA season. That was only a week and half ago, yet is seems like ages.

So true, Jeff. My wife and I were discussing just yesterday how time loses its relevance when there is nowhere you have to be and nothing live to watch or attend. I find the slower pace to my liking. Like last night I didn't even have to get high to sleep through the night.

I'm cleaning out my garage. Holy crap, I think if I stacked all of the auction catalogs (end to end), there'd be at least 15 feet of catalogs. Those things are HEAVY. I almost pushed them to the recycle bin but I can't bring myself to do that. The catalogs go back about 30 years.

Also found 5K count boxes of all kinds of 80s and 90s garbage along with an 86 vending case and 89D set case. I'm almost tempted to just burn the frigging cards.... So many fun things to do when you can't go out...

Read on the Beckett web site there are many card shops offering curbside service. Call your order in and drop by for a handoff. True entrepreneurial spirit. Hope all are well and safe.

Office is closed until at least April 1st , but going in everyday to see dental emergencies as they need and answering phone . No staff just me . Like most everyone I’m just hoping to survive this in many ways .
I did receive my Goldin Auction winnings last week , and picked up a Mike Trout 2011 Topps but the joy is not as much as in the past . Good thing all these were purchased well before all this hit . Now I’m hoping I won’t have to sell them .
Other than that just cleaning out closets and doing yard work and organizing some of my collection.
Everyone stay well .

Looks like this is going to last till' JUNE!!!!!
I am still working in the surrounding Atlanta area. Trying to keep hands washed and avoid too much contact. Hard to do with 20+ people around you. Glad we still get inspections.
Safety glasses and dust mask everyday with lysol wipes in tow.
NOTE: Protect yourselves @ GAS PUMPS!!!!

Photo Essays
 

Spending my time creating small "photo essays" as they involve a number of things I enjoy..

Dave Grob
davegrob1@aol.com

I'm out of work for at least two months, so now's the time to sort thru all my stuff. The house is a disaster as my "office" spills out into it, luckily the lovely wife is at her 83 year old mom's house on a previously planned short trip, which is now getting longer...

Yesterday I focused on scanning things that don't fit on my scanner, then stitching the scans together.

More of that today...

Doug "I seldom leave the house when I'm home anyway" Goodman

Doug—That’s a great piece. I’ve never seen that before.

What am I doing, you might be asking again? I say this:

https://www.net54baseball.com/showth...86#post1964286

Brian