My thoughts on collecting...
 

Hi all,

Just putting some thoughts out here and realizations for me at least concerning card collecting.

In the past week I made two card purchases, one a game-used Joe Mauer card and a 2002 Joe Mauer Bowman Chrome Base Auto.

My reasoning behind each purchase was different. In terms of the game used card it was a button card of Joe Mauer. The card instantly grabbed my attention and having seldom since this card of Mauer, I instantly jumped at the chance to purchase it. Only after buying it did I realize that I probably overpaid, then I made the mistake of reading up on the skeptisism concerning game-used cards. Needless to say the excitement wore off rather quickly. I decided that I would then chalk this up as a 'bad' purchase and move on.

The 2002 Bowman Chrome Mauer Auto is a purchase that I am estatic with. I was able to aquire a raw example of the card for less than half of the next option. I originally bought this as an investment but as Joe is my favorite player, don't ever seeing myself seling the card unless I needed to. The card is a beautiful example and goes back to the early days of prospect autos and what kick started the Bowman Chrome craze.

These purchases showed me that it isn't always about the investment or the value of a card, but rather if you enjoy it or not. The game-used card is almost a paperweight to me now. I bought it thinking it was a card few others had and that it held immense value. While the autographed card is a card I have been after for a while and is a key card when discussing the career of my favorite player. I also learned that while there are many cards I'd like to have, I can't buy them all. I need to focus on a meaningful card rather than many cards and collect within my buget and means, rather than looking at them as investment opporotunities and quick flips. I waited and was patient for the 2002 Mauer to pop up and it payed off as it was a good time. Being a college student, finding the cards I'd like is hard and aquiring them even harder. I will now approach this hobby with a new mindset. Focused on collecting within my budget and the historical aspects of cards, rather than aquiring many (or trying) for value and being somewhat materialistic.

Again, just some random thoughts.

Jake

Jake
It's a good lesson to learn earlier than later. For the most part, when I buy cards and other things, I ask myself if I'd still buy them if the value were to plummet in a couple of years. Because I'm looking for things that are hard to find, the answer is usually "yes."
Mark

I think this a lesson all collectors of anything has learned one time or another. I used to collect anything baseball thinking the value would go up and I could leave something for my grand kids. I would buy it all and put sets together.
When I realized that would not be the case I send all my baseball/football non-Cubs/Bears to auction just to get rid of the excess. I now concentrate on my vintage Cubs. I get packs or boxes at Christmas as my wife knows I still like to open stuff. I keep the Brewers and Red Sox for two albums for my grand kids and try and trade the rest for new Cubs. This year, for the first time, I have not been able to trade my new excess (2019 Topps Tribute, Update and Series 2) so will shred them. I enjoy getting vintage Cubs I need and am a whole lot happier. Staying within your financial means and getting something you enjoy now and in the future is more important than trying for financial gains especially in today's market.

I worked in a baseball card store back in the day and got caught up in the speculation/investment craze, all I got for my trouble and hard earned cash was some worthless Dean Palmer and Phil Plantier rookie cards. Lesson learned. Collect stuff you like and you won't be disappointed when it doesn't put your kids through college.

Topps Stadium Club? :)

Yup, remember when it was the hottest card in the hobby? lol

As a kid I pulled it from a pack and lost my mind when I checked Beckett and it was worth 24 dollars! And then not so ecstatic when it started going down lol

I just buy cards I like. I picked up a pair of 2019 Topps Update rainbow foil cards today: CC Sabathia and Keston Hiura. I like the way they look. If Hiura is the second coming of Ryne Sandberg, great, I have a nice one, er, three, since I pulled a yellow Walgreens out of a box and also got one of the 1984 Topps style cards in another box. If not, I guess I am out the price of a small latte on Hiura and I have what I think is a truly great card image of future HOFer Sabathia. I also picked up a bunch of 1996 Pinnacle inserts for eight bucks: A-Rod Thome Bagwell Walker. Three HOFers and a PED HOFer in beautiful tough inserts that used to cost 10x that. Gotta love that.

Last night I spent a couple of blissful hours reorganizing my modern raw collection and watching the Blade Runner Final Cut on Netflix. Way more fun than stressing out over whether my slabbed cards are altered.

I have always collected what interests me, nothing thinking outright about value in the present or future, although it is always a lingering thought in the background. Sometimes that aligns with what is popular, other times I feel alone (which might help me find more items for cheap).

I got sucked into the game used card excitement briefly. I didn't go overboard or try to buy anything expensive, just picked up a variety of mostly low end cards. I did put together the Dodger Blues set, because I liked it and it featured the Dodgers.

In the end, I try to buy them like they are inserts or parallels. The jersey could have actually been worn by them, and that is cool. If it turns out we were all fleeced on that aspect, I still try to enjoy the card for what it is.

I do have a couple button cards myself. They are neat and I hope they are buttons off a real game worn jerseys, but I won't freak out if they are ever proved to be not.

I think some of the early GU cards will continue to maintain some value, they were very hard to get (case hits even). The companies ruined them when they switched to event worn. People were faking the cards by placing store bought jerseys and patches in the cards that looked nicer.

I can't stand the event worn cards. I feel like they are a rip off by the card companies and too many people list them for sale as game used cards.

It reminds me of the trade in saint relics. A first-class relic is a piece of the person. A second-class relic could be something that a person possessed or wore. A third-class relic is something that was touched to a first-class or second-class relic. So a GU card is a second-class relic. Much of the garbage the card makers are selling now has no discernible relationship to the player. I pulled a 2020 Heritage Clubhouse Mike Trout, flipped it over and read that the jersey swatch on the front is random and has no connection to Trout. Gee, thanks for the great hit, Topps. Can't wait to collect the rest of the set of pointless jersey swatches. Yeah, I'm running to eBay to bid on them now.

Yeah, I have started liking some of the parallels and real ones autographs but have zero interest in these "relics."

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I like the older relic cards and collect them of my favorites from my youth as well as Mark Teixeira game used and auto cards. Most of his stuff if old enough to be actual game used and not this event worn crap. I just like the look of some of the relic cards and enjoy them. I don't spend much on them either, which is nice.

I’ve enjoyed busting packs in the past and pulling autos or Game Used cards, until . . . I pulled a Johnny Damon Travel Day Worn Shirt card!

Some plaid chit.

WTF!?

Yeah, that's a bit much. The only 'worn' card I have is this one:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...ruce%20Lee.JPG

It is from a robe Bruce Lee wore on the set of Enter the Dragon, between takes. i would love to have a Lee autograph but cannot see plunking down close to $10K for a genuine one, so this is the closest I will get.