Does anyone only collect one player?
 

I'm really curious on what people collect and if anyone only focuses on 1 player or a bit of everything. I see some amazing cards from people doing team collecting, set building, HOF sets, etc.

I'm curious if anyone specifically focuses on 1 player?

The reason I ask is I love collecting Koufax and while I try to collect other things, I will always want a duplicate over a different player cards...…...maybe I'm in the minority here so curious how others collect.

Roberto Clemente
 

Do a bit of dabbling elsewhere, but the core of my collection is Clemente. Extends to magazines, newspapers, ticket stubs, store model gloves, etc.

I collect everything of Tom Seaver, but also collect cards of other players.

I dabble here and there but the Mantle's I have are the centerpieces to my collection, and I always try to add more, whether it's a card of his I don't have, a signed photo, have to get around to adding a signed baseball.

I collect Brooks Robinson....also Topps from the 50 s to 70 s

Collect only Ted Williams. Also collect other memorabilia but for cards 99% Williams only.

Glad to see many do focus on one player albeit maybe have some side PC's to their collections.

Anyone collect duplicates of the same cards...…..or am I crazy to think having three 1960 Koufax PSA graded is kinda cool?

one player
 

W. Mays

I’m collecting Hall of Famers, but I’m thinking about adding someone like Brian Asselstine just for the fun of saying “I collect Hall of Famers. And Brian Asselstine.”

I collect Gene Stephens. If Gene is on the card I collect it. He is on many team cards in the 1960's where Topps used incorrect pictures. In some cases he is on more than one team card per year.

I don't collect sets, and I mostly collect pre-War. But, I do collect 2 post-War players, Pete Runnels & Mickey Vernon, who were my favorite Wash. Senators when I was a kid.

HOF er Richie Ashburn for me!
 

That is fascinating about the team cards, can you give or show some examples,especially on the two cards from the same year.

I have always liked his 59 card.

At one time I was hoarding Topps cards of Roberto Clemente. I had 12-20 of every card in nice, Ex or better, condition. That excluded the ones in my sets. I sold off everything but 2 of each when I downsized my collection.

That would have been really cool to see!!

Eddie Mathews
 

The only "real" cards I collect are Eddie Mathews cards. Other than that it's all reprints for me. I have all of his Topps and Bowman regular issues except for the 52 Topps. I have a reprint of that card.

I collect topps cards from 52-88 but I collect George Brett and Roy Campanella cards of all kinds. I think many people collect favorite players etc. I would be surprised if someone collected ONLY one player.

I think a lot of people specialize in a certain narrow area of interest or expertise, but then dabble in more. I'd have a hard time just owning a single player, for example. I collect Steve Garvey to the extreme, but have lot of other cool stuff to look at as well.

Fred,

That’s just AWESOME!!

Brooks Robinson
 

I’m the oddball; exclusively collect Brooks Robinson. Like Howard mentioned above with Clemente I collect pretty much everything Brooksie related, but only collect playing era cards. I do have a few modern cards, but just if they are attractive and relatively inexpensive (usually when I’m in a dry spell).

I do pick up displayable Orioles memorabilia from time to time, but that’s about it.

lol. :)

I do have a Mets collection since they've been my favorite team since I was a kid but my focus for that has been the main players from their 4 World Series teams and not any one specific player. Also dabble in golf and bowling autographs,yes I said bowling autographs lol.

The main focus of my collecting for the past 17 years has been Albert Pujols.

I collect Cincinnati Reds cards as well as hall of famer players by my centerpiece is my Johnny Bench collection.


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Thanks Mark. Yeah I go a little crazy with my Ashburn collection as you saw in the photos on my Flickr page.

Yeah; I “think” I FINALLY found someone worse than me. :D

Thanks for all the inputs gents. I've been wondering if I was crazy wanting to ONLY focus on Koufax, and it seems many have a main PC and then some things to the side.

My problem has always been I get side tracked buy things I think I like and then another Koufax comes around (probably a duplicate) and yet I still would rather have a duplicate copy.....I guess I probably am answering my own question knowing that I simply like collecting Koufax cards from his playing days!

Once I decided to collect only one player I never went back. That’s what I enjoy finding and obtaining. Selling other items I don’t really regret and I don’t think I’ve sold any Brooksie items (gave some away), but I just enjoy those and don’t loose interest in what I have obtained. Seems like you feel the same way with Koufax. Also, I collect more than cards so the search is wider even though just one player.

I just collect Mantle. Forget how many I have but probably around 500 cards including duplicates.

That is awesome!!!!

It was a fun adventure until I ran out of things that I could both find and afford.

To me that is the ultimate goal, now sit back and reflect, share and enjoy!!! Mission accomplished!

Roberto Clemente Topps cards.Ed Abbaticchio-first Italian ball player and New York Giants T206 team set.

I’ve given up on collecting just Koufax, I keep buying 80s rookies that I loved collecting growing up.

While my focus is on Koufax I’m just going to keep adding pieces when the Koufaax well is dry.

I want a little crazy a few years back and started to obsess over T206 Pelty horizontals honestly I only stopped because I managed to alter the price at which I was willing to pay And the reception I was getting from the collecting world was not always positive In the end i kept only two or three really high grade ones and a few Hindu backs

I may have missed it, but do you have the Pacific Trading Cards Baseball Legends wrapper with him on it? it's not a tough find, but he is not named. You just had to know it was him, based on the card from the set.

I can't find an image of the wrapper at the moment, but it is of this card. If you need one, I have several stashed away somewhere and would be happy to give you one.

I guess I was not looking hard enough...just found an unopened pack on ebay

Ashburn Wrapper
 

Hi Curt:

Yeah, I have it. He also is surprisingly on the a 1973 Topps tub with the players on the lid. 11 Years AFTER Ashburn retired.

They use an image of his 60 Topps Tattoo on the tub along with Drysdale!

As a life-long Boston fan, I have individual player collections of Dwight Evans and Jim Rice, along with a guy who in many ways has become my favorite Sox of all time - Tim Wakefield.

I also collect one other guy - George Will wrote a column in the Washington Post (my local paper at the time) about 30 years ago about a player he suggested epitomized professionalism and dedication to craft in baseball, and who referred to himself simply as a 'professional catcher' - Jamie Quirk. I was so impressed I followed Oakland box scores during the last couple years of his career to see how he was doing. Never met the guy, don't know all that much about him - but the fact he hung on and kept contributing long after many others would have hung it up impressed me greatly. So, I also have a Jamie Quirk collection.

Collect Clemente and Ryne Sandberg. Clemente as the company I work for is based in Pittsburgh and thought I would collect some "local" things, and Sandberg as he was my favorite player as a kid and I named my son after him. Due to unfortunate events, my son lives on the opposite side of the world and Ryno has helped bridge that gap by sending some personalized items for my son and helping increase his interest in baseball in a country that does not have baseball.

1 player collector
 

I collect George Brett - Have other cards but only serious collection is Brett and also Brett type 1 photos .

Like Marc above, Ted Williams is my player collection. I have been collecting Ted items for nearly 40 years. I tend to collect either "playing era" cards/items or very rare cards/items of Ted from the 60's and 70's.
I certainly have other interests, mainly tobacco and candy era cards, but no other specific player interests.

My father is strictly a Hank Aaron card-only collector, with a collection from rookie card to current 2020 "shiny" inserts. He has nearly 3000 different Aaron cards.

David

Love hearing everyone's story and how they collect. I honestly didn't think this thread would have as much interest as it does.

There definitely is a carve out for many who focus on 1 player and maybe a few other things for some.

Very interesting stuff guys, thank you for sharing.

I consider myself mainly a set collector, but I also collect Paul Blair and Johnny Antonelli. The Blair collection was my re-entry to the hobby 10 years ago and I chose him for the rather mundane reason that I had a Paul Blair model glove as a wee lad. I chose Antonelli later because I grew up in Rochester and, at the time, he ran the local Firestone franchises.

I mainly limit my collection to trading and post cards that actually feature a picture of the subject (no Tristar cut-autos for me) but I have to thank Net54 member, Alan Strout, for my favorite item in my Paul Blair collection.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fT9b-O-l6...76_English.jpg

You picked a great ball player in Blair. He was an awesome centerfielder that loved to play shallow. Don’t recall ever seeing one go over his head. If it wasn’t for the beaning in ‘70 I believe he’d have been just as dangerous as a hitter. By the way; he was a very nice guy to boot.

Man, the English Chicken Lid is AWESOME! What a great guy Alan is...

I believe my first glove was also a Paul Blair model, 1971ish and if I remember correctly, a Spaulding glove.