Quote:
Originally Posted by shernan30
So why do you collect?
Is there a family member that played in the deadball era?
Is it just an investment?
What got you started? |
I collect because deep down, I'm a history nerd. In the project in my signature, almost every guy in the set was in either World War II or Korea, and even the ones who weren't still grew up during the Depression and lived through wartime. When I look at the painting on one side of the guy smiling, then see on the other "Twig had an impressive war record, serving with the Marines on Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima" or "He is now in the Armed Forces" or even where, in place of the previous years stats it just says "In Military Service", it just sends shivers down my spine. Especially considering that at the time, admitting PTSD was a sign of weakness, so these guys went through the seventh level of Hell and couldn't admit to being affected by it without being stigmatized.
I don't have family who played in the Deadball Era, but Nap Lajoie lived near my great-grandfather's pharmacy and was a frequent customer.
I'm not collecting as an investment, because I'm in this for the long haul, and I'm such a completionist that I probably won't care how much money I end up sinking in to this project by the time it's done.
My mom used to help organize a fundraiser every year for a local charity, and part of the fundraiser included a silent auction. One year, when I was about 10 or so, one of the pieces was a matted picture of the 2004 Red Sox, surrounded by the 2005 Topps card of each player. Seeing that got me started into cards, and shortly thereafter another collector got me in to autographs.