Posted By:
Patrick McMenemyHi Wade:
A number of excellent articles on type collecting have been written in The Vintage & Classic Baseball Collector magazine. The most important thing is to have fun with your collection. As your knowlege of what's available increases, your collection will evolve.
My collection then grew with examples from most of the sets from the era. It evolved as I accumulated more and more examples. My focus turned to collecting 7 of my favorite catchers from that era. Why those seven catchers? They had varied examples from many sets. Those examples were visually appealing. Many of them could be found in the major sets such as T3 Turkey Reds, T201, T202, T204, T205, T206, etc.
Like most collectors I know, as your knowledge grows your tastes get a little more refined. You sell off cards that don't quite fit your vision. You ungrade your examples. Unfortunately, like most collectors, you try to purchase the rarer types, which cost more and more money.. so you sell off other less desirable items that don't fit "the collection."
I have reached the point now, where I have started collecting photos of these players as well as autographed items. I expect post cards will also be next. I have also started collecting color varieties of S74 Silks of one of these players as a sub-collection.
I've been putting this together for over ten years, and hope I'll be still collecting for many years to come.
The key is to have fun! If you enjoy learning about the history of the game, and enjoy the excitement of "the find," and if you take the time to talk to fellow collectors, and make new friends- then it's a great hobby.
If you want to make money, and you purchase cards for an "investment" then Good Luck, because you will need it.