Enough with the grievances - what are you thankful for in this hobby?

[BobbyStrawberry]

I try to think of the positives this time of year.

I'm thankful for the kind and friendly people I've met in this hobby. Those who are willing to share their knowledge and experience with other collectors.

What are yours?

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

I try to think of the positives this time of year.

I'm thankful for the kind and friendly people I've met in this hobby. Those who are willing to share their knowledge and experience with other collectors.

What are yours?

+1, and also thankful for an unwilling audience here to test out some rhymes and slightly misanthropic off-topic responses

Brian

[Brent G.]

I'm thankful for this site introducing me to cards I never knew existed this year. I joined in June to find an 1887 A&G Glasscock, and it's been a great education since. It's well worth the poison spouted from a few know-it-alls.

[4815162342]

Thanks for starting this thread!

It’s been an awesome year for me in my first full year back in the hobby. I am headed towards 35/50 in my E105 set thanks in large part to some great members of this board. The Cleveland National and the “Not54” dinner were great. And I’m not a Dodgers fan, but the World Series was exciting to watch this year. I am very thankful.

[raulus]

Grateful for all of my many blessings, including my collection.

And for all the help I've received from good friends and fellow collectors around here over the years in putting it together.

[marcmandel]

There are two special parts of this hobby for me, in no specific order. Having the privilege of collecting the cards I have in my collection and to know I'm not the first and nor will I be the last to hold them; and the many relationships and even some truly close friendships from the good folks like those on this board. You guys are just amazing and very patient with noobs like me.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

I greatly enjoy Net54 and have for years. It is still an incredible resource, and I love shopping from the bst. I have learned a lot. Thursday will be 12 years. Time flies!

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

[Balticfox]

My collection of cards and other stuff provides me with both delight and comfort every single day!

[butchie_t]

I am thankful that after 44 years of working either in the Air Force or for the Air Force as a contractor, I am FINALLY>>>>>>FINALLY retired!

Merry Christmas to us.

WOOT!!!

Butch

[jchcollins]

I was blessed this year to be able to go to my first National in Cleveland, with a good and longtime hobby friend. And while I was there, to pick up one of my grail cards in the 1954 Topps Ernie Banks rookie.

I think to be able to have the time and money to indulge a hobby at all this day in age is a blessing in and of itself.

Happy Holidays all!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[drmiraculous]

Well, I signed up at that net54 place, that was pretty good! And many thanks to the members that have helped me out with cards and info, you guys are aces!

[BobbyStrawberry]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

+1, and also thankful for an unwilling audience here to test out some rhymes and slightly misanthropic off-topic responses

Brian

FWIW I always appreciate your humor!

And thanks for all the responses so far. It's wonderful to read so many positive things. May your good fortune and blessings continue into 2025!

[ALBB]

Originally Posted by marcmandel

There are two special parts of this hobby for me, in no specific order. Having the privilege of collecting the cards I have in my collection and to know I'm not the first and nor will I be the last to hold them; and the many relationships and even some truly close friendships from the good folks like those on this board. You guys are just amazing and very patient with noobs like me.

Wow,
Like that..and so true..Was not the first to own my stuff..and will not be the last ~!

[samosa4u]

I'm thankful to be in a hobby full of great people !!

I hope everybody here can pick-up some great cards next year !!

Happy holidays !

[Fred]

From a hobby perspective, I'm grateful that I was able to create a collection of cards and memorabilia that gives me a little more joy in life and that I can still add to that accumulation.

I'm thankful for the presence of this forum to learn many things along this collecting journey and to make new hobby friends.

I feel fortunate to have been able to experience this hobby, when it was really just a hobby.

From a non-hobby point of view I've been lucky enough in life to have a wonderful family and to have been able to see a lot of the world and understand that we, in the USA, have it better than most.

Kumbaya MFers... now for my Festivus moment - still no T206 Honus Wagner.

[bmattioli]

Thankful for only 2 more Jets games I have to watch and cuss.. Oh the Pain..

[robw1959]

I am thankful for a collection that, although it has cost me a ton over the past 20 years, is finally going to have paid for itself within the next three months. That's a goal I've been chasing for at least seven years.

[chiprop]

Aaron Seefeldt

[Touch'EmAll]

I am thankful for this forum. I give it a look through most every day and it can be entertaining, thought provoking, educational and we all sure get varied perspectives on things. This forum is unique and I would sure miss it if gone.

[Johnny630]

I’m thankful for the mutual respect of each and everyone’s opinion on this board along with the many great friends and memories this hobby has brought me over the years is truly a blessing. So many great laughs as well:-)

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Touch'EmAll

I am thankful for this forum. I give it a look through most every day and it can be entertaining, thought provoking, educational and we all sure get varied perspectives on things. This forum is unique and I would sure miss it if gone.

A big +1.

In this hobby I found three insanely rare 1989 Fleer Randy Johnson Marlboro error cards. Otherwise been a pretty slow collecting year.

[hcv123]

1) I am grateful this hobby affords me the ability to earn a living working at something I love and spend incredible quality time with my growing teenage boys. I left a family business at the end of 2019 and started selling as a stop gap till I realized I could give it a go full time! 5 years later I think back and couldn't have scripted how incredibly things have unfolded.

2) I am grateful for the Net 54 members and others who have entrusted me to sell (consigned or sold outright) their valuable and carefully assembled treasured collections privately (as an alternative to selling via auction)

3) I am grateful for all of the purchases that were made from me by an incredibly diverse and passionate group of collectors over the course of the year. Additionally the ability to converse and share a passion for the hobby that can't happen with adults outside the hobby.

4) I am grateful that so many with so much knowledge freely share allowing me and others to continue to learn so much about this hobby!

5) I am grateful to Leon for creating and maintaining this wonderful site as an incredible central gathering place for all of us

6) I am grateful for the countless hours of joy pursuing my own collection has given me.

[Snowman]

I'm grateful for the remarkably incompetent graders at PSA, which allows me to pick up near mint cards for the price of VGEX cards by the truck load. And for all the lawyers in this hobby, without whom, we'd all be lost. Merry Christmas everyone!

[Casey2296]

-
I'm most grateful for this forum and the collectors I have met while building my PC. I've learned so much information from the members here that is not available anywhere else. I think if Net54 disappeared I would stop collecting for the most part because I've been satisfied with my 500 card goal at this point.

And let's face it, no Net54 kinda takes the fun out of it.

Now I can go on the negative Festivus thread and complain about Leon and his pre-war henchmen sucking me into this whole gig.

Thanks Leon, I have some nice 14CJs instead of an amazing kitchen.

[Leon]

My pleasure, Phil!
I am most thankful, hobby related, for all of our members that contribute to making this a fun place to talk about the hobby and pre-wwii baseball cards.

Originally Posted by Casey2296

-
I'm most grateful for this forum and the collectors I have met while building my PC. I've learned so much information from the members here that is not available anywhere else. I think if Net54 disappeared I would stop collecting for the most part because I've been satisfied with my 500 card goal at this point.

And let's face it, no Net54 kinda takes the fun out of it.

Now I can go on the negative Festivus thread and complain about Leon and his pre-war henchmen sucking me into this whole gig.

Thanks Leon, I have some nice 14CJs instead of an amazing kitchen.

[LEHR]

I'm most thankful for the few close friendships I've developed in the hobby.

[Aaron Seefeldt]

Originally Posted by chiprop

Aaron Seefeldt

Right back atchya DK!

[Mark17]

I'm thankful for auctions that have things I'm interested in, because I enjoy the anticipation and competitiveness of bidding.

I'm also thankful for post #14.

[BioCRN]

I'm thankful for the handful of under-the-radar buys and auction wins that come way cheaper than expected.

I get a few a year and some I remember for many years afterwards.

I'm not a high-end/high-grade collector, but patience being rewarded is occasionally as rewarding as obtaining the card, itself.

[GeoPoto]

I am thankful for the introduction of grading and encapsulation of baseball cards. Without which, the hobby would have been closed off from me.

I realize this is not the perspective shared by most members of this forum. But it is mine. Let me try to explain.

Most of you were much more involved at an early age in the process of collecting cards. You went to shows, hung out in card shops, had friends who did likewise, etc. You acquired an ability to evaluate cards by handling them. You became specialists in identifying fake cards and confident in your ability to judge a cards condition and value. You derived satisfaction from having these skills and enjoyed being part of the fraternity of collectors. The internet, TPGs, and AHs took that away, or at least blunted it. I can see that.

As a pre-teen, I did have baseball cards for a year or two but viewed them more as a way to play gambling games than as something to collect. After that, I paid no attention to cards for 50 years. Then, for reasons I won't even attempt to explain, I decided to become a card collector. This decision was only remotely possible because it turned out one didn't need to handle and evaluate cards and populate shows or card shops in order to find cards. It could all be done on the internet, safely, with high probabilities of avoiding fake cards and getting cards whose condition correlated with the prices paid so that they could be expected to retain their value, at least in relation to the market. Cards could be bought in auctions, providing greater assurance that the price paid reflected market prices at least on that day.

Since entering the hobby, I have learned that grading is far from perfectly consistent, and that significant card alteration can be done without leaving effects that can be readily identified. This leaves a lot of variances between the assigned grade and the actual eye appeal of the card. Obviously, eye appeal is subjective, but I have learned to factor centering, attractive borders, edge and corner wear, and surface conditions to arrive at a process that works for me.

There is no question, that I began with an inflated confidence in grading. I was prepared to assume that a 6 was better than a 5, 7 was better than 6, and so on. I've learned that it is often not that simple. I can see, for example, that, at least for me, the PSA 8 shown below is less attractive than the other two cards despite their lower grade. The centering and the greatly diminished likelihood that they have been trimmed, makes them preferable to me, before you consider the fantastic price premium commanded by the 8.

So, for me, while grading and encapsulation are not perfect, I am thankful for them for a simple reason. Without them, I would not be a collector. They are existential for me.

[jethrod3]

Late to the party, but I am so very thankful that I found this forum. The wealth of information contained in the threads, and the "who's who" list of people you can turn to, and trust, for information or feedback based on extensive experience is staggering! My thanks to Leon and to those that have contributed to my knowledge and excitement in our fantastic hobby!

[parkplace33]

Originally Posted by hcv123

1) I am grateful this hobby affords me the ability to earn a living working at something I love and spend incredible quality time with my growing teenage boys. I left a family business at the end of 2019 and started selling as a stop gap till I realized I could give it a go full time! 5 years later I think back and couldn't have scripted how incredibly things have unfolded.

2) I am grateful for the Net 54 members and others who have entrusted me to sell (consigned or sold outright) their valuable and carefully assembled treasured collections privately (as an alternative to selling via auction)

3) I am grateful for all of the purchases that were made from me by an incredibly diverse and passionate group of collectors over the course of the year. Additionally the ability to converse and share a passion for the hobby that can't happen with adults outside the hobby.

4) I am grateful that so many with so much knowledge freely share allowing me and others to continue to learn so much about this hobby!

5) I am grateful to Leon for creating and maintaining this wonderful site as an incredible central gathering place for all of us

6) I am grateful for the countless hours of joy pursuing my own collection has given me.

Howard, cheers to 5 years!

[conor912]

For having a collection that 10yo me couldn’t have ever imagined.

[Exhibitman]

Great friends and lots of fun.

A hobby that I relished ever since I was a kid morphing into a business that will keep me busy when I retire from my legal practice and a wonderful subject to hone my writing and indulge my ego on Substack.

Meeting women through cards, of course. Best way to test a woman's suitability as a potential mate. 30 years ago, coming out to a woman as a card collector and her not running away meant she might be a keeper. If she'd actually go to card shows with you, well, you gotta put a ring on it. I did, and after 30 years of marriage, while she won't come to shows with me anymore, when I tell her I am going to one, she just smiles and tells me to have fun with the other dipshits.

[HOF_Forever]

I'm very thankful for the wealth of knowledge that's on these boards. I'm also appreciative for the great dinner that was put on for members at the National. It was awesome to meet fellow collectors and gawk at the great cards people pulled out of their cases after dinner.

[BioCRN]

Originally Posted by conor912

For having a collection that 10yo me couldn’t have ever imagined.

Absolutely. I was in my early 20s in the late 90s before I could start to get a hold of those cards I considered out of reach for my collection that started in my single-digits of age.

Before then my big scores were getting a hold of regionally "rarer" cards that didn't come around too much before Ebay and other places got enough users to make these cards more accessible. I got a 1986 Peoria Mark Grace in the early 90s and that took years of searching to run across one. It wasn't expensive, it was just hard to actually find one to buy.

My money's been good enough and the availability been good enough for decades now. 15 year old me wouldn't believe the depth of my collection. 10 year old me would need a short lecture on what half the cards were.

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Great friends and lots of fun.

A hobby that I relished ever since I was a kid morphing into a business that will keep me busy when I retire from my legal practice and a wonderful subject to hone my writing and indulge my ego on Substack.

Meeting women through cards, of course. Best way to test a woman's suitability as a potential mate. 30 years ago, coming out to a woman as a card collector and her not running away meant she might be a keeper. If she'd actually go to card shows with you, well, you gotta put a ring on it. I did, and after 30 years of marriage, while she won't come to shows with me anymore, when I tell her I am going to one, she just smiles and tells me to have fun with the other dipshits.

Proud to be a Dipshit.

[pawpawdiv9]

Thankful for this forum and its members here that have helped me keep interest in collecting and many entertaining discussions of knowledge
Especially thankful for my health thus far and support by n54 and guys like bnorth
If I can close out my big head set— I be thrilled
I have plans for 2025 and have a start already on t206s portraits
Staying healthy and positive

[Exhibitman]

For 2025, I want to keep having fun with this odd thing we do. I love chasing cardboard at antique shows, flea markets, and similar events, going to shows, going to the National. I even enjoy the busywork of selling cards.