You ever consider that collecting might be a bad idea?

[CooperstownExpert]

Don't get me wrong. I've collected something baseball related for over 40 years now since I was quite young. Cards became too common so I turned my attention to Hall of Fame autographs in 1984 and picked up a Ty Cobb autographed check for $40.

Now 30+ years later the size and scope of the autograph collection sometimes makes me wonder if this is such a good idea. I recently picked up the USA Passport from 1970 of my favorite player, Bill Buckner. Sweet item to go along with his first pro contract, signed as a teenager, his final MLB payroll check, and some good stuff in between. But it's also made me wonder...is all this a bad idea.

I'd be really interested to hear from seasoned collectors about their thoughts on collecting in general and what collectors get out of amassing things.

If baseball autographs are your collecting focus, please check out the site called CooperstownExpert.com. It has autographs of all but three MLB HoFers who debuted since 1900, along with 200 other non-Hall of Famers. It took my 30+ years to collect all the pieces, and another 5 years of talking about it before finally creating the site. Take a look and let me know what you think.

We've all had thoughts that collecting might not be a great decision. Lately these thoughts are coming up too often. I'm eager to hear from others on the topic.

[alifaxwa2]

I have thousands of great memories of collecting with my dad when I was a kid.

My son is 6. I hope desperately, he doesn't get sucked in.

[CooperstownExpert]

Originally Posted by alifaxwa2

I have thousands of great memories of collecting with my dad when I was a kid.

My son is 6. I hope desperately, he doesn't get sucked in.

My two guys both play ball, one in college, one still in high school. They emerged from childhood without getting sucked in as you say. Older guy getting interested but I think at 20 years old he might be safe...just starting his life.

With a 6-year old how do you get him interested but not too far gone?

[btcarfagno]

I wonder if it is a bad idea every time I click to raise a bid that is already four increments beyond what I had thought would be my max bid.

I also wonder if it is a bad idea when I contemplate just how often this has happened.

Tom C

[tazdmb]

It brings me great joy, although I have come close to selling my collections several times. My son is 9 and I take him to all autograph experiences with me that I can. He loves meeting his idols and the thrill of the chase. I also tell him about the players so he has an understanding of the players so he can have an appreciation.

[CooperstownExpert]

Originally Posted by btcarfagno

I wonder if it is a bad idea every time I click to raise a bid that is already four increments beyond what I had thought would be my max bid.

I also wonder if it is a bad idea when I contemplate just how often this has happened.

Tom C

I know the darn feeling. I'm trying not to buy anything too common anymore. I think of "junk" that I keep buying that's so plentiful out there. Really want to have that self control to only get the really outstanding pieces from here on out. Not having perfect luck!

[CooperstownExpert]

Originally Posted by tazdmb

It brings me great joy, although I have come close to selling my collections several times. My son is 9 and I take him to all autograph experiences with me that I can. He loves meeting his idols and the thrill of the chase. I also tell him about the players so he has an understanding of the players so he can have an appreciation.

\

That all sounds good! Seems like you're teaching him the game.

[mighty bombjack]

What we do is pretty irrational, no doubt. You have to hold on to that whimsy, that adulation for a game and the players who play(ed) it, for if you stop, if you cut of the feelings in order to plainly THINK, you see very clearly how crazy it is to spend the kind of money that we do on cardboard squares and scribbled-on pieces of paper.

I think that's why I continue to do it. I haven't bought much recently, but I've held off on selling because of the tingle I get, my collection a regular reminder that life isn't all cold and rational, that childlike wonder remains.

[mighty bombjack]

I've also often wondered about the evolutionary component of collecting, because it is 99.99% percent men, we traditional hunter/gatherers, who tend towards compulsivity about "completing" things.

My wife and mom think my dad and I are crazy, but they see the joy it brings us (even if they can't understand it). And I've heard that same thing from many a member here.

[JohnnyFinance7]

Let me offer my two cents. I recently started collecting again (in January) after a 30 year hiatus. When I was a kid, I wrote letters to baseball HOFers and was able to get a few autographs through the mail. I always remember looking forward to coming back from school and finding one of my SASE in the mail. Some players such as Joe Sewell took the time to write me back. Back then, I always wanted to see how many HOF autographs I could collect and I've always enjoyed the history of the game as well. Fast forward 30 years, and I'm trying to re-live my childhood and pick up autographs and rookie cards that I have always wanted.

Cool website by the way and that's awesome that you were able to find a Ty Cobb check for $40!

[packs]

I take joy in preserving history and collecting autographs, so long as you aren't destroying something in your pursuit, is a great way to preserve the history of the game, it's players, and your own history because there will always be certain pieces in your collection that will be attached to a distant memory.

[CooperstownExpert]

Originally Posted by JohnnyFinance7

Let me offer my two cents. I recently started collecting again (in January) after a 30 year hiatus. When I was a kid, I wrote letters to baseball HOFers and was able to get a few autographs through the mail. I always remember looking forward to coming back from school and finding one of my SASE in the mail. Some players such as Joe Sewell took the time to write me back. Back then, I always wanted to see how many HOF autographs I could collect and I've always enjoyed the history of the game as well. Fast forward 30 years, and I'm trying to re-live my childhood and pick up autographs and rookie cards that I have always wanted.

Cool website by the way and that's awesome that you were able to find a Ty Cobb check for $40!

Back in the early to mid 1980s Cobb's granddaughter flooded the market with his checks. I think she sold them to dealers for $10!

[RichardSimon]

Originally Posted by CooperstownExpert

Back in the early to mid 1980s Cobb's granddaughter flooded the market with his checks. I think she sold them to dealers for $10!

A friend of the granddaughter brought 100 checks to NY. He found a local ad of mine.
I paid $20 apiece and got $60 each for them, selling them individually at shows and SCD.

[steve B]

I don't collect much in the way of autographs, but I do collect a lot of stuff, and not all of it sports.

It took me a long time to become a more "serious" collector. And I'm probably not entirely there yet.

I collect pretty much whatever I enjoy in some way. And I've finally escaped the need for "completeness". Collecting in a couple areas where completeness isn't really possible has helped a lot.

I enjoy stuff for a lot of reasons, Nostalgia, a sense of preserving something I find interesting, especially if it seems nobody else cares at all. And sometimes for a sense of discovery. (My wife says I like the hunt better than the catching, and she may be right)

I've seen a few hobbies get so the better things are out of reach (for me anyway) and the lesser ones are boring.

I do find that everyone who collects eventually takes a brief break to reassess their interests and goals.

Lately I've begun taking some of the stuff I've found and doing a little writeup about why it's special and putting it in a binder. It makes the item a bit more relateable, and more than just some old bit of paper in a box somewhere.

Here's a couple pages I did for a postcard I found in a postcard dealers stock and took a chance on. The hockey stic pic is from another member here, and added a lot to the overall page.

[homerunhitter]

Great topic! as ive struggled with this same question for many years. my two cents is, that buying autographs is like buying a brand new car, once you buy it it pretty much loses value. what i mean buy this is how many collectors bought a signed card for one price and then sold it for maybe half on ebay years later? yes, there are exception to the rule of course, but i venture to say that most people dont get back what they put into an item.

secondly, i always struggle with, why buy something and just stick it in a box or album and not look at it for months or even years, seems silly to me.

lately i started thinking,well, we came into the world with nothing, and it is certain that we cant take anything with us, so why buy all these great cards and collectibles if we just have to leave them to someone else that might not want them or might not want to deal with them.

I started selling some stuff and to be honest I kind of like the money in my pocket instead of the items!!!! its nice to buy stuff like a watch, a tv, rims for my cars, a new couch, with the money instead of buying an al kaline autograph or a tom seaver autograph. nice to pay for a nice vegas trip instead of a willie mays or ted williams autograph, nice to buy a new bicycle instead of a hank aaron autograph, nice to buy a nice sewing machine for my wife instead of a eddie mathews autograph, you get the point!

after thinking of all of this, then i start thinking from time to time, how cool it is to buy autographs! so its a roller coaster, up and down, yes and no.i like to collect, i dont like to collect, i like the money, i like the cards..a very tough question indeed!

[CooperstownExpert]

Originally Posted by homerunhitter

Great topic! as ive struggled with this same question for many years. my two cents is, that buying autographs is like buying a brand new car, once you buy it it pretty much loses value. what i mean buy this is how many collectors bought a signed card for one price and then sold it for maybe half on ebay years later? yes, there are exception to the rule of course, but i venture to say that most people dont get back what they put into an item.

secondly, i always struggle with, why buy something and just stick it in a box or album and not look at it for months or even years, seems silly to me.

lately i started thinking,well, we came into the world with nothing, and it is certain that we cant take anything with us, so why buy all these great cards and collectibles if we just have to leave them to someone else that might not want them or might not want to deal with them.

I started selling some stuff and to be honest I kind of like the money in my pocket instead of the items!!!! its nice to buy stuff like a watch, a tv, rims for my cars, a new couch, with the money instead of buying an al kaline autograph or a tom seaver autograph. nice to pay for a nice vegas trip instead of a willie mays or ted williams autograph, nice to buy a new bicycle instead of a hank aaron autograph, nice to buy a nice sewing machine for my wife instead of a eddie mathews autograph, you get the point!

after thinking of all of this, then i start thinking from time to time, how cool it is to buy autographs! so its a roller coaster, up and down, yes and no.i like to collect, i dont like to collect, i like the money, i like the cards..a very tough question indeed!

It sounds like you're where I am thinking of going. Wish it was simpler! Great reply by the way.

[shelly]

Do not for get the Jackie Robinson checks from Rachel. $50 in the folder.

[whyconform]

Listen, we all have hobbies. Autograph collecting isn't my own....I love cars, and modified/raced/showed (not so much anymore). Talk about a depreciating money pit hobby. I also bowl competitively, but point being, people have hobbies to ENJOY.

Now, my gf rides horses. She owns a horse, and pays close to 500 (over with shoes/etc) for board monthly. There is NO way to recoup that money years down the road. It is simply a hobby, fun, and NOT an investment. I don't get it, but to her it's worth every penny.

I enjoy collecting, and love baseball. Owning an autograph collection is like having a small cooperstown, as the items were looked at and touched by the legend. Luckily for people like us, there IS value if you wanted to sell in the future. Knowing what will go up or down is the thing we don't know, but if you do this ONLY for investment purposes, then you're not in it for the right reasons.

For me, as long as I prioritize life, needs, keep it a hobby, and enjoy the chase, I'm happy. At the end of the day, unlike someone who owns a horse, or drinks as a hobby, or ski's, or golfs, or travels, there is Value in the collection should it need to be sold or money gets tight.

The toughest thing for me, is that when things started, I was able to get multiple packages a week, as things were affordable. Now, as needs are expensive, the packages are few and far in between, and you can tend to lose interest.

As long as you treat it as a hobby, I think you're fine. If it is causing financial hardships, or hurting family, then you have to consider what's more important.

[Runscott]

I love collecting anything historical. I get a kick out of having items laying around that were used in games, held by players or even had some other historical significance that wasn't sports-related (Civil War letters, etc).

Like you, I started with cards, but at some point I had handled to excess examples of almost every type, and the allure wore off. Unless signed, they were never touched or seen by players, so they didn't have the same historical magic for me as other items. The really old ones are still interesting as they have had long lives of their own and I'm sure some interesting adventures - can you imagine what the world was like for an Old Judge card, and how it changed over the years (stored in different drawers, handled by different people) until it ended up in its final plastic PSA case?

I am not into amassing items. I much prefer to have a few (or less) fantastic examples of each area I am interested in;e.g - one great Conlon photo, one great Burke, one great Bain, etc. The closest I might come to collecting within a specific area would be to have handwritten letters of the initial HOF class. When I lose interest in something, I sell and sometimes regret it. But the days of having doubts about collecting and getting rid of almost everything, are over.

[CooperstownExpert]

Originally Posted by Runscott

I love collecting anything historical. I get a kick out of having items laying around that were used in games, held by players or even had some other historical significance that wasn't sports-related (Civil War letters, etc).

Like you, I started with cards, but at some point I had handled to excess examples of almost every type, and the allure wore off. Unless signed, they were never touched or seen by players, so they didn't have the same historical magic for me as other items. The really old ones are still interesting as they have had long lives of their own and I'm sure some interesting adventures - can you imagine what the world was like for an Old Judge card, and how it changed over the years (stored in different drawers, handled by different people) until it ended up in its final plastic PSA case?

I am not into amassing items. I much prefer to have a few (or less) fantastic examples of each area I am interested in;e.g - one great Conlon photo, one great Burke, one great Bain, etc. The closest I might come to collecting within a specific area would be to have handwritten letters of the initial HOF class. When I lose interest in something, I sell and sometimes regret it. But the days of having doubts about collecting and getting rid of almost everything, are over.

Since you collect handwritten letters of the initial HoF class I thought you might enjoy these.