The "25 Card" or "50 Card" Collection

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Posted By: James Feagin

When I finish my Tattoo Orbit set, I have decided to start either a "25 card" or "50 card" collection. I know several board members have decided to start such. I would like some updates, to see how they're doing with their quests. What are your ground rules, and more importantly, I'd like to read some stories and see some scans!

Thanks,

James

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

In honor of Ted's thread, I'm going to start a "25 or 624" collection of Cubs and White Sox autographs.

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Posted By: MVSNYC

YOU make the rules...there's no manual.

i've owned tons of cards over the last 20 years...i have phases...sometimes i'll have 100's of cards on hand, and other times, i'll clean it all out, and have just a handful of cards, which are usually very rare or high-grade...it is cyclical for me...

i have a small, yet valuable collection of T206 rare backs and color errors...that is probably less than 20 cards...BUT, then i also have been working on a little "side project"...which is a raw T206 set. many people i know who have a "25" or "50" card collection, have other things on the "side", which are NOT part of the smaller, tighter collection.

pick a number, could be 17 for that matter, whatever, pick a number, and that'll be your target size of the collection. WHEN you buy a card, you might challenge yourself to pick your "weakest" card and sell it...that way you'll alsways have a set number of cards, but it is constently getting "upgraded"...

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Posted By: leon

I have thought about just taking the 25 or 50 of my favorite cards and be happy. Then I start looking at them again, to figure which would be culled, and I forget about it....maybe in the future but I could never pare it down to 50 right now, now if that number were 100??

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Posted By: Matt

James - about 6 months ago, I decided to change my collection over to a (approximately) 25 card collection. I targeted cards of star pre-1950 players based on my set of arbitrary rules and have only 5 cards left on my want list at this point. Each card I have acquired has a bit of a story with it, whether it be a trade, a BST purchase or something more elaborate such as winning a large lot of cards, only to keep 1 and sell off the rest. My arbitrary set of rules:
1) 1 Card per player
2) 1 Card per issue (e.g. only 1 card from T206 (a Johnson portrait))
3) The card has to be (subjectively) attractive
4) If the player played any significant stretch with Cleveland, his card should depict him on the Cleveland team.

I have found it to be a challenging and fun process and highly recommend it. I've got a few that still need to be crossed over to SGC, and a few more to pickup, but once I get closer, I'll upload everything to the SGC registry.

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Posted By: steve yawitz

I really enjoy following such an approach, which I'm still refining. I started my "Finite Collection" about a year and a half ago after realizing that I just don't have the patience to collect sets and that my purchases that weren't for sets just seemed a little too random. I figured a finite approach - and I set my limit at my age, which was then 33, now 34 - would give me a nice balance by freeing up time and money I had been devoting to T206 commons, for example, but also making me a little choosier about what I bought.

When I started, I did exempt my T206 St. Louisans - I couldn't entirely quit the Monster - from the quota, but as Michael said, the nice thing is that you're able to make up your own rules or even to change them on the fly. In fact, I haven't had too difficult of a time staying under my cap and even have some room for growth right now but am still thinking of spinning off subcategories for hockey cards and for T206's. The hockey just because it makes sense to keep them separate from baseball; the T206's just because I'm getting the itch again and might need additional cap room.

Anyway, you can check out scans by following the link below to my site. I now have separate folders for my St. Louis T206's and the Finite Collection. Within the latter, I also have an album for all the cards I've sold since adopting this approach. For the most part, I can't say I miss them. I certainly can't have it all, so I might as well see how many cool cards can pass through my hands during my collecting days. Besides, the thrill really is in the chase.

http://imageevent.com/yawie99

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Posted By: James Feagin

Great approach Steve! By the way, I may hit you up on that Red Cross Marquard one day

James

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Posted By: James Feagin

Great approach Steve! By the way, I may hit you up on that Red Cross Marquard one day

James

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Posted By: peter ullman

I TOO have thought about this and I just can't do it...I have too many types of cards I really love! I don't get the whole "side" project thing, though? Isn't the point of a "25" or nifty "50" collection to pare down to that #? I like Steve Y's technique...very thoughtful!

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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

Peter, that's where I went wrong.

I started the Nifty Fifty a year or so ago, and thought it would be a great way for me to maintain focus. Of course I wasn't about to abandon my '38 Goudeys or my Henry Johnson confectioners; if I have "signature" sets it would be those two. And I was midway through a T205 set, and I wasn't going to turn my back on that project, either.

So I started chugging away on 50 cards, and then decided I wasn't satisfying the jones to buy new cards. So I decided to start a run of 1970s sets - cheap enough cards, easy to find, and they didn't really "count," since I'm a vintage collector and I don't consider those cards to be "vintage."

Then I started working on the Monster a little - I've always collected T206 since I was a boy, they're cheap and plentiful and have great HOFers. So I added that.

Then I acquired one too many N28s, and started to work on that set as well.

Suddenly, my 50 card collection that I started to help me maintain focus, resulted in me having less focus than I've ever had in my collecting life. I'm slowly whittling away cards now, moving back toward being a HOF and type collector and trying to regain focus.

I was fired up about the concept of the Nifty Fifty when I first heard of it, and I really evangelized it quite a bit, but ultimately I kept making excuses for side projects. I guess I have no discipline.

-Al