Question for Team collectors

[cardswin53]

What concessions do you make since it is impossible to collect all the cards from your favorite team ? I am a Cardinal collector and collect from 1887 (American Association Browns) to present day. A few concessions I've made are collecting fronts and not backs, no variations, no sister set cards, no parallels. Most of my Cardinals are collector grade as over my 36 years of adult collecting I have preferred quantity to quality.
Do you limit your team collecting by time frame, type of cards, one of each player, one from each set ? Just curious to see if anyone has similar "rules" to mine.

[clydepepper]

There was a time when there were only a few cards of each player each year and even that can become daunting. To have limits is to assure sanity.

I thought things were going to be easy when Topps came out with Total Team sets several years ago, but it waned after a few years. I collect Braves' cards, but trying to snag cards of everyone who gets called up to cover the latest Tommy Johns surgery or hangnail is near impossible.

As far as the 19th century teams are concerned, however, I would allow wide variety as quantities were scarce back then.

That's just my opinion, though...there are many on this site much more experienced than me. Good luck whatever course you decide.

[Bosox Blair]

Everything from the beginning up to 1990. I have no interest in anything after that.

(To me, different backs are not different cards - I don't collect backs.)

Cheers,
Blair

[Wite3]

Phillies here...everything up to 1989...so far, I have not really made concessions...I want EVERYTHING...I just made the realization early on that unless I win several lotteries and live to 300 years old, I probably will not own one of everything and I am fine with that. My wantlist was HUGE 20 years ago and now it is merely big. I used to average about 3 cards a week 20 years ago and now I average about 6 cards a year on my list if I am lucky...more competition, higher prices, and just scarcity of things on my wantlist limits me.

Joshua

[brewing]

You make your own rules.

Im a Tiger collector. Personally I don't collect local issues, or variations. I also don't collect issues I don't like (T207, 34 Goudey, 55 Bowman) or sets I choose not to spend the money on (T202, 49 Leaf, CJ's). I haven't decided about the candy issues yet.

[jasonc]

Agree with brewing. You make the rules, it's your collection.

O's 1954 to present, since there is so many different issues out there, at this point I've decided topps regular issue cards, I may collect others like donruss, fleer, bowman etc... but I am finding topps regular quite a task already, especially with the short prints, etc. I am in no rush to complete, just like the journey.

Good Luck

[kmac32]

Originally Posted by cardswin53

What concessions do you make since it is impossible to collect all the cards from your favorite team ? I am a Cardinal collector and collect from 1887 (American Association Browns) to present day. A few concessions I've made are collecting fronts and not backs, no variations, no sister set cards, no parallels. Most of my Cardinals are collector grade as over my 36 years of adult collecting I have preferred quantity to quality.
Do you limit your team collecting by time frame, type of cards, one of each player, one from each set ? Just curious to see if anyone has similar "rules" to mine.

I would start with trading all of your Cardinal cards for Cubs players. Where I grew up, they would burn your home to the ground for having such obscene material in your home. Go Cubs Go!

On the more serious side, i have a complete run of Topps Cubs cards from 1951 to present. My rule is I collect only the base set and update set as there are so many insert cards that it would drive you crazy trying to collect those in addition to the base cards.

[steve B]

Being more of a generalist collector I don't really have rules or limits besides budget. I collect pretty much everything, just not in an organized or aggressive fashion. In other words, I'm "working" on all sets, but I don't get hung up on completing a set.

While I prefer RedSox cards, if there's a card of another team that's the better deal I'll buy it. For T206 I think I need two poses, and loads of front/back combinations. Neither of the ones I need are all that hard to find, I just haven't come across a good deal at the same time as having the money for it.

I handle the inserts/paralells the same way. If I get them in a pack, cool. If I find some at a bargain that's cool too. But I'm not scouring shows and Ebay for all four colors of printers plate for the front and back of every RedSox card.

I consider all that stuff to be its own set, so for instance my 2011 Topps second series set was "complete" at 330 base cards. All the other stuff I got is stored with it, and I have a spreadsheet I use as a checklist, but haven't checked off a spot since probably early 2012.

Steve B

[philliesphan]

I'm a big Phillies Phan, like Joshua, but I try not to be a completist.

It really wouldn't be hard for me to pick up many of the "mainstream" Phillies cards, if I had the time, money and space. Alas, probably short on all three.

Thus, I focus on the rare and esoteric. I have a T206 Phillies proof card, a handful of E104-III Phillies, an E107 team set (less one basically impossible team name variation), some postcards, etc. And a few Mike Schmidt cards.

But I stopped many years ago trying to collect too much "stuff", because it really took up a lot of space and ultimately become unenjoyable to me. I once had 200-300 different Steve Carlton cards, for instance. Now I have between five and ten. They're all cool ones, though, and I really enjoy them (1972 Topps Candy Lids, 1973 Topps Comics, 1973 Topps Poster, 1972 Topps Traded, 1974 Deckle Edge, 1985 Topps Mini)

[cardswin53]

This Cardinal collector has now heard from team collectors of the Braves, Red Sox, Phillies, Tigers, Orioles, White Sox and Cubs on this issue of what accommodations (if any) a team collector is willing to make to collecting all cards from his/her favorite team. Any team "completists" out there ?

[dabigyankeeman]

Yankee team collector here. I collect Yankee cards from their start in the early 1900's thru current, but i do put some limitations on that.

I dont worry about whats on the back, i will go after front variations for sure, but not different backs.

Yankee collecting is hard financially due to the incredible number of superstars from years ago, so i dont hold the line on condition. I buy what i can afford, and to me its way better to have a Goudey Ruth in PSA-1 condition than not to have one in nicer condition because i cant afford it. I do though try real hard to get good eye-appeal on my lessor condition cards, it takes some work, but all low graded cards are not equal on the eye, some are so much better looking than others, and those are the ones i go after.

I try to get every Yankee card i can from 1980 and older. Starting in 1981 when multiple sets started being produced, i collect a representative sample of Topps cards each year and also any other cards that i really like, but no way do i try to get them all.

In 35 years of collecting, i have a tremendous amount of Yankee cards, and love when i can complete a team set from any year, particularly the old ones like T205, T206, T207, Goudeys, Diamond Stars, etc.

I think being a team collector is a fantastic way to collect as it gives you an enormously varied collection full of great old cards and really nice newer ones too.

[LEHR]

I'm a Pirates collector. To keep a more narrowed focus I "try" to stick to higher grade pre-war material of just about any Pirate player and high grade post-war HOF'ers. I do collect pretty much anything high grade and baseball related but my main focus is definitely the Pittsburgh Pirates.

[MartyFromCANADA]

Being a Blue Jays fan, the team collection for me is quite easy. I do narrow the collection to just Topps Series 1,2 and Update. So, I have all Topps Blue Jays from 77' to 2015. With all the garbage produced in the 90's, I think going for every card is a bit too much.

[granite75]

It can absolutely get overwhelming if you don't narrow your scope at first. I'm collecting 52 - present Topps base cards. Focusing on the commons first, then filling in the Teds, Yazs, and high #s. After that, I plan on working backwards and collecting Bowmans. I know I'll never be able to collect all Red Sox cards, but completing each year's set is a nice, attainable reward.

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[milkit1]

I limit myself to working on a particular cubs teamset but make sure I get everything possible. I'd rather have a few 100% complete cubs card sets then a lot of incomplete ones.

[bbcardzman]

Yet another Cardinal collector here. Seems to be a lot of us on this site. I started collecting everything Cardinals at first then started to narrow my scope some. I know I'll never get everything but I still collect every Cardinals card from every year and set. I found that with a huge want list that I can trade with almost anyone pretty easily. I don't usually collect inserts unless its a Cardinals insert set, but will take them to even out trades. I do collect Cardinals certified autos though and now have 192 different players. I collect all variations and backs but did not collect much pre-war stuff until I found this site a few years ago. Adding the 189 T206 different Cardinals and backs to my wants, not to mention all the others, makes my want list a little crazy. But collecting the old stuff seems to be what I like best. Now my want lists go back to 1887 and seem endless since now I'll even take St. Louis Whites, Federals, Brown Stockings, Perfectos, and Browns depending on my finances.
I'd streamline my focus more but it's just too hard to drop cards off my lists. I just love everything Cardinals!! GO CARDS!!!

[joelefsox]

I have accumulated 20,000 different Red Sox cards from 1903 to 2005. I moved on to set building. There is a huge effort in compiling the list and now with parallels of parallel's it is over whelming.


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[granite75]

For other team collectors, what do you do for storage /displays?

Currently using binders but not crazy about them.

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[Cmount76]

Mets team collector here. I decided that I wasn't going to get involved with the gimmicks of modern cards, such as colored parallels. And although front/back combos weren't an issue for me, I decided to simply go the route of every Topps base card from 1962 through present day would be my focus.

I finished it a couple of years ago and now just update it yearly.

As far as storage, I use http://www.ebay.com/itm/330484751308...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

The boxes are great and come in different wood finishes, so I use different boxes for different collections.

[dabigyankeeman]

Originally Posted by granite75

For other team collectors, what do you do for storage /displays?

Currently using binders but not crazy about them.

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I love binders, my whole card collection is in them. Even cards i bought graded have been removed from the slabs and put in plastic sheets in binders.

If you are looking to display cards, many wall displays are available, and also many little mini-easels can stand-up cards on a shelf. Nice to do that with a mirrored background.

As to storage, i dont keep any part of my actual collection in storage, its ALL in albums so i can look at them. I do have a few smallish backup boxes of cards of the teams i collect, those are more for trading or giving cards to friends, and once in awhile i look thru them to see if someone in there is now a favorite of mine. I buy plastic boxes that are made for fishing lures, if you find the right boxes they have just the right size spaces for cards.

[granite75]

How many ungraded cards do those hold?

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[The-Cardfather]

This is my first post on this board.

I collect NY Mets PSA graded cards. Since the Mets were formed in 1962 (same year I was born), my task is a bit easier than someone who collects Reds, Yankees, Giants, etc.

Obviously, it's your collection, so you make your own rules. Here are my "rules":

1. It would be virtually impossible for me to collect every card of every player, so I collect one card of each player. I store them alphabetically.

2. I don't like cards with "action" shots. I like to see the player's face. I really prefer portraits where the player is facing the camera. If he's smiling, that's a plus.

3. I will accept PSA 9 grades for those cards issued from 1962 through 1969. But cards issued 1970 or later must have a grade of PSA 10.


I used to collect heavilly back in the late 1970s. Back then I really didn't care too much about the condition of my cards. (Stupid me!) I got back into collecting about a year and a half ago - mostly on eBay where I buy & sell.

- Charles