All you type card freaks!!

[68Hawk]

I went the marriage route and it has provided 11 years of chase, excitement, disappointment, and passing moments of feeling sated.

With a love of all sports (excepting motor racing and horse racing), and the enjoyment of having a smattering of knowledge of each, I just started collecting knowing I wanted a piece of card depicting it's heroes and sometimes villains.

So I started collecting the superstar names, largely HOF'ers, and learing about them along the way.
But set collecting seemed too limited, too repetitive an artistic depiction for my tastes, so I decided I wanted a type collection of these players with no copy of issue amongst them - or at least year of issue.

As I collected the players I loved or intrigued me across various sports, I purchased 3 penzoni (sic?) frames to hold the cards for display. Each allowing up to 30 standard grading compay holders that is my preferred holder. That finite space gave me limits to my collection I felt/feel reassuring.

In the end, I allocated one entire frame to Baseball that in my case holds 28 players (larger cards of Pete Rose and Sandy Koufax ate space) from across the 19th century to current day. And so, I had to make really stringent decisions on who those players were I wanted to look at every day.

I split one frame between Basketball and Football, and one frame as a catchall to the other sports I wanted represented.

And then, the fun started. Because as I chose each player's 'type' - often their rookie card or scarcer card or most aesthetically pleasing, it removed that type option for a different player who may have played in the same era.

In this way, there are cards you start off loving and having but then replace because you prefer that type on a different player. In that way, I've changed my cobb representative 4 times, my matty 4 times, my cy 3 times etc..
And yet some cards have endured and are the first card I ever purchased of that player. My 51' Bowman Willie Mays was amongst the first 10 cards I ever purchased.

It's been some trip, one I'm awfully close to ending, and one I can really recommend!

[Runscott]

I am NOT a type-card collector; however, ten years ago I was building a collection of all the Nap Rucker and Ed Reulbach cards.

It's really amazing how many cards (and other stuff) individual players have, and it's sort of like type collecting in that it gives you an appreciation for cards you aren't used to holding. Plus, you'll find yourself looking at things like signed documents, photos, baseballs, equipment, etc., etc

[Exhibitman]

That was my experience with my Lefty O'Doul collecting, Scott. I found myself with a de facto type card set of PCL and 1930s MLB issues.

http://imageevent.com/exhibitman/frankleftyodoulcard

[tonyo]

Originally Posted by 68Hawk

That finite space gave me limits to my collection I felt/feel reassuring.

I use a similar method to limit my collection (really to control my spending). A cabinet with several shallow drawers I found at an antique shop holds my hof type collection pre-war to 70's. If a new card doesn't fit in the cabinet, I have to make a decision on which card "gets cut" to make room for the new one

Originally Posted by 68Hawk

And then, the fun started. Because as I chose each player's 'type' - often their rookie card or scarcer card or most aesthetically pleasing, it removed that type option for a different player who may have played in the same era.

I like your idea - basically a set of parameters that keeps the number of cards in your collection in check. I use a different but similar set of parameters:
Post war: late 40's and 50's Leaf, Bowman, Topps regular issues (at least 3 of each set) , and at least 2 of every hofer that played in that time period. Same with 60's topps, same with 70's topps.
Pre-war: as many different types as possible, at least one of each hall of famer. They must fit in the cabinet, so when i finally pick up a Plank or a Wagner for example, they may -depending on space in the cabinet- replace a Frisch (whom I have 8 different) or a Crawford or Hubbell (5 each)