Why do you collect what you collect?

[riggs336]

Complete sets. As many as possible and as complete as possible. That means master sets, errors and variations. Including odd stuff like 1960 Fleer #80 and 1967 Topps Maris as a Yankee.
One thing that hasn't changed since I was a kid is that condition is almost meaningless to me. My collecting philosophy has always been Quantity Over Quality. Completion is the thing for me.
Now, if someone will sell me a T205 Hobby no-stats, I'll move on to the next set.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by riggs336

Complete sets. As many as possible and as complete as possible. That means master sets, errors and variations. Including odd stuff like 1960 Fleer #80 and 1967 Topps Maris as a Yankee.

One thing that hasn't changed since I was a kid is that condition is almost meaningless to me. My collecting philosophy has always been Quantity Over Quality. Completion is the thing for me.

Now, if someone will sell me a T205 Hobby no-stats, I'll move on to the next set.

Quantity over quality drives me too. Sometimes it sucks, but I've got some cool pieces!

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[Seven]

I say I collect a little bit of "everything." Everything being mostly cards from the 1960's and backwards. Mickey Mantle is one of my biggest draws, I'm just enamored by him. His career, the constant "what ifs", the fact he did so much on practically one knee. He's my main draw I would say. Have some Mays and Aaron too in my small collection. I recently find myself getting interested in Tobacco/Caramel Cards as well. Eddie Collins, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson. I would love to own a Cobb or a Wagner one day, it's just not in the cards at the moment. A little too far out of my price range, when I feel like there's other collecting goals I need to accomplish first. I suppose If I stumble across a Cobb that I fall in love with, and can't pass up on the deal I would take it.

Lou Gehrig is another player that I've taken a lot of interest in lately. I've always appreciated the 33 and 34 goudey cards of his. I discovered his Kashin recently along with the 33 Delong as well. Pipe dreams at this point though, I can't afford them. At least ones in presentable condition.

Autographs is something else that I'm very interested in too. I worked on a Ron Lewis Living Legends set for a little bit, before getting a good deal on a complete one. I have a few doubles, but I'm a bit of a hoarder and don't want to get rid of them! I suppose I could display the doubles and then keep the main set stored away.

I love the history of our National Pastime. As a History Buff and a History Teacher, I really do enjoy reading about careers of random players that I discover, that I never saw play. Owning some of their cards makes me feel like I have a window into the era that they played in.

[BuzzD]

Life-long NYY fan. I started in 1970's trying to get a card of each player in a NYY uniform, then later, an original photo in a NYY uniform or an autograph. For some early players, I have conceded and picked up a non-uni card or photo. There are 79 players who were in only one game as a NYY. I have a card, photo and/or autograph of 61 so far. Some are rare or scarce. eg see Guy Cooper Bain photo. It is dated the day he appeared in his one game.

It is also remarkable, at least to me, that there are some later players that seem impossible to find as a NYY: Greg Harris (1994) Jeff Patterson (1995) Billy Brewer (1996). You would think that the team might have made a photo available.

I find it a lot of fun to score really obscure players rather than investment stuff. And some not so obscure. Germany Schaefer has several cards noted as NYAL but he is always in a Detroit uni. He played one game on 8.9.1916 for NYY. Couple years ago I found a great photo of him fooling around in a NYY sweater.

The what part of the question is easy. The why part is harder. At my age, I feel like I am just renting these items for a little while.

[Case12]

MLB expansion team - Houston Colt 45s. The name lasted only 3 years. Terrible stadium. Had some great and unique players hodgepodge together. Where else can you find a MLB player in uniform on a mule? :-)

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Seven

I love the history of our National Pastime. As a History Buff and a History Teacher, I really do enjoy reading about careers of random players that I discover, that I never saw play. Owning some of their cards makes me feel like I have a window into the era that they played in.

I'm a high school history teacher. Do you teach middle school, high school, or college?

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[Seven]

Originally Posted by todeen

I'm a high school history teacher. Do you teach middle school, high school, or college?

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Middle School at the moment! I came into the profession young, combined with the fact that some high school students look older than me, I felt like middle school was the best option ! They switched my grade this year though, went from 8th to 6th, which I'm not exactly thrilled about, but it could defintely be worse! Maybe somewhere down the line I move to a High School!

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Seven

Middle School at the moment! I came into the profession young, combined with the fact that some high school students look older than me, I felt like middle school was the best option ! They switched my grade this year though, went from 8th to 6th, which I'm not exactly thrilled about, but it could defintely be worse! Maybe somewhere down the line I move to a High School!

I went from a 4A school, to a 1A school, and now I'm at I think 1B (the smallest school in Washington State). I love it! I taught 9th grade at my first two schools and quickly tired of that. It's a bit harder now, I teach 6/8/9/11/12, but I love being able to cover all of history! I love the 6th grade and 8th grade purely for classroom atmosphere. 11th grade US History post-reconstruction is my favorite subject. Right now we're on a hybrid schedule due to COVID. It's tough.

Funny story - when I worked at my first school I was routinely pulled over by janitors at 4:30/5:00 wondering why a student was wandering the hallways. So I totally understand what you're saying about looking young!

[cdn_collector]

These types of posts fascinate me. I enjoy reading/hearing about how folks got to where they are, in terms of what they collect.

My collecting started in the 80s. Junk wax galore. But I read about baseball constantly. I don't recall price guides going back further than 1948 Bowman, so I thought those were the oldest cards, until I learned about the T206 Wagner in around 1991 or so (I think I still have a clipping from our local newspaper talking about Gretzky and McNall buying their famous Wagner). Still, I always dreamed of owning a 1951 Topps RB Berra and a 1948 Bowman Spahn.

When I returned to collecting in the early 2000s, I started collecting 1948 Bowman and 1951 Topps RB. Gar Miller helped me build those sets, and he also introduced me to early T & E cards. To think that nearly 100 year old cards could be affordable blew my mind. About the same time, I started reading what I would call 'adult non-fiction' baseball books. That really brought baseball to life for me, and my collecting has basically followed what I read. Read a Jackie Robinson bio, buy a Robinson card. Read about Joe DiMaggio, buy a Joe DiMaggio.

Eventually I read Lawrence Ritter's Glory of their Times, found out about George Gibson, and the rest is kind of history. My collection now is mostly focused on Gibson, but in the past two years or so, I have branched out and started to pick up pre-war cards of other Canadian guys. Almost like a Canadian type card collection, really, though I am also working on a C46 Toronto team set.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone

Richard.

[skil55voy]

Started in 1962. I was 6. It's still my favorite set. Lifelong Tigers fan. My grandfather was on the ground crew at Briggs Stadium during World War II. My mother was a huge fan. She met Hank Greenberg. He through a Christmas party for the ground crew and other staff in 1945. She also met Ty Cobb. I collected full sets until 1986. I sold them to buy a house when I got married. I kept my Post Cereal and Jello cards since my mom used to cut them off the backs of boxes. I have master sets of the 3 US baseball sets. A near master set of 62 US Football. Also have the Canadian sets from 62 and 63. I kept most of the Tiger things she had: Goudey Wide Pens, Butterfingers Pictures, a couple of 52 Bowmans etc.. I have rebuilt my Tigers cards from 1953 on up. Need a couple to finish. I have continued to collect Post Cereal and Jello cards through the years including hockey cards released in Canada. As for now I am working on a 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen set. (Just something to keep me occupied) Really like the stories in this thread!

[Touch'EmAll]

Why do you collect what you collect ? Because it is fun and a great hobby of Americana. Because I collected as a kid, still have much interest as an adult. Because I prefer the old vintage more rare stuff. And I collect top tier HOFers because I feel spending my hard earned money on this type of cards has investment upside.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by skil55voy

I have continued to collect Post Cereal and Jello cards through the years including hockey cards released in Canada.

I did not know those existed; can you post a few here?