Playing in a smaller sandbox

[timn1]

As usual you are among the most thoughtful of us all... I've struggled with plenty of similar feelings without really reconciling them.

Responders above have given some great advice and thoughts. Like some of them, I find it a lot less interesting to look at one more mega-priced Ruth or Mantle card than I do to dig out something really obscure (and hopefully not too pricey).

couple of strategies I've enjoyed:

1. I've picked a little-known but not crazy-expensive set I thought was cool and gone for it. I'm currently closing in on the Blue Ribbon Malt Cubs ansd White Sox, which I think are just beautiful. I am egotistical enough to like the idea that I have one of the few, or the only, complete set anywhere.



2. I have a "player wantlist" where I seek out cards of obscure players that aren't represented in my collection. When I acquire one of them I'll look into his background and career so he comes alive beyond the often thin MLB stat line.

Here's part of the current player wantlist:

M101-1: Bergen, Doyle, Hahn, Hamilton, Lange

E91-C: Hughes

Topping Postcards: Speer

B18: Dolan, Robinson, Dee Walsh, Gus Williams

T204: Jim Ball, Bancroft, Burkett, Kahoe, Murnane, Newton, Reilly

E286 JuJu Drums: Cheek, Mullen

W514: Dilhoefer, Risberg, Shean, Williams

E120/W573: Barnhart, Callaway, Crane, Fuhrman, Johnston, Bob Jones

1923-24 Exhibits: Barnhart

1925 Exhibits: Brooks, Wings [Wingo]

1926 Exhibits: Huber, Munson, Spurgeon

1929-30 Exhibits: Holloway, Richardson

1931-32 Exhibits: Boley, Gooch, Sweeney, Webb

Baguer Chocolate: Boley

R318 Batter-Up: Gabler, Bud Hafey, Mickey Haslin

U1 Matchbooks: Crawford, Goldstein, Roy Haslin, McLaughlin, Muller, Quigley, Rensa, Rip Sewell, Sullivan

U3 Matchbooks Cain, Roy Haslin, Hinkle, Holbrook, Leggett, Michaels, Milligan, Saltzgraver, Tietje

[rhettyeakley]

Great idea for a post and great thoughts by those that have chimed in.

The history of the game and finding new information about a long-forgotten ballplayer are some of my favorite aspects of this hobby!

It was with this mind that I began my Zeenut card run. So many players that had long careers that are now largely forgotten.

I have always been drawn the less mainstream stuff and have enjoyed learning about the off-the-beaten-path types of cards & players. It does absolutely nothing for me to see my 1,000th 1952 Mantle or T206 Cobb… zero! Seeing an example of those same players in a crazy rare set, however, does do something for me. Seeing an obscure player from a ridiculously rare set also does something for me. Just a different personality type I suppose and I realize that I am in fact the “strange” one that doesn’t like the “common but collected” sets but prefers the “uncommon but who-cares” sets!

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by rhettyeakley

Great idea for a post and great thoughts by those that have chimed in.

The history of the game and finding new information about a long-forgotten ballplayer are some of my favorite aspects of this hobby!

It was with this mind that I began my Zeenut card run. So many players that had long careers that are now largely forgotten.

I have always been drawn the less mainstream stuff and have enjoyed learning about the off-the-beaten-path types of cards & players. It does absolutely nothing for me to see my 1,000th 1952 Mantle or T206 Cobb… zero! Seeing an example of those same players in a crazy rare set, however, does do something for me. Seeing an obscure player from a ridiculously rare set also does something for me. Just a different personality type I suppose and I realize that I am in fact the “strange” one that doesn’t like the “common but collected” sets but prefers the “uncommon but who-cares” sets!

+1 Rhett, and well said. I love the cards and the history behind them. And I cannot afford a mortgage and expensive cards. I am very fortunate, frankly, to have the cards I have.

[Leon]

I have collected movie lobby cards for a while. Most of them are relatively cheap and many are very interesting...And an 8 x 10 type one of the same..

[Snapolit1]

I've been focusing on tickets, photos, programs, and random one off stuff now for the last year or so. Really not interested in uber expensive cards at this point. Look at LOTG auction closing Saturday . . . .you can find literally hundreds of cool items, many of them way more unique than a card where there are 100s if not 1000s of documented (how about undocumented?) examples out there. I find the hunt and search effort for cool "unappreciated" stuff is far more satisfying than getting another card. Often after getting a nice card it takes me 3 days before I start bemoaning a nicer example in another auction.

I've also discovered some artists out who do really cool stuff and filled my office with really cool inexpensive baseball art. Here are a few of my recent purchases on that front from an artist from Texas. Message me if you are interested in his stuff. Each of these was under $100!

[BobbyStrawberry]

I really appreciate this thread. I get a great deal of enjoyment from collecting all kinds of stuff that is old even if not super valuable $$-wise...baseball and other things too:

[67airborne]

I can’t afford a whole sand box anymore, I had to down size to a plastic bucket. I’ve been reading for awhile from behind the scenes here. I used to be on here fairly regularly and still remember some of the names I see. I thought I had got out of the hobby around 2005, but it seems it was a couple years before that. I found my old user name for this site and my old eBay name as well. Now that I’m thinking about it this site used to be at a different place and if I remember correctly, Leon moved it here after some issues. I used to have a lot of nice cards and to give you a small idea. I had around 20 different Cobbs, full set of e102’s not as nice as (Pete Cauldrons?) Was, is? multiple Ruth’s with a psa2 Collins and McCarthy I sold for $5500 at the time, a few e107’s and a lot of sovereign back t206’s and random Hofer’s just to name a few of many cards. Now after many years away from the hobby I’ve been back collecting for about 2 again. So to walk away for 20 years and come back was a little bit of a shock to me. I found it was impossible to get those raw ex. t206”s for $40 anymore. So after watching the market for a while and still having some knowledge of scarce issues, I started back collecting anything I thought was a good buy. We’ll obviously after some time I had a lot of cards I had no attachment to and to many for the short period I had been back collecting. So after some time I realized I wouldn’t be able to get back the type of collection I previously had so many years before without selling my soul or body parts. It’s funny how it works out sometimes though, cause I am now collecting cards I never did before. Obaks and any thing pre 1900. Even though you don’t see them every day, lower grade Obaks can still be had for a fair price and if I have a little extra money I will try for a little better card by going for a pre 1900 one. The best part of this way of collecting now is that I don’t spend as much time looking at cards I don’t collect anymore, but I still watch the market for prices. Best, Jeff

[benge610]

Originally Posted by timn1

As usual you are among the most thoughtful of us all... I've struggled with plenty of similar feelings without really reconciling them.

Responders above have given some great advice and thoughts. Like some of them, I find it a lot less interesting to look at one more mega-priced Ruth or Mantle card than I do to dig out something really obscure (and hopefully not too pricey).

couple of strategies I've enjoyed:

1. I've picked a little-known but not crazy-expensive set I thought was cool and gone for it. I'm currently closing in on the Blue Ribbon Malt Cubs ansd White Sox, which I think are just beautiful. I am egotistical enough to like the idea that I have one of the few, or the only, complete set anywhere.



2. I have a "player wantlist" where I seek out cards of obscure players that aren't represented in my collection. When I acquire one of them I'll look into his background and career so he comes alive beyond the often thin MLB stat line.

Here's part of the current player wantlist:

M101-1: Bergen, Doyle, Hahn, Hamilton, Lange

E91-C: Hughes

Topping Postcards: Speer

B18: Dolan, Robinson, Dee Walsh, Gus Williams

T204: Jim Ball, Bancroft, Burkett, Kahoe, Murnane, Newton, Reilly

E286 JuJu Drums: Cheek, Mullen

W514: Dilhoefer, Risberg, Shean, Williams

E120/W573: Barnhart, Callaway, Crane, Fuhrman, Johnston, Bob Jones

1923-24 Exhibits: Barnhart

1925 Exhibits: Brooks, Wings [Wingo]

1926 Exhibits: Huber, Munson, Spurgeon

1929-30 Exhibits: Holloway, Richardson

1931-32 Exhibits: Boley, Gooch, Sweeney, Webb

Baguer Chocolate: Boley

R318 Batter-Up: Gabler, Bud Hafey, Mickey Haslin

U1 Matchbooks: Crawford, Goldstein, Roy Haslin, McLaughlin, Muller, Quigley, Rensa, Rip Sewell, Sullivan

U3 Matchbooks Cain, Roy Haslin, Hinkle, Holbrook, Leggett, Michaels, Milligan, Saltzgraver, Tietje

Tim, I can help ya on the E91C Hughes.
That is my Mom's maiden name so I took a dive on both Tom Hughes, AL and NL. I have an extra E91, so maybe we can work a good ol' fashioned trade.
We can PM to follow up on that when it works for us both; no hurries on my part; I got ya covered though.

Ben

"I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards."

[peterb69]

I feel the exact same way. I picked up a lot of raw prewar cards in the 90’s. Today I could never could afford those cards. I’ve been picking up vintage cards of lesser known players just because I like the looks of the card. Getting type cards. At least it keeps me in the hobby.

[Casey2296]

Great story Ben, thanks for sharing. Hope you and your family are well.