Name your collection

[ChiefBenderForever]

Originally Posted by Jmad

Anyone with an idea of when the LL and team cards started and more importantly ended (if they have)?? Sorry, I don't have a guide with me at the moment.

Another intriguing set may be the '59 Fleer Williams. Those are some great looking cards IMO and seem like they can be had fairly reasonably

Well I know they had league leaders in 1961 and up so maybe that was the first year. And yes 59 Fleer Ted Williams is classic, I wish the prices were what they are now when I put my set together, one of the coolest sets ever made, more like a comic book and great time to buy them is right now !!

[Jmad]

I think that may be the way to go- 59 Fleer Williams set it is. Crazy how exciting this is!!

[scmavl]

My longest running collection has been getting one signed Topps from each year (52-modern) of a HOFer. '52 of Ashburn, '53 of Spahn, '54 of Ford, etc... I've got maybe 25 or so, on up to more modern ones like an '83 Ripken. But the whole auto/forgery industry is getting so nasty, I've kind of lost heart.

Now, I'm just trying to get a nice card from most of the "legends" from the Ruth era on up. So far, I've got Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle... wait, am I done? I am also grabbing RCs from recent HOFers or likely HOFers while they're still "cheap". Pujols, Blyleven, Glavine, Raines, etc.

I also collect Harmon Killebrew, mainly because he is such a decent person. Musial too.

[Jmad]

Jarrod- picking up RC's of future HOF'ers is a direction I am going as well. Half the fun in that is going to be finding out if we were right or wrong in our guessing game!

[MilBraves]

My main focus right now is finishing off my '55 Braves Spic and Span die cuts. Only 5 more to go! Mile High had a lot with the entire set in 2009, but 2 grand + buyers premium is too much for me to be able to shell out in one fell swoop.

I'm also looking to finish off a '58 Braves Topps set. My last card is an Aaron Yellow name.

I've recently started picking up t205s as well. Concentrating on raw commons in generally poor to good condition. I really like the look of that set and the beat up nature of the low grade cards makes them really look vintage!(that's how I rationalize being able to afford only low quality cards)

[scmavl]

Originally Posted by Jmad

Jarrod- picking up RC's of future HOF'ers is a direction I am going as well. Half the fun in that is going to be finding out if we were right or wrong in our guessing game!

Yep... I'm still holding out for Dan Quisenberry to get in and make me rich!

[Jmad]

Originally Posted by scmavl

Yep... I'm still holding out for Dan Quisenberry to get in and make me rich!

HAHAHA!! I haven't heard that name in a long time!! Maybe he and Will Clark will make it the same year!!

[bsuttonosu]

Originally Posted by JohnnyHarmonica

Well I know they had league leaders in 1961 and up so maybe that was the first year.

I've been collecting the Topps League Leader cards for awhile. Almost have the whole run. I highly recommend this as a collection. It's a relatively inexpensive way to get a ton of great players and to learn about guys you never realized had such great statistical seasons. '61 was the first year and I consider the master set to run through 1984. Topps ran a LL series every year for those 24 years. After that they didn't do it on a regular basis or didn't do it in the base product.

Obviously these aren't difficult cards to find so I try to keep the hunt fun and I'm in no hurry. I don't buy these on-line, only at shows. There are always plenty around so it gives me something to look for and talk about when I'm at a show.

My other major collection is a George Brett master set (from his playing years only). This one will keep me busy forever. Some of the oddball cards are tough to find. I have about 350 of the 700 unique cards that I've been able to identify. And yet I constantly come across new cards I didn't know about and aren't catalogued.

[Jmad]

Originally Posted by bsuttonosu

I've been collecting the Topps League Leader cards for awhile. Almost have the whole run. I highly recommend this as a collection. It's a relatively inexpensive way to get a ton of great players and to learn about guys you never realized had such great statistical seasons. '61 was the first year and I consider the master set to run through 1984. Topps ran a LL series every year for those 24 years. After that they didn't do it on a regular basis or didn't do it in the base product.

Obviously these aren't difficult cards to find so I try to keep the hunt fun and I'm in no hurry. I don't buy these on-line, only at shows. There are always plenty around so it gives me something to look for and talk about when I'm at a show.

My other major collection is a George Brett master set (from his playing years only). This one will keep me busy forever. Some of the oddball cards are tough to find. I have about 350 of the 700 unique cards that I've been able to identify. And yet I constantly come across new cards I didn't know about and aren't catalogued.

Great info on the LL set. I like knowing there is a beginning and end as it relates to continous production. I'm just not a fan of the new cards and want to stay away with the exception of a few RC's.

[cwazzy]

My main focus is everything Roy Campanella. I collect it all: vintage, modern base and inserts, game-used cards, etc. He's pretty cheap as far as HOFers go and he has some GREAT looking cards.

I also collect Cardinals cards. I'm actively working on the T206 Cardinal set in as many backs as I can afford. So far I've got 11/18 with a 12th in the mail as we speak. I've also started the T205 Cardinal set and have started to add cheap raw vintage Cardinals as I come across them if they have great eye appeal. Eventually I'd like to have every Topps and Bowman Cardinals team set up to 1980 as well as the big sets like the Goudeys, T3, Leaf, etc.

[Jmad]

Originally Posted by cwazzy

My main focus is everything Roy Campanella. I collect it all: vintage, modern base and inserts, game-used cards, etc. He's pretty cheap as far as HOFers go and he has some GREAT looking cards.

I also collect Cardinals cards. I'm actively working on the T206 Cardinal set in as many backs as I can afford. So far I've got 11/18 with a 12th in the mail as we speak. I've also started the T205 Cardinal set and have started to add cheap raw vintage Cardinals as I come across them if they have great eye appeal. Eventually I'd like to have every Topps and Bowman Cardinals team set up to 1980 as well as the big sets like the Goudeys, T3, Leaf, etc.

I've thought about Cards team sets as well. How big of a bummer is the Wainright news??? I knew something was up last year when he missed his last scheduled start. I guess they were hoping he could rehab it in the off season. Talk about a blow. Hey, at least we have Berkman...???

[JasonL]

some neat collecting ideas that I haven't heard addressed before (LL cards).
I focus on the following player collections:
Ozzie Smith, Kirby Puckett, Ron Cey, Rickey Henderson, Eddie Mathews, Ernie Banks, Frank Robinson, Johnny Bench, and Dwight Evans.
Also starting on Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson, and Hank Aaron.

There's also the HOFer RC collection that I am now selling off, the Handley player collection, the Tobacco Cubs team sets, the T200 set, and the T206 Classic Images set.

Laser-like narrow focus, dontcha think?

[cdn_collector]

An appropriate name for my collection, which would accurately describe my focus, might be 'undecided'. Every baseball book I read, good Net54 thread, etc. causes me to re-think the focus of my collection.

I have started and abandoned many many sets for reasons listed above [Commons. Darn Commons!]. I have considered and abandoned even more sets because the novelty of the idea wore off before I even started the actual collecting part

For me, player and team collecting seems to be the most fun. In addition to some pre-war pursuits, my main post-war pursuit right now is putting together a run of Jackie Robinson Topps cards. I still need a '52 and a '53, and then I may expand to other issues. We'll see.


Regards,

Richard.

[ls7plus]

I think Exhibitman is right on concerning his comment of looking for rare and/or unusual items (and add significant, in the best grade you can afford) before they rise in notoriety and price. The first sale of the quite rare 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth minor league schedule card I am personally aware of was the 1989 Copeland auction, in which it brought $6,000.00. Try to get your hands on one now for less than $200,000.00! And the Copeland example may or may not have been the higher grade one (VG-EX?) which later fetched $500,000.00 in what I believe was a REA auction several years ago. If so, that's an appreciation of over 20% compounded annually.
John Jay Pittman followed essentially the same approach (with an emphasis on esoteric items of true rarity) in coins in the mid to late 40's through the mid-fifties, reportedly spending approximately $100,000 or so total during that time period. His collection was auctioned off in the '90's following his death for over $25,000,000.00, and he wasn't especially rich when he was collecting (he was an employee of Eastman-Kodak for many years, but apparently not a really high level exec).
Plus, it's quite satisfying to find a very scarce to quite rare item you've been seeking for years!
Happy hunting!

Larry

[ls7plus]

PS to Exhibitman:

Love the Dempsey!!!

Larry

[darrend505]

My main focus in on Topps base sets. I have a nearly complete run from 1973- current, with only missing around a dozen cards from being done. I am also over 80% on my first big post-war set 1954 Bowman, after next week I will only be missing around 35 cards!

[David W]

I am attempting to get a copy of every card and memorabilia piece of Lou Brock while he was an active player, and currently have about 250 unique items.

I also spent last winter coming up with my list of the top Cardinal players by position, and have spent the last year accumulating their cards, some quite easily (1960's and on), some quite difficulty (Pre WW1 especially).

That has been 90% of my spending the last year or so.

[dabigyankeeman]

While I collect all New York cards, I am really going after the Yankees as my main goal. As many 1980 and older as I can get, and after 1980 I obtain cards I like due to too many to bother with.

So far I have:

Every Bowman 1948-1955
Every regular issue Topps 1951-1980 (and a load of 1980 - 2011)

Then I have a very high percentage of Yankees from older sets like:
T206
T205
T207
Goudeys, all years
Play Balls
Leaf
Strip Cards
Dan Dee
Red Heart
American Caramel all years

and a ton of oddball cards mainly pre-1965 going all the way back

I really enjoy being a team collector because it gives me latitude to get so many different cards from the early 1900's up thru the current sets of the current year.