Curious observation- cards that stick

[ChiefBenderForever]

For me it usually comes down to starting little side projects and then changing my mind or needing to get money for something else so away they go. My guess is most people need funds to get another card which would indicate the 'chase' is at the very core of our collecting addictions and since always looking for a another fix easiest way to get it is to sell stuff you don't 'have' to have. The bad thing is it is not very cost effective and usually lose money, especially after fees and shipping. Which is one good thing about the bst as opposed to ebay so you can minimize the loss. I can think of a few cards I bought and sold in the last year which have exchanged hands a few times and think it is all part of the 'new age of collecting' and most likey has everything to do with the internet and our fast paced tech living. They say the tv remote has dropped everyones attention span dramatically, I suppose the internet could also be to blame for the constant flipping we all seem to do with certain cards. I think most of us have bought cards we said we would never part with only to wake up one day and say goodbye it's your time to go.

[LanceRoten]

Originally Posted by ChiefBenderForever

For me it usually comes down to starting little side projects and then changing my mind or needing to get money for something else so away they go. My guess is most people need funds to get another card which would indicate the 'chase' is at the very core of our collecting addictions and since always looking for a another fix easiest way to get it is to sell stuff you don't 'have' to have. The bad thing is it is not very cost effective and usually lose money, especially after fees and shipping. Which is one good thing about the bst as opposed to ebay so you can minimize the loss. I can think of a few cards I bought and sold in the last year which have exchanged hands a few times and think it is all part of the 'new age of collecting' and most likey has everything to do with the internet and our fast paced tech living. They say the tv remote has dropped everyones attention span dramatically, I suppose the internet could also be to blame for the constant flipping we all seem to do with certain cards. I think most of us have bought cards we said we would never part with only to wake up one day and say goodbye it's your time to go.

True. Had a few that I swore I would never part with, yet did. Currently In the process of rebuilding my collection after a rough year, year and a half stretch. With the hopes, this time, of keeping what I acquire that I used to have for so many years before selling.

[teetwoohsix]

This is a great thread and I seem to have a problem-my cards are stuck.

When I decided to focus on T206 only (because I like them the best) it really was no problem for me to trade off my other types (even though I really liked them). This is not the case for me with T206's for some reason.......

I try to toy with the idea of trading cards (T206's for other T206's) but for some damn reason I can't seem to bring myself to do it . Even with cards that "aren't all that", you know, commons I know I can get another of with no problem....

I don't know if it's because I only pick up one, two, maybe three here and there, and I become attached to "THIS" particular card, or what- or it's the time and patience I've put into getting where I'm at now- I don't know.

Anyone else have this problem?

Sincerely, Clayton

[abothebear]

"Using what you are saying, you think it is the chase and not the conquest that cause people to sell their cards soon after they have acquired them?"

Yeah, more or less. The conquest is the essential, but it is not the card, but the emotional high of the victory that is really the goal. All subconsciously, of course.

Then add in factors like the nature of competition in auction buying (I am more likely to be interested in bidding on an item that has 2 bids than one that has no bids. Part of competition is wanting to prove oneself against another, but another part is having the outside validation that the object of pursuit is desirable). Again, subconsciously.

Also, I wonder if another factor is that scans often look better than cards in hand. So there can be buyer's remorse, even with a great card, because it doesn't match up to what you thought when you bought it.

The self-test I devised to see if I was buying strictly emotionally is to ask myself if I would BIN for the same price. Or I ask myself if I would bid now if I knew the same card would be available at the same price next week, or next month. Then I can know that I either escaped future regret, or I know that this one is a keeper.

[Jaybird]

Sometimes I can't tell if it is a keeper or not until I have it in hand. I want it and get it and then if something else comes along, I jump at that and feel like it makes sense to move another card to make room (monetarily mostly).

Also, as a newly converted type collector, I can buy a type card which fills a slot for that particular set, but then another comes along which I feel would be a better example.

For example, I had a few E92 Crofts CAndy cards but when the miscut Dougherty came around, it had the color and uniqueness to just grab my interest. So, out go the others that I had.

That "uniqueness" is what makes a keeper for me. I think it would be hard to part with anything that I don't think I could get my hands on again.

[ls7plus]

I think David hit the nail on the head insofar as "trophy" cards like THE T206 Wagner are concerned (the contentions that it's been altered or trimmed make absolutely no difference anymore--nothing will tarnish its iconic status). The same thing prevails with trophy coins in many instances--it just seems like the collector believes he's left a legacy in once owning such an item, but lacks the compulsion to stow it safely away for decades.

On a more personal note, I just purchased a 1907 Dietsche Cubs Mordecai Three-Finger Brown from an e-bay seller, who had only purchased it from DavidBVintage in January, 2011. As it is a very nice example (PSA Ex+) of a pretty darn tough card of one heckuva pitcher, I think its found a permanent home with me. I get very attached to these footprints of baseball history that you can hold right in your hands--just ask my wife! Sometimes the sellers do too, but these things come out sooner than they would otherwise due to prevailing economic conditions these days, which makes it a good time to buy.

Larry

[ctownboy]

Jim,

I read your responses to what I posted and was at a loss for why you were so upset. Then, I reread my post and I think I understand what the problem is.

In my original post, what I wrote seems to be a sweeping generalization-i.e. that "wealthy collectors" have no clue about what they are buying. That they just spend their money on something because of what they have heard, read or were told to buy. It sounds like I am saying these people have money but no brains.

In my haste to write a response to the original poster, I did not proof read what I had written (as you can see by a couple of typing errors that I did not correct). Because of this, I left out a VERY important word - SOME.

When I was thinking about what the OP said and what I wanted to respond with, I wanted to say that "SOME wealthy collectors" just buy big name cards because of what they have read, heard or were told about these cards. Unfortunately, I didn't type SOME and because of that, my meaning didn't come out as I wanted it to.

For those I may have upset or offended, I am sorry because that is not what I wanted or intended to do.

David