Your Collecting Focus

[Robextend]

Post-War focus:

-HOF Rookie Cards
-Upgrading my 1948 Bowman set
-1939-1946 Salutation Exhibits
-High grade 1964 Topps Giants set
-High grade 1990 Leaf set
-Andy Van Slyke cards and memorabilia
-All Topps sets (raw) from 1970-1990

You can see my graded Post-War collection here: http://imageevent.com/vanslykefan/po...tyeqo2.camel_s

Thanks - Rob

[steve B]

I usually describe my collecting as totally unfocused. I typically buy stuff I can aford that catches my interest.

The last few years I've tried to keep to a few projects. I haven't had much luck. "Current" projects - all subject to change, and some getting more work than others.

75 and 76 topps including minis.
Adding a few nice T206s when I can.
Cataloging variations in 1981 topps so I can offload the roughly 5-10 thousand I have left. (harder than it sounds- I'm going into extreme detail on them)
writing up the printing errors collection as a guide.
Plus a few new sets.

If something interesting comes along that could all change.

Steve B

Steve B

[David W]

I am currently pretty focused on St Louis Cardinals cards.

I'm putting together the top 15 at each position since 1900.

I also collect Lou Brock items, about anything unique to his playing days
(1962 to 1980)

I've pretty much not bought much more than that in the last year.

[cwazzy]

I love threads like these.

I have 2 main focuses:

1.) Anything and everything Roy Campanella. I started with the PSA basic set and have since moved on to the master set. I am also adding photos, books, magazines, modern cards (including game-used cards), and anything else I can find of his. I haven't been working on this long and my budget is pretty small so I have A LONG way to go on it. But eventually I'd like to have one of, if not THE, most comprehensive Campanella collection in the world.
2.) I've also started to collect all St. Louis Cardinals baseball cards. They've always been my favorite team but I've just now started to really concentrate on building team sets for everything I can find. My goal (which will NEVER happen I'm sure) is to find get every Cardinal card from 1900-1980 and then all the base Donruss, Fleer, Score, Topps, and Upper Deck after that. At the moment I'm concentrating on the T-cards and the '50s but eventually will branch out.

[novakjr]

1)HOF set. Career contemporary(or close) with the ultimate goal of rookies.. I'm at about 68% complete. Rookie wise, I'm at 38%.

2)1951-current Topps and traded/update run.. Working my way backwards. Currently I'm in the mid-70's sets. I'm at about 46% total.

3)Harper's Weekly baseball woodcuts. Although, I do apply some of these towards my HOF collection.

4)HOF/Perfect Game/all-time favorite Indians autographs...SS balls preferred.

And of course the miscellaneous collection..You know the cards that don't really fit any focus, but you just want 'em anyways..

Outside of baseball.

1)1938 Churchman Boxing
2)1948 Topps Magic Boxing/Wrestling.
3)Football HOF rookies..(I don't work much on this one)

[ktimm]

1)The T206 set

2)N28 & N29 Allen&Ginter Baseball

3)HOF Rookie Cards

4)Select Basketball,Football,and Hockey HOF Rookie Cards

[Rickyy]

My main focus has been type card collecting (both pre and post war). I don't try to collect every issue...that would be too much so I focus on the ones I like...and on certain cards I try to get the key ones and I also like unissued/proof cards.

For Post War some examples:
1954 Dan Dee Potato Chips Walker Cooper SP
1959 Bazooka Bob Cerv SP
1951 Bowman Willie Mays
1970 Topps Super Boog Powell SP
1948-49 Leaf Matt Batts SP
1967 Topps Roger Maris - Yankees
1974 Laughlin Black Stars Josh Gibson - my most recent pick up!
1977 Topps Unissued Al Fitzmorris Variation (from uncut sheet)


I also collect Exhibit Cards with emphasis on HOF players for both Pre and Post War including variations.

And now addicted to Exhibit Non sports cards too. heh.

Ricky Y

[Scott T]

Baseball-wise, I collect low end T206's. I am currently at 98% of the set.

I also collect Nate Colbert (Padres) stuff.

[HOF Yankees]

1. 1960 Topps PSA- I always wanted to do a vintage baseball set and was unsure which one but 1960 topps was the coolest looking and the btightness and affordability I love it very much. The Grades dont matter to me much just want to complete the set I have 4/572 so yea just started.

2. 1956 Elvis Presley set. This set has been hounding me for a year now, I am narrowing down on this one with only 66 cards in the set it should be easy to track them down. I am doing the set in raw ungraded, with nice centering, nice color, and nice front and back. I have 3/66 so far.

3. PSA Yankees/Yankees Memorabilia- I always loved the New York Yankees, the history, the players, the uniforms, the legends that shaped baseball to what it is today. I collect vintage Yankees players 1973 and before some up to 1980 but very picky on those. I am looking for autographs, stadium pins, stadim pins with ribbon, yearbooks, tickets, programs both world series and regular season games, magazines of Yankees on cover. So far the memorabilia has been off since its hard to locate and being pretty expensive I try to get what I can. The cards I have been getting more and trying to get the bigger names when I can. This is one I wanna expand and get more of.

HOFers/HOF memorabilia- pretty much the same as the Yankees one above but the baseball hofers. rookies, autographs, pretty looking for mostly anything I can get my hands on.

commons from major sets- I don't have alot of money for the hobby so I try and get commons from sets like goudey, tobacco issues, candy/caramel issues, play ball, diamond stars etc. the list goes on.

thats really my collecting focus

[MBMiller25]

Its a lot of fun reading through these replies and learning a little something about everyone's collecting focus. As for myself, I am focused on the following:

1. Post WAR HOF RC's-very high end grades.

2. Post WAR HOF RC's Auto'd in high end grades.

3. Unopened Cello and Rack Packs from the 70's and 80's. I love 80's graded cello packs with rookies/stars on top. I.E. Gwynn, Ripken, Ryan, Clemens, etc.....

[jdthakid36cf]

I'm new here, but i've been collecting cards since I was 7, roughly 22 years ago. I started out thinking I could collect every card made...and as I got older, I slowly realized that it was literally impossible! So, I narrowed it down to players in each sport that I admired...or played for my favorite team. It started out as Nolan Ryan, Derek Jeter, Juan Gonzalez, Art Monk, any Duke graduates, Jim Carey (Hockey), Mario Lemiuex, and Jaromir Jagr. I then decided that was too much! I finally grew up a little more...and dumped everyone except my childhood idol...NOLAN RYAN!!! One regret...I traded away my Derek Jeter 1993 SP RC...before it peaked! It's worked out though...I've built a huge Nolan Ryan collection, working on 2500 different cards. I completely stopped collecting the other major sports, but recently decided to collect J.J. Redick and Art Monk, for various reasons (i'm a die hard Duke basketball fan and one of those unfortunate naive Washington Redskins fans...born and raised...lol).

So, to break it down....I collect:

NOLAN RYAN
J.J. Redick
Art Monk
and dabble in Chris Cooley

I joined this forum to hopefully do some damage to the older oddball Ryan's I need...and i've always wanted to start "yard sale hunting" in search of the rare finds (someone looking to dump their kids old cards from the attic)....I've yet to go yard sale'n in search of this, but hopefully will this spring. Plus, I do enjoy just browsing posts and reading comments from those of you who have been in this hobby much longer than me! It's like chatting with my grandpa (PaPa) and listening to his stories of seeing Roberto Clemente throwing rockets from right field to third base on a dime, among other great sports stories!

Glad I could share! Thanks!

Josh

[ValKehl]

Hi Josh - Welcome to Net54! I'm a native of and have lived all my life in No. Va. - and I am a life-long Redskins fan. I began watching them on TV as a youngster back when Eddie LeBaron was their quarterback - I'm really dating myself! Our "Skins have had some glory days, but unfortunately it has been 20 years since they last won the Super Bowl - hopefully, it won't be another 20 years before they win it again!

Good luck with your collection!
Val

[g_vezina_c55]

In pre-war my collecting focus is my 1933 goudey set.
For the Post-war, my collecting focus is a little bit fuzzy....
Probably i will try to build a 21(bowman&topps) mickey mantle cards run and i would like to have some other cards like couple roger maris cards, a 52 or 53 robinson and perhaps other 50's HOF Rookie.

[HOF Yankees]

Baseball Hall of Fame Vintage Cards and Rookies- trying to get as many of these cards as my budget will allow graded or raw, but prefer graded

Baseball Hall of Fame autographs- I own 37 and haven't added one in a while, but not giving up. I want a autograph of every baseball hall of famer but don't know if it will happen, but still love collecting them anyways.

Yankees/Highlanders post war and pre war cards and memorabilia- my favorite team, just love collecting anything and everything Yankees and Highlanders