I'm Sick And Tired

[jingram058]

I'm sick and tired of graded cards, and all the BS surrounding them. I could not give a flying f$&k.

I'm sick and tired of cards that have been rubbed on every corner on concrete, folded and creased, and held by clothespins in bicycle spokes being worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars, no matter who the card is. Ridiculous. And even more ridiculous is that someone would actually pay.

I'm sick and tired of "listening to offers". I've got an offer for you!

In short, when it comes to this so-called hobby, which is in reality nothing more than an investment brokerage and good old boy club of like-minded investors, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Enjoy. You can have it.

[ullmandds]

soooooooo...c ya on the flip side????

[Gorditadogg]

I will set the over/under on James' next post at 4 hours.

James, are you still with us? Walk back from the ledge, my friend.

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[wazoo]

Generalizations are dangerous in all cases

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by wazoo

Generalizations are dangerous in all cases

Is that not, in and of itself, a generalization?

[wazoo]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Is that not, in and of itself, a generalization?

Exactly my point

[Bobbycee]

Nice tantrum. Find something new in your life. Get out side more. Stop watching the news.

[G1911]

Technically, "generalizations are dangerous in all cases" is an absolute statement, not a generalization.

[HobokenJon]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Is that not, in and of itself, a generalization?

“Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” — Obi-Wan

[Mark17]

I was feeling the same way about collecting cards (I prefer collecting flannels.) I gave a lot of thought to which set of my childhood might be fun to work on (the 1960s.)

My main problems were:

1. Expensive cards in the set, that I'd eventually need to pony up for if I wanted to complete the set. The Mantle for starters, then the rookies.

2. I couldn't see spending a lot for floating head rookies like Uecker (1962 T high number,) Rose (1963,) or half card rookies like Morgan (1965,) Carew and Seaver (1967,) Bench and Ryan (1968) and so on.

3. I would want cards that looked nice, but there's the trimming/doctoring issue.

All of these things just made the whole idea not fun, like the OP says.

Then I came up with a solution - the 1962 Post Cereal set. I remember, vaguely, getting panels of cards on the back of those cereal boxes and cutting them out. Free baseball cards! I have good memories of those days.

1. I've recently picked up 2 decent Mantles for $70 and $46. Easily the cheapest 1960s major set Mantles, and it's an attractive card too.

2. With 200 cards in the set, I don't think there are any rookies.

3. Trimming is no issue since they were supposed to be hand cut. And if you see the black borders of the cards, you know they haven't been "over-trimmed."

I ordered the definitive book on 1962 Post baseball from Dan Mabey, and plan to make a study of the set. Meanwhile, after about 2 weeks of collecting these, I've gotten past the halfway point for about $500. So, the set should be easy to complete for less than the cost of a mid-grade floating head '63 Rose.

It's a lot of fun to not be constricted by grading/trimming issues, high prices, chasing rookie cards, etc. There are some minor challenges with a handful of short prints, but they are all available and can be had in the $50 range or much less. Mabey's book tells which cards were on which cereal boxes, and that's fun to know.

So, not counting the occasional T202 purchase, I'm back into card collecting again, and having a lot of fun with it.

[bbcard1]

Originally Posted by wazoo

Generalizations are dangerous in all cases

In general, I agree.

[G1911]

Just do it your way. It is indeed nothing more than an investment brokerage and good old boy club of like-minded investors, but that's for other people and a small part of the hobby. They can't affect your enjoyment of your collection. Just do it your way, nobody else dictates what you do or how you enjoy it.

[Tyruscobb]

Relax, Jimmy. It's just a hobby.

Well, its only just a hobby unless you make your living from cards, use them as investment vehicles, or are addicted.

Oxford Languages states that a hobby is "an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure."

Your rant doesn't sound like your having leisure or enjoyment. I recommend taking a step back, and a deep breath.

[2dueces]

Before grading eBay was the wild Wild West. Today it’s just wild. One man’s NM was another man’s good. Not saying graded cards brought stability but 90% of the time if you purchase a graded card from a photo you will get what you paid for. As far as well loved cards, who doesn’t love a card that seen history. Too bad you feel that way but you really didn’t have to announce you were leaving.

[brianp-beme]

There are a bunch of fun-ass vintage cards in the current Brockelman Auction that would not be considered part of a portfolio, unless that is the type of folder you use to physically store the cards. How do I know? I consigned some of the fun-assery up for grabs.

Enjoy your version of the hobby. Brush off what bugs you like you would dandruff on the shoulders, and carry onward with a smile on your face.

Brian

[SyrNy1960]

Originally Posted by jingram058

I'm sick and tired of graded cards, and all the BS surrounding them. I could not give a flying f$&k.

I'm sick and tired of cards that have been rubbed on every corner on concrete, folded and creased, and held by clothespins in bicycle spokes being worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars, no matter who the card is. Ridiculous. And even more ridiculous is that someone would actually pay.

I'm sick and tired of "listening to offers". I've got an offer for you!

In short, when it comes to this so-called hobby, which is in reality nothing more than an investment brokerage and good old boy club of like-minded investors, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Enjoy. You can have it.

I hear you! I hear you!

[BobbyStrawberry]

[QUOTE=jingram058;2316758]
I'm sick and tired of "listening to offers". I've got an offer for you!
/QUOTE]

🤣

I'm not all that into the "investment" stuff either (especially the pumpers who can't see why some wouldn't be thrilled about a 12 million dollar Mantle) but, as members have posted in the past, it seems like there is some "investment" angle that collectors have to reckon with.

[todeen]

You know what I enjoy on Net54? Cincinnati Reds collectors. I have made small relationships with a few fans, and I consider them more meaningful than those on other social media sites. I live in WA State, and there are few I've met. But we all enjoy each other on this site.

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[BioCRN]

I've been watching grown men rip off children in this hobby since the early 1980s and I'm sure it was going on before then.

I have no illusion that any card company has ever cared a lot about the hobbyists vs the hobbyists money. There are too many examples to list. There are more examples than 1989 Upper Deck Griffey Jr cards that exist that weren't pulled from packs.

This hobby is sketchy as hell. It's also full of great people. I accept it at face value. Stick around long enough you'll get all kinds of screwed over and find all kinds of really solid people.

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by wazoo

Generalizations are dangerous in all cases

Originally Posted by Eric72

Is that not, in and of itself, a generalization?

Originally Posted by wazoo

Exactly my point

Logic is always illogical. True of False

Hyperbole is not infinite. If hyperbole is not true, then why not?

Is a Quotient Intelligent? What's your QI?

Is the underarm sweat stain on your shirt the shape of Somalia? Check it out.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by BioCRN

I've been watching grown men rip off children in this hobby since the early 1980s and I'm sure it was going on before then.

I have no illusion that any card company has ever cared a lot about the hobbyists vs the hobbyists money. There are too many examples to list. There are more examples than 1989 Upper Deck Griffey Jr cards that exist that weren't pulled from packs.

This hobby is sketchy as hell. It's also full of great people. I accept it at face value. Stick around long enough you'll get all kinds of screwed over and find all kinds of really solid people.

Yes, yes it is a very sketchy hobby. The card companies have no reason to care and I can guarantee the low wage employees at that card company really don't care. They also hated it when Score gave them cards for a Christmas bonus/present.

[Mike D.]

Back in MY day, people were content being sick OR tired. Now people want it all...

[JollyElm]

637. Opinionomics
The determination of a card’s value based not on inherent market factors such as the give and take of supply and demand, or the specific attributes of the individual card, but solely and blindly on the number assigned to it by a Third Party Grader.

657. Fogeyism
Any newly created, semi-clever saying that attempts to mirror the fantastic old-time whimsical musings of Yogi Berra.

See also: Yogi Grinandbearit - the obligatory woeful reaction to one of these new witticisms.

777. Bilottoral
The duality of being a true collector who’s in it for the enjoyment, but also someone who is always striving to make sure his collection continually grows more and more valuable.

[babraham]

Originally Posted by jingram058

Enjoy.

Will do!

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by jingram058

I'm sick and tired of graded cards, and all the BS surrounding them. I could not give a flying f$&k.

I'm sick and tired of cards that have been rubbed on every corner on concrete, folded and creased, and held by clothespins in bicycle spokes being worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars, no matter who the card is. Ridiculous. And even more ridiculous is that someone would actually pay.

I'm sick and tired of "listening to offers". I've got an offer for you!

In short, when it comes to this so-called hobby, which is in reality nothing more than an investment brokerage and good old boy club of like-minded investors, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Enjoy. You can have it.

so are you leaving the hobby...?

[Exhibitman]

I like all of it, from collecting a beautiful worthless card to using them as part of my retirement planning. If it makes you nuts, I'd say just walk away quietly and see how it sits before you extend the middle finger to the world, but a parting screed is fine too. You do you, Boo.

[Snapolit1]

Sure it's the same way with any hobby. There are guys who labor in their garage to overhaul a 67 Camaro, sink 1000s of hours into taking parts off and repairing things, have a deep love and respect fo the car, know everything there is to know about it . . . .and then there are rich guys who go out any buy 6 of them and don't have a clue how to care for them. I guess just do your own thing, as they said in the 1960s.

The hobby would be really frickin' boring if everyone had the same priorities, interests and goals.

[Gorditadogg]

James is still with us. He's at the Watercooler right now.

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[Jewish-collector]

This one of the threads that sometimes you just gotta say, "WTF"

beer chug.gifbeer chug.gifbeer chug.gifbeer chug.gifbeer chug.gif

[theshowandme]

Cards can be fun. Don't let it get to you.

[Yoda]

One of the positives of TPG'ers is the case itself, preventing potential catastrophes of all sorts to our special angels. I will refrain from telling about when I sat of a nice E90-1 Tris Speaker which I had stupidly left on the sofa.

The other point is the grade received has become the price point for buying and selling cards via the SMR and VCP etc. Before it was the 2 parties arguing about the price and the grade, sometimes requiring arbitration.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Yoda

One of the positives of TPG'ers...

Sorry, but nothing that the opinion sellers have brought to the hobby qualifies as a 'positive' from my perspective.

Doug

[jchcollins]

I have a love / hate relationship with grading. When they screw up too often or offend my OCD, I don't submit for a while and sing the praises of raw cards.

I would agree with those who have said there is plenty of room in this hobby for you to do you. For me lately that has included low grade raw vintage, high grade slabbed vintage, and an entirely too-expensive jumbo hobby box of '23 Topps Series 1.

[Mountaineer1999]

I get where the OP is coming from. Many have been priced out of cards they want. One may have to alter their collecting habits to a "cheaper" version of collecting. However, this many times is not the answer as one has to try and create a passion for certain sets or grades, and that usually falls flat. Baseball cards have become more of an investment than a hobby. Personally , I would love to see a huge correction so I can finish off my 1953 Topps set (mantle, robinson, mays). Not going to hold my breath.

[toledo_mudhen]

I have found that mass quantities of Tequila seems to "dull" the pain of all of this.............

[puckpaul]

In the immortal words of Sergeant Hulka, “Lighten up, Francis!”.

[G1911]

I got this T207 in today, it was a whopping $7 plus shipping on eBay. You can collect cards with a tiny budget; you just can't go for the top .1% of investing cards. There's ton of great stuff for the collector who doesn't care about money that can be enjoyed on a budget or no budget. I spent last weekend in the backyard opening 2 boxes of 1990 Topps football looking to make a set of disclaimer backs from them that cost like $10 total or something and had a blast. Enjoy it, invest in it, whatever people do it can't ruin the fun for someone else. That I buy cards for fun and to keep doesn't ruin things for investors, that they buy slabs with their 401K's they've drained doesn't ruin the fun for me.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Jewish-collector

This one of the threads that you just gotta say, "WTF"

My 83 year old mother thinks WFT means 'well that's fantastic'

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by doug.goodman

My 83 year old mother thinks WFT means 'well that's fantastic'

Here it means "Want to Trade For"...

[raulus]

So if you’re leaving the hobby does that mean you’re selling your collection?

And if you’re selling, do you plan to grade anything first as a means of maximizing your proceeds?

Just curious!

…and maybe a little snarky….

[abothebear]

I am poor. Thirteen years ago I got back into the hobby I loved as a kid. I wandered into a card store and discovered I could buy the cards from the 80s, 70s, and 60s I wanted but rarely saw back in the day, and for less than they would have cost me in 1992. I spent $5 a week building a collection of stuff that meant something to me for nostalgic reasons or because of the team I followed. If I skipped a week, I had &10 for the next. I got complete sets of 84, 85, and 86 Topps for $2 a $5 each. i soon discovered a Gold Medal Foods Ducky Medwick on eBay for $15. I couldn’t believe that someone as poor as me could acquire a pre-war HOFer. This led me to Net54 and a whole new world I never dreamed of having access to. Then I found a Ty Cobb without the Cobb price tag, and a Sisler, and a Ruth. And I eventually put together the whole Gold Medal WS set. It was great fun for a while. Now, all that stuff is 10x what it was ten years ago. Which is good for the stuff I already have, but bad for the $5 a week budget. I’d like to say my situation has also improved ten-fold and a $50 per week budget would be nothin to me. But unfortunately I can’t say that. Instead, what I’ve tried to shift to is trading. And that has been a blast. The trouble is that it is very time consuming. I often have to take extended breaks. Why do I write all this? I don’t know. Maybe just to recognize the OP’s frustration about how the hobby changes and that there are consequences - and that it is kind of lousy when you are in a groove with it and it all makes sense for you and then it gets turned upside down. If you are limited in how you can enjoy the hobby, and the hobby changes on you and messes with your limits, then you’ve lost your hobby, and the loss is real. But sometimes there are ways to pivot and discover a new angle to take and still find a similar enjoyment. I liked what that 60s Post Cereal set collector is up to (not for me, but I like the idea).

[timzcardz]

Originally Posted by doug.goodman

My 83 year old mother thinks WFT means 'well that's fantastic'

Please respect her enough to tell her the truth.

WTF means Where's The Food? (or sometimes Why The Face?)

And LOL means Lots Of Liquor.

[Exhibitman]

"WFT" means her grandson is dyslexic.

[Mike Eisenbath]

Give me the serenity to accept the things I can change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. (Or something like that)

The hobby is different than when I started opening packs in 69 and buying vintage (at the age of 10) from Gar Miller in 71. Things in life change. Either we adapt, see the good in the changes while accepting the difficult, or we move on. We never will return to before, but that doesn't mean today can't be special.

I love collecting. Some aspects I love more than others, but it's all part of the tapestry. I find plenty of reasons to be grateful that I can participate as my means allow.

I loved watching Gibson, Seaver and other great starting pitchers of that era. We'll never see their likes again. But then I got to love watching Maddux, Glavine and Johnson. And now I really enjoy deGrom, Scherzer and Kershaw. Be present in the moment and you'll find reasons to smile (collecting) today without lamenting what never will be again.

This place gives this collector reasons to smile every day. And I thank you!

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[Mike Eisenbath]

Oops, accept the things I CAN'T change

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[brunswickreeves]

Have hope and shift your focus, since the paradigm of (some) cards have changed.

With the price of cards through the roof to meet the increased demand brought on by work from home plus stimulus money in 2021 resulting from the pandemic, I created a post a while back asking how have you supplemented your card collecting and still found ways to enjoy the hobby. My example (cost less than a few hundred $ total) is below and the thread is here if you'd like to contribute:

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=317438

[Ladder7]

Grading is dum