Bored With Cards?

[LincolnVT]

Over the past year, I've become pretty bored with cards...seems like the same stuff in every auction and most of the cards that I have had an interest in are either drying up or overpriced. My focus has shifted some in recent months to historically significant baseball memorabilia. I see this as a niche that offers the ability to gain significantly more knowledge and growth as s collector. For me, it's time to broaden my interest...anyone in the same boat? If so, what (beyond cards) keeps you interested and actively collecting?

[Mark17]

Game used flannels. Holding a shirt that was actually worn by a specific player during a specific season, and in specific ballparks (home vs road) is a really cool thing. Example: Suppose you lived near any AL ballpark from 1962-1967 and went to a game when your home team was hosting the Twins. There is a very good chance I own at least one of the shirts you saw that day, over 50 years ago. To me, that concept is really fascinating.

Cards generally never get anywhere near the player depicted, and unless they were premiums sold in the ballpark, nowhere near an actual ballgame. Autographs are things created by specific ballplayers, but often hard to authenticate, and kind of boring to look at.

GU shirts have everything: Direct contact with the player, stadium, and game action, and they are colorful and reasonably easy to authenticate (flannels especially) as long as all the original tagging is intact. Value-wise, they are a bargain.

For instance, about an hour ago in the Hunt live auction, I won a 1949 Boston Braves Earl Torgeson all original matched jersey and pants combo for about $2,600 including BP and shipping. According to an ebay search, on halloween this card sold for about the same, $2,450:

1952 Topps #79 Gerald Staley St. Louis Cardinals PSA 8 NM-MT

It's a very nice card of a common player, well preserved. But for the money, is it one tenth as cool as a 70 year old GU uniform?

[MickJ]

Bored with cards? Have to agree. Baseballs are unique. I do have a Babe Ruth Lou Gehrig Joe Dimaggio Red Ruffing Autograph Baseball and a Tris Speaker autograph baseball if anyone is interested.

[MickJ]

On they are Psa and Jsa

[Scott Garner]

Vintage baseball tickets to historically significant games.

[bammerbb]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

Vintage baseball tickets to historically significant games.

More of an aside, several years ago I received a new Baseball Direct catalog. In it was a section of the Miley Collection of games broadcast thru the years. I purchased the broadcast of Larsen's perfect game, with the correct broadcaster. I'm planning on scoring the game when I can get equipment back together. To me it would be need to find another ticket to put with it. There are a lot of games available if anyone is interested.

Brian

[pherbener]

Originally Posted by LincolnVT

Over the past year, I've become pretty bored with cards...seems like the same stuff in every auction and most of the cards that I have had an interest in are either drying up or overpriced. My focus has shifted some in recent months to historically significant baseball memorabilia. I see this as a niche that offers the ability to gain significantly more knowledge and growth as s collector. For me, it's time to broaden my interest...anyone in the same boat? If so, what (beyond cards) keeps you interested and actively collecting?

I agree Ethan. Other than a few certain cards, I've been buying mostly photos, magazines and some unopened stuff.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by LincolnVT

Over the past year, I've become pretty bored with cards...seems like the same stuff in every auction and most of the cards that I have had an interest in are either drying up or overpriced. My focus has shifted some in recent months to historically significant baseball memorabilia. I see this as a niche that offers the ability to gain significantly more knowledge and growth as s collector. For me, it's time to broaden my interest...anyone in the same boat? If so, what (beyond cards) keeps you interested and actively collecting?

I entered this phase about 25 years ago. Memorabilia is so much more unique, less mass-produced, and provides a much closer link to the teams and players.

My preferred segments are vintage pennants, ad signs, photos, statues, trophies, game used uniforms and bats, and early equipment spanning the 1870s - 1970s.

There's no shortage of great items to collect, but a lot has dried up in past years. Cards recycle all the time, but the good/rare memorabilia tends to remain in collections until the Grim Reaper comes calling.

[Mark]

Originally Posted by LincolnVT

Over the past year, I've become pretty bored with cards...seems like the same stuff in every auction and most of the cards that I have had an interest in are either drying up or overpriced. My focus has shifted some in recent months to historically significant baseball memorabilia. I see this as a niche that offers the ability to gain significantly more knowledge and growth as s collector. For me, it's time to broaden my interest...anyone in the same boat? If so, what (beyond cards) keeps you interested and actively collecting?

I still like my old baseball cards, but, like most people on this side of the board, I really enjoy memorabilia. I recommend you try it. I started collecting old, game used bats about 30 years ago, when more were available than now. If, like me, you end up working on specific teams or seasons, there's likely to be a lot of waiting. But when you find something that you've wanted for years (or decades), it's a great feeling. It has been a lot of fun learning how to evaluate a bat, especially when learning from other collectors.

[MickJ]

What I have done is got a card a autograph baseball and a book about each player. Have picked up some cool books like "How to play the out field " by Babe Ruth and a little book sent to the troops during WWII on the life of Lou Gehrig. Book on the life of Tris Speaker. Looks really cool displayed on shelves.

[Snapolit1]

I've started following some modern sports artists and picked up some really cool pieces at reasonable cost. Feels good to support an artist and some of this stuff is real cool.

[mrozie21]

I moved away from cards in the mid 90’s and have concentrated on game used jerseys and stadium artifacts. I like things that are affiliated with the game itself vs. a piece of cardboard.

Lots of great items to collect, you just have to pick something you like.

[BobC]

I still collect cards, but with the sometimes ridiculous prices things are going for these days and all, it is often nice to be able to dabble in other things, such as memorabilia. Just today in fact I received a package from Brockelman Auctions (thanks Scott), which included a 1955 first ever Global World Series souvenir magazine/book. I didn't even know such an event existed, let alone originally occurred back in 1955. And the magazine/book was in pretty nice shape, measuring 11" X 14" inches and including 100 pages of articles. stories, ads, and anything else you can think of regarding Milwaukee. where this inaugural event was held, and stories of the people running and involved with it and so on. Some stories and pictures of ballplayers, including those of different areas/countries competing in the event. Didn't really include specific details of teams/players in the event, and was more about the event and the city itself. Still an absolutely neat item that I basically just sat down and started reading right after opening the envelope it came in. No idea how many of these are out there, but for what I paid, it was a bargain to me.

My winnings also included a 1938 Wheaties football game, that came in the original envelope it had been mailed in, with instructions, game board and original 5 wooden die. Really neat item that you do not see every day. And given that it did not come in a box and was actually just mailed out in an oversized manila envelope with game graphics on it, I'm guessing not too many have survived with the original envelope still intact. A little the worse for wear, but still all there.

I also dabble in picking up other old games (primarily baseball), every once in a while as well. Figured that since we card collectors also occasionally collect things like E.R. Williams, Allegheny, National Game, Tom Barker, Polo Grounds, 1921-30 Major League Die-Cuts and S&S Game cards, it wouldn't be too much of a reach to pick up some of the myriad of the other actual baseball board, card, pin ball, and other assorted types of games out there when they pop up. Have some really nice, very early 20th century games, including a Walter Johnson game, a Christy Mathewson Big Six game board (need the box) and even a late 19th century McLoughlin Bros. game, all original in the complete box it originally came in. There are some fantastic graphics and images in a lot of these games, and some really obscure ones out there, that occasionally turn up for not that much at all. And you probably wouldn't believe how many different known games are actually out there.

If you're ever interested in learning more about the games, and seeing what all may be out there, there's a great site called Baseball Games at - baseballgames.dreamhosters.com
And one of the owners/moderators is a member on here, Butch7999 (Hi Butch). Highly recommend this site if you've ever interested in pursuing this other facet of the hobby.

[jthorst75]

Very bored, still waiting for that PM on someone who wants to buy it all...

[LincolnVT]

Bob C...thanks for your suggestion about checking out the website discussing early baseball games. These do interest me some as they can often be found for a fairly reasonable price. I came accrossed a couple of really nice games (one board game and another metal pinball game) recently and like you have said, the artwork is beautiful. Thinking about picking up one or both of them to display on the wall.

Cheers.

Ethan

[todeen]

I collect purely basebal. I get bored, but I have tried to dabbled in multiple categories so that I can usually find something to lift the boredom. I'm not heavy into cards. But autos, pictures, pins, pennants, MiLB, memorabilia, game used. I also go thru different eras. I also collect certain players and teams. And now my son is starting to play with cards and he is looking into other sports.

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[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by todeen

I collect purely basebal. I get bored, but I have tried to dabbled in multiple categories so that I can usually find something to lift the boredom. I'm not heavy into cards. But autos, pictures, pins, pennants, MiLB, memorabilia, game used. I also go thru different eras. I also collect certain players and teams. And now my son is starting to play with cards and he is looking into other sports.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Very nice collection and excellent looking display

Congrats