NEW MEMBER building HOF auto collection (NOW 206/300)

[whyconform]

Hello,

Let me introduce myself. My name is Bill from NJ and for the past 3-4 years I've been collecting Autographs, specifically Baseball HOF, including current stars and retired that I believe are HOF bound.

I hit 100 real quick, and had about 125 by September 2010. Prolly had around 170 by September 2011, and now I just hit 200 with the addition of Cy Young.

UPDATE #1 #201 Herb Pennock and #202 Tom Yawkey Added Late Oct 2012

UPDATE #2: #203 Rabbit Maranville #204 Billy Evans #205 Chuck Klein added late Nov 2012

UPDATE #3: #206 Jacob Ruppert (Total HOFers goes from 297 to 300)


All my autos are PSA/DNA, JSA, Stinson, or authentic as per a card company. In reality, am I going to go nuts for the expensive rare guys? Probably not. Im at a point where I seldom come across a guy I need for a good price (hey, I'm in my 20's and a bulk of my money goes to the house fund).

Either way, I've been looking for a good site to chit chat about autos, show off my collection, and look at other HOF auto collections if they are out there.

Here is my site: https://sites.google.com/site/hofbas...aphcollection/

vid but you got to change quality to 1080p cuz otherwise it sucks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx19Hh0caxM
Check it out. I have a few vids on Youtube that is linked on my site.

Would loved to hear comments/criticism from you all and see other HOF collections. I'd like to link other collections on my site.

[packs]

Wow. That's a serious case. Nice!

[Mr. Zipper]

Welcome! It looks like you are off to a heck of a start. Love the displays! Make sure you include enough in the house fund to buy a home that has a extra room for your stuff.

[yanks12025]

Very nice

[HRBAKER]

Looks like you may have been to IKEA as well.
Great display.

Welcome to the board!

[isaac2004]

Welcome and great collection, just curious, how did you obtain most of your collection? Did you go the eBay route or auction house, or a little of both.

[mighty bombjack]

Great site you've made there, I enjoyed looking through it.

200 HOF autos is a great accomplishment, and it only gets tougher (and quite a bit more expensive). I have my collection in a simple photobucket layout in the link in my sig. I'm currently on the lookout (and saving) for number 240.

I look forward to seeing your acquisitions!

[isaac2004]

I think you 2 should race

Great collection mighty

[jgmp123]

Beautiful collection.

[whyconform]

My first 20 Autos (including stars/future HOF) were from buying boxes of 05 Donruss Throwback Threads.

Then, probably 75% eBay and 25% shows to get the nearly the rest. About 10 came from Jim Stinson's emails and/or eBay auctions.

I was like 2 or 3 from having every Game Used HOF card, but decided to sell and just stick w/ autos..much more intimate...

I was close to bidding on a few from major auction houses but never got around....

Unfortunately, a lot of the guys I have left really only pop up in major auction houses, so I'm going to have to use them eventually. Figure I can use this site to know which auction houses are coming up and when, along with any PC partouts that occur....


Yes, and Detolfs from Ikea are awesome!

[whyconform]

Mighty.....

That is one hell of a collection.... Want me to post a link of your collection on my site in like a links page? Are you at 229 or 239? You said your looking for 240 but your bucket has 229?

I also enjoy going through each person's auto collection. Very very nice autos in your collection. Far more than me....anyone left for less than $1k? McGraw? who you looking for now. lol

Assuming it's 229, 29 difference doesn't seem like a lot, but scarcity, availability, and MONEY is a big diff. True HOF collectors would agree. How many years have you been at this? I'd like to think it's possible for me to get to like 210 within a year or so, but after that, forget about it....lol....

Any other HOF auto collectors out there (this site or not)?

[jgmp123]

I recently started a HOF collection and am sitting at 105...I just added Walter O'Malley, Honus Wagner, and Cobb this week. Loved looking at your collection. It's about time Mighty had some competition!

[whyconform]

Nice.... u gotta make a photobucket album, youtube vid, or site or something.........I need a Cobb....

O'Malley isn't that common either, let alone Wagner.....Wagner and O'Malley were in my last 20 bought. I generally bought cheapest/most common first and worked my way in that manner. Killed me to buy Ruth knowing I could have had 6-7 autos easy for the price of 1, but he's the centerpiece and necessity for any HOF collection. Cobb/Johnson/Gehrig are those centerpieces I still need lol.....

I don't think Mighty has competition....He's got all the guys I am looking for that are affordable......great pc

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by whyconform

Mighty.....

That is one hell of a collection.... Want me to post a link of your collection on my site in like a links page? Are you at 229 or 239? You said your looking for 240 but your bucket has 229?

I also enjoy going through each person's auto collection. Very very nice autos in your collection. Far more than me....anyone left for less than $1k? McGraw? who you looking for now. lol

Assuming it's 229, 29 difference doesn't seem like a lot, but scarcity, availability, and MONEY is a big diff. True HOF collectors would agree. How many years have you been at this? I'd like to think it's possible for me to get to like 210 within a year or so, but after that, forget about it....lol....

Any other HOF auto collectors out there (this site or not)?

Yes, I got ahead of myself there. I'm looking for number 230. McGraw is indeed who I'm targeting next, but if the right piece pops up of someone I need and funds are available, I go after it. This is what happened with my last purchase, Mordecai Brown.

You are right about auction houses. To keep growing your collection, you will have to start using them. Plenty of toughies in the Heritage auction ending this week...

[mr2686]

Very nice collection Bill! May I say as someone who started collecting in his teens, that you're very smart to put the bulk of your money away towards a house. I took a break for several years in my 20's so that I could purchase my first house and am glad I did. You're getting to the point in your collection that you'll find a lot of forgeries out there, as well as poorly authenticated autographs (even psa and spence make mistakes now and again) so you may want to take extra extra care in where you get your remaining sigs, as well as studying exmplars of ones you need. Ron Keurajian has a reference book coming out early December that should be a great guide. As Jim Stinson has said here in the past, talk to everyone about who they feel are the top/best dealers and then cross reference the list to come up with a top 5-7 that are good to deal with.
Good luck and look forward to seeing any new purchases,
Mike

[HOF Auto Rookies]

Originally Posted by whyconform

Any other HOF auto collectors out there (this site or not)?

Welcome to the community! Great to see another hof auto collector join here. I collect HOF Autographed 'Rookie' cards, and Joe Mauer.

Here is my site: hofautorookies.com

- Brent

[Cooptown]

So are you saying that you wouldn't be impressed with my collection of 69 HOFers?

I grew up outside of Cooperstown (hence the name) and was fortunate enough to get a bunch of guys cheap (or free) in the early 1980s when I was a kid. I wish I had more of a focus then...well...actually I dont even have one now either. I would sometimes get two of the same HOFer instead of one of two different players. And all on different "stuff".

So a few years ago, I decided to start collecting the HOFers again and concentrated on certified autos; just like you. I was knocking them off quickly at first, and then just like the other projects, got bored with it. Your post may motivate me to go back to that project!

One of the best collections I have seen on here. Are you living in an apartment now?

I went to an Ikea in Charlotte, NC last year looking for something like this. Must have missed them. How much do they cost? Do they come with lighting? Do they come built together like that, or did you have to put each one together? And finally, how do you affix the cards to the back of the cases?

Thanks.

[HOF Auto Rookies]

[QUOTE=Cooptown;1046255]So are you saying that you wouldn't be impressed with my collection of 69 HOFers?

69 is very impressive, a lot of collectors would be happy to even have half that. Unless I read wrong, where did you get the impression it isn't? Collecting HOF'ers is not necessarily 'cheap'.

[JimStinson]

Welcome Aboard ! I agree those display cases are magnificent , On putting together the rest of the collection, PATIENCE ! don't try and do it overnight. As you progress you may only add a name every three months , then six months , maybe even one a year. Thats OK ! Better to buy smart than buy quick.
I know alot of collectors that have been collecting for decades and have (almost) unlimited financial resources and they STILL don't have everyone in the Hall of Fame. The fun is in the journey not the destination
_________________________
Buying and Selling Vintage Autographs for over three decades
jim@stinsonsports.com

[HOF Auto Rookies]

Originally Posted by JimStinson

Welcome Aboard ! I agree those display cases are magnificent , On putting together the rest of the collection, PATIENCE ! don't try and do it overnight. As you progress you may only add a name every three months , then six months , maybe even one a year. Thats OK ! Better to buy smart than buy quick.
I know alot of collectors that have been collecting for decades and have (almost) unlimited financial resources and they STILL don't have everyone in the Hall of Fame. The fun is in the journey not the destination
_________________________
Buying and Selling Vintage Autographs for over three decades
jim@stinsonsports.com

+1

[isaac2004]

Originally Posted by Cooptown

I went to an Ikea in Charlotte, NC last year looking for something like this. Must have missed them. How much do they cost? Do they come with lighting? Do they come built together like that, or did you have to put each one together? And finally, how do you affix the cards to the back of the cases?

Thanks.

I am interested in the display as well. Do they sell that on the online site?

[whyconform]

The display is Ikea's Detolf (5 of them, actually, side by side). They sometimes go on sale for $50 each, but normally I think $65. I am a car nut as well, and had some 1:18 scale models. Many people use them for the cars and even figurines.

They have two types of lights that go for $30 ea (4x lights, 1 per shelf). They have a dome shaped light and an LED strip, which I have. Ikea's lights use to be a cool blue LED, but recently changed to a warm yellow gross output. I'd have to see where I got mine, but the 2nd and 4th cabinet has Ikea's old bright white/blue LED's and, the cases on the ends and in middle (1,3,5) are from some other website I came across. Even brighter than Ikeas if you look hard.....

Overall, ~80-100 per cabinet w/ lights, and I have 5. Also, people but small U-bolts and get glass panels cut at a glass place to add shelves to the Detolfs. Google search it

[whyconform]

Cooptown,

Family use to have property in the Catskills. Been to Cooperstown only once. NEED TO GO BACK ONE DAY!!! Jealous of people that were able to get autos back in the day for free or a small fee. Def. awesome. 69 is by no means a small collection and still very impressive. You need to show it off! Around there is about when I was starting to become obsessed lol

Oh yea, and back to the cases. I am just using a tiny tiny bit of 3M double sided tape to keep the card on the back. They're all either encapsulated or in magnetic cases and taped shut. You have to put the cases together, but it isn't hard. It's a bit annoying running the wires down the corners and zip tying them, and for the non-idea LED's, (cases 1,3,5), I had to extend the wires, so I had to run to Radio Shack and get wire...

[whyconform]

And HOF rookie,

Impressive. I don't know how people try to assemble collections w/ strict parameters like yours. Even HOF postcard guys, ball only, or check collectors.... Cuz it is super expensive! That's why I stick to the cheapest medium, typically Cuts. To me an auto is an auto. I never understood why a single signed ball costs more than a team ball. I guess rarity, and for your to collect RC's, super rare!

[JimStinson]

Be careful on the type of lighting as LIGHT is an autographs worst enemy, I'm no expert on lighting so might be good to ask what type is best for autograph displays
_______________
Buying and Selling Autographs for over three decades
jim@stinsonsports.com

[isaac2004]

Originally Posted by JimStinson

Be careful on the type of lighting as LIGHT is an autographs worst enemy, I'm no expert on lighting so might be good to ask what type is best for autograph displays
_______________
Buying and Selling Autographs for over three decades
jim@stinsonsports.com

I concur with Jim here, if those are high watt bulbs (which I think they may be), your autos will look bad in a few years. I recommend you look at museum lighting, I have a friend who uses these guys

http://www.pegasuslighting.com

[whyconform]

Yea, I agree. The collection was in boxes for the 2-3 years. I only recently placed them into shelves as I wanted to enjoy them more. The lights are rarely on. Only if company is over or whatever. Cases are also situated in that they never see sunlight, and all windows nearby are shaded, so I'm pretty good. My bed is nearby, and no way in hell would I be able to sleep w/ those lights on lol

[mr2686]

The good news is LED lights do not give off UV rays, however, any light high wattage or otherwise will take it's toll eventually. A dimmer kept on low for the LED lighting will help alot but it sounds like you're already doing the right thing by not having the lights on very often.

[HOF Auto Rookies]

Originally Posted by whyconform

And HOF rookie,

Impressive. I don't know how people try to assemble collections w/ strict parameters like yours. Even HOF postcard guys, ball only, or check collectors.... Cuz it is super expensive! That's why I stick to the cheapest medium, typically Cuts. To me an auto is an auto. I never understood why a single signed ball costs more than a team ball. I guess rarity, and for your to collect RC's, super rare!

Thank you for the kind words Bill. I too am in my 20's and growing up around the Twins and getting 'graphs, cards and a team ball were just so simple to carry around, cards the "easiest" because you only needed a notebook or a small case.

What allured me to rookies was that I enjoyed seeing the players' first MLB issued card, or first largely manufactured card. They were also the most valuable do I thought if I was in a financial need, I can make more off of 'rookies' than base cards.

Joe Mauer started my craze when he got drafted I was in 8th grade. At TwinsFest he literally would sign EVERYTHING you had until he was called up. So I had a notebook with 9 cards on a page and he signed them all, and kept going back in line over and over again for years. Lo and behold, I have probably around 300-400 Mauer signed rookie cards.

[Mr. Zipper]

Just checked out those cabinets at IKEA. $64 each plus $349 shipping. LOL

[thenavarro]

Originally Posted by whyconform

I'd like to link other collections on my site.

Hi Bill,

You've got a great looking setup. Feel free to link my collection on your site if you'd like. I collect HOF and legends signed cards (mostly rookies)



http://forums.collectors.com/message...hreadid=651262

Mike

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by thenavarro

Hi Bill,

You've got a great looking setup. Feel free to link my collection on your site if you'd like. I collect HOF and legends signed cards (mostly rookies)



http://forums.collectors.com/message...hreadid=651262

Mike

Feel free to link mine as well

[HOF Auto Rookies]

Originally Posted by thenavarro

Hi Bill,

You've got a great looking setup. Feel free to link my collection on your site if you'd like. I collect HOF and legends signed cards (mostly rookies)



http://forums.collectors.com/message...hreadid=651262

Mike

Mine as well lol. Unfortunately I have to battle with Mike on a lot of cards :P, but always nice to see someone collecting what I collect, and a hell of a collection at that

[HOFautosChris]

Welcome to the boards I to collect autographs with a focus on Hall of Fame members. I am also a avid in person collector of signatures from all arenas. The majority of my collection is not displayed like your wonderful set up. It can be viewed online via this link
http://s42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...cpZZ1QQtppZZ20

Also here is my favorite Hall of Fame autograph signed by Rabbit Maranville

[Wolfgang427]

Great collection Bill, congrats...

[whyconform]

Sweet Maranville. One of the top 5 or so guys I'm looking for as he is still relatively affordable......

Yawkey, Larry MacPhail, Evans, Maranville, Nichols, Klein

[whyconform]

woot! Just got #201: Herb Pennock

Should arrive tomorrow..... I guess I'll just add to this thread as I get more in from time to time... getting to that point where it could take some time between pickups.

PS Hope all in Northeast did ok w/ the storm. We lost power for 4 days, just got it back, and an hour ago just got tv/internet/phone. My cell wouldn't even work for 2 days. Horrible. Gas lines are crazy, and we have odd/even plate days now in effect. My job lost $1+ million in equipment due to storm surge. Nuts

[gashouse34]

Originally Posted by whyconform

woot! Just got #201: Herb Pennock

Should arrive tomorrow..... I guess I'll just add to this thread as I get more in from time to time... getting to that point where it could take some time between pickups.

PS Hope all in Northeast did ok w/ the storm. We lost power for 4 days, just got it back, and an hour ago just got tv/internet/phone. My cell wouldn't even work for 2 days. Horrible. Gas lines are crazy, and we have odd/even plate days now in effect. My job lost $1+ million in equipment due to storm surge. Nuts

Beautiful Pennock! Congrats....I used to be serious about working on a HOF Collection but my interests went another direction over the last couple of years. This thread might change my mind though and maybe i'll start up again. I think i'm at 195.

[jgmp123]

Great Pennock!!

Feel free to link my site as well if you wouldn't mind...I just got everything updated and am currently sitting at 96!

http://www.freewebs.com/jgmp123/

[Oakland A's]

Here 's the latest of mine.

I only collect Hall of Fame players and managers and I am at 197.

Gordon-Joe.JPG

[whyconform]

#202 added Tom yawkey

Thanks Mr. Stinson

[jgmp123]

Originally Posted by whyconform

#202 added Tom yawkey

Thanks Mr. Stinson

Funny...Jim helped me add my Yawkey this week as well...

[HOF Auto Rookies]

Jim's got the goods and the hook-ups

[whyconform]

First,

Won a few auctions here and there, including a PSA/DNA Landis and Rickey, so I sold my Stinson Landis/Rickey.



Next, #203 Rabbit Maranville



#204 Billy Evans



#205 Chuck Klein...Thx Mr. Stinson






I think I'm done for the year... xmas time is coming so play money will be held up. lol Almost at the point where I got everyone available under the $500 mark..... Can't believe I still need a Larry MacPhail...... but others under this 500 mark are Nichols/Connolly/Wallace...prolly 1-2 more at the right time. Dec/Jan will be likely additions as per the HOF Voting/Vet Committee, but for 2013 I think I am pretty much near the end of quick aquisitions and I will focus on the 4 main guys that should make up every serious collection: Clemente, Gehrig, WJohnson, and Cobb.

[jgmp123]

Added Chief Bender, Earle Combs, Roberto Clemente (already in pickups thread) and thanks to Jim and Jarrod, just added Kenesaw Landis, Paul Waner, and Tris Speaker.

Thanks guys!!

[whyconform]

Well, today the announced three new entries into the HOF via the Veterans's Committee. White, O'Day, and Ruppert.

I already have a Ruppert Check, which brings me to 206/300 now.

% goes down

[HOF Auto Rookies]

Pick-up this great '51 Fox

[baseball111]

Nice collection! I also just started collecting HOF autos but I'm mostly focusing on graded baseballs. I only have ~40 so it only gets more costly from here :P Good luck with yours!

[mighty bombjack]

That Fox is sweet.

[jgmp123]

Originally Posted by whyconform

First,

Won a few auctions here and there, including a PSA/DNA Landis and Rickey, so I sold my Stinson Landis/Rickey.



Next, #203 Rabbit Maranville



#204 Billy Evans



#205 Chuck Klein...Thx Mr. Stinson






I think I'm done for the year... xmas time is coming so play money will be held up. lol Almost at the point where I got everyone available under the $500 mark..... Can't believe I still need a Larry MacPhail...... but others under this 500 mark are Nichols/Connolly/Wallace...prolly 1-2 more at the right time. Dec/Jan will be likely additions as per the HOF Voting/Vet Committee, but for 2013 I think I am pretty much near the end of quick aquisitions and I will focus on the 4 main guys that should make up every serious collection: Clemente, Gehrig, WJohnson, and Cobb.

One of the most beautiful Landis and Rickey's I have ever seen. Amazing...Let me know if you ever plan to sell that Landis.