[bigguy219]

Nice cards, but it does not matter what you buy or how much you spend. If I had your money I would burn mine. I would rather spend $1000 on 10-20 cards than on 1. Your money, spend it how you want, and most of all just enjoy the hobby.

When I was in school I had a teacher tell me about a study was conducted. Two cupcakes were placed in front of the subject. One cupcake was sliced in half creating two pieces, the other remained intact.

The cupcake that was cut in half was chosen in greater numbers than the one that was whole, because of subconscious perception that the two slices was 'more' than the one whole cupcake.

I think that's a case of what's going on here.

I used to collect that way. I had boxes and boxes full of $5-$20 cards that I never looked at, and that none of my collecting friends had much interest in.

Now I keep two boxes of really high quality cards that I look at everyday and my friends in the hobby compliment me on.

For me, downsizing my collection and focusing on quality, rather than quantity ultimately led to a collection I could better enjoy and appreciate. It renewed my interest in a hobby that had become overwhelming with the sheer number of cards being produced and trying to keep up with.

For the first time in nearly twenty years of collecting I have a short, managable want list.

It's not for everyone, but it is for me. I just didn't realize how alone I was in the demographic. LOL

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I think the most I've ever paid for a single card was $150 and that was a Pujols autograph. I've SOLD a single card for $4750 though.

I wish a board member had bought it.

[natejeffries]

Hey Bigguy,

I for one, respect what you are doing and saying...and really admire that Mathewson.
I really appreciate people who share their cool vintage stuff with the board. I didn't even know about some of the cards you posted.

Once question: what type of boxes do you use to store your cards? How big are they and how many cards do you put in each box?

I have a mix of different boxes and sizes that I use. I am definitely weary of boxes made in China and how the material will affect my cards. I bought some acid free boxes, but they seem harder to find these days.

[bigguy219]

Hey Bigguy,

I for one, respect what you are doing and saying...and really admire that Mathewson.
I really appreciate people who share their cool vintage stuff with the board. I didn't even know about some of the cards you posted.

Once question: what type of boxes do you use to store your cards? How big are they and how many cards do you put in each box?

I have a mix of different boxes and sizes that I use. I am definitely weary of boxes made in China and how the material will affect my cards. I bought some acid free boxes, but they seem harder to find these days.

Well if your cards are in protective cases the material of the box should not have much affect. One thing I always like to stress is spending a little bit of money to protect your cards.

For the vintage in my collection, they're all slabbed. Not only do they look very attractive in the slabs, but they're also very well protected.

Even a common I keep in at least a penny sleeve. $5-$50 I keep in a semi-rigid, $50 and up I keep in a one touch.

The graded cards are in a graded card box provided by SGC. The modern are in the standard white cardboard boxes you can find at any card shop.

I have no horror stories to report.

One thing I'd like to note, is that I keep everything on the highest shelf in my closet. There's safety in elevation!

[spazmatastic]

I think the most I've ever paid for a single card was $150 and that was a Pujols autograph. I've SOLD a single card for $4750 though.

PLZ tell. What card was THAT?!

[slufan83]

PLZ tell. What card was THAT?!

2008 UD Signs of History Thomas Jefferson Cut Sig 2/2

[mrmagnum75]

These are the only 2 cards I have paid over $1000 for that I still personally own. But I do have some nice T206's that are worth that. I did have a nice 51 bowman mantle but had to sell it.

[spazmatastic]

For me, downsizing my collection and focusing on quality, rather than quantity ultimately led to a collection I could better enjoy and appreciate. It renewed my interest in a hobby that had become overwhelming with the sheer number of cards being produced and trying to keep up with.

For the first time in nearly twenty years of collecting I have a short, managable want list.

It's not for everyone, but it is for me. I just didn't realize how alone I was in the demographic. LOL

I tend to do a little of both. I will trade quality for quantity in some situations and will trade the other way around in others. My main baseball PC is Ozzie Smith, so quantity is kind of a necessity to this collection. The more I can pick up through trades, the less I will have to buy later. Since he has over 4,000 different cards in the Beckett database, I need quantity. I am trying to get as close to the total # of cards of his as possible.
I have bought some of the best cards in my collection, but some of them I traded up or down for. I traded a $100 AU'd RC card for my Ozzie Smith Topps RC b/c it was my white whale then, but I got many other cards to go along with it. I have also traded 40+ base/insert cards for only a few of Ozzie's better cards.
I usually spend my card money to buy boxes. I still prefer the thrill of opening packs over getting a card I paid for. I can always trade the new cards for more Ozzie cards, or sell them to buy an Ozzie that I really want. If I had a grand to spend, I would mess up and overpay for an Ozzie 1/1, when I could have probably bought 2 one of ones for the same price.
If my budget was less limited, I would ONLY go after the quality cards. However, I would probably miss out on adding some of the quantity cards I didn't have.

---

Wow, slufan! What a great card. I'd have sold that too. THAT sell would've given me something to post here.


How many times is that Goudey Ruth going to show up here?
It is a great card and I love seeing how many members have one!

[markmulder20]

One thing I'd like to note, is that I keep everything on the highest shelf in my closet. There's safety in elevation!

It depends where you live. If you live out here in earthquake country (California) then that might not be such a good idea unless it's secured to the shelf which in turn is secured to the wall.

[kvroman]

I clicked this thread because I was curious what I might find posted here. It was worth the time it took to read all of the posts. Some interesting and valid points have been made regarding patience, the quality vs. quantity debate, and priorities ( both life and collecting). I have to say that I have really loved seeing the scans of a lot of the cards shared thus far. I also realized that I wouldn't have spent $1000 on any of them. The main reason I can come up with is that while all of them have been interesting, all of them would likely sit in a locked fire safe if they were in my collection. There isn't any of that sense of community or a connection to something outside of yourself that comes from that scenario for me. That is one of the reasons I appreciated the point bigguy made about a bunch of cards sitting in a box versus cards that he now has that he takes out often and shares those common experience stories with other collectors. All of this got me thinking about two things that had not been brought up yet, but are both important points to me as I re-embark on a journey through the hobby after a 20+ year hiatus.

First, there is a big difference between valuing the collection versus valuing the collecting. It is a sliding scale and we all fit on it somewhere. It is my guess that those that save and pop for the highest end are deeper on the value the collection end. You are spending a bunch of money on cards regardless why not have some choice cardboard to show for it, rather than a few hundred shoeboxes of junk. Those that prefer quantity or the thrill of the break are likely more enamored with being actively engaged in the hobby. The activity itself is of greater value than the cards resulting from it. For people like this, acquiring a card by shelling out a grand is like saying you went out and bought a new television. It sure is really nice, but where was the fun in the acquisition? Until the thrill of the hunt enters that landscape and the task of acquiring the card is made more engaging than a purchase at Best Buy this won't hold a lot of appeal to this type of collector.

Second, and the most important to me, I would take the Pete Maravich rookie card I found in the old cigar box of cards that my dad gave me when I started collecting, or the sets from the 80's and 90's that he and I assembled while busting a few boxes together over any $1000 purchase posted. Those cards have a value that cannot be easily quantified.

I suspect that as I get older and my buying and collecting habits change, some of my views will change. Even in the month or so I have been back collecting they have changed. My collection is becoming more focused, my budget is trying regulate itself, and I am working through what the man I have become wants to do with all the cards the boy I was collected over 20 years ago.