By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

DALLAS | It was a Tuesday for everyone, but for Chadwick Boseman an evening screening of 42 was the third leg of a long jaunt around the country, one that began in Washington, D.C., and included a stop hours earlier at Wrigley Field.

After a VIP-only early viewing of the film telling the life’s story of Major League Baseball‘s social pioneer, Jackie Robinson, the 30-year-old unassumingly walked into Theater 5 of the Angelika Film Center wearing a red, white and blue plaid shirt and weathered blue jeans as the house lights slowly raised and the film’s credits rolled behind him.

He received a standing ovation. And then he did a 20-minute question-and-answer session with the assembled film devotees before a brief one-on-one exclusive with Beckett Media about the film and, of course, collecting.

Naturally, the first question … has it started to sink in yet how life-changing this role is?

“No, I mean it’s just now hitting I guess,” he said. “You’ve done the movie, you’ve sat on it editing it, you’ve seen it, they’ve set the release date and you’re fine-tuning it. But we’ve been doing this for a while and you’re releasing a baby for everybody else. It’s a weird feeling.”

So does he think he could have endured what Robinson went through?

“I don’t know,” he said, pausing to reflect. “I would say no. I would need God to tell me. I would need some sort of sign. Maybe Jackie had that. Maybe that is what helped him get through. Me, how I am right now, I’m not sure if I could do it. I’d be fighting back. I’d be in jail. I’d be dead.”

Boseman admitted in the Q&A session that he played more basketball than anything in high school, never testing his baseball skills past Little League. He said years ago his dad told him he should have tried being a baseball player — and his dad’s fandom is what helped fuel his.

“I followed teams, but didn’t necessarily really have any favorite players. I liked the Braves, I liked the Dodgers,” Boseman said. “My dad is an avid Braves fan who tapes games now. So when I go home I will end up watching whole games to spend time with him. I’m more of a watch the sixth-to-ninth innings and watch the highlights guy.”

Talking Movies
So, does he have any favorite sports movies?

“It’s funny when you say sports movies, people a lot of times don’t include boxing, but I would,” he said. “I love Rocky. The first Rocky is an Oscar-winning film. Obviously, I loved Remember the Titans. I love Major League — it’s funny. I love Bull Durham — telling him to hit the mascot — I love that whole thing. Sports movies are definitely some of my favorites.”

Now he’s going to be one of the guys seen on those Hollywood highlight reels, one of those moment-makers. So, has that sunk in yet?

“Wow. No. You’re the first person to say that to me,” he said, pausing to absorb the thought. “Thanks a lot, man.”

Collecting Cards
So, did he ever collect baseball cards as a kid?

“No, not at all,” he said. “I had friends that definitely collected and I would keep up with them that way, but I was never really into it like that.”

How about starting a Robinson card collection now?

“I probably would — you know what, I have one,” he said, interrupting himself. “I do have one. It was a gift.”

Then, I offered some stats about Robinson that he clearly hadn’t heard about. His reaction to Robinson’s Rookie Card only being $2,000?

“I should buy it,” he said, laughing.

How about all of his cards for about $59,000?

“That seems low. Is it going to go up because of this movie?” he asked. “So the card I have could go up?”

He seemed quietly proud of that possibility, inwardly emotive — just like his performance on the screen.

“I may be a little uncomfortable with that feeling,” he admitted, perhaps even squirming a bit.

Then, he was told his autographs have an asking price of around $200 a pop on eBay for baseballs and photos.

“My autograph?” he said, pausing for a few moments and looking across the room. “My autograph is on there now? Oh wow.”

Then, he perked up a bit and stopped to ask a question of his own, playing the role of a rookie to the whole autograph experience.

“Let me ask you a question. The more autographs I sign, does it diminish the value?”

After a quick lesson about supply-and-demand and, of course, timing, Boseman also brought up how he knows props can be a hot commodity, too.

“Somebody asked me for my uniform from the movie,” Boseman said. “Obviously, I don’t have that anyway, Warner Bros. has it, but people have called me and asked about that.”

According to Warner Bros., there won’t be any prop auctions from 42, but one of his jerseys used in the film will be donated to the Negro League Hall of Fame and Museum on April 11.

With the release of the film about a month away, Boseman also was interested to hear that some posters for the film were in high demand on the auction block. A 4×6-foot “moments” bus shelter poster showing Robinson and teammate Pee Wee Reese sold for $100 on eBay earlier this week. Surprising?

“You are surprising me as we speak, man,” he said. “That’s crazy.”

Autograph Hunting
So, if there was one autograph of a baseball player Boseman would want, who would it be?

“For baseball players, I would love to get Josh Hamilton‘s autograph — that would be cool. I would love to meet him,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to meet some of the Dodgers, so Matt Kemp would be a real cool autograph. And Ken Griffey Jr. of course.”

Then he jumped right into another thought, almost as if he were kicking himself thinking back about his experiences while making the film.

“You know, what I can’t believe is I didn’t get Hank Aaron‘s autograph,” he said. “I met him a couple of times. I have to remember to get him — what am I thinking? The next time I see him, I’ll get him to sign my 42 hat.”

Those hats, by the way, have been selling for about $50 a pop on eBay — without the Aaron signature.

Considering Cardboard & Collecting …
So, if he could appear on a baseball card with someone else who would it be? A Boseman-as-Jackie card along with …

“Wow, that’s a tough one,” he said, stopping to think. “Honestly, I would go with Hank Aaron. That would be amazing to be on there. I loved when he came to set as he was a consultant. He just has a good heart. I think it would be cool to be on a card — the guy who played Jackie Robinson with the real Hank Aaron.”

After finishing up the questions, a few lingering VIPs and a couple of kids were armed with promotional mini posters hoping to get an autograph outside the Angelika’s office door. Boseman obliged, signing and personalizing at least three and one for a small boy much like the Ed Charles character seen in the film.

As Boseman signed the last two posters with a black Sharpie, the stack of a few remaining posters fell to the floor from atop a photocopying machine that had made for an impromptu writing surface. As someone bent down to pick one up and the group moved toward the door, where a couple more fans had posters handy as well, Boseman offered another thought. It was one that perhaps shows that he’s more of a collector than he let on after all — or at least that he might be collecting a bit sometime soon — once he’s not doing three cities in a single day, of course.

“I don’t even have one of those,” he said. “I need one.”

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

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Look for more on 42 and other sports-related entertainment collectibles in the upcoming Sports Movies Issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly, which begins shipping to hobby shops on April 3.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

It’s time for another version of the $10 Card Shop Challenge …  Are you ready? The deadline is Friday, Jan. 25 …

Here is the back story — and the instructions are after the jump.

An after-work card shop visit long ago prompted a challenge to one of my Twitter followers, so I sent another message to the masses curious few who enjoy hearing not much from me 140 characters a time on my Twitter feed. I issued a collecting challenge. It’s time to do it again.

A few replied seeking details, but this time I’m taking it a step further as I want to see what many of you can come up with by hitting your local card shop. (If you don’t have an LCS, hit a retail store.) Call it the $10 Card Shop Challenge.

Should you choose to accept this mission, you will add something new to your collection — and maybe something more as I’m going to cough something up for the entry that you guys find to be the most interesting or impressive entry of the bunch.

The Mission: Spend $10 or less on something you like but try to land something that will impress the masses. It could be anything cards — but no wax (unless you’re a retail-only person). Are you a vintage fan? A prospector? A non-sport collector? A buyer in bulk? Was it just a good deal you couldn’t refuse?

It’s all game — as long as it only cost you $10 (or less). You can go over with taxes.

In a  previous challenge, I landed a 1909 T206 common for a mere $9.50. Another time, I found a relatively high-grade copy of a 1974 Topps card I have been meaning to pick up for some time — Hank Aaron‘s  home run king commemorative — for just $5.50.

I’m headed to the card shop later today. I’ll post my entry in the comments below along with you guys.

Leave the following info in a comment below and include a link to an image of what you picked up:

1. Name & location (include your email so you can be contacted)

2. Shop/store you visited

3. What you bought

4. Why it’s the winner

5. Include a photo!

After the deadline, we’ll set up a poll for you to decide the winner right here.

Are you ready to take the challenge?

Remember, our winner will win something cool … and it’ll cost more than $10, too.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

Voting closes on March 1.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor | Commentary

Eight or so days ago, I woke up and had many phone, email and Twitter messages awaiting me, all hoping to know what I thought about the latest baseball news.

The headline? Nick Swisher signs with the Cleveland Indians.

Now, as many of you probably know as a regular reader, I’m a bit of a fan of the former Oakland Athletic turned former Chicago White Sox and now turned former New York Yankee. At my last count, which has been some time ago, I had eight game-used bats, three game-used jerseys, 30-something 1/1s and easily more than 100 certified autographs in my Swish Stash along with a few thousand cards.

I think my initial reaction was to read a few of the messages and then fall back asleep. After all, it was part of a holiday/vacation stretch for me where extra sleep might not even be worthy of a six-figure price — it’s more valuable than that.

But the news wasn’t that big of a deal to me, really, though as all I had hoped for a New York exit, maybe an Oakland return (yeah, right given the MLB cash-flow) or, a longshot — a Texas Rangers attempt at signing any notable free agent with a pulse, Swisher being the best of those left.

Only one of those things happened.

Now, I can get back to one of my past unbridled passions — hating the New York Yankees and their anti-Moneyball, downright irresponsible approach to payroll. (That, I can still get behind.) The other kinds of emotions — at least those player- and collection-related? I kind of got over them a long time ago — another byproduct of being an A’s fan.

A small recap of the lowlights: Kirk Gibson and the 1988 World Series? This A’s fan loves that gimpy fist-pumping highlight on those commercials … really. (That was tear-worthy for a 12-year-old.) I put Kirk F. Gibson right up there with Bucky F. Dent as done a half-generation before my devastating moment.

Not even mentioning the 1990 Series.

My past favorite player, Jose Canseco, traded from the A’s? Shock, if not devastation. I know it resulted in some early high school essay. Swisher traded to Sox for nobody they have today? Anger in defying everything that Moneyball was supposed to stand for. Or, at least trading the one guy everyone knew was good … when the team had been, too.

But I think this “change” of mine in terms of not needing to react to what I can’t control all comes back to Swisher being dumped to the Yankees for three forgettables in 2009, though I got a brief dose of it when Canseco briefly wore pinstripes — and won his second World Series ring — back in 2000, too. I had a decision to make … and I went with the player. (Though I will confess … while the business of baseball has been flawed for decades, hating the Yankees only really applies in the free agency era. And Swisher was one of their bargain players! So, I joined The Dark Side.)

In essence, while I know that it’s often masked/glossed-over as “passion” to be a crazed, un-hinged lunatic when it comes to sports or some minor (BUT HUGE!) details of collecting, I think it’s perhaps best to not dwell upon things that can’t be controlled — either on the field or in the hobby — and just roll with the punches and remember that it’s a pastime and it’s a hobby. (Insert a diatribe from Crash Davis here about relaxing, having some fun and reminding us that it’s all fun, dagnabbit.)

So, while my favorite player leaving the most-popular team in baseball for one that’s not won a thing in ages may have a negative impact on my collection in some ways (less demand), it will have its advantages in others (less demand … when buying). Honestly, I’m OK with that because I’m not one who is buying to sell later. I buy what I like and what I can afford or find. If I don’t like it, I don’t buy it. It’s a lot easier and more enjoyable to collect a Swisher than a Canseco — a player everyone (at the time) collected — and it took nearly 20 years to figure that part of collecting out.

Some might think that the real-life move might tie into a reel-life fanaticism — my “other” favorite team is the Cleveland Indians of Major League fame — but I’ve never really tied the two together much. (Though I was a fan of the Indians in the Baerga-Belle-Lofton-Thome years when Canseco was off in Texas and Boston and Oakland was in ruins.) I don’t think it will factor here — my Ricky Vaughn Indians jersey is enough.

I think my full reaction to my favorite player in a new place will come with that first sight of seeing Swisher in a Cleveland Indians uniform, with a (controversial) Chief Wahoo cap on his head. I’ll know more then.

Why Swisher? He struck me as a solid player — a new Canseco — as he emerged in Oakland, and the matching uniform number and positions didn’t hurt. Neither did some of the performances early on — or some highlight clips with the “Bash” in them. But Swisher also struck me as a player who has fun, can be a bit of a goof at times, doesn’t take things too seriously. He struck me as a player who seems quite fan-friendly and a player who can play some ball, too. (Apparently, some Yanks fans grew to not love that more than they did for a few years prior.)

So, as a few collectors out there deal with changes just like this with their players or teams and the calendar changes to 2013 with the newest year’s baseball cards less than a month away — and there will undoubtedly be some surprises there — Mr. Davis’ keys to infinite baseball (and collecting) wisdom definitely comes to mind … just tweaked a bit.

Relax and have some fun out there. This game’s fun, OK? Fun, dagnabbit.

Oh, and don’t hold the cards so hard, OK? It’s an egg. Hold it like an egg.

Or something like that. Let’s hope that 2013 can be fun for collectors and collecting.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

A letter from 12-year-old Parker Stenseth of Fargo, N.D., recently arrived in my mailbox with a note attached to a story.

“This is an article I wrote about why kids should collect baseball cards. I would be thrilled if you read it. Also, if you could, please send me some feedback or advise. … I hope to read my articles in a magazine like you someday.”

Well, Parker, I figured why wait for some extra space to open up in a magazine when we can present it all right here for everyone to see on the holidays. Oh, and a couple of Beckett magazines should be arriving soon, too. — Chris Olds

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Why kids should collect baseball cards

By Parker Stenseth | Commentary

Baseball card collecting is a hobby for all, but in recent years it has gone a little more toward adults than kids.

There are still many reasons kids should collect, though.

There are so many reasons kids should collect baseball cards that I won’t be able to address them all. Of them all, I feel the most important is that it helps you connect with others.

As an example, I got started on collecting after my cousin, who I now consider one of my best friends, took me to a Twins game and bought me a team set of cards. (I later dropped that set in the sink being six, but my cousin was kind enough to buy me another.) That set of cards sparked a fascination in me that is still there today.

Cody and I still go to card shows, still trade and still go to the local store together. I have also heard a story of a dad with a mentally handicapped son and couldn’t relate to him that well but when his son got interested in cards they had something to spend some quality time together with.

Another reason kids should collect baseball cards is just the feeling of pulling a good card is like no other. I remembered when I pulled my first autograph, David Wright. I seriously couldn’t stop smiling the next two hours. Also being at a card show is one of the most fun things I can think of. It’s amazing being surrounded by so many pieces of baseball history and knowing you could buy some of what’s there.

Then there’s also trading cards with a friend. It’s so much fun looking through your friend’s collection and hearing the stories behind each card and then finding a card in their collection that you want and trading for it. Baseball cards give so much happiness and enjoyment that everyone should feel.

Next, I feel cards improve academic skills. I’m currently a seventh-grader that’s doing some mid high school work at school and I give a lot of credit to baseball cards for that. With all the numbers on the backs of the cards for stats and then sorting your cards and finding how much they’re worth, it would be hard not to learn anything about math, logistics or marketing skills.

Finally, I feel it’s a better way to spend your time than video games, Internet or anything like that. Baseball cards can give you a longer-lasting satisfaction and you can enjoy them with others. It’s also not dangerous, and there’s no negative influence on younger kids.

All things considered, baseball cards are a great hobby for kids and anybody else. It’s something you can do with others, it gives a ton of happiness, could teach you a thing or two, and anyone can enjoy it.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

When Beckett Grading Services‘ Andy Broome isn’t busy examining vintage cardboard for defects as part of his day job, he can often be found drawing.

Now, though, he may be found drawing cartoons and signing autographs on the title page of Collecting The Collector, a new book he recently published.

The $11.95 collection of anecdotes and drawings includes an introduction by Antiques Roadshow‘s Simeon Lipman and can be found on Amazon.com via the book’s website.

“I’ve dabbled in my share of collections,” Broome wrote. “I’ve collected coins, stamps, trading cards of all types, art, watches, fountain pens, gemstones, debt, comic books, comic and cartoon art, ex-wives, toys, action figures, vintage cigarette packs, more debt, all things baseball, books, autographs, children, clocks, PEZ dispensers, cameras, books, whiskey, guns and even more debt.

“I feel like I can poke a little fun at fellow collectors. and their quirks because I have been there, I’m one of you.”

Through his work, he highlights some of the things that make collectors tick, things that make collectors unique to others and he also takes the time to acknowledge those who put up with us, too.

The paperback collection includes more than 50 original cartoons as well as countless anecdotes and shorts about collecting itself.

For more information visit the book’s website or AndyBroome.com.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

There isn’t just one type of collector, and that’s crystal clear when you talk to people in the hobby.

Some people collect for fun. Some people collect for profit. Some people just collect to collect. Now just imagine trying to make a card set that would please everyone. (Actually, don’t … it’s not possible.)

To see where many of you stand on the world of baseball cards, here are 20 questions — some serious, some not — that we’re curious to see how you answer. We’ll publish the results in the next issue of Beckett Baseball along with some quips if you have more to say in the comments.

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See the rest of the questions after the jump …

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Have anything else to add? Tell us in the comments below…

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Basketball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor | Commentary

Ever struggled with ideas of how you should bring a semblance of order to your collection — or just feel you need a new niche or project that’s not player- or team-related or going to break the bank?

I have, and I have had a few whims through the years — many of which just didn’t last long. (Just like the time recently I started to sort cards from a 1987 Topps vending case … it was work halfway into Box 3.)

One summer, after perusing the newest Oakland A’s media guide, I decided to try and track down a common card in the proper uniform of every player to play in a game for the A’s during the Oakland years (1968-forward). The guide included an alphabetical list and didn’t seem too tough as I already had plenty of the cards already. It made a box of about 100 old pages from a trade useful but the idea died after a couple trips to the card shop a few weeks later.

Another idea was to collect my schools more intently — that didn’t happen, either. There’s just too much.

But the one idea that stuck — well, sort of — was one that I only have to pay attention to once a year on my birthday.

Years ago, while flipping through my priceless copy of Total Baseball — what us baseball geeks did before the Interwebs — I noticed that a single postseason baseball game was played the day I was born and that a single player had homered that day.

It was Oct. 9, 1976, and it was Game 1 of the National League Championship Series between the visiting Cincinnati Reds and the host Philadelphia Phillies at Veterans Stadium. The lone home run? It was hit by the Reds’ George Foster off of Phillies ace and future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton in the sixth inning of a game that the Reds won, 6-3, en route to a World Series title (beating the Yankees). I made my debut several hours earlier in the afternoon.

The Reds were the first team I paid attention to as a kid — being from Ohio and having a great grandmother who religiously watched or listened to games — and I already had Foster’s autograph, which had been nabbed for me at a personal appearance in Ohio by another grandma, of course. (I lived in Wyoming — pre-Colorado Rockies — not many player appearances there.)

Checking that one historic box score led to another … and another … and another.

I decided — again, a bit haphazardly — that I wanted the autograph of any player who had homered on my birthday. Seemed easy enough, right? After all, only so many games are played in October — since it’s the postseason — it’s not like a day in the summer where there could be 15 games on the schedule, right?

It was a challenge, but it didn’t seem impossible since I already had the first … so I started. I picked up Paul Molitor and Steve Garvey (both 1981) signed baseballs in trade. I got Don Baylor (1982) and Graig Nettles (1980) through-the-mail. I already had Jose Canseco (1988) since he was my favorite player then. Certified autograph cards were not routine back then — they were typically only the domain of rookies — so I put things on hold a few months later when I had a pricey roadblock called Cal Ripken Jr. in my way and more than a few guys you probably don’t even remember today. (The list is below.)

Today, that autograph list includes more than 80 players since there are more and more playoff games than ever before. I recently updated it just to see how I had done through the years, and it turns out I haven’t done too badly keeping up without even trying. (Hadn’t really pursued the list much in the last half-decade, and I never really started re-trying again with any amount of focus since the certified autograph boom, either. This could be fun.)

My birthday list is one that includes some big names — Albert Pujols, Darryl Strawberry, Jim Thome, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and even a guy named Nick Swisher. (Who? My favorite player today.) Surprisingly, I have a few of those biggest ones but not all. It’s also a list that includes some obscure players, guys who aren’t likely to have many — if any — certified autos: Mark Brouhard, Larry Herndon, Harry Spilman, Tony Eusebio and the esteemed Benito Santiago for starters.

In all, through years of collecting since the project began and went on hiatus, I own roughly 20 of the players on the list, and it was fun updating my list by checking out the recent years via retrosheet.org. Interestingly, I met two of the players — Lance Berkman and Chris Burke — on the same day in the same season before they went on to both homer that year.

It’s a collecting challenge I made to myself years ago that I’ll perhaps get around to finishing soon once I really re-start the engines on the project. It will be much easier today — well, unless some big names go yard in today’s Detroit-Oakland or San Francisco-Cincinnati games — with online searches that make buying cards as easy as looking up box scores (the click of a mouse).

I’ll perhaps get them all sorted together and re-start the project again soon, depending on how today goes. But, if not, I always have until next year to make the big push before the list potentially grows once again.

Either way, though, I’m still not touching those 1987 Topps cards.

Do you have a unique or odd collecting niche? Tell us in the comments below.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

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PLAYERS WHO HOMERED ON OCT. 9 (SINCE 1976)

1976 — George Foster

1980 — Graig Nettles

1981 — Art Howe, Steve Garvey, Dave McKay, Ted Simmons, Paul Molitor

1982 — Don Baylor, Mark Brouhard

1984 — Larry Herndon

1985 — Willie Wilson, Pat Sheridan

1987 — Jim Lindeman, Jeffrey Leonard, Harry Spilman

1988 — Mike Scioscia, Kirk Gibson, Darryl Strawberry, Kevin McReynolds, Jose Canseco

1990 — Paul O’Neill, Chris Sabo, Jay Bell

1991 — David Justice, Andy Van Slyke

1993 — John Kruk, Lance Johnson, Frank Thomas

1996 — Brady Anderson, Rafael Palmeiro, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams

1997 — Manny Ramirez, Marquis Grissom, Cal Ripken Jr.

1998 — Jim Thome (twice), Manny Ramirez, Mark Whiten

1999 — Greg Colbrunn, Edgardo Alfonzo, Todd Pratt, Tony Eusebio, Ken Caminiti, Darryl Strawberry, John Valentin, Brian Daubach

2001 — Brian Jordan, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Brad Ausmus, Vinny Castilla, Ellis Burks

2002 — Kenny Lofton, David Bell, Benito Santiago, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cairo, J.D. Drew, Darin Erstad, Brad Fullmer

2003 — Jason Varitek, Nick Johnson

2004 — Shawn Green (twice), Johnny Estrada, Andruw Jones, Carlos Beltran, Ruben Sierra, Henry Blanco

2005 — Adam LaRoche, Brian McCann, Lance Berkman, Brad Ausmus, Chris Burke

2008 — Chase Utley, Pat Burrell

2009 — Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira

2010 — Marcus Thames, Nick Swisher, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz

2011 — David Freese, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Yuniesky Betancourt

2012 — TBD!

By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

The regular season is nearly complete, another year in the books, and that means you can now assess your player’s season, his potential and where he might fit in your collecting future.

Just like the GMs do.

But in the case of collectors, it’s not always that simple — why we collect who we collect can vary. And that was something we’re curious about … so we want to hear from you the answer to one simple question.

For the next issue of Beckett Baseball, we simply want to know … Who do you collect … and why?

Tell us in the comments below. Please include your name and location with your comment. We’ll run a selection of the best answers in the next issue of Beckett Baseball.

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Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor

We’re going to dedicate an entire issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly to SuperCollectors soon — and we want to see your collections.

We’ll pick the most interesting and most outrageous submissions for that issue of the magazine just like the 15 we showcased last summer, but first we need to hear about your stash. Some will make the special issue, while others will appear in the magazines leading up to that issue. (We run SuperCollectors every month.)

As a bonus, all collectors who submit information between now and July 15 will be entered in a drawing for a Mike Trout autographed baseball as well as a hefty six-autograph card seen here. Follow the instructions and submit your stats and story today. We’re showing you all of last year’s submissions so you can see who — and what — made the cut.

We hope you can top them.  You don’t have to have the most-expensive collection on the block but it needs to be unique — downright crazy — in some way that it stands out.

Here are your instructions …

Send in an email to readersrock@beckett.com the following information:

1. Name, age, your email address, your location (city, state) and who/what you collect.

2. Statistics about your collection (total cards, number of 1/1s, number of autographs, number of game-used cards or items, etc., as seen on these samples)

3. Tell us why you should be selected. Sell us on what makes your collection the best — and how/why it started.

4. Send us LINKS to images that we can examine or use with your item — including one showing you with your collection. (Bad images won’t help your case … and 900-MB attachments won’t either!)

5. Be patient. We WILL be in touch if you are selected or we need more information. If you sent info in the past, it’s likely outdated by now — so update it and send it again.

6. Act fast … we want YOUR info NOW.

Check out the SuperCollectors below if you need to see more … we’re awaiting your email.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO READ THE PAGES!

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By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

Noted media personality and collector Keith Olbermann received the “Friend of the Card Stores” award last week during a Topps dealer seminar in Las Vegas.

His speech offered some words of encouragement to hobby shop owners — and the perspective of a life-long collector — remarks in stark contrast to the CBS News feature earlier this week that the hobby, baseball cards in particular, were part of a dying industry.

While the CBS story has created quite a bit of chatter among collectors (click here to view the segment and read comments), here’s hoping that Olbermann’s comments can generate just as much discussion.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Baseball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.