Question for Player Collectors
 

Question for Player Collectors:

For those of you who collect a specific player, do you also pursue team cards, multi-player cards, team photos, etc. if they depict your favorite player?

If so, are these items just "nice-to-haves" to supplement your specific player collection, or are they "needed" to complete your wantlist/checklist?

It has evolved over time for me. At first I only collected cards from during playing career. Then I added oddball items.

Then I added some of the modern shiny reprints to that want list. WOW you would be amazed at how many new shiny cards they make of someone who has not played for a long time.

Then about a couple years ago I added bats to that list.

So now I collect pretty much anything associated with the player that is in my budget.:D

My response is almost identical to Ben's. I 'collect' a lot of players but my primary PC is Billy Pierce. I consider the 'heart' of my Pierce collection to be his career-era cards. I include any card that identifies him..base, All Star, multi-player, etc from Topps and Bowman. Also included are cards from Post/Jello, Bazooka, Red Man, Exhibit and so on. It's more or less stuff that can be found on checklists.

To those I add career era team Picture Pak photos, promo and endorsement photos, post cards, display items, magazine covers, wire service photos, and so on.

And finally there are post-career items like modern stadium giveaways and, as Ben mentioned, the numerous modern reprints and such. I have a list of my Pierce stuff on my blog.

https://5toolcollector.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_9.html

I collect contemporary cards from playing days. I usually will pick up base cards, odd balls, team issues, regionals, league leaders, but not team cards. I will sometimes pickup modern cards, but don't consider them a must - 1/1's, auto cuts from other cards, etc. are a turn off.

Erik

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

For me, I would say in general, nice to have and maybe should have, but it depends on how prominent the player is in the card. For example, the first card below would be a must have for me, the second a should have, and the third a nice to have.

I collect Wagner, Cobb, and Plank, among a few others. While I prefer solo cards, team or multi-player cards (or in my case usually post cards) are cards of my player, so I will collect them; but they are not my favorite, and aside from the 1915 Ruth, and the ones below, I don’t know that I would spend big money on many more team or multi-player cards (maybe a Ruth/Gehrig).

For more modern players, I think you gotta get at least the multi-player cards, right? How can you collect Mantle and not get the 1953 Bowman color Mantle/Berra/Bauer, or Mays the 1967 Fence Busters, or Snyder the 1957 Dodgers Sluggers (awesome card BTW)?

Depends on the card:

Yes:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...ul%20Vance.jpg

Nice to have but not necessary:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...%20Dempsey.jpg

Unnecessary:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...20Leaders.jpeg

Player collections
 

I am a collector of a player (Allie Reynolds) whose career ended the year before the start of Topps team checklists in 1956 and all of those league leaders cards of the 60’s and forward, so maybe my input isn’t terribly indicative of what collectors for newer players may do.

A free tool you can use is the PSA player registry set checklists. For star or semi-star players, there are typically basic sets with the major issues, and master sets of all known issues. You don’t need to like PSA or buy PSA cards to find these checklists.

I use the PSA set registry master list of the players cards to figure out if I have considered all of the cards. If I can get them in PSA then great, but I have gotten close to having the full master list either raw or graded by some company.

As a way to focus, I ignore the cards issued after his career, even items like 60 or 61 Fleer.

Secondarily I do look at things like team photo packs, magazines, etc. and eventually I hope to find (or win in an auction) a player contract, some actual game used relics like a mitt or uniform or something like that.

In the meantime since I can’t find the hard to find relics lately, I have ended up buying multiples of the cards in the master set. So I am always kind of looking for a few more of the ones I really like singed cards, variations, upgrades of some of the most beautiful ones such as the 53B, 49B, and oddball ones like 47 Tip-top bread.

Im working on getting signed examples of the ones in the PSA base set.

So for me, though I have most of the cards that were issued during his career, I’ve created new ways to ensure I’m never really done.

Sounds exactly identical to my collection.

These are part of my Cobb collection, so yeah, the net tends to widen:

https://live.staticflickr.com/1973/4...6f879f5a_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...648dd66e_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/977/42...cdc2bea0_z.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/4200/3...da0dc19f_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/4570/2...a8b0f817_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7811/4...94d9647d_z.jpg

Brooks Robinson
 

I collect Brooks Robinson, but only pick up cards from his playing days (‘57 to ‘78). Now I do collect every card he’s pictured during this time frame, including team cards. I collect odd ball cards, posters, pins, pictures, picture packs, etc. There are some items I just don’t like the look of so I don’t pick those up. There are a few of his cards that are out of my price range and am fine with not having those cards. Not very long ago I started to add autographed cards of his regular issue cards and it’s been a very fun side project. You’d figure I’d run out of items, but it’s definitely not the case.

Like to hear what you’re thinking for your collection.

I collect Lou Brock primarily, and about anything and everything during his playing days.

I don't have all the team cards and don't care, but have all League Leader type of cards, all brands and inserts.

You'd go nuts trying to get the modern stuff, there are probably 1000 more cards available.

If it's cheap I pick up oversize stuff like posters, but they are just rolled up in a closet, so I don't really care for that. I've got a couple full and partial uncut Topps sheets with him on them, but don't feel like paying lots for stuff that's hard to look at or display.

very helpful
 

Thank you all for your responses! My player collection is focused on Bob Feller. I still have a ways to go to obtain all of his known cards, but I thought about adding some team cards and the like to my player collection. There are clearly some multi-player cards that make sense to add to the checklist, such as his 1937 and 1938 four-on-one Exhibit cards, but I'm debating with myself mostly whether I should consider the 1948 and 1954 Exhibit Cleveland Indians Team Cards and similar items as part of my Bob Feller collection, or keep them separate. If I do add the team cards, I would be adding a whole bunch more to the wantlist in that case.

I collect Roberto Clemente
 

Anything with his image pre 1973 is a must excepting - team and multi player cards (except when I started doing the PSA registy because I was bored) - I LOVE the oddball stuff - regionals, test issues, magazines and newspapers(with him on the Cover, etc. As it appeals to me, I have some items post 1973.

I also collect only from the active career days though I will occasionally buy a modern card if the design appeals to me.

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...t%20Koufax.jpg

Heck, my first Babe Ruth card was modern...at the time:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...3%20HRLDRS.jpg

First Wagner too

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...s%20Wagner.jpg

Ernie Lombardi
 

I collect 1935-1945 Reds. The #1 player I consider to be Ernie Lombardi. I have some of his cards. But I consider his Wheaties backs to be essentials. He has 4 as far as I know. I have three. I have only seen the 4th in poor condition. There is also a Zeenut card of him from the PCL. I would like to buy that someday as an essential. And then I stretch out and pick up news archive photos. I purchase paper newspaper photos if they have multiple team members in them. I imagine the older the player the wider the net that is cast.

Nice-to-haves for me, certainly not needed. Team photos I am a bit indifferent about, but if they are inexpensive I'll pick them up

If the player is named, or is a subject of focus, then yes. But if it is a photo of the entire team, or the player is in the photo but the focus of the photo is someone else, then no.

I will pick up a team (or multiplayer) card if it is something I like but mainly,as in Ruth, I prefer him alone unless the other player(s) are ones I like.

I like how Lombardi's PCL cards bookend his MLB career

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...20Lombardi.jpg

1928 Zeenut and 1948 Signal Oil.

Sometimes, but Honus Wagner was a teammate of my guy, George Gibson throughout his career so... usually don't have the dollar$$$

Unnecessary towards the final Gibson collection though. Nice adds I guess.

:)

As a HOF "career contemporary" collector, I always prefer an individual card. But for the super tough guys - specifically some of the Negro Leaguers and 19th Century Pioneers - team postcards will do just fine. Often, those are the only option. And many turn out to be some of my favorite cards!