What is the most important lesson you've learned through collecting?

[topcat61]

Hey everyone, I wanted to find out what is or was the most important lessons you've learned while collecting? Has it changed your life or outlook for the better or worse?

I bring this up because for me, collecting has been mostly good -very positive and those I've met along the way have helped to shape my life.

I've met so many fantastic people through collecting, but about a year ago one of my best friends, a guy I met though collecting passed on from cancer and it's been fairly tough. I don't think there was a card show we didn't hit, even a National. Now if you ever had the chance to have gone to the Shriners Show in Boston, chances are, you probably bumped into my friend Bob Ward -probably one of the nicest collectors you'd ever want to meet -a collector's collector and a true kid at heart.

The good news is that I've learned so much from all of you as well. I take pride in the education I've gained through sports cards and though the players -everything from American history to economics to business and how to treat others and the history of the hobby. It's been an amazing adventure but I want to hear from you. Thanks.

[Cliff Bowman]

Stay away from autographs unless you see the person sign it yourself, although I’ve known that for over thirty years.

[Promethius88]

That at the end of the day, they are just pieces of cardboard. Don't let them consume your life or you will end up alienating the things that really matter.

[Jim65]

That when you have a chance to buy a rare piece, buy it. You may have a long wait to find another.

[barrysloate]

Acquire as much knowledge as you can before sinking a lot of money into collectables. Knowledge is power.

And I agree wholeheartedly with Tim at post #3.

[Bigdaddy]

Patience and decisiveness.

Patience for those things that are common and decisiveness for those things that are not.

Along with #3 above, first and foremost.

[ullmandds]

Don't try to compete with other peoples collections...there is always someone else out there with a better collection...atleast in my world!

[Throttlesteer]

Buy what you like, not what's hot at the moment. Dont get caught in bidding wars for readily available stuff.

[Mdmtx]

Taught me how to multiply by 36.

[AGuinness]

Originally Posted by Promethius88

That at the end of the day, they are just pieces of cardboard. Don't let them consume your life or you will end up alienating the things that really matter.

This is it, although a version of it is that I try to buy what I'll enjoy even if the bottom falls out in the market. Even if it is almost worthless, if I've bought something I can still enjoy having, then that's a win.

[RedsFan1941]

if it’s from the Great Pittsburgh Find it’s got to be good

[Touch'EmAll]

Figure out your max bids based on some due diligence ... and don't go over. Its ok to not buy. You can get into a hole if the card is ultra rare and you really want it. But I am not a set collector and never really "need" anything. But most importantly, enjoy the hobby.

[gregr2]

For me, since I don’t collect rare issues, the biggest thing I’ve learned is to relax, there will be another card.


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[ALR-bishop]

Always snipe if possible

[Thecafewha]

It’s not a race, enjoy the hunt.


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[puckpaul]

I think i learned that it is important to have a focus to your collection and not to make a lot of random purchases. Buying and selling is very costly if you have to move stuff, so dont waste money buying random things that look cheap. The 20% cost of auctioning at a minimum is very expensive if you buy and then need to sell. So, as others have said, buy what you truly like to collect and dont do it to try to make money.

Secondly, when something you have been looking for comes up and hasnt been for sale for a while (but you think its not that rare), be wary of chasing it in an auction. Often high prices draw out more of the item and the sexond and third auctions can go a lot lower. That one is hard to follow because you can get excited at the first opportunity!

Lastly, enjoy it, keep it fun for yourself.

[JollyElm]

1. Always be prepared for disappointment.

2. When you run across something on ebay and immediately think, "Wow, that seems like a great price!," be ready to jump on it. (The usual caveats apply, so I'm not suggesting anyone be ignorant or get taken or anything like that.) I've run across cards that were seemingly listed way low, made a mental note of them, and then went to research pricing, but by the time I went back to find said cards BOOM!! they were already gone (would've been great if I could have linked The Eagles' 'Already Gone' video here) and I was left with regrets.

[BearBailey]

Collect what you want/like.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by Jim65

That when you have a chance to buy a rare piece, buy it. You may have a long wait to find another.

+1. In addition, stay away from current players who appear to be on a HOF track until they are at least in their mid-thirties. By that time, their legacy or lack of same will be well-established, and the early speculative and transient demand which forms a large part of their usually inflated prices will have largely departed. After all, the market for current and/or recent players is certainly not divorced from vintage--today's heroes and those of recent yesteryear are destined to become yesterday's stars also, and they and their cards will have to compete with vintage stars and HOF'er based on their true merit and ratio of supply to demand.

In addition, Barry is absolutely right--knowledge is power. The more you know in this context, the better your purchases will be if you have any interest at all in value appreciation over the long term.

Best of luck in your collecting,

Larry

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by RedsFan1941

if it’s from the Great Pittsburgh Find it’s got to be good

I can't stop laughing.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by puckpaul

I think i learned that it is important to have a focus to your collection and not to make a lot of random purchases. Buying and selling is very costly if you have to move stuff, so dont waste money buying random things that look cheap. The 20% cost of auctioning at a minimum is very expensive if you buy and then need to sell. So, as others have said, buy what you truly like to collect and dont do it to try to make money.

Agreed. I definitely have a focus, I'm just not sure what it is.

[Howe’s Hunter]

so don't even try and don't worry about it.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by BearBailey

Collect what you want/like.

It's the old cliché, but this is really what it all comes down to. There's no right or wrong way to do this, most people have a pretty good idea of what interests them and moves them and works for them so trust your instincts.

And I would add another cliché on the flip side. When in doubt, pass.

[Gradedcardman]

That when you are ready to sell, no one gives a damn what you paid and they shouldn't. Its all about the market at that moment.

[Hankphenom]

The hunt is exciting, but can also become all-consuming. Try to squeeze as much pleasure as you can from the prizes you have already acquired, don't just put them away and turn all your attention to the next acquisitions. That's why I love display pieces on the wall and displays created in riker mounts, etc., just to look at as I go about my day or play my guitar.

A corollary to this is to learn to let things go. There's not a single item you own that you can't live without, and when you sell something you will forget about it almost immediately. And if you always sell off the "bottom" of your collection in terms of your interest, you are constantly improving it. Took me a while to get there, but now I enjoy selling from my collection almost as much as adding to it!

[CobbSpikedMe]

Sometimes it's more fun to give a card to someone who needs it rather than sell it. It all comes back around eventually.

[quitcrab]

I have learned that a nice raw card that I would put a 200 dollar price tag on at a card show could be submitted to PSA and come back a 9 and be easily sold for 800 to 900.

Card Grading has changed the way we buy,sell and collect.

Also:
Buy the card not the grade
Collect what you like
Overpay a bit for something you really want
Take a risk and buy something you have never seen before and hope for the best.
Add a little extra in a deal when you can.

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by StuckInOmaha

so don't even try and don't worry about it.

#this

[timn1]

Be sensible, but give others the benefit of the doubt. There are many more good folks than jerks. That’ll come back around.

Also remember that it’s supposed to be about having fun, so that if some activity starts to feel stressful, it’s probably not where you want to be (unless of course you are a stressophiliac).

[EvilKing00]

Have patience .... but if you see something that never comes up that you want buy it asap

[Bram99]

Originally Posted by puckpaul

I think i learned that it is important to have a focus to your collection and not to make a lot of random purchases. Buying and selling is very costly if you have to move stuff, so dont waste money buying random things that look cheap. The 20% cost of auctioning at a minimum is very expensive if you buy and then need to sell. So, as others have said, buy what you truly like to collect and dont do it to try to make money.

Secondly, when something you have been looking for comes up and hasnt been for sale for a while (but you think its not that rare), be wary of chasing it in an auction. Often high prices draw out more of the item and the sexond and third auctions can go a lot lower. That one is hard to follow because you can get excited at the first opportunity!

Lastly, enjoy it, keep it fun for yourself.

I liked this post the most of any so far. These are great learnings though for a hoarder they are hard to follow.

I would add that if you are buying with an eye for long-term appreciation, buy stars in really nice condition.


If you are not as concerned about return, then set collecting is a fun pastime. But set collecting is not the way to maximize long term appreciation.

For any card, the lower the grade the less scarce and so the lower the potential appreciation.

[PiratesWS1979]

The chase is a lot more fun then owning forever.

[yanksfan09]

Originally Posted by EvilKing00

Have patience .... but if you see something that never comes up that you want buy it asap

Sums it up for me! ... Be ready to strike! Watch softy but carry a big stick.

[mrvster]

I have learned collecting has been very cruel yet rewarding at the same time....


most important lesson:


"PEOPLE ARE WORTH MORE THAN CARDBOARD, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU"

"RESPECT OTHERS AND TREAT THEM THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED"

I try to follow this at all times, sometimes the cardboard gets the better of me, my passion, but in the end collectors / people are worth more than any dream card.... RIP to our fellow collectors, especially Jantz

[Fred]

When you think you've seen it all, you find out you haven't.

Third party autograph "authenticators" are not as good as they think they are.

[bcbgcbrcb]

One lesson that I learned the hard way, it is virtually impossible to differentiate a Type I photo from non-Type I photos by just looking at scans online. If you have the photo in hand, that's a different story. If buying online, stick with reputable sellers that you know. Also, from experience, around 95% of vintage Negro League images listed on e-bay are not Type I originals so that's probably not a good place to buy. Like everything else, you can get lucky once in a while but the odds are not in your favor and you will lose many, many more times than you will win.

[Republicaninmass]

The best source of new material (business) is the competition

[hcv123]

1 - Buy what you know and know what you buy
2 - There is A LOT of good in people
3 - There is A LOT of bad in people
4 - While life isn't always easy, take pleasure in and savor the special moments
5 -Let your children lead and teach you
6 - Negotiate, but don't let what you know to be rare go
7 - It is ALWAYS better to pay more for quality
8 - Adults collect baseball cards too!
9 - Wishes can come true
10 - Life/collecting always leaves you wanting something

[brianp-beme]

The most important lesson I have learned through collecting is that I have yet to learn my lesson.

Brian (a repeat offender since the Eighties)

[samosa4u]

Most of us like to buy vintage HOF'er rookies, and these can be very expensive. This is why it is always a good idea to buy a bunch of commons first. This way you can study them and learn about the set before buying the main card. A lot of these key vintage rookies that we want are altered (even the ones inside slabs.) Now when you have studied so many commons, then you will easily be able to spot the ones that look odd. In other words, you'll be able to tell if any have been bleached, trimmed, corners pressed, etc.

[pawpawdiv9]

when posting pics:
1. don't look like a slob
2. clean your hands & nails
3. no hairs on the card
4. don't stand in front of a mirror
5. put the lotions away
6. half of us are in the 40's + and cant see sh&t, post larger pics.
7. most of us like checking women from the f&B, so lets see the front & backs of cards
8. if its too good to be true, then put it on Ebay.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by CobbSpikedMe

Sometimes it's more fun to give a card to someone who needs it rather than sell it. It all comes back around eventually.

^^THIS^^

Also always get scans/pics when doing a trade. Just saying as long as there is no major problems will get you a card that looks to have been folded in half and one with several pieces of tape stuck on it.

[Gnep31]

I have learned this is my hobby and not my business.

I have come across too many collectors who are all business all the time. They want to squeeze every penny they can from you on a trade/deal/postage etc. Thankfully, the majority of members here are like myself, but I have had to walk away from a deal or two. This is fun for me and I would rather sacrifice a deal than to make it a job.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by Gnep31

I have learned this is my hobby and not my business.

I have come across too many collectors who are all business all the time. They want to squeeze every penny they can from you on a trade/deal/postage etc. Thankfully, the majority of members here are like myself, but I have had to walk away from a deal or two. This is fun for me and I would rather sacrifice a deal than to make it a job.

totally agree with this!

[Jason]

One word...patience.

[Jim65]

Originally Posted by Gradedcardman

That when you are ready to sell, no one gives a damn what you paid and they shouldn't. Its all about the market at that moment.

+1

I hate when I make an offer that is more than fair and the seller replies that he paid more than that, I'm sorry that you overpaid but it does not mean I'm going to.

[dabigyankeeman]

How to lie better. I got real good at acting casual when my wife complained about all the yellow envelopes coming in, and I would tell her, "Ah, just a bunch of cheap cards, a couple of bucks each"........

[frankbmd]

How many cards my closet will hold?

and when it's full, seller's remorse isn't so bad.

[Section103]

Im not sure Ive really learned a damn thing. Sometimes Im taught to just wait for the next one. Sometimes Im taught I really should have jumped on that one that just passed. Its ok though, I'll get by.

[terjung]

Originally Posted by Promethius88

That at the end of the day, they are just pieces of cardboard. Don't let them consume your life or you will end up alienating the things that really matter.

This.