What is your niche collection focus?

[cardsmemro]

It’s always fun to hear what niche people collect. Mine, while not completely rare, is pre-war Buffalo cards/memorabilia. What’s your super specific focus?

[BCauley]

Slowly but surely plugging away at obtaining a card of each player that served in the military. Well, those who have a card anyway.

The best part is reading up on all of these players, many of whom I've never heard of before, and what they did in both baseball and the military.

[mrreality68]

not sure if it is a niche but mine is trying to get a card of each year that Babe Ruth and Joe Jackson played

[Exhibitman]

Heck, my collection is all niches. In terms of vintage baseball, though, I'd have to go with snapshots. I just love 'em.

Jimmie Foxx w/the Cubs:



Gabby Hartnett in spring training on Catalina Island in CA:



The Cubbies do the Seven Dwarves thing in Avalon, the city/port on Catalina:



Biz Mackey during the California League season (an integrated winter league where he played 26 seasons):



Ol' Satch warming up, 1949:



Leo, from a Dodgers pre-season game:

[atx840]

I like the oddball, error, test printing items...the more messed up the better.

[YankeeHotelFoxtrot]

I collect Buffalo (NY) cards, too. I do not have a ton but I believe I have all or most of the Buffalo T206 guys

I have some really old ones. Curious about what you have

Originally Posted by cardsmemro

It’s always fun to hear what niche people collect. Mine, while not completely rare, is pre-war Buffalo cards/memorabilia. What’s your super specific focus?

[Leon]

Nice cards, guys. I always gravitate to type cards or cards that are great (for me) to look at...

[inceptus]

Pre-WWI Brooklyn cards...

[BuzzD]

Trying to get a card, original photo or autograph of everyone who has played for the NY Yankees. Nice example is Thompson photo of Tacks Neuer. Played 7 games in 1907 as his entire ML career.

[Seven]

In my quest for a career run for Mickey Mantle, I've developed a love and appreciation for his alternate issue cards. I try to collect them whenever I can, if I'm not trying to dedicate my money to finishing his career run.

Currently my two favorite issues from that subgroup are his Berk Ross card, from 1952 and his Red Heart card, from 1954.

[fkm_bky]

T206 HOF Portraits and T206 Herzog Boston Back Run are my current niche endeavors. Kind of wondering what I'll tackle next as these get close to completion.

Love hearing about all the different preferences.

Bill

[Jobu]

I love cards that were issued in New Orleans -- and I am always amazed by how many sets they made there.

I lived there for a decade, arriving 12 months before Katrina. The place I lived was about half a mile from the site of Weil Bakery/Holsum Bread and 1 mile from 1036 Joseph Street where the original owner of my T216 Ty Cobb lived (I wrote about her here: https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=249451).

[sealmark2]

1952 Globe Printing obscure minor league cards with future major leaguers and mostly lesser known players.

Mark K. Bowers

[hcv123]

Currently have the #4 PSA master set including more unique items than any other set (PSA relegates most of the rarest test issues as "optional". My collection extends well beyond PSA and includes regional items, magazines with Clemente covers, Newspapers, store model gloves and tons of other stuff (mostly career contemporary).

To get my kids interested - I started collecting Pirates team sets with them. Started out as 1952-1973 Topps. Has currently morphed into:

In addition to the Topps team sets;

1948-1955 Bowman
1948 Leaf
T3
T205
T206
T207
1914 Cracker Jack
1915 Cracker Jack
1933 Goudey

Topps Venezuelans from 1959-1968

We have made some great headway, but still have plenty more on the want list!

[ullmandds]

The nichiest part of my collection is my dots miller big glove run...need 1 for completion. Other than this I focus on Cobb, Ruth...yankees and other cards I like!!!

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

The nichiest part of my collection is my dots miller big glove run...need 1 for completion. Other than this I focus on Cobb, Ruth...yankees and other cards I like!!!

That is a. Awesome run and I love the different backs

[benge610]

Battery Mates.







Ben
"I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards."

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

The nichiest part of my collection is my dots miller big glove run...need 1 for completion. Other than this I focus on Cobb, Ruth...yankees and other cards I like!!!

My OCD will keep me up at night Pete, until you fill that Miller/Kotton black hole. Fantastic run and congratulations.

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

My OCD will keep me up at night Pete, until you fill that Miller/Kotton black hole. Fantastic run and congratulations.

thx guys...it's been a long road...I hope to complete it someday! Thrill of the hunt, right!!!!!

[darwinbulldog]

Quite a few niches really, including a few that I doubt anyone else is working on, but one that I've been slowly building and I haven't discussed much is my U.S. rookie cards set. First card of the first player (with a card) from each of the 50 states. My avatar, Ned Garvin, is the Texas rookie card.

[JMEnglish27]

So many niches to mention but first and foremost is probably PSHL-era Fresno Falcons hockey.

[Kawika]

Deadball NY Giants

[Exhibitman]

I also like really f***ed up cards:

[Kenny Cole]

Negro league/Cuban cards

[Rich Klein]

Sold my inventory earlier this year but kept the "hobbyist cards" I had squirreled away

I have a pack pulled autograph from when this was released. I suspect this one is after market but needless to say it's a personal favorite of mine and probably will go to the grave with me. This is not my card BTW.


2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites - Dr. Beckett #FF-JB - Dr. Jim Beckett [BGS Authentic]
Courtesy of COMC.com

[nat]

One card of all of the players in the Japanese hall of fame. I've got all of the post war guys. Pre-war is orders of magnitude more difficult.

[Exhibitman]

Kenny wins...

[riggs336]

Riggs Stephenson

[tiger8mush]

E121-120 with Gertenrich Candy backs. 38/126 with a couple doubles.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by nat

One card of all of the players in the Japanese hall of fame. I've got all of the post war guys. Pre-war is orders of magnitude more difficult.

Nice stuff Nat,
I have some pre war Hofers, I'll check my list tomorrow and send you a PM.

[Rich Falvo]

My T206 focus has narrowed to just a Providence master set. I've got over 50 different now, but realistically won't get any Drums, BLs, or CBs. Still about a dozen AB, EPDG, Cycle, Tolstoi, and Sweet Cap Fact 25 to find.

[Exhibitman]

I also enjoy Japanese cards from the PCL Seals' tour in 1949 and the American tour led by Lefty O'Doul in 1951.

1951 Tour PC



1949 Tour bromide of Wakabayashi (HOF), Betto (HOF) and O'Doul


1951 bromide DiMaggio and O'Doul (sorry for the shitty scan)
[

Arky Vaughn: he didn't actually make the trip but some of the bromides sets included him:

[phlflyer1]

I have a collecting thing for impure cocoa

[ullmandds]

Originally Posted by phlflyer1

I have a collecting thing for impure cocoa

Awesome collection!!! For how scarce these are there sure are a lot of off-centered miss cut backs w crofts candy!

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by ullmandds

Awesome collection!!! For how scarce these are there sure are a lot of off-centered miss cut backs w crofts candy!

+1 Agree great cards and interesting look

That is a tough but awesome collection

[phlflyer1]

Thanks Pete & Jeff.

After hitting a road block trying to put together a complete Crofts Cocoa backed E92 set, I started branching out into collecting Crofts Cocoa miscuts/freak prints of which there are many as you've stated.

[Brian Van Horn]

Hmmm. Focus. Here, there, everywhere and then some. This is not extensive:

[kmac32]

T205 Cubs front/ backs……missing only the 2 Hindu backs
T207 Cubs front/ backs missing a few Napoleon backs
T210 Jacksonville Jays missing only DeFraites
E121-80 and E121-120 Giants and Yankees….my 1921 World Series set
S74 Cubs different backs
Elmer Miller cards/ memorabilia as he was my great great uncle

[jbsports33]

Right now it would autos, mostly due to the PSA prices and time getting cards back - have had better luck with PSA/DNA the last few years

Jimmy

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by Brian Van Horn

Hmmm. Focus. Here, there, everywhere and then some. This is not extensive:

Brian, I was hoping to see some W504 cards, especially Wash. Senators, from your "very-focused" collection!

[Brian Van Horn]

At your request and not exhaustive:

[Brian Van Horn]

Now it's exhaustive:

Oops! One more added 4/27/2022.

[DHogan]

I collect pre-war or new sports cards of athletes in any sport with their first or last name of Hogan. Except Hulk Hogan. He's an idiot.

[71buc]

Anything and everything related to Members of the 1971 Pirates produced between 1970-1972.

[jchcollins]

Beyond the everpresent lure of postwar Topps superstars, which first sank its teeth into me at about the tender age of 11 - right now I'm on an extremely slow project to accumulate Bowman Chicago Cubs, 1948 - 1955. While not anywhere near as ambitious of a project as most you will find especially on this board - there are 2 reasons for me doing this besides the fact that I'm a 30+ year Cubs fan:

1. The subtle beauty of the Bowman sets, especially those from 1950 - 52 with that fantastic artwork.

2. In terms of financing, I'm tired of spending money. This is a project that I can subtly add to over a period of years without breaking the bank. Initially as a Cubs collector the question of course is why not Topps, but ok - really? I can save up another few years for a Banks RC, or I can in that same period of time and for less money likely add hundreds of mid-to lower grade Bowman Cubs commons. I do already have the '55 Bowman Banks - which all told is probably my single favorite Banks card. The desire to not have to worry about money in this niche is what makes it possible for me to even get out of the starting gate. I've already done the expensive card thing for decades now with other postwar HOF'ers and superstars. If nothing else I just need a different perspective with the ability to still add cards that are important to me.

[ValKehl]

Originally Posted by Brian Van Horn

Now it's exhaustive:

Brian, many thanks for showing your W504 Senators cards. For those not familiar with the W504 set, the Senators are by far the toughest to find of the 4 teams represented (Dodgers, Giants & Yankees are the other teams). As recently as 2011, the Standard Catalog of Vintage BB Cards showed 6 of the 16 numbered cards in the Senators subset as being unknown, and it also erroneously showed 2 players with having 2 different numbered cards. Currently, the Old Cardboard checklist shows that 3 of the 16 card numbers remain unknown. If anyone has examples of any of these 3 cards, #150, #157, & #162, please share this info. One of these 3 is reportedly Bucky Harris, but the card # is not known. IMO, the other 2 unknown cards are likely to be of Stanley Coveleskie and Tom Zachary.

[benge610]

Originally Posted by ValKehl

Brian, many thanks for showing your W504 Senators cards. For those not familiar with the W504 set, the Senators are by far the toughest to find of the 4 teams represented (Dodgers, Giants & Yankees are the other teams). As recently as 2011, the Standard Catalog of Vintage BB Cards showed 6 of the 16 numbered cards in the Senators subset as being unknown, and it also erroneously shows 2 players with having 2 different numbered cards. Currently, the Old Cardboard checklist shows that 3 of the 16 card numbers remain unknown. If anyone has examples of any of these 3 cards, #150, #157, & #162, please share this info. One of these 3 is reportedly Bucky Harris, but the card # is not known. IMO, the other 2 unknown cards are likely to be of Stanley Coveleskie and Tom Zachary.

I love this forum.
Thank you Brian and Val.

Ben
"I love baseball history backstory; especially when it involves cards."

[darkhorse9]

Pre World War 1 type collection. Still working it.
Got a few new items on the way.

[pitchernut]

Next day newspaper article of no-no's and the pitchers rookie ephemera spanning the 20th century.

[JoeRand]

I have a Rube Waddell PC
They can be seen on Instagram under WaddellRube