What does your collection mean to you?

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Posted By: Jason L

delete...a little too OT, looking at it again


edited as this was going to be a great topic....and certainly relevent to our collecting, imho.... (leon)

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Posted By: barry arnold

I am sorry for your loss, Jason.

My collection tends to be a bit of a gathering place at times.
My wife and I love looking through them,exchanging ideas, talking
aesthetics, and playing detective---remember the dove talk re: the
206 Ritchey,T206 scholars!
My nephews and great (grand) nephew are absolutely enamored of the
206 portraits and quickly ask about them no matter what the holiday is.
Tinker and Shaughnessy's 'hairdo' still enthrall my great nieces.

Granted the cards are nowhere near these loved ones in this listing
process--- but they do matter.
....as a gathering place, a wealth of history, an amazing bank of fun
minutiae, a serene focus for friends and colleague, a place that somehow
stands still and yet is so very alive.

a great thread, Jason

again, my condolences

barry

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Posted By: Jason L

That is EXACTLY the kind of response/thought I was hoping for with this thread. Thanks for sharing. You crystallized my thoughts exactly, as they say...a collection, when put together for personal reasons, really does have that "alive" quality to it, doesn't it? That is what can be so amazing about what we are doing, if you think about it...making history come alive and remain pertinent the current day...For instance, this evening, I am hoping against hope that my high bid sticks and a certain HOFer joins my collection. He played during the deadball era, and he would automatically become my highest valued card, in $ and meaning. And he would share that spotlight with a football player from the south, born nearly a century later. How does that make sense? maybe we'll figure that out later, you know?

I apologize, but I deleted my post because I thought that perhaps it was a little too OT, and in light of Leon's request, I thought it more appropriate for another time, perhaps.

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Posted By: peter chao

Jason, guys

My wife is beginning to understand a little bit about my obsession with cards.

Each morning I go into my study and sort my cards for about 5-10 minutes. It just calms me down, it's not religious but as a practical matter my cards give me a bit of serenity.

At night I try to read a bit about baseball and the hobby before I sleep, this habit also helps me relax.

Peter

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Posted By: leon

I was hoping you wouldn't take my post about off topics the way you did. I was speaking with someone today about the way it was 60 years ago...with our collecting grandfathers.....For many of them collecting cards was their whole way of life, other than their normal jobs.....at any rate I am sorry I instigated you deleting your post. I thought it was very good...best regards

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Posted By: Ken McMillan

I have a complete collection of toppd cubs from 1951 to current. I look at my collection and it is huge stress relief. It makes me think of baseball and forget about other things. The ultimate in relaxation.

Ken

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Posted By: James Feagin

I think baseball cards are a wonderful stress reliever if done properly. However, let us keep in mind that in the end, these are inanimate objects without feelings

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Posted By: Jason L

Very honestly, thank you.
I didn't take any offense at all. I just thought perhaps I could help by removing it on a day which was, I agree, rather OT in general.

Unfortunately, I cannot recreate the top post, since I didn't save it anywhere, but I will try to get back to my original question.

Leon's revised thread title is basically my question. In 400 more words, I originally rambled about how a recent death in my family caused me to think about my collection. While we have had card/lifestyle-related topics on here before (security, storage, wills, taxes, wife's approval, etc), I was wondering what your collection means to you. Where does it fit in your life, between the marriage, the kids, the dogs, the work, other hobbies?
Do you think of it as an extension of yourself or a part of you?
How much does your collection reflect who you are? Is it a mess? is it focused? does it express team loyalty or do you chase the spotlight with a dedication to HOFers or all-stars? Is it your childhood, now grown-up? Or is it a grown-up chasing his childhood?

I posted this on my website earlier today, which meant something at the time, and now appears perhaps too deep...and if you notice, I can't even answer my own question. "We pass this way but once, and to build something is to commemorate the journey. When the journey is done, I hope that this Collection will reflect the collector, perhaps in some way that is as yet undetermined."

Why do we collect all this "stuff"? How do we know when we're done?

In the end, I would hate to learn that the money means more than the "Sunsets" if you get my meaning...


Thanks to all for indulging me. There are no wrong answers...unless we start to see this disintegrate into another slabs vs. raw debate, hangman on the latest deadbeat, or politicians' names enter into the fray...in which case, Leon, I repeat my request to lock this one up!

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Posted By: Dave S

Jason..accept my condolences for your loss, we've all been there, and the wake-up always sets most people rambling about the insignificant things in life...such as cards and things of monetary value...
Have to believe...in the total picture of things, those "tangible" assets mean nothing in comparison to the intangibles we take for granted..our spouses (sometimes, LOL!), kids, parents, pets...our health, our morals...
Last week we were hearing horrors of a maniac in Blacksburg VA...how many parents and relatives of those 32 people care about their cardboard collectibles now? How many parents of those lost in Iraq care? I think tangibles provide us with an escape from reality and back to our childhoods...but tangibles like baseball cards can always be replaced. Those close to us can't...
It's too easy to lose perspective and take things for granted. It takes a tough wake-up call sometimes to make us remember what should be held in priority..
Things always have a way to get better...good luck and again, sorry for your loss..

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Posted By: barry arnold

I've been away for the evening and upon returning found myself very
pleased that the depth offered by your thread was still continuing,
Jason. Thanks for your wisdom in supporting this Leon.

all the best,

Barry