How to start a child on card collecting

[donmuth]

For Christmas, we got my son a small baseball card album. You know, one of the ones with the 4 pocket pages that holds 40 cards total. What I want to do is start him a small collection anticipating the day when he may want to join me in the hobby. He'd be free to trade, sell, or just keep any cards in this start-up album.

He turns 5 in March, so is probably a bit young for collecting still. He sees mine and has asked for cards to "play with" on occassion. I have indulged him by giving him a few 1980's commons in a small plastic card box or semi-rigid holders. Usually, he 1) loses interest in them within a few hours and 2) has turned those near mint specimens into low grade fillers.

I'm looking towards the future when he is old enough to collect, appreciate, and handle the cards properly though...assuming he develops any real interest in cards of course.

So that brings up questions for the group:
- Has anyone on the board got a child into card collecting? How?
- What age did you and your child start collecting?
- Should I start him a mini-collection to be ready for the day he wants to get into it more? If so, what cards should I start gathering for his starter collection?

I was thinking of primarily 50's and 60's low/mid condition stars. I will probably also throw in a few common player pre-war cards to give him a flavor of that era too - a T206, a '33 Goudey, a Playball, a Double Play, a Diamond Stars card, a Zeenut or Obak, etc. I would prefer his start-up collection to be all raw cards and lower condition so he learns from an early age that it's about the players, the game, and the cards. Not about a holder or only high grade specimens.

Any other advice on getting a child interested in card collecting and teaching him the ropes? Should I wait until he shows real interest or should I start preparing now?

Thanks!

Donny Muth

[terjung]

Interesting question. I would first get him interested in the game of baseball and help him understand it reasonably well. I would imagine that it is much easier for him to gain an appreciation for the game and its players if he sees the game and understands it. That will lead him to want to cheer for a team / individual players. That is your entre into baseball cards. As he gains an interest in having low-end Topps cards, you can show him some cards of players that you watched and cheered for growing up. I think he would naturally appreciate that - especially if you can share some stories about them to make the retired players more real to him. That can lead to stories that grandpa and/or other people saw (and their cards). Ultimately, it turns into great players that we didn't get a chance to see play, but we can learn about them / appreciate them anyway. This is not an overnight proposition. First comes the interest in the game. Otherwise, you may as well show him pictures of great cricket players from 100 years ago.

[milkit1]

I am going to start by buying him soem older packs and explain to him how certain cards are worth money. That way he'll get the "playing the lotto" feeling that i had when i was young.

[Abravefan11]

I have a big box of 1987 Topps wood grains that I have saved just for my sons. If either of them show any interest in collecting I plan to give them that box and let them organize those, place them in binders, and just generally learn how to handle cards.

I hope they share my love of collecting but it's not something I will try and get them to do. It will happen naturally if it does.

[Ronnie]

I have 3 young boys that are 9, 8 and 6. I collect a little bit of everything from the 1910's to the present, but it took a while to figure out what would interest the kids. They became Red Sox fans first, and they each developed favorite players: Pedroia and Varitek. So I got them each an album and started them off with a few of each player. I then explained to them how when I was younger I would try to collect every Carl Yastrzemski card I could find, and showed them my boyhood Yaz collection. They thought that was very cool and decided to try to get as many different cards of their favorite player as possible.

Now I take them to shows and give them a few bucks, and they go seeking out Pedroia's and Varitek's. Thanks to them, I am now trying to fill in missing pieces of my childhood Yaz collection! I'm hoping someday they will develop a taste for the older cards, and I can pass some of my goodies on to them. If not, then I still will cherish the time when we were all looking to add new cards of our favorite player to our collection.

[MacDice]

I have a two year old son and every year for the holidays I get him a complete set of Topps trading cards (I know not vintage), runs me around $50.00 and then put them into an album. It is great to sit with him and turn the pages and look at the cards and talk to him about players (who knows how much actually sinks in). Reallly cool when he gets excited when he see's a card. If he bends a card, it is no big deal because it is a modern issue.

[Leon]

As suggested I would get a glove and go play some catch. Kids today are too trapped inside our houses, playing video games and eating junk food. Hey wait, that's me now!! (except for the video games part) Seriously, sounds like a lot of fun but they do need to have an interest in baseball, imo....in order to be good little baseball card collectors.

[Robextend]

I don't have a kid, yet, however I do remember how I learned. My dad (who knew more about the game then anyone I ever knew) had Multiple Sclerosis and my brother who was about 16 used to go out every morning and get him the daily newspapers. On his journey he bought a Cello Pack every day of 1987 Topps. He was building the set (stored in 9 card pages and a binder) by acquiring a pack a day. I believe those Cello packs were about 75 cents.

For me seeing how important every single card was for him made me learn about who the players were, how important it was to keep the cards safe and also the importance of building these cards into a collection.

PS - The last card he needed was Don Mattinlgy, I believe #500. He refused the buy it and kept buying more packs until he eventually got it!! Talk about stubborn!

[bijoem]

buy a box of cards and open up each pack together.

the fun and excitement of spending that time together will last forever (for both you and your child).

[cbcbcb]

It seems like the Topps T206 cards would be a good place to start. They have today's players on them but look like the cards we collect. A commonality such as that could work. I got really interested in the McGwire/Sosa homerun chase when my dad bought me cards just about everyday. Unfortunately, it may take something like that to get him started.

[Orioles1954]

What got me interested in baseball cards. My family moved to Maryland in 1984 when I was 8 years old. My dad was seeking for something to do just with me. He took me to an Orioles vs. Angels game on a Friday night at Memorial Stadium. I was instantly hooked on the sport of baseball, its history and cards. I think there is a serious lack in this hobby of people who collect cards (for some reason), but who honestly don't give a crap about the sport of baseball. I work in the industry and am surrounded by thousands of vintage cards on a daily basis. All of us have played the game throughout our lives and it has enhanced our card collecting. Play catch with your son, get active with him and the rest will (or will not) follow.

[bbcard1]

I bought several boxes of cards when my son was born (1994) and will give them to him when he is 30. Actually, the SP product is worth something. I will let him do whatever he wants with them..sell them, tear them open, keep them, whatever. I would love to bust a nice box to 1961s myself.

He has collected since he was six or so. He is a big baseball fan and it came naturally to him.

[lsutigers1973]

I have been trying for years.

My son loves baseball and is a perennial little league all star. Even bought him a few of the notorious "hot packs" on eBay and let him open them. Nothing has worked.

If you figure out a way, please let me know.

[Bill Stone]

With a young child you can also spend time putting the cards in different piles --like those which also show a bat, or those that show a glove --make the cards into something to observe and play with --just sticking them in an plastic binder isn't much fun but playing spot the letter on the baseball cap can be. If you are fortunate enough to live near a minor league team seeing players in person who eventually make to the majors is a great way to create an interest as they get older. Play ball !!!!!

[wrapperguy]

Great idea and I hope it works out for you. My father and I have been collecting seriously since an early-80's National in Chicago. We have greatly enjoyed the time spent together. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Even though Dad is 90 now and has not gone to a show in years, he still enjoys the new acquisitions I bring over on our weekly Sunday night visits. He gets as excited about finishing a set as I do.
When my sons were born in the late 80's, Dad and I began taking them to card shows beginning at 6 months to have their picture taken with the show autograph guests (before the extra fees for pictures and personalizations). When they got older, they did show an interest in playing and watching baseball and had favorite players, mostly on Chicago teams.
They were shown the cards that Dad and I purchased and our appreciation for them, but they were more interested in their era. Luckily, they had players like Michael Jordan (I know, not baseball, but who could resist collecting MJ?), Frank Thomas, and Ryne Sandberg in town to get excited about. When we went to shows, they were given some money and they negotiated their own deals with dealers - a good early life lesson. They also learned how to manage money - buy 10 $1 cards or one $10 card.
They were also given cards, some old and some new, for birthdays and Christmas. I thought the foundation was set for us to share many memories going to card shows together. Not quite.
Now they are 22 and 21 and are still interested in my purchases but do not have any interest in collecting themselves. Perhaps after they have started their careers and have kids of their own, they will get back into it. Now, the boys' cards are collecting nothing but dust.

[insidethewrapper]

Do it like I did as a kid ,buy a pack at a time when you go to the grocery store and cross them off a checklist. They are still at the counters of many stores. Since Topps I believe will be the only baseball cards out in 2010 it will be easier this coming year and not so confusing to collectors.

Get into the habit of buying a pack or two each time you go to the store.

[David W]

My son is 7 and loves to play all the sports.

I buy him packs, and when he gets Drew Brees, or Urlacher, or Pujols, or Kobe Bryant that is what he wants to collect, as well as Bears, Saints, and Cardinals (I'm a Bears and Cardinal fan, the Saints thing came because of Brees and the undefeated string. Now he thinks the Saints stink becuase they lost twice.)

At that age he doesn't care about Butkus, or Baugh, or Musial or Kareem, he wants to collect cards of players he sees on Sportscenter.

Later he may want to get into the history of the sport.

[barrysloate]

I don't know if anyone has ever studied this but it seems like there is a collector gene that you have to be born with. I enjoyed collecting things as far back as I can remember. But my younger brother, who was of course born into the same circumstances, couldn't care less about it. And there are plenty of collectors who build collections with the idea of passing them down to their son, only to discover that the son has no interest in it at all. So there is no guarantee that a child will share the same passion as a collecting dad. It's an interesting topic...somebody should write a paper on it (not me).

[B O'Brien]

Good topic guys. My son just turned three, and I have been thinking about this for a while, so I am interested to see what kind of ideas pop up. So far my son just wants a "purple one", so I am going to try to find a couple beater carmel cards. I also gave him a 1989 Donruss Roberto Alomar, but he said he want old little ones, like mine!

I remember when I was little, I was playing ball from the time I was about 4 (1980) on. We lived out in the country in Ohio, so not much ball to watch. We did our Christmas shopping from the JC Penny catalog, as there was no real shopping around. I picked out a 1986 Topps set from the catalog, and that was how it started. We moved the next summer and my new neighbors (peer collectors are the best!) collected a little as it was the popular thing to do in 1987. Their dad found a box of 60's and 70's stuff and it was cool to look through with our Beckett and see how much the stuff was worth and to see who was good and who was bad by looking at the backs of the cards, so that was how I got started on the older stuff, and I have just kept working backwards.

I think a lot of it just comes down to the kids. Cards were great for me because I have always loved the game and history, in general. All of the numbers and sorting of commons was great for my little touch of OCD. I am seeing some of all of these traits start to develop in my son, so hopefully he will collect for himself.

I am just keeping my fingers crossed and trying to get him to watch ball. The MLB network is GREAT! He asks to see if there is one of the old games on, instead of the cartoons. On Sunday we watched nearly the entire game 4 of the 1968 World Series. That is a MAJOR deal for a 3 year old!

Bob

[teetwoohsix]

Everyone has valid points,but from my own experiance,Brian and Leon nailed it.
My father was a huge baseball and football fan in the '70s,and made it a point to make me learn how to throw and catch a baseball/football,taught me how to hit a ball,and then threw me on a little league team(we were the Dodgers).
At first,it was hard to understand the game,since all I had done was "play catch" with dad.
Then,as I learned the game and felt the feeling of "competition",going through the losses and wins,I fell in love with it.
From there,I wanted to see ANY baseball game on TV that I could.
From there,I started to want to collect baseball cards.......................
That,in a nutshell,is how it happened for me.
I doubt that without "getting into the game",I would not have found collecting cards to be as enjoyable-only my opinion..........

[Neal]

Teach him the game first, and that is alot easier to do if he plays. My son turned 5 in September and fortunately he was able to play tee ball this past April and I had the privilege of coaching the team! That of course led to more baseball questions, watching more and more Phillies games together, and then ultimately asking me to take him to the card shop! He has always been around cards and such, but now he wanted his own.

The first time I took him, I made sure I left with a storage box, some soft sleeves and top loaders. He asked for Phillies only (mostly Howard and Jimmy Rollins at first) and as the trips became more frequent, he would ask for other players - it was impressive to watch him name the lineup, including some bench players. His collection has grown, and he is proud of it - he shows everyone his cards when they visit. So far, so good ...

I have my fingers crossed, and hope he continues.

[drc]

double post

[drc]

Periodically give him a bit of money to purchase any pack he wants at the store. Let him pick whatever he wants, even if its Miley Cyrus or Harry Potter cards, as this will make him more excited and attached to his cards cards and more excited about picking his next pack. If you can convince him (i.e. not pressure or coerce) to pick a baseball pack, that's fine.

[Cat]

I started collecting again when my son was about 2 which was the same time I started taking him outside and underhand tossing him balls albeit a 4-inch plastic ball and a plastic bat about 4+ inches in diameter. Now, at 18 years of age (I still throw BP to him - now with an L-Screen) he's a pretty good ball player but seems to have no interest in the collection. When a package arrives he asks if it's a baseball card and when I say "Yes" he just walks off satisfied that his curiousity is solved. He doesn't even stick around to see me open the package and see what the card looks like. We've had the conversation that the collection will be his when I die and he has stated that he "would never sell them," but some day when I am gone and he is broke and needs cash, I am sure they will be sold. I just don't foresee him as an adult having as much interest in a collection of baseball cards that I do. He just doesn't have that gene that Barry was describing.