Player Collectors and how you do it (Clemente and Koufax for me)

[Harford20]

Would love to hear how others collect:
1) What player(s) or teams do you collect?
2) How long did it take you to amass your basic sets? Master sets?
3) What was the "coolest" pick up for your player collection?
4) Did you, like me, wait to pick up the "highest dollar" card last?


Ok, I am a Ted Williams collector, "and I have a problem". I have been for over 25 years. First I will say that nearly any "master set" that you look at, in my opinion, will be woefully inadequate. As I have amassed EVERY card on the Ted Williams PSA Master Set, added over 20 cards to the Master set, the PSA Master set total is still only at 150 cards total. My personal Ted master set is currently listed at 274 cards (which includes many variations, uncatalogued cards, etc.) and then another 35-40 postcards that are not ever included in a list. OF COURSE, these are ONLY from his playing years (the list wouuld be in the few thousands if you included every Ted card to ever display his photo). So my "personal mega list" then includes another 105 magazines that had Ted on the cover during his playing years (of which I am up to about 30).

For me, the Ted cards that get me excited are the cards made in Japan, Canada and Cuba, of which I have about 25 of 32 that I know of. These are by far the rarest, but as many collectors do not even know they exist, I can work prices that I feel are either cheap or very reasonable. The coolest pick up for me has to be either his 1939 Goudey Premium R303-A, the complete 1946-47 Sensacion Major League Set with Williams in it (thanks John), or a very rare Mexican Gillette Razor postcard from 1941-1942 era. Still missing the 1939 Playball Sample Williams and the 1939 V351 WWG to round out my rookie collection.

At this point, I buy what I can find. The price rarely stops me, unless it is like needing to upgrade my 1954 Wilson Franks Williams (want a PSA3 or higher) which may wind up being the last card that I buy for Ted (until some more cards are discovered) or finding someone who wants to sell me a 1955 Topps Hocus Focus for a few grand.

For me, the collection of a lifetime; both mine and Ted's.

Dave

[brian1961]

Dave, just out of curiosity bro, in your Ted Williams collection, where do you personally rate your 1954 Wilson Franks? I also would ask what your feelings are about that card, and why?

I've long admired the Wilson Franks series, ever since first laying eyes on the Nellie Fox in 1972. Love at first sight. ---Brian Powell