What keeps you collecting?

[Exhibitman]

What Jeff said...plus the friends I've made.

Besides, what else would I do with my free time and disposable income:

--Play golf? Run around with a bunch of middle-aged white men, chasing a little white ball in a park while dressed like a pimp...I'd rather have my teeth cleaned by a blind hygienist with a tremor.

--Work more? Uh, no thanks. It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.

--Buy more crap for the house? So I can not enjoy the new stuff while I am at work, just like I don't get to use everything I own now.

--Travel? The National has ruined that for me. After you've been to Baltimore and Cleveland in August, it's all a let-down from there.

--Work charitably for the betterment of my fellow man? Get real. I don't even like most people I know.

--Run for office? Hey, even a cynical, nasty, amoral, godless heathen like me has more self-respect than that.

Nope, I am a hopeless card addict without the means or inclination to break the cycle of collect and want more, collect and want more.

[quinnsryche]

The "Thrill of the Hunt". I just love rooting out stuff and then setting the sights on it. After that, hopefully I can afford it!

[alanu]

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending how you look at it, golf is my other hobby, I'm not very good, but still am addicted to that in addition to the card hobby. Come to think of it, I'm not all that good at the card hobby either.

[ethicsprof]

once i surrounded myself with three office walls full of framed favorites, THEY
reminded me each day of how much i love the history,the aesthetics, the game, and the colleagues.
now i just keep looking for more walls.
best,
barry

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

--Work more? Uh, no thanks. It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.

What if - and believe me this is hypothetical - but what if you were offered some kind of a stock option equity sharing program. Would that do anything for you?

[oldjudge]

Work charitably for the betterment of my fellow man? Get real. I don't even like most people I know.

Line of the week---thanks Adam!

[Northviewcats]

For me this is a timely topic. I don't really have an answer. I use to think that I would someday complete the monster, but when I started to care about a card's condition it has really slowed me up. I've only added a dozen or so T206s to my collection this year. At that rate it will take me twenty more years to complete the set, and I'm already getting pretty close to sixty. I have started buying other Prewar cards hoping that something would light a fire, but I haven't found a project that excites me. I also have played around with collecting Cuban cards (especial of those who played in the negro leagues), but there doesn't seem to be many of them available.

I have the most fun trying to find deals on eBay. I've been fairly successful at flipping cards to build a collection, but lately I've found that I would rather see my Paypal balance keep rising than spend the money on more cards.

I guess I've hit the card collecting doldrums. How do you get through this?


Best regards,

Joe

[Oldtix]

To paraphrase the immortal Freewheelin' Franklin, "Collectibles will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no collectibles."

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by Oldtix

To paraphrase the immortal Freewheelin' Franklin, "Collectibles will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no collectibles."

+1

[PWeso81]

To forget about life for a while.
Not to say life is terrible...but stress can play a role in my life.
When I get too worked up over something...I self medicate with my hobby (and maybe a few beers). It is sort of like therapy, only cheaper.
I am the only person out of family/friends/work that collects.
I love that! It is mine.

[vintagechris]

Originally Posted by Northviewcats

For me this is a timely topic. I don't really have an answer. I use to think that I would someday complete the monster, but when I started to care about a card's condition it has really slowed me up. I've only added a dozen or so T206s to my collection this year. At that rate it will take me twenty more years to complete the set, and I'm already getting pretty close to sixty. I have started buying other Prewar cards hoping that something would light a fire, but I haven't found a project that excites me. I also have played around with collecting Cuban cards (especial of those who played in the negro leagues), but there doesn't seem to be many of them available.

I have the most fun trying to find deals on eBay. I've been fairly successful at flipping cards to build a collection, but lately I've found that I would rather see my Paypal balance keep rising than spend the money on more cards.

I guess I've hit the card collecting doldrums. How do you get through this?


Best regards,

Joe

Joe,
I'm guessing we all go through this. I know I do. I think it is best when this happens to just not force any buys. It's ok to take a little break. In the past I made the mistake of starting a project, getting tired of it, then selling what I had to start something else.

Now when I lose interest in something, I just take a little break and go back when I feel the juices flowing again.

I had always wanted a 1955 Topps All American footbal set, not a very expensive set to put together or even buy at one time(but what's the fun in that?). So I started one awhile back and got bored with it. I was about 40% through with some of the big ones. Well a month or so ago I started reading the backs of them and then just researching some of the players online and I got the itch again.

One thing that I think gets people bored is this: When I first started collecting in 1980, there was a whole other world of cards out there. Cards I had never seen. The first $6 I spent on old cards was for a 1959 Yogi Berra. Then $8 for a 1965 Topps Hank Aaron. I was so pumped about those purchases, because up until then I had never seen those cards before.

Now we have seen them all. I remember the first time I saw a 1933 Goudey Ruth. It was pretty much the Holy Grail to me. Now I couldn't tell you how many I have seen and now own some.

So, I think it is important to research the history of the players to learn more about them and get the juices flowing again. Of course, even that seems to get old after awhile.

[Zach Wheat]

I think there are many reason...can commiserate with all of the above. I also like hearing and reading about stories on their lives....particularly when you hear Hans Lobert (Glory of Their Times CD Original Interview Version) - penniless in his hotel room, without even a TV to watch "base ball" - telling about the time he got his first pair of cleats; and how he didn't play for the money (he was broke and this was before the days MLB had a pension) and that he played for the love of the game.

Zach Wheat

[HRBAKER]

A combination of the love of history and baseball. And I am addicted to the Cardboard Crack as well.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by 4815162342

What if - and believe me this is hypothetical - but what if you were offered some kind of a stock option equity sharing program. Would that do anything for you?

It's not just about me and my dream of doing nothing. It's about all of us. We don't have a lot of time on this earth! We weren't meant to spend it this way. Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements.

We have been collecting for 30+ years.

Each year our learnings, our love for baseball and our passion for building a world class collection of rare cards and memorabilia grows stronger.

The hobby is our most important source of enjoyment. In fact, with the exception of the health of our family and the continued growth of our consulting business, there is nothing as important in the world than this hobby.

The thrill of uncovering something new, the fierce competition for the impossible card, the chance to interact with a select group of brilliant executives who share our passion, and our unquenchable thirst for knowledge about baseball history are just some of the reasons, why we love this hobby.


Bruce Dorskind
America's Toughest Want List

bdorskind@dorskindgroup.com

Record prices paid for the select group of extraordinary items that we seek!

[Kawika]

Chicks dig vintage baseball card collectors.

[Bicem]

eh, what else would I do with my time and money?

[Jason Carota]

The chase and a rabid interest in the history of the game.

[tiger8mush]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

It's not just about me and my dream of doing nothing. It's about all of us. We don't have a lot of time on this earth! We weren't meant to spend it this way. Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements.

sounds like SOMEBODY has a case of the mondays!

[WWGjohn]

I collect for several reasons:

1) I started when I was a kid in the 50's and knew I had the collecting gene.

2) The chase to finish a difficult set on a limited budget.

3) The search for the unusual, especially old hand made bats.

4) The comraderie I found in OBC with a group of guys and gals who understand the true meaning of the hobby.

John

[GoldenAge50s]

I told my wife several yrs ago (when I retired) that it was time to start reducing my collection to augment my now limited income & at the same time free up space in my downstairs back room that is full from wall to wall w/ cards.

I have failed miserably at both promises!

Note to Adam:

I played 18 today in strong wind & cold up here in RI w/ an 84 yr old white man as my partner & we beat 2 middle-aged white men (who outdrove us both on every hole) out of $6.00!
PS--It was way too cold to dress like pimps, but after taking their money I felt like one! WHEEEE!

[vintagechris]

Originally Posted by GoldenAge50s

I told my wife several yrs ago (when I retired) that it was time to start reducing my collection to augment my now limited income & at the same time free up space in my downstairs back room that is full from wall to wall w/ cards.

I have failed miserably at both promises!

Note to Adam:

I played 18 today in strong wind & cold up here in RI w/ an 84 yr old white man as my partner & we beat 2 middle-aged white men (who outdrove us both on every hole) out of $6.00!
PS--It was way too cold to dress like pimps, but after taking their money I felt like one! WHEEEE!

Hee hee. This is a running joke in our house. I keep telling my wife I am going to sell it all. I have been saying this for about 5 years now and she always says" if you are selling it all, why does the house seem to keep getting smaller and smaller?

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by tiger8mush

sounds like SOMEBODY has a case of the mondays!

Peter Gibbons: When you come in on Monday and you're not feeling real well, does anyone ever say to you, "Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays?"
Lawrence: No. No, man. S***, no, man. I believe you'd get your ass kicked sayin' something like that, man.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

It's not just about me and my dream of doing nothing. It's about all of us. We don't have a lot of time on this earth! We weren't meant to spend it this way. Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements.

So I was sitting in my cubicle today, and I realized, ever since I started working, every single day of my life has been worse than the day before it. So that means that every single day that you see me, that's on the worst day of my life.

[iggyman]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

We weren't meant to spend it this way. Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements.

Amazing.......how the heck do you know what I do for a living??? Anyways, back to the subject at hand. I collect baseball cards for a simple reason. It keeps the kid inside of me alive. Just the other day, after getting home from a long & frustrating day of staring at a computer screen, a puffy envelope is waiting for me on the kitchen table. While trying to stay cool, calm, and collected in front of my wife, I anxiously wait until she heads for the bedroom. At which point, I tear into the envelope like Hugh Hefner on Viagra. Inside, is a recently purchased lot of 1936 Wide and Fine Pens.

Well, I'm going through them, mumbling........got it, got it, need it, got it; when all of a sudden, I notice some cards with a little writing on the back side. You know what, those eight cards put a big old smile on my face. As was mentioned once in a prior thread, sometimes the cards talk to me.........do they talk to you???

Here are two pics of the back side of the cards....
Picture 046.jpg

Picture 050.jpg

Thanks for the cards Raymond! I'm glad they helped you make it through the five grade. I'm sure you will be happy to know, that with your assistance, they helped me get through a frustrating day. Thanks again!

Lovely Day...

[WillBBC]

It furthers my quest for knowledge.

I love baseball history and sports history in general and few things give you as much as a connection as a collectible from an era. Be it the 19th century, early 20th or even today.

Cards and collectibles also paint such an incredible picture of cultural periods. I love hitting up antique shops and just thumbing through early 20th century items. Be it cards, stamps, miniature flags, pictures, memos, you name it.

[joeadcock]

In relation to M's Fan comments that feels value of baseball cards(and other mem) will "go down in the long, long term as the collecting generation gets older and older each year". I had never thought of it that way.

Do most believe that the value of cards will go down in the long term? I thought(perhaps incorrectly) that they would go up in the long term as others began picking up the collecting desire. Especially, as new prewar collectors get interested the same way I did(and others).

I also assume as we get further from the 19th century that the value of these pre 1900 cards will rise further and further.

Any one feel similarly, or the opposite?

Frank

[iggyman]

Frank, I've never bought into the theory that once all the baby boomers retire or die, prewar card prices will plummet. As long as baseball is thriving and the population in the U.S. is growing (which is the case now and will continue to be the case into the future), new collectors will take the boomers place. I think it's as simple as that. The collecting gene is in all of us, it's what separates us from the aliens.

Lovely Day...

[thekingofclout]

Originally Posted by iggyman

Frank, I've never bought into the theory that once all the baby boomers retire or die, prewar card prices will plummet. As long as baseball is thriving and the population in the U.S. is growing (which is the case now and will continue to be the case into the future), new collectors will take the boomers place. I think it's as simple as that. The collecting gene is in all of us, it's what separates us from the aliens.

Lovely Day...

I concur with Iggy. Granted that some sectors will fall out of favor and some will experience unexpected growth.

Baseball has so much history going for it that Football and Basketball, no matter how good their TV ratings are, will never be in Baseball's league, so to speak.

Historically speaking, photography, film, written word, and good old fashioned folklore will keep Baseball at the top of every want list for generations to come.

Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Jackie have transcended almost all walks of American life and history will ensure their legacies continue onward.

But perhaps most importantly, Baseball is no longer just an American game. Asia and Latin America are only going to continue to grow in popularity. And just as American collectors fancy Japanese pottery or samurai swords, I can see Japanese Baseball fans someday striving to collect memorabilia, cards, or autographs of America's greatest players and teams.

The sky is not falling... That's how I see it, anyway.