Why do you collect baseball cards?

itjclarke · #1 10-15-2011, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rainier2004

When the first card came out I saw her excitement and got a bit giggly myself. I watched her eyes get big with a big "Wow" come from her mouth followed with "That sure looks nicer than a 1" (You gotta love her!)..
.

WOW!! I hope you realize how lucky you are!! I'm getting married in a few months and am pretty much resigned to knowing I'll be opening my cards in a dark empty room by myself for fear my wife will see the eBay invoice pop out.

I'm 34, have collected my entire life and I think you nailed it with your comment about first Kaline, Gehrig etc. It's ALL about that feeling! When I was a small kid it was about the gum and getting Dodgers cards (my dad was a Brooklyn fan).. always hoping to score a Garvey. Once I came to my geographic senses, it was about getting Giants cards and anyone whose career ERA was under 3.50 or batting average above .300 (that same dad tought me stats well). When 1987 rolled around, it was about snatching up all the Topps Will Clarks, Wally Joyners, Mark McGwires, Jose Cansecos in sight (what an incredible set at the time). Over the past 10-15 years, the cards have generally become nicer (i.e. that first Mays, Mantle, Mathewson, etc) and I'm driven to collect them by a love of baseball history, but that same feeling holds true when I open a padded envelope. It's all about getting hold of something that perfectly "hits the spot" at that particular moment in your life. That said, I'll still always be able to connect directly to that boyhood feeling when I flip through my old binders and come across a page full of '88 Greenwells.

Getting good deals is a distant 2nd to me, but is also very fun. Lots of fair and even great deals on N54, and I love buying cards others seem to dismiss.. especially great looking OC/MC qualified cards. My taste is not always in line with the mainstream on them, which in my opinion makes for a lot of "good" deals. Also always very nice to buy from good people and ones you know really appreciate how much you liked the card. I've had some pretty cool transactions like that on N54 (even on eBay). Really enjoy that about this board.

rainier2004 · #2 10-15-2011, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itjclarke

WOW!! I hope you realize how lucky you are!! I'm getting married in a few months and am pretty much resigned to knowing I'll be opening my cards in a dark empty room by myself for fear my wife will see the eBay invoice pop out.

I am very aware of how lucky I am. My step-mother, the 4th greatest lady the world trailing wife, mother, and grandmother, wont even stay in the room if bb cards is brought up...the most grief I get is when I have to pickup multiple ot shifts to pay a recent h/s auction or some e145s....But her perspective is wrecked w/ her first 2 cards being e107s!

Tinola:
Collecting became part of my education...First seeing a set I liked, wondering who this cap anson or waddell character is or other players, then look them up and educate myself and finally link them into the foundation of baseball history Ive been building for 30 years...no rush!

almostdone · #3 10-15-2011, 07:15 AM

I always love the thought that there is some old timer out there somewhere that at one point got excited (or upset) that he got this card out of the pack. I mean I know it sound simple but every card was a mystery to someone until the popped that pack.

I love to think think that maybe they thought "Yes! I love this guy" or "Oh man! This guy sucks!" or more often than not "Who the heck is this guy?".

No matter what the response I not hold that same card in my hand decades later and probably decades from now someone who I'll never meet will hold the came card in thier hand and think the same thing.

Drew

tcdyess · #4 10-15-2011, 08:33 AM

Some great reasons posted many of which are similiar to mine. The love and appreciation of the game of baseball, its ties to our history and its evolution with our culture, the community of collectors sharing stories and helping one another (sometimes), my desire to know as much about my team as possible and hold a connection to its past, and my wish to have something to pass down to my grandchildren (when and if I have any) that will show them a link to myself and what I love.

Hope that's not too corny...

Tim

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