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

[MCoxon]

Interested to see how those on the boards collect individual players.

I collect Clemente and Koufax (plus Colavito as an Indian). For the Clemente/Koufax basic sets, I have all the Topps regular issues and '63 Fleer, except for their '55 Topps rookies. I also have about 10 other Clemente oddball issues, but the master sets are way too daunting right now.

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?

Excited to hear some interesting stories and to get some tips on how to pick up the last "whales"!

[JoeDfan]

I collect Joe DiMaggio and Joe Torre. I have been at it for years; but maybe in the last 5 years, I have really been trying to pick up the pace. For Joe D., I think I have maybe 75% of his cards; for Joe T., I think I have maybe just over 25% of his checklist.
For no particular reason, I am trying to get all of my DiMaggio stuff into SGC holders, and Torre into PSA. Not trying to flip them, but if I do have to make a trade, it does make it easier (lots of traders don't like raw cards anymore). Plus they look much neater all lined up, and less chance of damage, especially for the rare cards.
Hmmmmm...the coolest pickup. For Joe D., the coolest card pickup is maybe a tie; the 1947 Propagandas Montiel card, or my 1943 Camp Cooke RPPC. I also have one of those 1970's Topps original cartoons of Joe D. (the ones you find on the backs of the regular issue cards); I LOVE that piece and don't think I would part with it. I found it at the bottom of some dealer's bin at the National, along with Ted Williams, so my buddy grabbed Ted, and I picked up the Joe.
For Torre, I have the '62 Jello, and a cool Ashland Oil card that was pretty scarce.
I also have a Joe D. used bat from an Old Timer's game and a couple of his coach's bats from Oakland. For Torre, I have a game used bat from ~1965.

I thought I would collect the low priced stuff first, but really for me it is all about opportunity. Sometimes you are going to see things pop up that you KNOW you will not likely get another shot at (or, at least you can convince yourself); so for me I "normally" collect in reverse year order, which is sort of cheapest to most expensive, but if I see a "must have", I go for it. I also could care less about grades, so long as the card looks decent. For me, the most economical way to go was to collect stuff that comes in ~PSA/SGC 6. Anything higher than that, and I end up competing with the big money boys.

As far as the whales go, be patient. For me, when I am constantly looking for something impossible, I can never find it. Then, when I forget about it for a while, it pops up!
Happy collecting!!!

[ALR-bishop]

[begsu1013]

i'm an 80's radio child and military brat. moved around a lot so never really had a "home team", i just loved baseball in it's entirety. playing, going to games, the peanuts/cracker jacks, cards, the whole damn thing.

so like most others of that day i was a rookie/prospect chaser w/ canseco (jose and ozzie), gregg jefferies, walt weiss, todd van poppel, ricky jordan etc. but naturally a fan of pete rose, nolan ryan, mantle, berra etc due to dad's and grandfather's stories. gramps did a stint on a farm team w/ the cards before the war, but "never claimed to be all that good anyways"...

being of that gen w/ the mixture of getting the car coupled w/ massive over produced era i lost interest...girls and gas became more important! but my dad collected cards as well and our collection was pretty good. we actually still have it. dad was smart enough to wrap and box it all up properly and pay for the controlled storage all these years. however i have not gone thru it in close to 20 years. it's up in atlanta and would probably take a good 2 weeks straight just to go thru and relive everything...i cant wait to go thru it but then again i like the fact that it's dusty as well, ya know?

sorry for the backdrop, but got back into the hobby after college and started making some expendable income. eventually ended up starting 2 of my own companies and with that "business" cents (sense)...started reading about and studying the tpg. it was something new to me and i liked the way the cards were preserved. naturally "my" guys weren't really worth collecting. don't get me wrong, i did go ahead and purchase that Jefferies and Walton card again but i didn't want those to be the cornerstone of my collection per se. ...and yes i did buy a few bccg cards starting out thinking i was getting a deal, but luckily they were the cheap rookie guys of my youth.

getting to your original question: i decided to pursue nolan, rose and mantle (and ric flair) initially and agreeing w/ you looking at the master set made me noxious. i decided to simply stick w/ the basic topps/bowman cards but go at them with a vengeance! i do have a few of these, but not having to get all the highlight, record breakers, score/pinnacle cards, if applicable etc just meant more money and more focus on the basic cards. some don't like collecting duplicates. i, for one, love it! not as overboard as the guy w/ all the 64 floods, but i do admire his tenacity.

as time transpired, i started venturing into other players i was fond of growing up but actually had above average careers...phil niekro, vida blue, eckersley. then moved on to the greats...berra, aaron and a few ruths.

as for succession of cards purchased...from day 1 back into collecting i focused on centering, so i didn't really go by order or anything. if a stunning centered example w/ decent corners arose at a fair price (and on some occasions a not so fair price), i snagged it. sometimes the rookie cards came first, other times it didn't as i was particularly picky on the rookie. now don't get me wrong, i am a set registry participator and have had to buy the flip vs the card on certain occasions. but getting back to my duplicates bug, i am prouder of some of my 8's and 9's.

as for how long it took to complete my basic set collection, the first ryan set took me about a year. but this is to where "i" considered it complete, not the set registry. naturally i coulda filled in the 71 w/ an oc example or something at anytime, but i had to wait til i found "my" card that "i" was happy with. and it had to be from a seller i liked. there are a few consignors out there , one in particular that i will not mention, but i wont bid on any of their auctions anymore. it sucked because i needed the card, but stuck to my moral fiber first. ironically enough, i have noticed said consignor moving to more "buy it now's" versus auctions as the shilling has become more dubious and people are starting to notice. (sorry for side tracking there).

with that being said, i don't ever consider it complete...as i still love picking up dups!

[MCoxon]

Al - what is the bottom Clemente (not the 1968 3D)? I don't think I've ever seen it before

[alfredoleal2001]

Well I started off player collecting Ripken but as moved on I figured it was impossible to have his cards because of the quantity and the cost. I still buy a few from time to time, the ones I like and stuff. So after a while I decided to collect Galarraga, much fewer cards made and much cheaper as well. I have a little over 600 different cards of his. I copy pasted the checklist from beckett for all his cards, printed it out and made a spiral notebook of it so that way I keep track of what I have and what I need. I add quite a few every time I buy so this is growing quickly!! I also collect phillies so that a little of whatever card I see that I like, no specific way of going with this.

[DaClyde]

I started collecting sometime around late 1986, early 1987. I'm not entirely sure why, but I gravitated toward Dave Winfield. Around that time, cable TV still carried local stations from around the country, so I could watch the Braves on WTBS, the Cubs (and later White Sox) on WGN, Rangers on KTVT, Mets on WOR and Yankees on WPIX. And this was all while living in Huntsville, AL. Watching all those Yankees games, I also started collecting Roberto Kelly and Hensley Meulens. Other players have come and gone, but I still collect those three.

I'm not really sure how "sets" apply to player collecting, but a few years ago, Sports Card Forum started building their own alternative to Beckett's database, and when looking for new staff, I joined up specifically to be able to add in all of the cards and sets I knew of that Beckett was lacking, and also to help build a real international database. The bigger dream is basically dead as there is virtually no leadership there from the site's owner, but I still keep the part of the database that interests me updated with new issues. So I basically use it to track my collections since Beckett is way behind on including the more oddball and foreign issues. I started my blog after seeing all the others out there talking about their collections and trading amongst each other. After seeing the gaps available information on certain areas of the hobby, as well as the rapid demise of the quality of the traditional hobby media, I expanded my blog's scope to cover those gaps and try to provide information about the largely unknown areas of international baseball cards. Writing the blog has been a great way to maintain my interest in the hobby and my collections.

I have "completed" my Hensley Meulens collection a couple of times, but once "complete" something else has turned up or been issued. Thankfully, he and Kelly have had consistent yearly issues from the Giants for the last several years in their SGA team sets to keep those collections going. Using the SCF system as a baseline, my collections stand as follows:

Dave Winfield: 1228/2444
Roberto Kelly: 396/422
Tuffy Rhodes: 298/492
Hensley Meulens: 133/142
Bernardo Brito: 38/38
Dann Howitt: 32/33
Steve Howard: 20/20

These numbers change constantly as new cards are discovered or new sets are added. I have also finally started collections of players with variations of my last name, so that has added another dozen or so players of various sports to chase when things get slow on my main collecting subjects.

Among the various players, the coolest items are probably these:

1994 Chiba Lotte Marines menko


It's tough to pick one item out of the 1200+ Winfields I have, so I'll just go with the earliest:
1973 Dean's Photo San Diego Padres


For Kelly, I have to go with his only (as far as I know) Mexican League card:
2012 Diablos Rojos


In general, I try to keep to a self-imposed $10 limit on how much I spend on an individual card (which keeps me out of the running for almost all of the hign-end stuff), but occasionally I'll push past that for something extremely rare, like the menko or the Dean's Photo item. I don't relax that limit for most modern, mass-produced junk. I've managed to land a surprising quantity of Winfield autographs at that $10 point, but I doubt that will hold much longer. Besides, with all the sub-$10 cards left to track down, I can't work up much interest in the mainstream pricey stuff.

[ALR-bishop]

MC---I had always wondered why Topps never went further with the 68 3D cards then or later....expense of production maybe. But in 2011 as part of it's Lineage set they offered a 3D subset of 12 or so cards, half current players and half old timers. The Clemente was one of them. They are very nice cards

Other than cards to collect your favorite player or players on one score card My favorite Clemente card from the complete set

[mrmopar]

1) I mainly collect Dodgers and most specifically Steve Garvey, but have dabbled in other players in the past. I have stuck with some on a casual basis but many are stagnant. Some others that I put decent effort into at one time or another include Rod Carew, Willie Davis, Al Oliver, Frank Thomas & Greg Maddux.

2) I will chase just about anything Garvey related but I don't worry so much about "sets". I have all of his regular issue cards from his playing years and most of the basic issues post retirement. With all the parallels and inserts, it becomes impossible to get everything, so i try to keep it within reason financially.

3) I couldn't pick any singular item, as there is usually something just as cool later that excites me after the effect of the last item fades. The favorite of the moment is usually an obscure oddball item that is not collected in the mainstream. You can check out the blog I started a few years back for some highlights. I don't post new entries often these days though.

http://1978theyearitallbegan.blogspot.com

As with just about anyone else here, ARL-bishop has a few items that I would love to own and I get to see them posted quite frequently. Any one of those (2 specifically - the puffy sticker sheet and the 80 Coin) would become my newest favorite if I ever obtained either. I had a shot at both items at one point and missed out.

4) Thankfully, Garvey is not typically a top tier $$ item, unless it is one of the newest, artificially rare issues. I still try for those, but if someone wants to spend $300-600 on a 1/1 patch or barrel card, by all means, go for it. I won't get in your way.

Originally Posted by MCoxon

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?

[MCoxon]

Ron - thanks for posting the scorecard; really cool to see so many HOFs on one scorecard! Also, I have a copy of the 1966 East Hills Clemente - I love it, there's something so quirky about the random retail outlet card. The Clemente master set is in my future, I'm just trying to keep it at bay for a while, for financial sanity!

[Exhibitman]

My close friend/card rival when I was a kid, a guy named Michael, and I competed to find troves of vintage cards around Manhattan. He collected Clemente, I collected Mays, who I started to idolize at age 8 when he returned to NY to play for the Mets. My uncle took me to Shea once to see the great man and I got to see Lou Brock play too. With the help of the ASCCA show in 1976 I put together a run of every Topps Mays card. I remember turning down a 1951 Bowman at the show saying "I don't collect those."

I soured on Mays later in life, once I met the man at a show. I was very excited to meet him, of course, boyhood idol and all, so I carefully rehearsed what I was going to say when I was finally in the presence of the great man. I said my piece, Mays didn't even acknowledge me, just rolled my baseball across the table to the handler like he was shooing a cockroach from his dinner plate. I was so disappointed in that non-interaction that I sold off my entire Mays collection, 1952-1973, including the autographed ball [which I'd had Mantle and Snider sign too]. For years I refused to own a Mays card. I've made peace with the Say Nothing Kid since then--you gotta have Mays in a baseball card collection--but the idolization was dead the moment I left his presence.

Jump ahead to recent times. I've decided to start up with baseball again, collecting for the pure fun of it. But where to start? The answer was obvious: Hank Aaron. I remember Aaron's quest for the record in the early 1970s. I was too young and too innocent to understand the social and racial ugliness that existed around the edges of the quest; all I knew was that Henry Aaron ["OH! Henry!" as the candy commercial said] was the greatest baseball player around, especially after 1973 when Mays was gone. I was so thrilled to pull an Aaron card from a pack, something I did in 1971-72-73-74-75-76, and had so much fun chasing down the record-holding cards in 1973 and the Hank Aaron Special series in 1974. My respect for the man and his accomplishments has done nothing but grow over the years, especially after I read his autobiography and realized what he had to endure in 1973-74 when he neared 714. And best of all, when I got to meet him, Mr. Aaron was every bit the kind gentleman I'd expected him to be.

If you were a Jewish kid in the 1970s and a big baseball fan, you had almost nothing: Ken Holtzman, Ron Blomberg and Steve Stone, plus some real scrubs like Richie Scheinblum or Norm Miller. So you looked back to the glory days for inspiration. Sandy Koufax and Al Rosen. There they were on the 1975 Topps MVP cards, Rosen for 1953 and Koufax for 1963. Now that's what I am talking about! So, naturally, I ended up collecting Koufax and Rosen.

That's the who I collect. As for the how, I am lukewarm on mainstream cards. Nice, but so commonplace that I feel no urgency to get them. I tend to specialize in offbeat, oddball cards. So, I look for cards and related ephemera. Nothing better than that as far as I am concerned.

[Vintagevault13]

I collect Hank Aaron and Reggie Jackson. For both, I focus on regular issue cards, including league leaders, etc. I do have several oddball Aaron items as well as all of his Post and Jell-o cards. I have completed the Aaron run and within about 10 for Jackson (mostly 80's items so nothing too pricey).

For Aaron, I began with his 1976 cards and worked backwards. Did the opposite for Jackson because I got a nice deal on his 1969 RC in a PSA 4 holder that looks to be under graded and could easily be a 6.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[hcv123]

I have been collecting Clemente for the better part of 25 years. I was very fortunate to start so long ago. Even then there was incredible competition for his cards and memorabilia. I got bored of his regular topps cards very quickly and started delving into many of the oddball issues as well as sub collections of magazines with Clemente on the covers, newspapers with Clemente on the back or front covers, store model gloves, Pirate photo pennants, statues, to name a few. There are many "pride and joy" items in my collection - a few that come to mind:

1967 Topps Pinup sticker - very likely a prototype tested in the Topps offices
Santurce program from 1951 (possibly Clemente's first game - he wasn't even assigned a number in the program - only confirmed recently that Clemente actually played in Santurce in 1951 as his first contact with them wasn't signed till 1952
An almost complete run of complete bazooka boxes (Still missing my holy grail - 1960!)
A few amazing personal snapshots
A newspaper featuring Clemente on the back cover from Montreal from 1954!
The original painting for the cover of the sporting news he was on

That should do for now - it all started with my getting his rookie card when I was about 11 (~1978) - I was hooked! I have met so many great people and had so much fun through my collecting it has been amazing!

[MCoxon]

I realize I didn't tell my 'coolest' pickup. It's pretty pedestrian on the surface - a recent acquisition of the 1972 Topps Clemente In Action #310.

This was the first vintage card I ever got, at about 10 years old, as a birthday gift from my father. Clemente was already my favorite player, but I was actually disappointed when I first got the card. It shows Clemente with a bat in hand, rolling his neck at the plate, but it wasn't a very cool "in action" shot compared to, say, Mays sliding into base in his '72 IA card. I wondered why this was the photo that Topps chose. Surely there were better Clementes, I thought. In fact, that initial card is long gone.

But after reading a Clemente biography recently, I realized that Clemente often rolled his neck at the plate to stretch out, because of neck and lower back injuries. Then while re--watching the Ken Burns Baseball documentary, I saw a commentator describing how kids playing baseball on playgrounds in the '60s would actually imitate that neck roll by Clemente when they went to the plate.

So, now I am guessing that Topps chose that pose because it was actually an iconic Clemente in action shot after all!

I recently picked up another '72 IA. It's a PSA 8, very crisp and clean -- cheap by Clemente standards -- but definitely one of my favorites as it represents my very first leap into vintage collecting over 30 years ago!

One of Reggie Jackson's toughest issue next to the Orioles proof card

[begsu1013]

adam,

you weren't the only one that mays did that too. i remember hitting a card show in charlotte w/ my dad and standing in line for well over an hour...this had to be 87/88 maybe. anyways, i vividly remember another father/son combo but of different ethnicity directly in front of us...he talked a good 2 or 3 mins with them, which felt like forever when you are "next". anyways, i said "hello mr. mays, it's a pleasure meeting you" and mofo didn't even acknowledge us whatsoever. i mean, didn't even look up....

i wasn't crushed or anything, but i remember my dad being visibly disturbed. we still talk about it occasionally. i would put him in the same category as charles barkley, if anyone has had the displeasure of bumping into him.

i wont collect either one of them. but i am guilty of occasionally searching for a 51 bowman....

and funny you mention the ascca show...i actually have a babe ruth card that was printed for that show. has "hotel taft" on the back. one of my oddball favs!

[Bestdj777]

Hey, how's it going?

1) Mantle. I have a pretty tightly defined set. I collect every card that was ever issued on more than a test basis, including most variations thereof. As of now, I have every Topps card, Bowman card, Post Cereal card, Jello card, and Bazooka card. I am missing one OPC cards, two Venezuelan card (one of which is a variation of a card I already own), and a couple of high value U.S. regional issues I will likely never get. I also collect post cards, team issued photos/picture packs, and premium issued photos, although I have no intention of completing the runs of those. Right now I have 355 items and would need 8 more to complete my set. I'll call it complete if I get my holy grail and a postcard I really want as I'll be satisfied wit that.
2) The base set was quick (2-3 years) as all of the cards are readily available its just an issue of saving up money and buying them. I have been working on the Master set for 8-9 years off and on and it will never be technically complete, although I am okay with that. Some cards just are not available and some are not available at a price I can afford/justify.
3) I like my Venezuelan cards. The coolest will be my last one when I land it finally. Of the ones I own, I like the 59 Home Run Derby and a couple of other aesthetically pleasing ones (52 Topps, Oklahoma Today, 59 Bazooka, 60 Post).
4) I have all the high dollar value cards I will likely ever own. I got them here and there as I went. The last card I have to buy isn't particularly valuable just pretty rare and difficult to locate or I would have it already. There are a few valuable ones out there that I would technically need to complete my set, but I just find it difficult to justify spending more than the cost of a 52 Topps on anything.

[TexasDan]

I have considered player collecting, but right now I am focusing on picking up HOFers.

If I do go the player route, I would likely choose Aaron, Williams, and/or Robinson.

[jimtigers65]

1) Detroit Tigers
2) I started collecting Tiger cards as a kid in the mid 1970s. I remember going to local shows and seeing a Tiger common from the 1960's that I knew that I didn't have and wasn't on my wantlist (there wasn't too many checklists back then). I'm working on a master set; have a complete run of 1949-55 Bowman and only need 2 Tiger cards to have a complete run of Tiger team sets from 1952-2014. I order my Topps Tiger team set each year on ebay and try to pick up the gold insert cards from each year (not high on my priority list but if I see one I'll get it)
3) My favorite Tiger cards are the 1962 Ford Motor Company Post Cards. I only have 5 out of the 17 cards. My second favorite are the 1953 Glendale Meats which I own 7.
4) Yea, I usually pick up my high dollar cards last. I still need two 1952 Topps hi-numbers (Billy Hoeft and Fred Hatfield). I remember going to card shows back in the day and wonder why these cards cost so much. The 1954 Al Kaline card was always on my wantlist. My best friend gave me a Kaline rookie when I retired from the Air Force after serving 26 years (thanks Dave)
Thanks to this site I've picked up 14 T206s-all Tigers of course.
Jim

[Exhibitman]

One more twist or quirk is that I only collect career contemporary cards. No tributes or modern issues.

Also if I can find them I get pre-rookie photos or postcards.

[brian1961]

Adam---I feel bad for you, bro, over what happened to you when Willie Mays was starkly rude to you, and most congenial to some of his fellow Black Americans. That must have hurt something awful. I soured on Willie Mays after reading an article by a freelance writer in Sports Collectors Digest in the late 1980s. As soon as Willie discovered he was a freelancer, Say Hey became rude, obnoxious, uncooperative, demeaning, critical, harsh, while a regular beat reporter got a decent interview from Willie at this same time and meeting place.

When the freelancer wrote his report of the occasion, he did not lambaste Mr. Mays in any way. Rather, he let the facts and Mr. Mays's own words reveal the other side of the man. Whilst 'tis true we all have another side, when you are a professional athlete great of whom many idolize, your demeanor to your public should be important to you. Much of the article I do not remember now, but as Maya Angelou was famous for saying, I remember loud and clear how Willie Mays made that poor freelancer feel. I then sold the majority of what Willie Mays cards I had, and never regretted it.

Whenever I see a replay of his quintessential baseball moment, the 1954 World Series catch, my heart is still filled with a monotonous languor. Were the extremely fortunate soul who owns what I consider Willie Mays's most valuable baseball card----the unique 1954 Stahl-Meyer Franks PSA 9 MINT, and offer it to me in an unbelievable gesture of generosity, providing I could not sell it for the money, I would decline. Seriously. I'd rather have the 1953 Stahl-Meyer Roy Campanella in SGC NM-MT 92, 'cause that one I'd cherish and never sell.

Anyways, glad you found someone you genuinely enjoy collecting. I know you don't respond to anything I say, or questions I ask, so this is from the heart. L'chaim Adam.

---Brian Powell

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by MCoxon

Interested to see how those on the boards collect individual players.

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?

Excited to hear some interesting stories and to get some tips on how to pick up the last "whales"!

1) What player(s) or teams do you collect? Brooks Robinson

2) How long did it take you to amass your basic sets? Not too long on the Basic Set. My problem is when I first started to collect I pretty much picked up cards in mediocre condition. I'll try to upgrade as I go, but don't really think I'll do the registry thing.

Master set? Still don't have all of the vintage cards listed in PSA Master registry. If the Master Set stays the same I'll get those cards some day...

3) What was the "coolest" pick up for your player collection? I'm not sure, but I guess my "coolest" pickup lately hasn't been a card, but a Japanese magazine w/Brooks, along w/F. Robby and Boog Powell on the cover. Took several years to locate, but finally found one in decent condition.

4) Did you, like me, wait to pick up the "highest dollar" card last? Not really. Kinda pick up items as I can afford and when they're available. There's several Brooksie cards that are in the unobtainable realm, even if they do come up for sale.

[JLange]

As a Cleveland Indians collector, you can't help but run into Bob Feller in your collection. I don't think I set out to collect him specifically, but the more I got to know his story, I was drawn to his cards and collectibles even more. Feller has something for everyone: A genuine war hero, Ambassador of Baseball, Hall of Famer, and Cleveland Indians great. His career spanned "pre-war" and "post-war" quite literally as he was off to serve his country in between. With all of his endorsements and savvy business dealings, his image or likeness are virtually everywhere on collectibles from the period in which he played and for many years thereafter. Just when I think I've seen it all, something new and exciting pops up on eBay or at the local Flea Market, which means I am constantly adding items to my Bob Feller want list. In a good month I strike another item or two off that list.

I would see him at various card shows when I was growing up, but I didn't appreciate who he was or his accomplishments until I was much older. When I was a kid I thought it was a joke that his auto was everywhere and not worth a lot of money. Now I can see that he was an accessible, inspirational superstar, and he turned me into a lifelong fan of the game and of my Tribe.

[jason.1969]

I collect Hank Aaron, and my collection includes all his standard issue Topps cards from 1954-1976, a healthy supply of bobbleheads, a ton of magazines, and some random low value odds and ends.

See https://jasoncards.wordpress.com/201...o-bobbleheads/ and https://jasoncards.wordpress.com/201...ne-collecting/

When I was in college ('87-91) I used to take my textbook money to card shows, and in this manner I ended up with about 5-6 different Aarons, including his '55 Topps. The RC convinced me I'd never end up with his full career. Then one day I saw his RC at a show for $130 and I bought it. After that, money got tight and my interests (finally!) evolved to music, girls, etc., and my Aaron collection topped out around 8-9 cards.

Fast forward 23 years to my divorce last year. A single small box was literally about the only thing I left the house with. Thumbing through my cards, the love returned fast, and I also saw just how easy it was to find cards on the internet. Within about four months, I was able to buy all the Aaron cards I still needed and frame them in a Pennzoni case. None of my cards are high end...I've seen guys pay more for a PSA 9 1972 Topps Hank Aaron in Action than what my whole board is worth...but I'm still really happy to have it light up my wall, especially now that I'm on my own.

[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

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by brian1961

Adam---I feel bad for you, bro, over what happened to you when Willie Mays was starkly rude to you, and most congenial to some of his fellow Black Americans. That must have hurt something awful. I soured on Willie Mays after reading an article by a freelance writer in Sports Collectors Digest in the late 1980s. As soon as Willie discovered he was a freelancer, Say Hey became rude, obnoxious, uncooperative, demeaning, critical, harsh, while a regular beat reporter got a decent interview from Willie at this same time and meeting place.

When the freelancer wrote his report of the occasion, he did not lambaste Mr. Mays in any way. Rather, he let the facts and Mr. Mays's own words reveal the other side of the man. Whilst 'tis true we all have another side, when you are a professional athlete great of whom many idolize, your demeanor to your public should be important to you. Much of the article I do not remember now, but as Maya Angelou was famous for saying, I remember loud and clear how Willie Mays made that poor freelancer feel. I then sold the majority of what Willie Mays cards I had, and never regretted it.

Whenever I see a replay of his quintessential baseball moment, the 1954 World Series catch, my heart is still filled with a monotonous languor. Were the extremely fortunate soul who owns what I consider Willie Mays's most valuable baseball card----the unique 1954 Stahl-Meyer Franks PSA 9 MINT, and offer it to me in an unbelievable gesture of generosity, providing I could not sell it for the money, I would decline. Seriously. I'd rather have the 1953 Stahl-Meyer Roy Campanella in SGC NM-MT 92, 'cause that one I'd cherish and never sell.

Anyways, glad you found someone you genuinely enjoy collecting. I know you don't respond to anything I say, or questions I ask, so this is from the heart. L'chaim Adam.

---Brian Powell

I don't? Sorry about that...I often get lost in my own head and think I've answered PMs or emails when I haven't.

My take on Mays was/is that if he feels such disdain for the public, that's fine, just stay at home. Same for any celebrity. If he chooses to go on a paid junket, he is doing a job and has an obligation to do it well. I am sure that Hank Aaron did not always feel like being congenial and engaging when he did a show but he was enough of a professional to turn it on and be "Hank Aaron, Superstar" when he was paid to do so. Mays never quite got the idea that he was providing a customer service and needed to show the customers that he gave a damn. Or maybe he's just a jerk and cannot find it in himself to be nice to people. Personally, I'd rather go through my professional life pretending to be nice than admitting I'm an a-hole, but that's just me...

[brewing]

I've posted this before but they say everything words could say on this topic.

[brian1961]

That's OK, Adam. Thanks. You wrote of getting a nice Morrell Meats Sandy Koufax at the National last year, and I had eagerly wanted to know which year you were able to get. No strings attached. You see, my book on regionals contains a chapter about a Morrell Meats Sandy and I was curious as to what year yours happened to be. All the Morrells of Sandy are super cards.

You've expressed very well the vital matter of manners, personal conduct, and conveying genuine warmth and kindness to a former athlete's fans. Those experiences greatly affect the fan, however it may go down.

By the way, while I know you do not collect commemoratives or post career cards of Mr. Koufax, just recently I got a package from Bob Lemke with his fantasy 1961 Post Cereal of Sandy. Honest Adam, he has brilliantly captured the aura and the essence of those delightful cards. He meticulously searched for the fonts that most closely matched the original '61s. Not sure what the total cost was, but for under twenty bucks postpaid, I am so very pleased with it. The smiling portrait Mr. Lemke chose was perfect. Being that 1961 was the breakout year for Sandy, I feel it is significant.

Sure, it may or may not appreciate in value. That has no bearing whatsoever why I wanted it. It is a genuine baseball card work of art and I love this card.

Not trying to force my will on you, friend, but since I know Sandy is a primary of your collection, I just know you would appreciate having a piece such as this one. True, I do collect some of the post career cards, but I am very picky and use discretion.

Have a peaceful, pleasant day. ---Brian Powell

[novakjr]

I don't too much player collecting. As a kid I collected everything I could get my hand on for Ripken. I haven't really pursued it much recently, but i still pick up a cheapie here and there.

Bo Jackson is another, as well as mel Harder.

I ONLY collect career contemporary items. yes, I said items. Cards, coins, trinkets, glove tags, whatever.

Harder is easy. He only had a few career contemporary items anyway. Haven't completed his collection. Just pick up things every once in a while.

Bo Jackson has been fun, because he was in that era where players were on anything and everything, with numerous parallel versions of many of them, plus he had 2 sports to do it in. I also count the unlicensed cards for him as well. The store display cards for video games are some of the more fun items for him..