Conundrum Looming

[uyu906]

I have been collecting baseball cards since 1976. I am a player, team and set collector. I am closing in on finishing a number of sets from the 1950s and 1960s. Here is where the issue comes into play. There is one star from the 1950s and 1960s that I do not like and played for a team that I hate. I have never intentionally bought any of his cards specifically, only those that have come in collections I have purchased. So, I have a number of his cards in my sets already. I am having trouble getting past my dislike of the player to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars for each of his cards that I do not have in the 1950s and 1960s. I mean when you spend 1K on a card - most people would like to be happy about it, right?

Anyone else ever have this problem? If so, how have you resolved it?

(Player and team have been intentionally omitted, although many could probably figure it out easily, do to desire not to offend any other board members.

[Wanaselja]

I’m a life long Met fan and consider myself lucky that I don’t have to worry about adding certain iconic players/cards to my PC. I’d make an exception for Gehrig but don’t feel particularly compelled.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by uyu906

I have been collecting baseball cards since 1976. I am a player, team and set collector. I am closing in on finishing a number of sets from the 1950s and 1960s. Here is where the issue comes into play. There is one star from the 1950s and 1960s that I do not like and played for a team that I hate. I have never intentionally bought any of his cards specifically, only those that have come in collections I have purchased. So, I have a number of his cards in my sets already. I am having trouble getting past my dislike of the player to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars for each of his cards that I do not have in the 1950s and 1960s. I mean when you spend 1K on a card - most people would like to be happy about it, right?

Anyone else ever have this problem? If so, how have you resolved it?

(Player and team have been intentionally omitted, although many could probably figure it out easily, do to desire not to offend any other board members.

For me it was the umpires in the 55 Bowman set. Not only are they umpires but they are the most expensive cards in the set besides a couple mega stars and a super star rookie.

I bought them to complete the set but honestly cringed when I bought most of them.

[quitcrab]

Man you gotta get over this hatred. Let it go !
Finish up your sets.

[uyu906]

Scott,

Generally, I would agree with that. But I came by my hatred honestly, as my dad had the same issue with the player and the team in question.

Originally Posted by quitcrab

Man you gotta get over this hatred. Let it go !
Finish up your sets.

[Jim65]

As a Mets collector, it bothered me to pay for Nolan Ryans early cards. Not because I dislke him, I just feel his cards are way overpriced. My collection was not complete without them so I bit the bullet.

[todeen]

I'm selling much of my collection but not everything. My problem is I'm a quantity over quality type guy. I have two or three pieces that I ought to keep above all else, but then my collection would be quite small. I think I'm a type collector, but don't want to believe it. I have a money figure I'm hoping to reach as a goal, and I can sell a lot to get there, or just a few items. So I understand you not wanting to spend a lot of money for a player's card you don't like, and wanting to be happy with your collection.

In my case, I have a 1921 Ty Cobb exhibit. I collect Tris Speaker and I've chosen to keep his items; 1 item is the 1921 Speaker Exhibit. Ty Cobb would look awesome next to Speaker on the shelf. Especially if I could pick up a Speaker/Cobb type 1 photo. But I also collect Reds items, and I'd have to part with my most favorite Reds' items to match how much Cobb is worth in order to get to my ultimate goal.

Decisions decisions.

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[riggs336]

When I was 16 I hated everyone. Now I'm 74 and I love everyone. Collect everything forever and let your heirs sort of out.

[commishbob]

This has been discussed here a few times and my feelings have always been the same. As a set collector I buy the cards in the set, no matter who they depict. I'm not a Pete Rose fan and I'd rather not own cards of OJ Simpson and a few others, but I have cards of both in multiple sets.

Does it bug me to lay out cash for a card of someone I dislike? Sure. Last week I spent $50 on a '67 Rose and it wasn't nearly as much fun as buying the Clemente for example, but the alternative is an empty slot in the binder and then why collect the set at all?

[Bigdaddy]

There are some really good reprint cards out there. Maybe just spend a little scratch on a reprint and put it in your set.

An alternative would be to buy a lousy/altered/worn/marked up/trimmed copy of the card, and put it in your set. Maybe you could even find a copy of one where some kid drew a moustache on the player, or glasses, or ripped it in half. That way you've got the card that completes the set, but you've not spent nearly as much of your resources on the player. And in comparison to all the other cards, it would be a misfit.

And why do you hate Brooks so bad? He's really a nice guy, and a pretty good ballplayer to boot.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Bigdaddy

There are some really good reprint cards out there. Maybe just spend a little scratch on a reprint and put it in your set.

An alternative would be to buy a lousy/altered/worn/marked up/trimmed copy of the card, and put it in your set. Maybe you could even find a copy of one where some kid drew a moustache on the player, or glasses, or ripped it in half. That way you've got the card that completes the set, but you've not spent nearly as much of your resources on the player. And in comparison to all the other cards, it would be a misfit.

And why do you hate Brooks so bad? He's really a nice guy, and a pretty good ballplayer to boot.

I've always been a fan of the old "pencil jabbed through the eyes" especially if it's combined with other odd additions.

[uyu906]

LOL - about the Brooks comment.

I have thought about both of those ideas before.
Right now I have reprints or modern versions of the players cards in a few of my sets. I have thought about buying "Authentic" versions. Less expensive may be what makes it palatable to me.

Originally Posted by Bigdaddy

There are some really good reprint cards out there. Maybe just spend a little scratch on a reprint and put it in your set.

An alternative would be to buy a lousy/altered/worn/marked up/trimmed copy of the card, and put it in your set. Maybe you could even find a copy of one where some kid drew a moustache on the player, or glasses, or ripped it in half. That way you've got the card that completes the set, but you've not spent nearly as much of your resources on the player. And in comparison to all the other cards, it would be a misfit.

And why do you hate Brooks so bad? He's really a nice guy, and a pretty good ballplayer to boot.

[Empty77]

Originally Posted by commishbob

This has been discussed here a few times ... ... ... why collect the set at all?

Sort of this (granted, taken a bit out of context). My advice is to forget about set collecting entirely: come to the other side and become a player collector.

(much more fun and mostly eliminates your problem, unless your guy is on a LL card with the other guy, but at least in that scenario you have a much stronger justification to tell yourself).

[steve B]

All this just makes me wonder who, and why he's hated enough that people don't want to buy his cards...

[Gorditadogg]

If you don't like the guy don't buy his cards. It's your set, why be pissed off whenever you look at it?

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[Mike D.]

I like the “reprint” idea. You can even draw in a fake mustache if it makes you feel better!

[Jcosta19]

I dont collect sets, so I don't have any great advice.
However I do sympathize because I am such a huge yankees fan it pains me to buy anything Red Sox.

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[Seven]

The reprint idea that other's have mentioned is something I like. I'm not much of a set builder, so I can't definitively say how I would handle this. I will say though that over time my views on cards have certainly changed. For the longest time I didn't like the 53 Bowman Color Set or the 55 Bowman TV Stand Set and now I've warmed up to both of them.

At the end of the day, your collection is exactly that, your collection. If you don't want to add those cards you don't have to.

[Exhibitman]

if it is who i think it is, I did exactly the same thing, and i happen to like the team in question, i just (1) could not stand the smug jackholes who were fanboys of his and (2) thought his cards were way overpriced. I ended up capitulating and buying what I could afford several years ago and resigning myself to never owning his key card or his RC.

[hcv123]

You need to decide if honoring your hatred of said player and team by not purchasing any of his cards individually is a higher priority than finishing your sets.

An option - per your statement you have purchased groups with his card in it in the past and felt better about that, so maybe consider buying groups with his card in it for the ones you are missing and sell off the rest of the group!

The above presumes the issue has nothing to do with spending hundreds to thousands on a card.