Why do you collect baseball cards? What are your reasons for collecting baseball cards? Have you ever thought about it? If you’re like most collectors, you probably started as a kid, collecting just for the pure fun of it, and maybe for the piece of gum that came with Topps wax packs. Maybe you wanted to know the statistics of each player? In the days before the internet, this was one of the few ways to know exactly what stats each player had in his previous seasons and career.
Maybe you collected for the photos of the players? As action photos became more and more prominent on baseball cards, it was cool just to have a photo of one of your favorite players in action. How about the look and feel of the cards themselves? To have a piece of cardboard, which you owned, with the names, stats and photos of players you admired in your hands was just a joy for many collectors. To be able to search through the cards, to stack them up, and pin them up on your wall.
Having the sealed cards and wondering what was within that wrapped package, is kind of like having a wrapped present waiting under the tree for you to open. Just who is lurking behind that wrapping? Is it Mickey Mantle? Finally breaking the wax seal and looking for that particular player. The joy of finding them, or another top baseball player. The disappointment of finding a checklist, or common players, when you’re fervently searching for Don Mattingly or George Brett.
How about collecting cards as an investor? When you were younger, you probably checked the values of your cards in one of those paper baseball card value guides. Roger Clemens is up $1.00 from the last guide! Of course, you soon found out that you couldn’t sell your cards for the prices listed in those guides, even if you wanted to.
However, baseball cards have become an investment over time, just like art or coins. Just look at the investors of the T-206 Honus Wagner card. In February of 2007, the card sold for $2.35 million. The same card was bought for $1.26 million in 2000. How is that for a return on investment? If you’re knowledgeable about the sport, and you can buy the right card at the right price and at the right time, you can turn an investment in a baseball card into a profit for yourself.
Maybe you want to invest in certain cards, so you can generate the income later on to buy a particular big ticket item of a player you really covet? You could be buying and selling Albert Pujols cards, or Joba Chamberlain cards, to be able to generate enough income to finally buy that 1948 Bowman Warren Spahn rookie card you’ve been looking to add to your collection?
For me, personally, I collect for all these reasons. Baseball cards provide for me the joy of youth and owning a piece of major league baseball. They provide an excitement of finding that particular player, or that particular parallel card, hidden behind that card wrapping. The cards also provide an investment. The fact that the cards hold value to collectors, and that there is a market for these collectibles is exciting. You can purchase a card you thing will increase in value, hold it until it does, and then sell it to another investor or collector, who thinks the card will increase in value even further, or who wants the card for its inherit value to add to their own personal collection.
What are your reasons for collecting baseball cards? Have you ever given it thought?
Well as a Collector (although not of baseball cards) I’d have to say that for me it’s the excitement of the chase. I love the buzz if discovering some collection treasure and once I have it home and have a bit of a gloat, it goes into my collection and I’m focussed on the next treasure.
My Dad was a collector when I was little and I decided to get into it too. I love the idea of collecting my favourite teams and getting cards from my favourite teams. When I was in elementary school I even developed a baseball game using the cards as the lineup. My game was a scorecard and a couple of dice but it was cool to see the pictures fo the guys playing.
I just got back into collecting this last year for the first tiem in 10 years. I got back into it because I missed it and because I was intrigued with jersey and autograph cards. I have loved the internet and the trades I have been able to make. It’s a lot easier to find the cards you need now.
The buzz of discovering a great collectible is a great reason to collect, Karen. There are certainly many more opportunities to find those select collectibles, and in particular Jeff, those cards you need as you mentioned, via the internet.
When I was a kid I collected baseball cards, at least at first, to fit in with the other kids. Later it became about having a stake in the lives of the players.
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