The Future Of My Collection

With having quite a few medical bills (I am digging out of this hole slowly) I have cut my collecting purchases to a minimum and it has led me to re-evaluate my collection. Over the past few years I have made some changes, both large and small, and I have found that eliminating some of the things I collected made life easier. Since I began the blog in 2009 I have stopped working on set building, cut out a large portion of my non-discretionary purchases, stopped buying boxes/blasters/packs, donated a couple thousand cards and decided to set up primary and secondary collecting goals to keep my collection focused.

I think one thing that has helped greatly was that I set up a Want List in a Word document and if a card is not on that list I normally don’t purchase it. The list is fluid and does change, often, when I purchase a card or find a new card with the occasionally deduction. This list has helped me stay focused on my primary and secondary collections, which have also changed over the year.

The last few days I have been considering the future of my collection, it has been on my mind the last few months really. I had started “secret” PCs, these are personal collections I have not posted much about for whatever reason. For example, my Mariner Moose collection, I picked up a card or two here and there and before I realized it I had became a super collector purely by accident. Over the last year I had started PCing the 2013 Chrome Marshawn Lynch rainbow, Sheamus and Becky Lynch (Irish wrestlers), UFC Conor McGregor (Irish fighter), comic characters Rocket Raccoon, Ant-Man and Radioactive Man (The Simpsons guy).

I just sat down and whittled down my Want List and removed many of those secret PC collections. I will keep what I already have in binders or whatever is currently sitting in my COMC account but I removed any cards from the list that I was on the fence about. It felt good to delete card after card, shortening my list.

My primary PC is now only three athletes; Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner and Ryan Bader in addition to Manfred von Richthofen and sketch cards. Vintage cards (sports and non-sports), movie/comic autographs & relics, Mariner Moose and Rocket Raccoon are all secondary and everything else on my Want List is now “only if it is real cheap” type of cards. This means Steve Largent, Steve Kerr, Randy Couture, Seattle teams and University of Arizona team cards become a third level of collecting.

My Wants List is sitting at 2,049 cards but 1,517 are my Griffey wants, 172 Buhner wants and 93 Ryan Bader wants. So out of that 2,049 total cards 1,782 cards are for my PC guys so I think I have gotten the list under control. Plus with Bader moving to Bellator MMA Topps will not be including him in any future UFC releases which helps keep my list limited to just his past cards. 

In the future, I would also like to work out some trades to clear out some of the cards I have sitting in 5,000-ct boxes. I have roughly 20,000 cards in my collection and probably 15,000 are players, teams and sets that I do not collect. I am selling what I can on eBay and I also just sent my first submission to COMC so that clears out some cards but I have plenty more to go.

Since I can not close a post this long without showing something on cardboard here you go, a recent Griffey pickup:

Say What?

Topps Triple Threads sets have had some questionable quotes. Some just make you scratch your head trying to figure out the connection with the athlete and then there are some that leave you dumbfounded how they ever made it to the pack out phase.

This 2014 Topps UFC Knockout Ronda Rousey Triple Threads showed up last December. Chris Harris from Stale Gum wrote a post about it after the card sold on Decembers 11^th for $260. The design is definitely set up to fail from the get go.

Just a change in the fabric color that is used and the statement looks like something else.

Since that one has shown up four more copies have sold ranging from $200 to $350. By far the version that sold in December is the most offensive in appearance but Topps did what they could to make sure that once it was seen, it could not be unseen.

The Collector In Me

Last week I received an email from a reader asking me about my collecting history. Things like “How long?”, “What do I look for?”, “Do I have a center piece?’ and “What does collecting mean to me?” I did answer his questions but I decided that maybe I would get something on my blog to kind of open up a bit. 

 

This got me thinking because I have been collecting for decades and why I collect now is very different from why I started buying cards when I was 7 years old

 I started picking up cards in 1979 when I was 7 years old, I wouldn’t say that I was a collector at the time but more just being a kid. My family had just moved to Arizona and I would go up to the local Circle K with friends and we would pick up packs of basketball cards that were at the register. I didn’t have a favorite team or player at the time so we just traded cards for cards we thought looked cool. I still remember pulling a 1979 Topps Jack Sikma so I guess you could say that was the card that started the collector in me.

Over the next few years I would pick up packs here and there. Around this time I started liking the Phoenix Suns and the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks so I would trade for those teams.

In 1987 the NY Giants won the Super Bowl and they were my dad’s favorite football team so I started picking up 1987 Topps Football rack packs to put together a Giants team set for my dad. I ended up building the entire 1987 Topps football set, my first completed set, and when I presented my dad with the Giants team set he threw the cards in the trash and told me I wasted my money and time and he forbid me from buying sports cards ever again. Needless to say I stopped collecting that day.

In late 1992 when I was 20 years old and living in Seattle a couple of friends got caught up in Shaq mania after he was drafted by the Orlando Magic. They found out that his 1992-93 Stadium Club rookie was the card to get so I went with them to a card shop and ended up purchasing a few packs where I pulled an Alonzo Mourning rookie card. We went back in and I bought a couple of boxes and finally pulled some Shaq rookies which is why I selected that card as my Wallet card.

When the 1993 baseball season rolled around I started working on my Griffey collection when I pulled his card from the 1993 Stadium Club Series 2 before long I made my first major Griffey purchase when I bought a 1989 Upper Deck #1 from my LCS for $40. I lost the 1993 Stadium Club Griffey in "The Purge"  (See the next paragraph) and still have not replaced it.

The next couple of years I went on a major buying spree, running up my credit cards, but by 1997 my marriage was failing and my (now ex) wife took a large portion of my collection and threw it in the trash while I was at work, I call this "The Purge". Afterwards I had no interest in collecting, not to mention my collection was drastically reduced (I figured that she tossed roughly 75% of my Griffey collection away) and I didn’t want to re-purchase cards that I had previously owned, thus was born my collection of Ghost cards.

Between 1997 and 2000 I picked up the occasional pack here or there, at the time my collection was so small that I could easily fit it in to a 5,000-ct box with room to spare. After my son was born in 2000 I began collecting again, this was a fun time because relics and autographs were coming along and with so many different companies the designs were always so unique.

 

Now I focus mainly on my player collections of Ken Griffey Jr., Steve Kerr, Steve Largent and Ryan Bader. I have a secondary player/team collection consisting of Jay Buhner, Randy Couture, Seattle and Phoenix teams plus vintage cards and sketch cards.

 

 

What do I look for?

I look for cards and memorabilia that will fit within my collection, I do not buy anything simply to have it. There were times where I did purchase anything and everything related to Griffey or a favorite team but I like to keep my collection reasonable now so I have to fight the urge to add every action figure of a favorite player or a magazine with Steve Kerr on the cover.


Do I have a center piece?

I have added a number of items to my collection that could easily be considered a centerpiece but the one that has sentimental value to me is my autographed Ken Griffey Jr. bat that my wife gave me for Christmas about 12 years ago. It is a beautiful black Louisville Slugger C271 bat with a strong Griffey signature in silver pen ink.

 

 

What does collecting mean to me?

The reason I collect is because I love sports, growing up I played soccer, football, basketball and ran track. I felt that sports cards and memorabilia was a natural transition for me, I see the athletes on the television and I can hold their cards in my hand while watching. Now that I am a parent I have taught my kids to love sports too, even coaching their soccer teams, so when my son found a fondness for collecting it has bonded us together over something that goes back to my childhood.

A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned

Sometime last year I finally realized that when hunting down Griffey cards from a specific set or insert I like to watch the price of the complete set compared to the individual cards. You wouldn’t think about it but sometimes it is cheaper to get an entire set just for a single card. It may not be a ton of money saved but when you consider you are getting more cards for the same or similar price it kind of makes sense.

In just the last two weeks I have picked up 42 cards for close to what it would have cost me to purchase just the two cards that I wanted from these specific sets.

 

First card I was hunting is the 2000 Topps Tek Dramatek Performers Griffey #DP3 card. The lowest current price for the Griffey card is $3 BIN plus $3 shipping but I was able to pick up the entire 9-card insert set for $3.58 plus $2.22 shipping for a $0.20 savings plus 8 additional cards.

The second card I was looking for is the 1989 Topps Toys R Us Rookies Jay Buhner #5 card. The lowest price is a $2.50 BIN with free shipping. I was able to pick up the entire 33-card set for $3.00 with free shipping. I paid $0.50 more but I also got 32 additional cards.

 

OK, it isn’t “Extreme Couponing” but for an additional $0.30 I ended up with a lot more cards with the ability to sell or trade the additional cards to possibly end up making back all of my purchase price. I am a collector on a budget so really every penny saved is a penny that can later be used to pick up another card for my collection.

Cleaning Out The Cobwebs Of A Collection

Why is it that when something goes wrong it seems to come in bundles?

Earlier this year I decided to trim down my collection and focus only on players and teams that I like. My collection was just not centralized, too often I would pick up cards on a whim or if I liked a design I would buy cards even though I didn’t have an interest in any of the players. My collection was such a miss-match and it made organization a bit difficult.

 

So I decided to cut down my collection by trades or selling. I have worked a couple of trades but most of the cards that I have pulled from my collection have gone by way of sale. I haven’t sold anything on eBay in years and things have changed drastically but I jumped in with both feet a couple of months ago and have sold off around 40 cards so far and most deals have gone smoothly until a couple of weeks ago.

 

In the last 3 weeks I have opened three non-paying bidder cases with two more cases being opened tomorrow if I don’t receive payment and last week I had a card I was shipping out disappear out a USPS sorting facility in Iowa. These aren’t life altering issues but just a necessary frustration when dealing with selling cards in this way.

The NBA's Turn

After months of the NFL getting attention from the multiple domestic and child abuse cases the NBA has thrown their hat in to the ring. Today the NBA announced that Charlotte Hornets forward Jeff Taylor will be suspended for 24 games in response to his pleading guilty to domestic violence assault and now TMZ, verified by both Sports Illustrated and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that Houston’s Dwight Howard is being investigated by Georgia officials involving child abuse claims by the mother of his child.

 

Apparently the mother contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families in August when she found their 6-year old child with bruises and abrasions on his backside and legs. The child was examined by a doctor who concluded that the injuries are consistent with a medical diagnosis of physical abuse.

 

There is no question that Howard is a producer on the court but over the past few years he has left some collectors in the cold with his childish antics in Orlando that led to him leaving for LA. His one and done in LA didn’t do much for his image either but it now seems like he has settled in to his role in Houston and he is having another solid season. With the team built around him the Rockets are a playoff contender so if he ends up in hot water over these allegations the team will be sure to drop if he is suspended. Additionally, like Adrian Peterson, I would expect his card prices to drop drastically.

Some Things Will Never Be Explained

Following Eli Manning’s 5-INT day against the 49ers stunned NFL scientists have committed more of an effort in determining how Eli is the Manning with more Super Bowl wins. At this rate he may be looking at taking over QB duties for New York’s other semi-pro football team (not so sly dig at the NY Jets).

Sellers With High Shipping Fees

 

 

You know what really grinds my gears?

 

Finding the card you have been looking for at the right price and then see that the seller has an insane shipping cost that just blows the whole deal.

 

I visit eBay often searching for cards to add to my collection. I am a tightwad so I take every aspect of the auction in to consideration before making a purchase. I want the right card for the right price so when I come across someone who sells a card but tosses in a $6.00 shipping it irritates me. I know I don’t have to purchase the cards, which I don’t, but I just don’t get it. The only thing I can figure is that they are trying to make more money off of the shipping without increasing the price of the card.

 

If it is an international seller I can understand the reason for a higher price shipping. I have gotten cards from Europe and Asia and $4-6 is a reasonable international shipping cost but when we are talking about a seller in New York shipping within the U.S. using standard shipping it is insane.

 

I have been selling cards regularly over the last few months and I stick with $2.50 shipping on everything, which covers the $1.93 postage charge for a 3oz envelope, the .50 cents for the padded envelope and then a .07 cents for additional supplies (rigid top loader, penny sleeve, team bag, etc.).

A Good Day Collecting

I have never been able to complete a rainbow collection of any player, I think mainly because the only player that I collect that gets the full treatment is Ken Griffey Jr. and at that point his low numbered cards are going to be well outside of my price range.

 

I would love to do it because that is a huge accomplishment if you can put together all of the parallels, plates and autographs/relics than that is definitely something to be proud of to have in a collection. But when possible I am happy to help another collector with their goal of putting together a complete rainbow set. The other day I came across a collector who is local who is a 49er fan and was working on a Colin K. rainbow set from the 2013 Bowman release and he needed just the Gold Rainbow parallel #/75 to complete the set. We worked out a deal and he is one happy collector.

 

I have had some rough days the last few months and there are days where I wonder why I spend money on cards and I get a mental block and have trouble writings posts but when I come across another collector who is excited about finding a card it helps me a bit. It reminds me of the reasons why collecting can be fun.

Football Or Roger?

The other day the official logo of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will be in Russia, was unveiled by cosmonauts on the International Space Station. The logo is supposed to represent the “rich artistic tradition” of the country yet it made me think of one thing… Roger Smith from American Dad.

Can You Be Elite Without Proving It?

Apparently Jay Cutler is an elite QB, well at least according to Bears’ GM Phil Emery, something that does not sit very well with the legendary Bears’ linebacker Brian Urlacher. In January the Bears signed Cutler to a 7-year $126.7 million contract making him the highest paid QB this season for which he has responded with a 3-5 record. The other day Urlacher stated that Cutler is "Elite in salary only".

 

Emery responded by pointing out that Cutler is 59-53 lifetime (60-54 counting playoff games) and that alone should put him on the list of “Elite” quarterbacks. While his 60 wins puts him at the #14 rank of wins by active QBs, which is a nice position, it also puts him in the neighborhood of players like Carson Palmer, Matt Ryan, Michael Vick, Alex Smith and Matt Schaub. This particular neighborhood is a nice place to be but none of these guys own a Super Bowl Champion ring and I think that most people will agree that at least one Super Bowl Championship is required to be considered a top flight quarterback.

 

Personally I am with Urlacher on this one, Cutler is a decent quarterback who excels when he has solid producers around him but he can also loss a game on his own and he is nowhere near guys like Payton Manning, Brady, Brees, Roethlisberger or Rodgers. He is 31 years old and with a 7-year contract extension he has time to prove his worth but normally elite QBs show their ability early and get better with age where Cutler has not shown this type of growth and some may even say his best years are behind him.

 

This is a case where a GM and coach are trying to convince people (and themselves) that they didn't make a mistake with the contract extension in January. They can take to the media and say all they want but with this much money tied up, including $54 million guaranteed, over the next few years the team is going to have trouble bringing in talent and keep under the salary cap.

My Week In Cards

The week started with an email from Tracy Hackler, more on that next week

Today while running errands I hit Walmart and checked out the card section, nothing really caught my attention. As I was leaving the store I stopped and watched a pack searcher do evil and vile things to a stack of rack packs. The kind of things that would have gotten him suspended 6 games in the NFL or half a game suspension in college. I don’t mind people poking around packs and all but this guy was bending the packs to the point where you know cards were being damaged.

 

I have been pretty fortunate that in my 14 years on eBay I have only had one non-paying bidder that was until last week when I had two non-paying bidders in two days. One finally paid after 5 days, multiple emails and a threat I would report him as a non-paying bidder. The other took 7 days, multiple emails and I did report him as a non-paying bidder.

 

Another thing that can be frustrating about the Bay is that prices fluctuate daily, sometimes drastically. I posted up an auction of a lot of four 2008 Topps Moments & Milestones Mickey Mantle cards (#/150), similar cards had been selling from $2-5 each the previous two weeks, I figured if I got $4 for them I would be happy. The lot sold for $2.47, bummer. Not a major lose but it gets you wondering if your higher value cards are going to sell at a reasonable price.

 

Some sellers can  have 100% feedback but that doesn’t mean they are not shitty sellers. I bought two cards using the BIN today before I realized they were the same seller so I emailed him and asked if he could combine shipping after the sale and refund me the difference, a reasonable request. He responded with basically “tough shit”. He said that since I bought them separately he was charged the fee by Paypal already and that he was forced to ship the cards separately. This is a guy who has been on eBay longer than me and has over 17k feedback. I know it can be done because I did it two days ago when a buyer won two of my auctions a couple of hours apart and paid for them separately. I just went in to Paypal and issued a refund of the additional shipping, which Paypal refunded me the fee on the shipping cost, and then printed out one shipping label in eBay by checking both auctions and selected to “Print Shipping Label” and it combined them in to one shipment. If keeping $2 extra in their pocket is so important to this seller they have lost me as a future customer.

 

Some recent pickups

 

An addition to my Seahawks collection, ignoring the fact that he isn't in a Seahawks uniform. Eventually I would like to add his 2014 Bowman card with him in a Texas Rangers uniform but there is no way I am paying what they are going for now ($50+)

 

A wonderful addition to my Griffey collection, this 1996 Select card depicts probably the most famous play in Mariners history. What is now know as "The Double" which propelled the Mariners in to the 1995 ALCS.

 

 

 

 

I am listening to Queen/David Bowie’s Under Pressure right now, easily my favorite Queen song.