Focusing your collection

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jwall22

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Have you ever had a problem finding a focus for your collection? Often we blame the plethora of products released by Upper Deck and I do find that to be a part of the problem. But often I find I want to collect vintage, of which has little to do with Upper Deck's release schedule, but have a difficult time deciding what and how. The same goes for modern cards, of course. I label myself a set collector, but would like to be a player collector. But the only hockey player I would collect (Wayne) is mostly out of my price range.

Do you ever have this problem? Do you collect multiple things at once, or do you collect one thing at a time? For example, do you finish one set before starting another? Or do you frequently start another set while a previous set remains in shambles? Are you indecisive about your player collecting?

I considered sharing the amount of times I've started and then stopped collecting something, but I figured you'd go blind from reading that much.
 
Yes, I definitely have this problem. I see a set I like a buy up a bunch in a short span, and then ask myself a week later why the heck I did it. I keep trying to tell myself to just focus on my player collection, but it never seems to work, and I still have not completed any sets!
 
I was that way, buying every goalie I could but have focused on Kari Lehtonen and on the side I'll get cards of others that I like(rarely) and I collect the BTP Mask cards.
 
About 7 months ago I decided to collect one player and one set...Makes things alot easier
 
jwall22 said:
Have you ever had a problem finding a focus for your collection?
Click to expand...

All the time!! I see so many cards that I like, I just keep buying them... and then a week or two later, think "gee, I should really focus my collecting..." but for now I guess I'll just keep picking up cards I really like, and figure out how it all fits together later...
 
For a long time I collected all things Lindros. I also tried to complete the SP Stars/Etoiles set. I came really close, but lost interest when the game used cards hit the market. Now I have scaled back to only Lindros multi-color memorabilia and autographed cards. I thought I wanted to go after Mike Modano autographed cards, and then Mike Modano 1999 All-Star game used cards, but in the end I have decided on Lindros and Lindros only. For me, it comes down to really having for something specific and staying focused on that. I have never once questioned obtaining a Lindros multi-color memorabilia or autographed piece for my collection.
 
I'm only working on my Original Six set, and any Blackhawk card that I like...I've found player collections (at least when I do them) get rather old. So if there's a player I like, I just go for a rookie, about 10 base cards, and a couple of jerseys/autos; I make mini-PCs haha.
 
I like having established priorities for my collecting, as it makes life easier when making want lists and being able to get the deals I want to make.
1. Carey Price.
1a. Josh Gorges.
2. The season's Canadiens RCs.
3. Shea Weber
4. New arrivals to the Habs & current roster.
5. When I'm putting it together, the Black Diamond set. If I pull a reversal of interest after finishing the set, I can then break it up and apply to parts 1-4.

There has been the odd time where I've strayed from that order of interest and given higher ranking to the lower stuff or even things that are off the board entirely, but I generally stay on topic.
 
I had the collection I wanted, going for all Shea Weber non 1/1's until he got better and better and slowly slipped out of my price range. Now I am sticking to rookie year and earlier.
 
I used to like ripping boxes and packs for fun, but then I hated the feeling of having all those base cards telling me to finish the set. Nowadays I just pick up a $40 or so card every once in a while when I feel like it. Also I've never felt like collecting anyone but the two guys I do collect so it's not like it would've been hard for me.

Maybe one day I will again bust some box and get the feeling 'hey, I have to build this set'. But for now I'm not really feeling like it.
 
I had this problem for much of my collecting years but now I am not as active in the hobby as I once was. I tried a player collection of Rick Nash but that fizzled out after a couple of years....glad it did because it started to feel like an obligation instead of being fun...Had 20 of his 30 rookie cards but I got tired of the cards being the same mass produced crap so I stopped. My focus now is to try and cut down my collection and only hold cards I really like....I enjoy the hobby so much more now.
 
jwall22 said:
Have you ever had a problem finding a focus for your collection?
Click to expand...

In short, yes!

jwall22 said:
Do you collect multiple things at once, or do you collect one thing at a time? For example, do you finish one set before starting another? Or do you frequently start another set while a previous set remains in shambles?
Click to expand...

Although I get quite alot of offers for various enforcer cards, I dont always take them as I could get into all sorts of problems, the main one being lack of focus. Having said that, if I do get offered a really nice piece I'll take it. In terms of players, I generally only collect;

Probert
Boogaard (rookie season only)
Lucic (rookie season only)
McCarty (as a Red Wing)
Dave Schultz (autos only)

As for sets;

Any enforcer set, STILL trying for the Fleer Throwbacks master set :|. Completed the ITG Tough Customers Superbox insert set.
 
I had that problem what I got back into the hobby. Took me a few months (and a few dollars not so wisely spent) to realized I need to focus.

I should focus again, since I collect a lot of things, but my plan si the following:

I am willing to buy the the following stuff:
- Quebec Nordiques cards I need
- Young Guns and some SPx RC
- RC and some GU and AU of Moncton Wildcats Alumnis
- RC and some GU and AU of Acadie-Bathurst Titan Alumnis

I ONLY TRADE for the following stuff
- Habs great and actual Habs RC, GU, AU and parallel
- SPx RC
- Parallels, GU and AU of Titan and Wildcats alumnis
- Anything Gretzky, Lemieux, Yzerman and Crosby.

I also buy some wax here and there and two or three boxes each years.

The way I do things makes it very hard for me to trade, but I don't know how, I managed to realized around 350 transactions in the last 2 years and a half. Not too bad!
 
I finally came to the conclusion that the player I wanted to collect was someone I always liked as far back as I can remember. So I started my Frank Mahovlich PC and back burnered my Sean Burke PC so to speak. I've decided not to chase parallels of either player which cuts down the checklists considerably. Collecting is definately more fun these days, I even pop the odd box now and then just for the sheer fun of doing so.
I also have a firm grip on the fact that this is a hobby and should be fun first and foremost.
Thanks.
Dan.
 
I had the problem of wanting everything from the time I started in the hobby. Back in the early 90's it wasnt so bad but now its just holy! I started to wisen up with age (my parents always said it would happen and I never believed them).

What I finally did was make a list for all four major sports starting with the year I was born and made a list of RC's from each year (player only) that I wanted in my collection. As well I have always had a liking to the Upper Deck regular sets so each year I make one complete set including all rookies. Much easier in football then hockey but still a nuisance to find everything as I stopped for about 5 years in the late 90's. I find this makes it easier for me to focus and then if I see something that I like along the way I go for it if I can. Its made me much saner in the long run.

Aaron
 
Not really. I have had the same football focus for 15+ years and started a hockey player PC and collect nothing else. Dabbled in a couple of sets to completion and that scratched that itch.
 
I finally "hit the wall" with my Parise collection, I used to collect every single thing he was on (and got pretty close), but have decided to focus a bit. Now I only collect his:

- 05-06 Rookie year/pre rookie cards
- 06-07 (2nd year cards), mainly since these is almost nothing high end and almost have everything already anyways
- base/inserts/jerseys/auto #d 100 or more, or unnumbered (champs, OPC blank back, victory black etc)
- all cards from OPC or Artifacts (mainly due to some hard rainbows completed)
- any odd piece I may like, 1of1s etc

This has eliminated some low #'d patch versions paralells etc that were hitting the wallet hard without any real personal attachment, which I am now slowly selling in order to pay for future card purchases. I've also collected way too many low end sets over the past three years and have convinced myself to stick to three this year, OPC S1&2 and one other mid-end set like SPA or Artifacts
 
If I did not know any better I would think I have ADHD... I have so many irons in the fire that it is just crazy... I think that I am beginning to narrow it down a bit and will put the rest of my cards on the trading block to finish up my main wants which are..

Boston Bruins (Mainly autos and GU trying to get more vintage and current players)
Portland Pirates - trying to get a card here and there... (my Bobby Ryan PC has pretty much stopped and now is in there)

Black Diamond set More than 2/3 way done.

SP Authentic set about 1/2 way done..

will pick ITG box's as the base is great for TTM and IP auto's. May switch away from BD and SPA for H&P and BTP
Like I said Can't make up my mind... :|:|:|

Bill
 
Seems like a lot of people have this problem. Focusing a collection on something specific without wasting money on a million random pieces seems to take a combination of experience and self control. I think I have the former and lack the latter.
 

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