Hobby Opinions and Stories!!

[jdthakid36]

I'm 23, almost 24..., and sometimes I get the impression that collecting sports cards and memorabilia is "childish". Well I'm the kind of person that doesn't care what people say or think, and I love this hobby more and more each day. I know there's a bunch of traders my age, younger, and older. It makes me happy, and motivates me when I see threads posted, and make trades with people here. No offense, but when I trade with a female, I always tell my wife, because I wish I could get her more involved....I know there are plenty of you who have the same thoughts and are the same as me, when it comes to age and opinions. I know there are traders older and younger than me, which I love also. In the newest Beckett they were saying how the hobby was advertising and promoting more to younger people, which I agree with! I just want to know what other traders think about this hobby, and how it's changed over the years...Also, since i'm 23, and I know there's people younger and older, I would love to read when and why some of you started collecting! Please share! Here is my story:

I was 7, I don't know exactly why I started collecting...My three cousins collected cards, one of which was 11 days younger than me...However, it was '89 Topps and Fleer I remember, and we used to lay them out on the hard wood floor and slide on them...it was fun, even though the Griffey RC's going to be worth a little! I started collecting in the hobby "low times"...Oh well, it was still fun, trading with my three cousins. Then when I was a few years older, I took care of them. I collected Nolan Ryan, and my G-ma looked at me as a "Nolan Ryan". I have looked up to him since I was a little kid, and I have now dedicated my collection to him...That's how it started, and it's grown for different reasons, and has gotten more fun to collect and trade over the years!!!

I'm sure there are plenty of you out there who have similar stories, experiences, and for some of you older collectors that "my mom threw my cards out"...lol. Honestly, I had some friends of my family say that their "mom's" threw their cards away!!! And they said they would've given them to me!!! I look forward to your comments and stories on this thread!! Thanks for reading, JOSH

 

[Eric Draven]

For me I was prolly around 5 when I started. My step dad has always been a coin collector and wanted to try something different, so he brought back a few boxes back like 93-94 Topps Basketball, Hoops, etc from those years 93-95. He always kept the full sets and gave me the leftovers and I actually finished some of the sets myself. But he quit doing that stuff after completing like 5 sets due to life I guess getting in the way....he was in the Army, and we did a lot of moving, etc!

So from those years I was doing that, then until we moved here(USA, we were in Germany) I stopped until I was about 14. Then I started back up doing some sets, like 96-97 UD3, SPx0, SP Authentic that stuff was the first time high end stuff got released, and I loved the designs, it got me back into collecting.

Then lo and behold a 7' 0" Forward/Center by the name of Dirk Nowitzki(You might of heard of him ) was drafted by the Bucks and traded to the Mavericks. I fell in love with his style of basketball, being such a great all around player at his height, it's like a guard in a 7 footers body, the way he runs the court, breaks through the defense, and creates plays. Since then I loved watching the Mavs and Dirk and collected his stuff all the time, I'm probably without a doubt the biggest dirk collector out there, and have the best dirk collection in the world. If you don't believe me check it out!

And recently within the last year I have decided to start collection Mavs stuff too, I try to pick up really rare auto cards of theirs and just cards of each player, and I try to pick up Jamaal Mashburn stuff as well. But on the site you can see what kind of mavs stuff I have as well even though I only got like 4 cards there too to my space available and I gotta add like 15 dirk cards within the next month. Also on that Mavs PC side aren't all the autos, gu, I have of Jason Terry, Devin Harris, Howard, Daniels. Or the 99-00 Sign of the Times Gold /25 Auto of Jerry Stackhouse, or the 99-00 Skybox Autographics Century Marks /50 Michael Finley which are both incoming!

Ultimate 41!

 

[jdthakid36]

That's cool that you are a super collector of Dirk. I'm not much on Pro Basketball these days, i'm a huge college basketball fan (Watching Duke games is a religion for me now...I don't miss them!). But I know Dirk, and he's awesome. He's really stepped his game up this postseason and shut some of critics up. 7 feet and the ability he has, nasty! But I enjoyed reading your reply and good luck with your collection! JOSH

 

[BravesFan4Life]

Started "collecting"(i use this term loosely) when i was 5 years old. First packs were some 90-91 Hoops and pulled 3 Jordans. Was so proud of them lol.

Continued buying stuff until i went into my gaming card phase during middle school. Came back to it big time after college started. Decided to start collecting a couple UNC players(I am a HUGE Tar Heel fan). Eventually picked up Topps Chrome and Topps Chrome Refractors. After that phase which ended about 6 month ago switched to Oscar Robertson(started reading his book and just thought he was a great man and player). Recently started doing Legends autos, GU and also pick up Braves stuff from time to time.

Seriously considering dumping everything but a few choice cards that I cant part with and just quit until im more financially stable or possibly for good.

Anyways, its been a fun 16 years with cards, could be another 20 more or another 20 days more, who knows lol.

 

[jdthakid36]

Tar Heel fan?!?! I'm a Duke fan...But it's ok, we split during the season...lol. I understand about he financial thing, i've gone through it a few times in my 16 years of collecting. If you get out for a little while, I hope you get back in again one day. Most collector's put it aside for a while...I did that a few times too. Thanks for the reply and good luck with which ever decision you make.

 

[Eric Draven]

No other stories guys? Come on this is a cool thread, I don't know why I didn't think of this lol

 

[dherm360]

I got hooked in 1977. I opened by first packs of cards at a Sentry Grocery store. I pulled a Brewer Charlie Moore---that card I thought was so cool, then I wanted to get all the Brewers. So I would get a couple packs here and there and then I almost had the entire set. Didnt care at that time about the Nolan Ryans, Pete Roses, I was looking for Sixto Lezcano, Bill Augestine and the squad.
Not until the David Robinson card come out did I even think about other sports.

I'm with everyone else, could be the last year or I could collect for ever dont really know.

 

[Eric Draven]

Dherm- Don't you wish you could go back in time now that you know their value, and try to get all the MJ Rookies as possible, and store them where they would stay in mint condition, until BGS grading came out?