Why Do We Love These Silly Cards So Much

I love baseball cards. I am really happy spending a decent amount of time most days that I am alive thinking about or dealing with baseball cards.

I think many of us share this. That's, like, why we're on here and stuff.

But what is it about such a seemingly simple and unexciting thing that makes it so enjoyable for us?

I have a long answer in mind but I will wait to hear other people's thoughts before I bore you with my own.

I love the Rockies. I love that they have a massive amount of fans in the western region. I love that no where else in the country cares about the Rockies at all. I love how affordable Rockies cards are compared to other players in the highly collected regions. That's a few reasons why I love my collection and collecting baseball cards in general. I also think the whole thrill of the hunt aspect is fun. Unfortunately most of the people on these boards only care about making the quick buck turning prospect cards - I don't think they ever truly get the joy of what collecting baseball cards is all about.

I am a die hard Yankee through and through!!! IMO, it's all in the live of the hobby. Some find stamps to be awesome, some collect bugs, my wife collects old school china....for me, it's the unconditional love of the sport, the hand held knowledge of each player at the palm of your hands, and well, it's the idea of knowing that I can take this thing I call a hobby or a collection and possibly pass it down to my daughter who will also enjoy it as much as I have.


Looking for Alex Rodriguez Cards, let me know!

Like baseball itself, alot of folks like me have a nostagalic feeling of yesteryear when checking/discussing/researching/trading and even selling my cards.

For intstance on All-Star Week:

One of my best early baseball memories involved an old-timers collage that they did for the 50th All-Star game with Paul Anka's "Time of your Life" in the background. In '88 my Dad really enjoyed his guy, Steinbach, taking my guy, Gooden out of the Park. Then 16 years later I held my 3 day old sun as we "watched" the '99 AS game together in the hospital.

My Dad and I don't talk about much, but baseball is always talked about in those conversations and we both still collect cards...

I like them for many reasons , but most of all to me it was my dad collected cards and he passed it down to me , But even after that the card became worth more to me as I got older Not in $$$$ But in a sense of owning a piece of the game a piece of history . I can not quit collecting , Love it . Richard EDIT: Who remembers Lights out at Candlestick (During the world Series) , I will never forget it .

I've been thinking about this lately since I started seeing a woman who, though she likes sports and is something of a collector as far as her own things go (I never thought one person could own so many pairs of fancy dress gloves or flip-flops), doesn't understand why I have have tens of thousands of baseball cards. There's the whole experience of childhood, learning about sports, the players, the history, the math, all the individual little facts that build up the backstory of growing up, at least for me. Then there's the visceral feelings, how a 2.5"x3.5" piece of cardboard just feels right in my hand, like 90 feet down the baseline is magically the right distance, when you I a pack of cards and slowly fan through them, especially in the olden days when the cards actually felt like something, and were made to be handled, rather than the stale, slick stock used mostly today, or the smell of them, which is definitely present on vintage sets. And the mental connections you make to a player, or an event, a game you attended or saw on TV, or time spent with your dad or, in my case, granddad, in learning and loving sports. The feelings of continuity, accumulation, pursuit, and completion are often quite strong in me when I get deep into studying my collection or contemplating a new project, and all of those are so tantalizingly close to satisfaction that it's hard to imagine not doing this. And, it's impossible to get around this today, the financial aspects can feel really good. Though I've spent far more on my collection than I could ever hope to recoup (unless Grady Sizemore goes bionic), when prospects pan out profitably, or you're able to make a favorable trade, or you just find a steal at a show and turn it into a juicy flip and parlay that into something really nice for your permanent collection is thrilling as well.

It takes me back to when I was younger. In trying to regain that joy and carefree lifestyle. I also want to have something my children can share with me and hopefully enjoy long after I'm gone. I mean dead not on vacation.

Rosebud

I was out of collecting for a long time and finally got back into it last September. I remembered right away why I enjoyed it so much growing up, it make you feel like a kid again. The thrill of opening packs searching for not only hits, but your favorite players is a joy. Everyone wants that massive hit when they open a pack or a box, but anytime I pull a Twins player in baseball or a Packers player in baseball. Sure, I'm like many others that will list or try to sell some stuff for some extra funds, but I put that right back into my collecting. But whether it is just collecting sets, player collections, or a good deal on a card, it keeps you interested and excited! Awesome post!

mudflap02 said:

Rosebud

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^^^^^

I was a big time collector/dealer from 1985 to 1997. Around 1994 or so, I wasn't a collector anymore, just a dealer. It became a second job that had over taken my life and full time job. I sold off everything I had except my Ripken/Larkin/Mattingly collection. I ignored the hobby until late 2011. Now, I only collect three players.

I am enjoying myself this time around, not making it a headache for me.

Fordman

I think of some cards as great works of art.

I got into collecting because my two best friends collected. I developed a liking of the Astros and while my friends ripped open packs, they gave me the Astros cards. They didn't have any need for them since they collected other guys. We all spent time together going to card shops and shows, and had the best time doing so. Then we grew older, and I moved away. I never stopped collecting. For me it was like a connection to my friends since they weren't nearby anymore. Now ten years later, I have moved back and found that I was the only one who kept it going strong. One of my friends is slowly getting back into it, and the other I think wants to. Soon I hope we can all go to another show together, just like old times.

We all have a connection to the game and the teams or players. The beauty of this hobby is we can use it to enhance that connection, and you can't do it wrong. You can collect who or how you want, there are no rules.

mudflap02 said:

Rosebud

Click to expand...

Nice indeed!

For our younger board members, this is a reference from "Citizen Kane".

Netflix it.

Thanks for all the great responses everyone.

I also collected when I was a kid. I also shared it with my Dad. But in my adult life I don't feel that nostalgia is a big part of my collecting.

There's a mental / puzzle / game aspect of it:
- spotting and finding bargains
- buying things that will appreciate in value
- finding a difficult piece to track down

And an organizational / OCD aspect of it:
- organizing and ordering and controlling something in this chaotic world
- maintaining mental databases of information and value (similar to baseball fandom)

And an aesthetic aspect of it:
- "curating" a collection that fits my evolving taste
- enjoying the artistic value in cards

There's a "lifestyle" aspect of it:
- social relationships in the hobby are very important for many folks. I am more of a loner type collector though, as so much of the rest of my life is social (career, family, etc), it's nice to have a break
- I enjoy taking trips to strange suburbs and hotels for shows and shops. Allows me to explore different parts of America than I do through my work and social life.

And finally the Hobby aspect of it:
- nothing can go wrong or be serious, there's no stress or pressure when dealing with cards

Anyways. It's definitely something particular to this culture, at this time. As a widespread cultural phenomenon, it started in my lifetime and probably won't outlive me. So it is quite an unusual situation really, that there is a group of us here that all derive such pleasure from such a simple and odd thing.

Cheers everyone

I do it because my wife hates it.

Lol

For me, it is just a nostalgia deal.

I don't even watch baseball anymore and hardly even know who is on the Angels anymore. I just like to collect cards and autographs of players I used to watch. I do this because it is a 100% escape from current life $hit and a way for me to pretend that I am back in a time when my biggest worry was whether to buy a Snickers bar or a pack of Topps at the corner shop.

If I am being completely honest, it is also a somewhat pathetic attempt to reconnect with family members and friends who have passed away, but with whom I always have a baseball card/youth connection.

I've always enjoyed collecting Baseball cards from 10 years old to now being 37...I really like the game used cards especially of the older vintage players such as Ruth, Mantle, Cobb, Clemente, & even the stars that I grew up with such as Mcgwire, Bonds, Griffey Jr. etc......Every time I touch one of their GU cards I get this overwhelming feeling that I'm holding a piece of real life history...& a million questions run through my head such as what game was this used in, what was the player thinking about this day other than the game, was it their favorite piece of whatever they used.....& so many more.....