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Figured to get a couple Brewers guys back to back, with their hot start. This week, it's hive17, aka Matt. If you have any Robin Yount's, he'd definitely be the fella to hit up !
Thanks again for taking the time to do this, Matt !
Matt Tracy, 34. I used to collect comic books as a teenager and I still have a problem buying baseball hats. I travel around the country a lot for training, and I like to pick up a cap of one of the local teams in the area as a souvenir. Unfortunately, that means I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 baseball caps (most are Brewers/Wisconsin Badgers though)
1) When did you start collecting _______ and why do you collect ______ ?
I started collecting when I was a kid in about 1990-1991. It was the hey-day of over-production, but my brothers and I went through about 3 years of asking for cards (baseball and football) for Christmas and birthdays. I stopped in about 1992/93 and switched to comics and then the Todd McFarlane 'Spawn' toys. I also had about 75 of those. In 2000 I started collecting again for some reason. Part of it was being in college and staying up late and getting hyped by non-other than Don West. I didn't buy too much and finally did my research. But the best I had to show from that time was a Tom Brady Bowman Chrome I lucked upon. I stopped again a year later. My final foray into collecting (and the period I'm still in) started up again in 2005 after getting home from a deployment. I went into my mother's basement and purposely dug up that Tom Brady card I KNEW was down there. But I also started opening 2005 Topps Chrome baseball. I pulled a Nate Scheirholtz Black refractor auto from a retail blaster and never really looked back. I learned what was out there in the collecting world and began to focus on Robin Yount (he had all these cool cards with, like, jersey pieces and autographs on them!!).
2) What was the turning point in your collecting ____ ? What put you over the edge and made you completely focus on ______ ?
When I finally got a full-time job with the Wisconsin National Guard and had a bunch of disposable income as a 26-year-old, I started going after Yount stuff. I also had joined the old BMB, so I also learned about the art of prospecting. I was bad at that, but I still did it. I still try and do it now. But I figured I had the means to really go after all the Yount cards I wanted. Now that I'm married and have kids, I have to budget (plus, rent isn't just $250/month anymore), but I still try and do my best to get some of the better Yount cards that come available.
3) What has been the high point in collecting ______ ? The low point ?
The high point in my Yount collecting is, honestly, this; having my effort recognized and appreciated. I had always just done it for my own sense of pride, and I didn't really seek validation, but I'm not going to lie, it feels good :smile:
The low point, as many on FCB know, was when I had a break-in at my house and the intruders made off with a sizable chunk of my trading collection. For some reason, they didn't look in the monster boxes that held my Yount stuff, so aside from a few cards I had sitting out on my computer desk to be scanned, they didn't get anything much of my Yount stuff. And as it turns out (with a little help from Sam Banks, AKA, Super Mario), my stuff turned up on eBay and the seller claimed he got them from a Craigslist ad. True or not, he willingly turned them over to the cops and I got 95% of everything back.
4) What deal did you have slip through the cracks, that you regret ? Why didn't it work out ?
Early on, someone offered me the dual 3000 Hit Club "Pieces of History" Young/Brett dual jersey for $45. I passed because the market for jersey cards was crashing, I didn't know enough about that set (or could learn, since there were no completed listings on eBay because, duh, the card was that rare and collected), and I thought $45 was too high. Turns out, that's about 40% of what that card sells for (I know, since I've had to buy it since).
5) What's your favorite piece / card in your collection ? Why ?
My favorite piece will always be my 2005 Absolute Update ToTT Yount Logoman. It's cool factor is obvious, as it's easily the best Yount card anyone can have from possibly THE greatest gu set ever released. But it was also me getting my original white whale out of the way rather early in my focused collecting career. I've since obtained a bat barrel name plate and 2 knobs and other cool stuff, but that logoman will always stand out.
6) What's your wife / significant other / family think of your obsession (or collecting) for ______ ?
My wife appreciates the fact that I really just collect Yount & a few Brewers (I have a decent Gallardo collection as well), and that I don't try and buy everything under the sun (she'd view that as a waste). She gets the fever for wax every once and a while when I include her in the break. We just popped 2 jumbo Bowman boxes and she told me the next day that she was thinking about it all day while she was sitting at home with our new baby. She can also get annoyed by it; like if I "can't" occupy the kids because I have to run downstairs and scan and sort and list a bunch of cards.
7) What's your white whale or just a card you can't seemingly track down or acquire ?
I addressed it earlier, but I have basically achieved my white whale hunt. There is one other piece that I would like, but it won't be the pinnacle of the collection. I still need the Yount/Brett dual auto/GU #/10 from the UD PoH 3000 Hit Club. I forget who on the board has one, but he isn't going to let it go (and he really shouldn't). I have the credit card standing by if that bad boy ever shows up again (doubtful). I guess I would also like to add a Yount GU button card. Only a few were made, but Gypsy Queen or some other release may include one in the future.
8) Have you met the player you collect and what was the experience like ? (For set collectors, it'd be asking about meeting other set collector's of said set and having discussions with them).
I haven't officially met Robin Yount, but I've said "hello" twice. The last time was during the 2011 NLDS in Milwaukee. He was there to throw out the first pitch and I was there doing event security. I was walking down in the tunnels and he was going into the locker room. I said hi, but it’s kind of a faux pas to chat up the VIPs when you're just there to do a job.
9) What is your biggest pet peeve about collecting ______ ?
My biggest pet peeve WAS the fact that Yount hadn't signed anything new for Topps since 2008. He had a few stickers in 2009 stuff (which he had probably signed the year before), but nothing new. There was some nice 2009 Upper Deck stuff, but that ended too. Not until this year's Tribute did I have another MLB-licensed autograph card to go after. I have never been a fan of the "All-the-Tops-of-Your-Heads-Cut-Off" releases from Panini. But it also belies another problem I have with the hobby, which is Topps exclusivity. I screwed me over for half a decade when Yount didn't sign for Topps.
10) How have forums / eBay / COMC helped your collecting of _____ ? How have they hurt ?
They have helped me learn the difference between value and sale price. I used to pay the dumb prices that people would ask without doing any research. No longer. Plus, I've made some very good personal connections here and there have been dozens of times when someone would PM me with a link to a card I may not have seen or knew I would like.
The only way they've hurt me is in the wallet. But that's still a self-inflicted wound.
11) How much competition do you face in your collecting of _____ ? How often do you check forums / auction sites for your player ?
It seems to me that the competition stepped up not long into 2008 for some unknown reason. I was cruising along, buying jersey and autographed cards at pretty average prices. Then, I noticed a 25%-35% increase in prices for no reason. I never figured it out. Maybe it had something to do with Yount's fans in my age bracket, people who considered him an idol as a kid, finally getting careers and having real money to blow on stuff. I check eBay pretty regularly now; and there is a guy who has been selling a massive Yount stock-pile for years & he emails me when he puts new stuff up on eBay.
12) Any thoughts of ever giving up the collection ?
Not really. Stopping and giving up are different to me. Giving up would be getting rid of everything. I don't think I would sell unless the family really needed the money, and that wouldn't be giving up. I might stop if the market got flooded and I didn't feel like I could keep up. As much as I complain about the lean periods from 2009-2014 for new Yount stuff, it probably allowed me to make some head-way on the old stuff.
13) How has the generosity of FCB'ers or other forum / site members helped your collection ? Elaborate.
2 instances really stick out. Not long after my break-in, I received a care package from a bunch of members that was brimming with Brewers stuff. It was a great moment in the history of the boards for me, and I still have everything they sent me. I'll never get rid of any of that stuff either.
The second instance was when our own Brett Keith PM'd me and told me about a deal he bought up on eBay via BIN. There was a 2005 UD Heroes 1/1 GU-autograph that was listed at a steal of a BIN price. Brett bought it and immediately sent me a PM, saying he would sell it to me for what he paid. It was a great gesture and allowed me to get a great card for a great price from a set that I really like.
And then just a general wrap up, like an acceptance speech.
I'd just like to reiterate the honor I feel in being asked to talk about my Yount collection. I love the feedback that I get when I post a big mail-day scan or get in a new rare Yount. The members here seem genuinely happy and excited for my success, and that's the best feeling you can ask for when you're showing off something that fills you with a sense of pride.
Thanks again for taking the time to do this, Matt !
Matt Tracy, 34. I used to collect comic books as a teenager and I still have a problem buying baseball hats. I travel around the country a lot for training, and I like to pick up a cap of one of the local teams in the area as a souvenir. Unfortunately, that means I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 baseball caps (most are Brewers/Wisconsin Badgers though)
1) When did you start collecting _______ and why do you collect ______ ?
I started collecting when I was a kid in about 1990-1991. It was the hey-day of over-production, but my brothers and I went through about 3 years of asking for cards (baseball and football) for Christmas and birthdays. I stopped in about 1992/93 and switched to comics and then the Todd McFarlane 'Spawn' toys. I also had about 75 of those. In 2000 I started collecting again for some reason. Part of it was being in college and staying up late and getting hyped by non-other than Don West. I didn't buy too much and finally did my research. But the best I had to show from that time was a Tom Brady Bowman Chrome I lucked upon. I stopped again a year later. My final foray into collecting (and the period I'm still in) started up again in 2005 after getting home from a deployment. I went into my mother's basement and purposely dug up that Tom Brady card I KNEW was down there. But I also started opening 2005 Topps Chrome baseball. I pulled a Nate Scheirholtz Black refractor auto from a retail blaster and never really looked back. I learned what was out there in the collecting world and began to focus on Robin Yount (he had all these cool cards with, like, jersey pieces and autographs on them!!).
2) What was the turning point in your collecting ____ ? What put you over the edge and made you completely focus on ______ ?
When I finally got a full-time job with the Wisconsin National Guard and had a bunch of disposable income as a 26-year-old, I started going after Yount stuff. I also had joined the old BMB, so I also learned about the art of prospecting. I was bad at that, but I still did it. I still try and do it now. But I figured I had the means to really go after all the Yount cards I wanted. Now that I'm married and have kids, I have to budget (plus, rent isn't just $250/month anymore), but I still try and do my best to get some of the better Yount cards that come available.
3) What has been the high point in collecting ______ ? The low point ?
The high point in my Yount collecting is, honestly, this; having my effort recognized and appreciated. I had always just done it for my own sense of pride, and I didn't really seek validation, but I'm not going to lie, it feels good :smile:
The low point, as many on FCB know, was when I had a break-in at my house and the intruders made off with a sizable chunk of my trading collection. For some reason, they didn't look in the monster boxes that held my Yount stuff, so aside from a few cards I had sitting out on my computer desk to be scanned, they didn't get anything much of my Yount stuff. And as it turns out (with a little help from Sam Banks, AKA, Super Mario), my stuff turned up on eBay and the seller claimed he got them from a Craigslist ad. True or not, he willingly turned them over to the cops and I got 95% of everything back.
4) What deal did you have slip through the cracks, that you regret ? Why didn't it work out ?
Early on, someone offered me the dual 3000 Hit Club "Pieces of History" Young/Brett dual jersey for $45. I passed because the market for jersey cards was crashing, I didn't know enough about that set (or could learn, since there were no completed listings on eBay because, duh, the card was that rare and collected), and I thought $45 was too high. Turns out, that's about 40% of what that card sells for (I know, since I've had to buy it since).
5) What's your favorite piece / card in your collection ? Why ?
My favorite piece will always be my 2005 Absolute Update ToTT Yount Logoman. It's cool factor is obvious, as it's easily the best Yount card anyone can have from possibly THE greatest gu set ever released. But it was also me getting my original white whale out of the way rather early in my focused collecting career. I've since obtained a bat barrel name plate and 2 knobs and other cool stuff, but that logoman will always stand out.
6) What's your wife / significant other / family think of your obsession (or collecting) for ______ ?
My wife appreciates the fact that I really just collect Yount & a few Brewers (I have a decent Gallardo collection as well), and that I don't try and buy everything under the sun (she'd view that as a waste). She gets the fever for wax every once and a while when I include her in the break. We just popped 2 jumbo Bowman boxes and she told me the next day that she was thinking about it all day while she was sitting at home with our new baby. She can also get annoyed by it; like if I "can't" occupy the kids because I have to run downstairs and scan and sort and list a bunch of cards.
7) What's your white whale or just a card you can't seemingly track down or acquire ?
I addressed it earlier, but I have basically achieved my white whale hunt. There is one other piece that I would like, but it won't be the pinnacle of the collection. I still need the Yount/Brett dual auto/GU #/10 from the UD PoH 3000 Hit Club. I forget who on the board has one, but he isn't going to let it go (and he really shouldn't). I have the credit card standing by if that bad boy ever shows up again (doubtful). I guess I would also like to add a Yount GU button card. Only a few were made, but Gypsy Queen or some other release may include one in the future.
8) Have you met the player you collect and what was the experience like ? (For set collectors, it'd be asking about meeting other set collector's of said set and having discussions with them).
I haven't officially met Robin Yount, but I've said "hello" twice. The last time was during the 2011 NLDS in Milwaukee. He was there to throw out the first pitch and I was there doing event security. I was walking down in the tunnels and he was going into the locker room. I said hi, but it’s kind of a faux pas to chat up the VIPs when you're just there to do a job.
9) What is your biggest pet peeve about collecting ______ ?
My biggest pet peeve WAS the fact that Yount hadn't signed anything new for Topps since 2008. He had a few stickers in 2009 stuff (which he had probably signed the year before), but nothing new. There was some nice 2009 Upper Deck stuff, but that ended too. Not until this year's Tribute did I have another MLB-licensed autograph card to go after. I have never been a fan of the "All-the-Tops-of-Your-Heads-Cut-Off" releases from Panini. But it also belies another problem I have with the hobby, which is Topps exclusivity. I screwed me over for half a decade when Yount didn't sign for Topps.
10) How have forums / eBay / COMC helped your collecting of _____ ? How have they hurt ?
They have helped me learn the difference between value and sale price. I used to pay the dumb prices that people would ask without doing any research. No longer. Plus, I've made some very good personal connections here and there have been dozens of times when someone would PM me with a link to a card I may not have seen or knew I would like.
The only way they've hurt me is in the wallet. But that's still a self-inflicted wound.
11) How much competition do you face in your collecting of _____ ? How often do you check forums / auction sites for your player ?
It seems to me that the competition stepped up not long into 2008 for some unknown reason. I was cruising along, buying jersey and autographed cards at pretty average prices. Then, I noticed a 25%-35% increase in prices for no reason. I never figured it out. Maybe it had something to do with Yount's fans in my age bracket, people who considered him an idol as a kid, finally getting careers and having real money to blow on stuff. I check eBay pretty regularly now; and there is a guy who has been selling a massive Yount stock-pile for years & he emails me when he puts new stuff up on eBay.
12) Any thoughts of ever giving up the collection ?
Not really. Stopping and giving up are different to me. Giving up would be getting rid of everything. I don't think I would sell unless the family really needed the money, and that wouldn't be giving up. I might stop if the market got flooded and I didn't feel like I could keep up. As much as I complain about the lean periods from 2009-2014 for new Yount stuff, it probably allowed me to make some head-way on the old stuff.
13) How has the generosity of FCB'ers or other forum / site members helped your collection ? Elaborate.
2 instances really stick out. Not long after my break-in, I received a care package from a bunch of members that was brimming with Brewers stuff. It was a great moment in the history of the boards for me, and I still have everything they sent me. I'll never get rid of any of that stuff either.
The second instance was when our own Brett Keith PM'd me and told me about a deal he bought up on eBay via BIN. There was a 2005 UD Heroes 1/1 GU-autograph that was listed at a steal of a BIN price. Brett bought it and immediately sent me a PM, saying he would sell it to me for what he paid. It was a great gesture and allowed me to get a great card for a great price from a set that I really like.
And then just a general wrap up, like an acceptance speech.
I'd just like to reiterate the honor I feel in being asked to talk about my Yount collection. I love the feedback that I get when I post a big mail-day scan or get in a new rare Yount. The members here seem genuinely happy and excited for my success, and that's the best feeling you can ask for when you're showing off something that fills you with a sense of pride.
