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mouschi
Featured Contributor, Bridging the Gap, Senior Mem
- May 18, 2012
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To say a lot has transpired over the past couple of weeks would be a vast understatement.* To make a long story short, (trust me, the long story is below!)
1)**I have decided to quit collecting Jose Canseco baseball cards (Video of the explanation is below).
2) I'm selling my collection.
3)* I'm writing a book about my hobby experiences.**Please let me know if you are interested in reading it!
While I fully understand most of you will not care a lick about this, I also know some folks out there would like to know why.* Plus, I feel like I owe it to everyone to share the wild ride of it all.* I'd be thrilled if you had the time to read the story of my journey.
Allow me to start at the beginning.**
As a "pseudo card dealer", I*have bought and sold*approximately 10 million cards over the past decade.* While the number may sound impressive, please keep in mind the vast majority of them were junk wax commons.* Even still,*10,000,000 is huge ... to me, anyway.* Back in 2013, I ended up selling out everything I had, except for my childhood Jose Canseco baseball card collection.* Because*there was nothing "special" about it, I ended selling it too - it was very base heavy, with tons of doubles.* After it sold, I started asking myself "what if I did this right?"* I started picking up an Artist's Proof here, a First Day issue there, a couple of refractors, etc.* Soon, I started getting several game used Canseco cards and happily marked off parallels that I had never before held in my hand.
I had such a blast marking them off in my checklist, taking pictures of mail days and posting them online for you to see.* Heck, even the evolution of my checklist was rewarding - from MS Word, to Excel to an online document eventually to a full blown custom website.* While this was the most serious I had taken my collection ever in my life, I wasn't about to claim that there was anything special about it.* Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought my collection would have*grown to what it is.* Here is an excerpt from an article I wrote at the end of 2013:
Within two years of the time I wrote this, I had hung out with Canseco at his house, landed the cover of Beckett and had a special NSCC promo card made of the cover I was on.* Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that could have happened.
Later on in the next year (after I wrote that article), I started picking up steam with my collection,*but it wasn't until 2015 (shortly after I was at Jose's house) that I landed my first true 1/1 I ever picked up to my recollection:* a 2015 Topps TEK* Black Rainbow:
I*even remember where I was - at a stop light on my way to church to pick up our son from Youth Group.* The seller spelled his name wrong - "Conseco" and I was the first on the scene.* With a few clicks, I was the proud owner of a 1/1 Jose Conseco ... errr ... Canseco
* I was elated to have finally beaten all of the other big Canseco collectors.* Man, I have so many stories for each and every one of my cards.* I love it!It was all down hill from there.
To understand my collecting habits, you have to know me.* I went into this thinking I would be able to keep it casual, but that just isn't my style.* I poured myself into it.* When all was said and done, I amassed 230 1/1 Jose Canseco cards and 1,000 unique game used / autograph cards.* Here is a screen shot from an article I had written a few months back:
Perhaps some of the beloved items in my collection that I would place just as high (if not higher) than the 1/1's are the plethora of proofs, prototypes, and other cards that aren't supposed to exist.* I remember when I first saw these 1992 Ultra boardroom prototypes. I was instantly hooked.
Or these Fleer bankruptcy paper proofs that aren't supposed to exist.* My gosh, I heard angels singing when I saw these.
With over 5,000 unique items, inside of three years of serious hardcore collecting, I went from having virtually nothing, to assembling the #1 largest unique Jose Canseco baseball card collection on the planet.* I am proud, grateful and ashamed all at the same time, but more on that later.
HOW I DID IT
To become a supercollector, you may automatically think of someone who is absolutely obsessed with a certain player, and has limitless funds.* While I'm sure both would definitely have their merits if supercollecting is your goal, I went about it a different way.**I would say my main ally was passion.* I *LOVE* this hobby.* More than I should.* I spent a tremendous amount of time making fun graphics and shooting them all over social media.* Things like this:
Or this:
Or even this:
Heck, I'd even enlist the help of Disney
Even Trump and Obama lent a helping hand.* Thanks guys
It's completely normal to morph yourself into your favorite player, right?
Even sharing my successes got a graphic:
After writing my heart out, making graphics (which weren't JUST for marketing purposes ... I truly loved the art of it all), hanging out with Jose at his house & being on the cover of Beckett, multiple radio / internet interviews from Beckett, Topps, Blowout and Sports Collectors Daily,*I started being offered Canseco cards by multiple people on a daily basis.* At some point, I started routinely getting called out on video by the breakers themselves when a high end Canseco was hit.* People would write me and say "I was just called the Tanner Jones of Don Mattingly collecting!" or similar.* It got to a point where it seemed like 4 out of 5 "important" cards would be offered to me before ever seeing the open market.* If they hit the open market?* No problem at all.* I would be the first one to see it, and either purchase or start negotiations well before anyone else had a chance to see it.* The only way I'd miss a reasonably priced card I needed is if it were set to go to auction and went*for higher than I'd want to pay.
Check out this listing someone posted the other day - they put my name in the title, and that isn't the first time it has happened!
Many people wrote*to me saying how I am an inspiration to them on either a daily or weekly basis.* This was all so very flattering, but also very disconcerting.* I*truly hope I do not sound like I'm bragging, because that isn't the case.* I*am*writing*out all of these things to be a cautionary tale for you, in addition to documenting my story.**Over the course of the past few years, I've noticed an epidemic of people saying they*were hiding their "epic mail days" from their wives, and even experienced the destruction of a marriage that was made very public on social media - it wasn't the only divorce I've heard of due to sports cards, either.* And that doesn't even get into the potential other relationship issues this type of "cardboard addiction" that can happen between a husband and wife.
To think that I may have had a hand in such things is terrifying to me.* While I have a tremendous amount of gratitude for all of you who have gone out of your way for me to land the best Canseco cards out there, I have a legitimate concern that my example / lifestyle has been leading some down the wrong path.* If I have had any part (directly or indirectly) in directing you toward a negative path, I sincerely apologize.* Collecting baseball cards and directing others to collect baseball cards is not my mission in life.* My mission in life is to glorify God.**As a Christian, I believe this takes many forms.* From leading others into a relationship with Jesus to making disciples of the nations, to feeding and clothing the poor, to loving and caring for your family.* I have found that obsessively collecting can almost be the antithesis of all these things I hold so dearly.* I have probably had more fun than anyone else in this hobby of ours, but I deeply regret if my passion has rubbed off*negatively on any one of you in taking this too far.* As with anything in life, there is such thing as too much of a good thing.*A bowl of ice cream is a blessing; 10 bowls of ice cream is diabetes.
MY LARGEST ACQUISITION EVER?
So, onward with my story...
I was constantly being told that I had the most impressive and complete baseball card collection of any player collection out there for anyone.* I never sought out to become the best or most well known; I think that any perception my fellow collectors had of me was all a byproduct of my extreme passion for our hobby.* As the 1/1's, /5's, /10's and prototypes continually rolled in, it almost seemed like an old hat.* I thought back to my excitement of that first 1/1 Tek I landed at the stoplight on the way to church a few short years ago.* My excitement had not really died down; I just felt more accustomed to it, I guess.* There just didn't seem to be anything else big out there to accomplish.
As a supercollector, you are always looking for the next "high".* At this point in my collecting career, I felt like I had nothing else big to accomplish.* After making it to the pinnacle of your collecting niche, where do you go?*** I had to face the facts:* everything else from here on out would just be a slow burn of acquisitions as the card companies would release more new material.
Then, I got to thinking.* What would be the biggest thing I could do with my collection?**
Over the past couple of months, I had been in talks with*the supercollector I mentioned in the screenshot at the beginning of this article about acquiring his entire collection.* *AJ has spent a decade meticulously putting together a world class Canseco collection far before I started.* *I have spent years drooling over cards he had that I knew I would never be able to touch.* Over the years, we have gone from collecting competitors, to frenemies, to friends.* I can safely say that outside of my own collection, there is nobody else's collection out there that I would rather have than his.* This is no small feat either, because there are some amazing collections out there of Canseco.
Recently, our talks became serious and ended up becoming a plan.* I was going to do it.* The plan was to fly up north to make the largest*purchase I had ever made, outside of*a house.* Visions of 80 or so 1/1's were dancing in my head, and all told would put about 200 cards that I didn't have in my collection.* I would then end up selling off and trading away the doubles for others I did not yet have.
Guys, I cannot stress how big this was to me.* It kept me up at night dreaming and planning.**Simply put, this hobby could not offer me anything better.* Think about all of the vintage "finds" over the past several years.* You know the kind - the ones where a guy was rehabbing a house and found a bunch of beautiful tobacco cards worth tons of money.* Or Mr. Mint's purchase of all those beautiful 1952 Topps cards.* To me, this was my find, and it wouldn't be anymore exciting to me than if they were all tobacco cards.* I want to be clear here with what I'm saying:* Rare Jose Canseco cards meant MUCH more to me (as they do with a handful of other guys) than any Babe Ruth bat knob or Ty Cobb cut auto ever could.* This to me, was the jackpot.* The deal of a lifetime.* It is important to note that AJ never intended to sell his collection.* He just felt that based upon my position, that it made sense to move them to me.* We had done a deal a while back where he purchased a few cards from me and in return, he swore off buying any new 1/1's from that point on.* That may have made the thought of him selling to me more palatable.
I had discussed this with*my wife a number of times, and while not thrilled, she*said*ultimately it was up to me to decide (YES!!!! Here I come, AJ!)* I had one last discussion with her the night before I was considering purchasing a plane ticket ... and guys ... let me tell you.* I cannot tell you how excited I was to document everything in pictures and write up an article of the whole thing.**Every last piece of it was absolutely incredibly exciting.* Oh, the nights I would stay up writing, documenting, taking pictures of my newest cards, etc.* The fulfillment of posting them on social media and displaying them on my website.* The Youtube video reveals.* It would be pure, unadulterated*joy.* True satisfaction.* The biggest high at this point that I could ever have collecting cardboard.
The discussion with her went similarly to the previous conversations we had.* She was not feeling the love of the collection like I was, but said if I was praying about it and felt God was okay with it, then she was okay.* The stars were aligned and the doors were all opened.* The problem?* I had this nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right.* Like something was tugging on my conscience to pay attention to the still small little voice.* I may have heard it before regarding this subject, but perhaps I just wasn't ready to listen ... or didn't want to.
I can't quite explain it, but sitting in my living room with my wife that night, I felt like it would be a selfish endeavor.* It felt as if I already had the world's fastest car by a country mile, but wanted to add 1,000 more horse power just because.* So I told her I no longer felt okay or right about making the purchase.* With my mind going a mile a minute, I started thinking to myself**If I'm not buying this collection, then what am I still doing here collecting?* There is nothing else left for me to accomplish.
Almost in the same breath, I told her "Maybe I should just go ahead and sell my collection as well."* Did I just say that out loud?* What was I thinking? Years of dedication, and just like that, gone?* How can I go from one extreme to another within minutes?*
She looked shocked and smirked.* "I'm not going to tell you what to do either way - you do what you feel is right."
Just like that, on the evening of June 8th 2018, I had made the decision to walk away from the thing that I had been hyper dedicated to for the past 3 years.
LIFE AFTER COLLECTING
I had contemplated quitting collecting a number of times over my collecting "career".* I always wondered what it would feel like.* How I would feel.* Would I be letting people down?* Would they be disappointed in me?* What regrets would I have?* Haven't I passed the point of no return?* How hard would it be to sell everything?* I then realized that it wasn't hard at all.* It wasn't a long, arduous road; it literally stopped once I decided to do so.* I told AJ about my plans, and to say he was shocked is an understatement.* He also was excited, because with me out of the game, the restriction of not getting any 1/1's from here on out was lifted.* That's right - AJ is back!
Throughout all of Saturday, I felt free.* I felt a huge amount of peace like I hadn't in a longtime.* Sunday, however, was a different story.* Simply put, I felt bad about it all. I asked God to give me clear direction on what to do, because I considered slipping back into it all.* A mere couple hours later, we were sitting in church and our pastor said the following:* (this snippet is less than 1 minute long).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV7ATHtLXSs
My eyes almost popped out of my head.* Snickering to ourselves after hearing that, I dug my fingers into my wife's leg as to control my laughter.* I thanked God for a clear sign.
On the car ride home, we told our son my decision and what all had transpired.* Then my wife said:
"So, here is something I haven't told you yet.**You know that I've been praying for you about this decision during my runs.* What I didn't tell you, is I've also been praying that God show you if you are supposed to sell your collection - even before you ever mentioned considering selling!"**
It is truly amazing to me how good God is, and I am overjoyed in how it happened so I can share it with you all here.
This all transpired a couple weeks ago.* I have since disabled all tricks I had in place that gave me an edge*and ultimately put me*in the position I am in.* I have politely declined 20 or so purchase requests and have for the first time, I have not felt the compulsion to check all of the websites I used to check countless times each day.
If you are a supercollector or aspiring to be one, this is huge.* You may be tracking with me when I say there is a compulsion to keep your phone on you at all times, and to check for new listings any time you*get a free moment.* EBay, COMC, the forums, various social media outlets and various other websites were all places that funneled cards to my collection, so I kept a vigilant watch on all of them.**The anxiety of losing a card I needed to someone else kept me alert at all times.* If an extremely rare card would be listed auction style, I would frequently lose, because other collectors would*simply be willing to pay more than I would.
Part of what makes it easier for me to walk away are the memories that I can hold onto thanks to how much I've documented over the years, and it has been greatly enhanced by your positive feedback.* What I've written for you to read is satisfying, but what you have written for me to read has added a tremendous amount of depth to this chapter of my life.* I can look back at this journey with no regrets of walking away.* I have no worries that I left anything to conquer on the table because I have squeezed every drop of satisfaction and enjoyment I possibly could from it.
To wrap this all up, I'll share a few of my closing thoughts:
- Please do not think I am condemning collecting as wrong/bad/evil because I am not.* My addictive/obsessive personality made it an*unhealthy lifestyle for me.* I LOVE this hobby and will continue to be slinging cardboard, making fun customs and writing (I need to write as therapy to help me through this!) I just won't be collecting Canseco anymore.* I may keep a nice base collection as a fun reminder.
- Please take a moment to think long and hard about where you are in your collecting journey and where you are in life.* If you feel that you have sunk into the*situation I was in, or worry you may get that way, I will be more than happy to try and help talk you through everything.**Perhaps God has brought me through this journey to help *you* along in your journey.* I would be overjoyed if I can help you through an addiction situation.* Please let me help you.
- Though this article is long, it is only the tip of the iceberg.* I am about to finish writing a book.* I hope that you will find it entertaining enough to read.* Perhaps I'll share some/all of my tricks that catapulted me to the top of my collecting niche!
- Last but not least - you guessed it.* My collection is for sale!* Everything is pictured at www.CansecoCollector.com if you want to take a peek.* It will be sad to see it all go, but I feel like I'm doing the right thing.* I am also VERY happy*that*some cards in my collection*may find their home in your collection.* (Queue the circle of life song).* I'd love for these to filter throughout the hobby and hope*the story of my journey will follow them into your collection.* In purchasing some cards, you will also be helping me out.* I have a tremendous amount of ground to cover in selling, so please consider grabbing some
I am humbled by and thankful for all of you.* For all the kindness that you have shown me over the past several years.* This has been a wild ride and*was truly thrilling from start to finish.* I will close by using a quote from the esteemed Dr. Seuss which pretty much sums up everything about me closing this chapter in my life:
Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.
http://youtu.be/Bp3L_Fj-mWU?hd=1
http://www.tanmanbaseballfan.com/2018/06/exit-interview-im.html
