Such a strange hobby

[Mighty Bombjack]

A large reason is because so many other people had similar experiences and feelings (nostalgia) associated with the same item... so a big part of collecting is the community aspect of it all. If it wasn't, people would simply collect photos as you said.

Yes, thank you for answering my rhetorical question and further explaining why a 2001 Legendary Cuts Walter Johnson auto card cut from a check sells for more than a Walter Johnson signed check.

 

[predatorkj]

Yes, thank you for answering my rhetorical question and further explaining why a 2001 Legendary Cuts Walter Johnson auto card cut from a check sells for more than a Walter Johnson signed check.

You're asking for an answer to a question that doesn't make logical sense anyways. The only thing people most likely go for is the card itself because the card itself, not the auto, is limited. And they may not collect balls, photos, bats, jerseys, helmets, and index cards. You give it to them in a media that pertains to them and now they are interested.

So the cut thing itself doesn't bother me as much as the "I only collect cards", or the "I only collect signed memorabilia.". I've met plenty of both. Hell, one of my best friends was adamant that an autographed card doesn't count as an autograph because it was on a card. He gave me pure hell for getting index cards or even actual baseball cards signed yet he collected very high end patch autos.

My take is an auto is an auto no matter what it's on. But preference is the key. But I've never understood why a guy who collects sports cards wouldn't like the players he collects on balls or bats. Jerseys I can understand because to display properly they take up some wall space! But I've never understood that.

 

[Mighty Bombjack]

You're asking for an answer to a question that doesn't make logical sense anyways. The only thing people most likely go for is the card itself because the card itself, not the auto, is limited. And they may not collect balls, photos, bats, jerseys, helmets, and index cards. You give it to them in a media that pertains to them and now they are interested.

So the cut thing itself doesn't bother me as much as the "I only collect cards", or the "I only collect signed memorabilia.". I've met plenty of both. Hell, one of my best friends was adamant that an autographed card doesn't count as an autograph because it was on a card. He gave me pure hell for getting index cards or even actual baseball cards signed yet he collected very high end patch autos.

My take is an auto is an auto no matter what it's on. But preference is the key. But I've never understood why a guy who collects sports cards wouldn't like the players he collects on balls or bats. Jerseys I can understand because to display properly they take up some wall space! But I've never understood that.

Again, thank you for answering a rhetorical question. One that was designed to show the lack of logic that this entire hobby is built upon.

An auto is not an auto to most people. It is to you. Great hobby this one.

 

[predatorkj]

Again, thank you for answering a rhetorical question. One that was designed to show the lack of logic that this entire hobby is built upon.

An auto is not an auto to most people. It is to you. Great hobby this one.

Strange, yes. But in not so sure it's illogical except the part where my buddy told me an auto'd card isn't the same as an auto. I guess I just chalk it up to people just doing their own thing. I think this board as a whole isn't the golden standard for the hobby. People here know more, spend more, collect less, and collect a lot differently than most people I have encountered in real life. But I think the reason is because this community is the elite of the hobby. Not elite as in better. Elite in the fact that it's more of the extremes. The outer reaches. Most of us have gone a lot further down the rabbit hole than a good portion of people in this hobby ever do or ever care to. So the mannerisms and ideas here do not necessarily reflect the hobby at large.

 

[thefatguy]

I got Steve Yzerman to sign a patch card IP (among other cards). When I was selling the partial set I assembled the potential buyer said he didn't want that one or this other card I got signed IP because he considered them defaced.

Weird

Maybe the myriad of collecting options is one thing that sports collectors have over other hobbies. Cards sets players teams subsets game used autographs then full items like jerseys balls bats sticks caps....pitching mound dirt, used turf from fields, etc. There is no right or wrong. You collect what you like.

 

[VandyDan]

Since I really only collect cards of Vanderbilt players, a lot of it really is the coolness of seeing players I've seen in the Black and Gold in pro uniforms, or that they are so good at baseball that a third party decided that they should have a baseball card. That it is a Topps card is even better since a) it is the gold standard brand in terms of history and b) it has them in pro uniforms.

I think what really makes it interesting to me is that these companies have no reason other than the merit of the player to make a card of them, and when the player is associated with VU, it is fun to me to see those players "make it" in that sense.

 

[cmixer]

i dont understand why a washed-up minor-league nobody still sells sometimes.
as a U.F. collector, i sometimes go after kids that never made the big leagues, and still get outbid.

i don't understand the 'value' & 'price point' of some card sets.
cards can clearly be made for $0.99-$2.00/pack (see: Opening Day, base Topps, etc);
yet, you throw in autos 1 per box, you can jack that up to $6-10/pack?

and i don't understand why some card sets can be debunked as not-authentic game-used or not-liscenced;
and they still sell & are collected? Oh Well.

 

[uniquebaseballcards]

Again, thank you for answering a rhetorical question. One that was designed to show the lack of logic that this entire hobby is built upon.

An auto is not an auto to most people. It is to you. Great hobby this one.

You should already know that cards from one set are more popular and more valuable than cards from another set. Apply this logic to your (rhetorical??) question and I'm sure you can tell us how and why this happens.

You're not fully considering the responses you're getting here... you're dismissing them too quickly because you've already made up your mind and aren't looking for responses - just stringing people along LOL.

 

[VandyDan]

i dont understand why a washed-up minor-league nobody still sells sometimes.
as a U.F. collector, i sometimes go after kids that never made the big leagues, and still get outbid.

i don't understand the 'value' & 'price point' of some card sets.
cards can clearly be made for $0.99-$2.00/pack (see: Opening Day, base Topps, etc);
yet, you throw in autos 1 per box, you can jack that up to $6-10/pack?

and i don't understand why some card sets can be debunked as not-authentic game-used or not-liscenced;
and they still sell & are collected? Oh Well.

I've experienced this as well. Might be the player or their family/coach/neighbor? I have to say, if I found out that a guy I PC for being a Vandy guy was buying up his stuff, and I was the only other bidder, I'd probably stop bidding on them.

 

[Mighty Bombjack]

You should already know that cards from one set are more popular and more valuable than cards from another set. Apply this logic to your (rhetorical??) question and I'm sure you can tell us how and why this happens.

You're not fully considering the responses you're getting here... you're dismissing them too quickly because you've already made up your mind and aren't looking for responses - just stringing people along LOL.

Let me ask you a non-rhetorical question: Do you know what "rhetorical" means? I don't think you do, as you are telling me I should already know the answer to my question (I do, that was my point), and you are telling me that I'm dismissing the answers too quickly (even though I agree with every answer given). You then tell me I'm not looking for answers, just stringing people along...

 

[uniquebaseballcards]

Let me ask you a non-rhetorical question: Do you know what "rhetorical" means? I don't think you do, as you are telling me I should already know the answer to my question (I do, that was my point), and you are telling me that I'm dismissing the answers too quickly (even though I agree with every answer given). You then tell me I'm not looking for answers, just stringing people along...

Technically a rhetorical question is a question asked for a purpose other than to obtain the information the question asks. But nothing in the original post says anything about anything being rhetorical.

Normally I wouldn't expect anyone to have responded to a rhetorical question they may have asked, but you responded. So here we are.

 

[RustyGreerFan]

I'm still baffled as to why we place so much more value in true rookie cards. Why do we assign a higher value to these cards? How and why did this start? Shouldn't other things like the aesthetic value of the card affect the monetary value? Strange, indeed.

 

[predatorkj]

I'm still baffled as to why we place so much more value in true rookie cards. Why do we assign a higher value to these cards? How and why did this start? Shouldn't other things like the aesthetic value of the card affect the monetary value? Strange, indeed.

That's a good question. Obviously the first cards of any player are always popular but nobody knows why. Hell, I collect rookies and I can't even tell you why. Isn't that weird?

 

[Krom]

I'm still baffled as to why we place so much more value in true rookie cards. Why do we assign a higher value to these cards? How and why did this start? Shouldn't other things like the aesthetic value of the card affect the monetary value? Strange, indeed.

As far as i know people have wanted to collect rcs for a long @ss time.

To the op - the part about not being ok to alter cards like it is in every hobby - i cant think of anything except artwork. Coin, guns, antique toys along with most antiques will have their collector value about killed if altered or even cleaned like coins and guns. Ever seen on the roadshow where someone's got a 1700's tall boy and is worth like 10k but would have been over 100k if not refinished? Happens alot.

 

[predatorkj]

I got Steve Yzerman to sign a patch card IP (among other cards). When I was selling the partial set I assembled the potential buyer said he didn't want that one or this other card I got signed IP because he considered them defaced.

Weird

Maybe the myriad of collecting options is one thing that sports collectors have over other hobbies. Cards sets players teams subsets game used autographs then full items like jerseys balls bats sticks caps....pitching mound dirt, used turf from fields, etc. There is no right or wrong. You collect what you like.

In reality, a signed ip card is "defaced". There is a print run for every card no matter how large the print run may be. That said, I personally get only base cards signed. The reason being is I feel selfish getting something with a real limited print run signed. One day after I'm gone, the cards will be in someone else's hands. If its a signed 91 topps card it's no biggie. But if it's a lower numbered parallel, the ease to get one that hasn't been signed is hampered. Getting a base card signed, IMO, actually adds value to a low value card. But for a set collector, it's unlike the others after its been signed so it's worthless.

Of course in a nasty twist of reasoning, I'm trying to get every Jim Deshaies card ever made and have them all signed. This includes the 1990 donruss aqueous test and blue and white test. I'm pretty sure that alone will tick a few people off.

I don't think there really is any other opinion to have except to each their own.

 

[predatorkj]

As far as i know people have wanted to collect rcs for a long @ss time.

To the op - the part about not being ok to alter cards like it is in every hobby - i cant think of anything except artwork. Coin, guns, antique toys along with most antiques will have their collector value about killed if altered or even cleaned like coins and guns. Ever seen on the roadshow where someone's got a 1700's tall boy and is worth like 10k but would have been over 100k if not refinished? Happens alot.

Well people restore cars all the time.

 

[Therion]

...and how in the f@*k do magnets work!! This s#*t be blowin' my mind!!!

I don't know. Maybe we should ask ICP to clarify it for us.

 

[MansGame]

This is a really good thread/discussion... Not that anyone cares, but my two cents are as follows...

One could boil down this hobby to us all collecting worthless pieces of colorful cardboard... I don't think this is the case but some people I'm sure do. You can obviously deviate from this statement a little but the point is a lot of this hobby is built off of marketing, buzz, excitement, etc... more importantly, PERCEIVED VALUE. That's about it... I've said this many many many times, how come I can buy an ENTIRE game-used baseball bat of Albert Belle for $100 (or less) BUT a little stamp size piece of a bat on a card or (god forbid) a bat knob card one day would sell for multiples of this?! How come I can buy signed baseball all day long of Albert Belle for $20 but a STICKER auto'ed card is much more and sometimes over $100 or even $200?!

I guess the point being is it's a hobby and we all have our reasons and what makes us do it and what makes us happy. At the end of the day, it's all perceived value and if you try to sit down and evaluate what we're all doing in this hobby, we'll probably shake our heads and go WTF haha.

Anyways, carry on... thanks for the rant - I STILL LOVE THIS HOBBY

 

[Krom]

Well people restore cars all the time.

Yup Art cars... what else?

 

[MansGame]

Yup Art cars... what else?