One of my favorite player web sites of all-time, nay, my favorite player web site of all time isn't the fanciest, but it is the most real. Pat Neshek of the Minnesota Twins is a card collector who grew up to be a Major League Baseball player. Pat uses his site to further his collection and develop a small community for fellow autograph seekers and to share firsthand player experiences with fans and baseball card hobbiests.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Pat Neshek:
http://www.eteamz.com/PatNeshek/index.cfm
Friday, April 4, 2008
Fun Card Friday - 1995 Pinnacle Museum Collection Ken Griffey, Jr.
What fun is collecting if it can't bring you a good laugh every now and then?
This card is one of my favorites. The 1995 Pinnacle set features a "Museum Collection" subset with a real gem. The Ken Griffey, Jr. card shows him blowing a huge bubble with what must have been an entire sack of Big League Chew. "The Kid" was one of the biggest names in the sport at the time which just added to the excitement kids had as they poured through packs trying to find a copy of this card for themselves.
I'm not sure of the intent, but it seems like it was probably a throwback to a classic card put out by Topps in 1976 featuring Kurt Bevacqua winning the 1975 Joe Garagiola/Bazooka Bubble Gum Blowing Championship. This card surely helped ice him as a cult favorite player, though he always finds himself in the spotlight one way or another. He later furthered his own storied baseball career by being "the guy that missed second base" in Game 2 of the 1984 World Series when he hit a home run for the Padres and when he made a cameo appearance on the animated Fox comedy "King of the Hill".
This card is one of my favorites. The 1995 Pinnacle set features a "Museum Collection" subset with a real gem. The Ken Griffey, Jr. card shows him blowing a huge bubble with what must have been an entire sack of Big League Chew. "The Kid" was one of the biggest names in the sport at the time which just added to the excitement kids had as they poured through packs trying to find a copy of this card for themselves.
I'm not sure of the intent, but it seems like it was probably a throwback to a classic card put out by Topps in 1976 featuring Kurt Bevacqua winning the 1975 Joe Garagiola/Bazooka Bubble Gum Blowing Championship. This card surely helped ice him as a cult favorite player, though he always finds himself in the spotlight one way or another. He later furthered his own storied baseball career by being "the guy that missed second base" in Game 2 of the 1984 World Series when he hit a home run for the Padres and when he made a cameo appearance on the animated Fox comedy "King of the Hill".
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Why Are Current Players So Over-priced?
It is shocking how over-priced certain cards are of today's players. For instance, just reviewing eBay's most recent closed auctions, I see that a David Ortiz 1997 Fleer Ultra rookie card (not PSA graded or anything) has sold for more than a near-mint Hall of Fame-worthy player rookie cards 1972 Topps Carlton Fisk/Cecil Cooper, 1974 Topps Dave Winfield, 1975 Topps Robin Yount, 1979 Topps Ozzie Smith, 1982 Topps Cal Ripken, Jr., 1983 Topps Tony Gwynn, 1985 Topps Roger Clemens, or 1986 Topps Traded Barry Bonds. (Yes, yes. We all believe Barry Bonds juiced.) Now, I like David Ortiz. He's a great player of the recent years, but he is at best questionable for the Hall of Fame and is very unlikely to make it at the rate his stats are declining. Given this, why can his cards outsell these other cards which likely have equal or lower volume out there? (And don't even get me started on why a Phil Hughes autograph can outsell a Warren Spahn!)
I get that the economics in play here -- supply versus demand -- David Ortiz has much higher demand than a Carlton Fisk, but really? There are how many Ortiz rookies out there and just one variety of the Fisk rookie.
This Ortiz card does remind me of another. The card lists David as "David Arias". What's the story there? I get that his name is David Americo Ortiz Arias, but why did his name get screwed up on the card? Anyway, the card this reminds me of, which has nothing to do with this is the 1963 "Pedro" Oliva rookie card. Tony Oliva was mistaken by the media for his 3-year young brother Pedro (possibly intentionally as lore would suggest). Topps issued a rookie card in 1964 for "Tony" Oliva, the (correct) name to be reported moving forward.
For the record, I am investing in current and future hall of famers to fill out my collection. David, love ya and miss you as a Twins fan, but I'll come back to you when the price meets my demand.
I get that the economics in play here -- supply versus demand -- David Ortiz has much higher demand than a Carlton Fisk, but really? There are how many Ortiz rookies out there and just one variety of the Fisk rookie.
This Ortiz card does remind me of another. The card lists David as "David Arias". What's the story there? I get that his name is David Americo Ortiz Arias, but why did his name get screwed up on the card? Anyway, the card this reminds me of, which has nothing to do with this is the 1963 "Pedro" Oliva rookie card. Tony Oliva was mistaken by the media for his 3-year young brother Pedro (possibly intentionally as lore would suggest). Topps issued a rookie card in 1964 for "Tony" Oliva, the (correct) name to be reported moving forward.
For the record, I am investing in current and future hall of famers to fill out my collection. David, love ya and miss you as a Twins fan, but I'll come back to you when the price meets my demand.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Why Collecting is Alienating
I am having issues with collecting baseball cards since getting back into the hobby. When I was young, there were just a few sets and packs were all reasonably priced. Everyone could afford them. Those days are over! I visited a baseball card shop down the street and they have brand new packs for $20 or more. The focus is apparently on the amazingly valuable and rare insert card. Typically, these packs are loaded with cards you couldn't trade or sell if you had to. Only lottery ticket fans or true collectors need apply here.
Second, there are almost no card shows in my area. I live in central Texas and have found there to be a few a year, but they are all small and many of the dealers fall into one of two camps: they opened a case of set X and need to unload the extras or they have been around for a long time and are still trying to recoup some expenses. In either case, I've seen little interest in dealing, trading, much less being friendly to their "customers". I visited a show recently in Austin, TX and I felt it was quite likely a new collector might walk away from that crowd and give up the hobby altogether. Sad.
Rather than go to card shows, it seems the hobby has really embraced the internet. This is great in some regard, because it levels the playing field price-wise. A card is only worth what someone will pay for it on eBay. In another sense, I worry. Buying and trading cards on the internet has taken the personal interaction out of the hobby -- its become lonely. The aforementioned card show I visited had several vendors who simply were not willing to talk about eBay claiming it was ruining the hobby and the prices cards were selling for were "unrealistic". (I'm still trying to understand all that.) I love that there is a wholesale market for selling cards, but where is the personal touch? What happened to talking about the players of the cards we were trading or buying or selling? Why has this become as impersonal as buying or selling a stock on the stock market? Where are the "trade nights" at the local card shops?
The last thing I find troubling, so far, about getting back into collecting is that the variety has just gone crazy. If I am an Alex Rodriguez fan, I can't even imagine how many cards there are of him which I'd wish to collect. Say I chose a less "expensive" player to be a fan of such as Michael Young. I doubt I could even collect all of his cards. The scarcity and variety of cards even for a player such as him is enticing, but alienating. It's a challenge to think about collecting one of every card of him, but, by the same though, why would I invest so much on a player who isn't likely to be widely remembered in 20 years (thus, likely to allow me some return on my investment). The "average" card is basically worthless and difficult to come across, because they are so poorly valued compared to the inserts and variants.
Defining your goals are a collector are more important today than ever in history. Who or what are you collecting? What are your financial goals? This is no longer a hobby you can casually participate in and have much satisfaction. Either you are in it for value or you aren't. And, what are you willing to commit to? (That may very well be the biggest constraint on your overall goals.)
Second, there are almost no card shows in my area. I live in central Texas and have found there to be a few a year, but they are all small and many of the dealers fall into one of two camps: they opened a case of set X and need to unload the extras or they have been around for a long time and are still trying to recoup some expenses. In either case, I've seen little interest in dealing, trading, much less being friendly to their "customers". I visited a show recently in Austin, TX and I felt it was quite likely a new collector might walk away from that crowd and give up the hobby altogether. Sad.
Rather than go to card shows, it seems the hobby has really embraced the internet. This is great in some regard, because it levels the playing field price-wise. A card is only worth what someone will pay for it on eBay. In another sense, I worry. Buying and trading cards on the internet has taken the personal interaction out of the hobby -- its become lonely. The aforementioned card show I visited had several vendors who simply were not willing to talk about eBay claiming it was ruining the hobby and the prices cards were selling for were "unrealistic". (I'm still trying to understand all that.) I love that there is a wholesale market for selling cards, but where is the personal touch? What happened to talking about the players of the cards we were trading or buying or selling? Why has this become as impersonal as buying or selling a stock on the stock market? Where are the "trade nights" at the local card shops?
The last thing I find troubling, so far, about getting back into collecting is that the variety has just gone crazy. If I am an Alex Rodriguez fan, I can't even imagine how many cards there are of him which I'd wish to collect. Say I chose a less "expensive" player to be a fan of such as Michael Young. I doubt I could even collect all of his cards. The scarcity and variety of cards even for a player such as him is enticing, but alienating. It's a challenge to think about collecting one of every card of him, but, by the same though, why would I invest so much on a player who isn't likely to be widely remembered in 20 years (thus, likely to allow me some return on my investment). The "average" card is basically worthless and difficult to come across, because they are so poorly valued compared to the inserts and variants.
Defining your goals are a collector are more important today than ever in history. Who or what are you collecting? What are your financial goals? This is no longer a hobby you can casually participate in and have much satisfaction. Either you are in it for value or you aren't. And, what are you willing to commit to? (That may very well be the biggest constraint on your overall goals.)
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
New Beginnings
So, I've recently tried to get back into collecting baseball cards. Well, not just baseball cards, but primarily baseball. I'll pick up Brett Favre cards and any sport cards of University of Wisconsin alumni in their college jersey -- prefer them autographed.
Briefly about myself: I grew up collecting in the late-80's/early-90's, so yes, my parents' basement is full of worthless cards. My dad got back into it when I was getting into it, so aside from my friends, I had a parent to share the joy of collecting cards with. As with most collectors at the time, I looked a great deal towards assembling sets, chasing some of the key inserts, and collecting all of the cards of a few favorite players -- Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Kirby Puckett, and Kent Hrbek. (Any guess where I grew up???) I lost interest in collecting as I got into high school and college for a few reasons. Prices were rising, variety was ballooning, and my interest in girls, cars, and booze skyrocketed.
Getting back into the hobby 15 years later, I have a very good job, occasional spare time, and a passion for baseball. Picking up the pieces form my "old" collection, there are several keepers, but most of it is considered "junk" by today's standards. Being older, hopefully wiser, and definitely short on time than I was before, I find my ideals of a "solid" collection to be much tighter than when I was 12 years old.
My initial goals for my collection:
1) Collect cards I wanted but could never afford as a kid (especially those which aren't worth poop now). You know what I mean. the Classic Bo Jackson in the Auburn jersey with the bat pointed at the camera, a Frank Thomas 1990 Leaf rookie card, or even the 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken "F*ck Face" card.
2) Collect a rookie card of every MVP and Cy Young winner from my birth year til "today".
3) Collect a rookie card and/or special card of any major players and Hall of Famers from my youth which I remember seeing.
4) Collect some autographs... and maybe some game used cards. Those are a new twist!
5) Keep the collection tight. I don't need all every variation or every card of certain players. Aside from it seemingly being impractical based on all of the reprints and autographs I am seeing now, there just isn't a point. I like my cards because they remind me of a place, a time, or a player. I don't need 100 versions of that memory.
Wish me luck!
Briefly about myself: I grew up collecting in the late-80's/early-90's, so yes, my parents' basement is full of worthless cards. My dad got back into it when I was getting into it, so aside from my friends, I had a parent to share the joy of collecting cards with. As with most collectors at the time, I looked a great deal towards assembling sets, chasing some of the key inserts, and collecting all of the cards of a few favorite players -- Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Kirby Puckett, and Kent Hrbek. (Any guess where I grew up???) I lost interest in collecting as I got into high school and college for a few reasons. Prices were rising, variety was ballooning, and my interest in girls, cars, and booze skyrocketed.
Getting back into the hobby 15 years later, I have a very good job, occasional spare time, and a passion for baseball. Picking up the pieces form my "old" collection, there are several keepers, but most of it is considered "junk" by today's standards. Being older, hopefully wiser, and definitely short on time than I was before, I find my ideals of a "solid" collection to be much tighter than when I was 12 years old.
My initial goals for my collection:
1) Collect cards I wanted but could never afford as a kid (especially those which aren't worth poop now). You know what I mean. the Classic Bo Jackson in the Auburn jersey with the bat pointed at the camera, a Frank Thomas 1990 Leaf rookie card, or even the 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken "F*ck Face" card.
2) Collect a rookie card of every MVP and Cy Young winner from my birth year til "today".
3) Collect a rookie card and/or special card of any major players and Hall of Famers from my youth which I remember seeing.
4) Collect some autographs... and maybe some game used cards. Those are a new twist!
5) Keep the collection tight. I don't need all every variation or every card of certain players. Aside from it seemingly being impractical based on all of the reprints and autographs I am seeing now, there just isn't a point. I like my cards because they remind me of a place, a time, or a player. I don't need 100 versions of that memory.
Wish me luck!
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