Jottings and Stuff

 

I’ve been diving into a massive cleanup of my cards and memorabilia lately, aiming to finally downsize (I use that term loosely) the collection.  The process has been a huge eye-opener.  It made me realize how much my hobby room is actually holding me back—honestly, it has turned into a total disaster zone!

I used to think a little mess was harmless, but I've realized this level of disorganization comes with a hidden cost: time. I’m wasting so much mental and physical energy just trying to find specific items. Then, I have to spend twenty minutes clearing off a surface just to have space to sort things, only to struggle with putting them away in some kind of logical order afterward. It feels like I'm spending more time managing the mess than actually enjoying the hobby. It is definitely time for a change!

This is part of what I'm dealing with.  I'm showing off one side of the room where I'm now using a pinball machine for storing things on!  So I took some time off to get things moving in a direction that looks like progress.  I'll post a bit more on this project when I accomplish some of my goals here.

In the meantime, while I'm 'downsizing' I'm also adding to the collection, such as this '98 Black Diamond Jordan.

And another Ant rookie for the PC.

This 2000 Bowman refractor of Jerry Rice caught my eye.

I also picked up these refractors - a '21 Topps Clemente and a '22 Topps Chrome Satchel Paige.

I bought another Ted Williams from the '59 Fleer set.  I don't know about you baseball fans, but I say make hitters prove they can hit and bring back the shift!

I found this 1970 Bubba Smith sitting in a vintage box at the same shop where I picked up 46 of the 60 cards needed for the set.  Only 13 to go!

I need to start focusing more on this set build.

I found this 2008-09 Starquest green of the G.OA.T. at a show and paid a pretty penny for it.

This SGC 10 Elly De La Cruz was an easy auction win for less than $15.

No, I haven't forgotten about this set build either.


And then there was 1

After resorting to ebay for the Munson card, I finally found a few of these high #'s at a local shop.  It was a fantastic surprise and disappointment all at once.  I still need card #661 Bill Virdon.

and a few jottings:

• Have you noticed how Pokemon cards are occupying more and more space in card shops?  Shops must be making a killing off those cards.  Not only that but at some shows around here its 50/50 TCG and sports cards.

• I find it funny how the young collectors shun vintage cards.

• I also find it interesting how savvy young collectors have become when it comes to trading/selling cards.  I wonder if I would have been flipping cards (instead of collecting/building sets) my whole life if I had access to the same tools back then that are available nowadays.

• It is amazing to see some of the prices any high-grade Michael Jordan card sells for.  A PSA 10 1990 Fleer or Skybox for $700?  Geesh.

• I love watching YT channels about sports cards.  Some channels are informative others make it all about the "investment". Ick.

• Is the hobby in trouble when people like Kevin O'Leary consider sports cards an "asset class" and then wear a gold chain with a card?  Is this why new product has become so expensive?

• When will Topps/Fanatics simply issue graded sets?  I mean everything is getting graded nowadays so let's just sell pre-graded PSA 10's anyway.

Ok, summer is rolling by and I got things to do!  Until next time, happy hunting!