Upon Further Review: Collection brings back memories
As a young boy, I started collecting baseball cards. I always slipped a pack of cards into my mom’s grocery cart every time she went shopping. I thought she would never notice, and she never said anything about it until we got in the car.
I was always hunting for my favorite players, as I would rip through the wrapper, throwing that hard flat piece of bubble gum into my mouth. Yes, there used to be a piece of gum in every pack.
Over the years I have collected thousands of cards, and in the mid ’80s became quite a serious collector.
I went to all the card shows buying and selling, trying to build up an impressive collection. I spent hundreds of dollars over the years in hopes of someday being able to sell them off and putting the money aside for something special.
Over the last several weeks I have been going through my cards trying to get some kind of idea of what they might be worth in today’s market.
I stopped by the store and bought several magazines with the up-to-date market price. I had a few cards that have lost some value over the years, but I also had a few which had surprisingly increased in value.
I expanded my collection a few years ago and branched out to include basketball, football and yes, even golf.
I bought several Tiger Woods cards back when he was the hottest thing on the market. At the time I thought I was getting a pretty good deal on some of his first-issue mint cards. After all, he was going to be the next great hope for card collectors.
Well, guess what. As Tiger’s game has somewhat fallen below expectations over the last year, so has the value of his cards. Now Tiger is still the best thing out on tour, but if you have any money invested in his cards you hope he will collect a few more majors very soon.
It’s just like with any business. Card collecting is all about knowing who’s hot and who’s not — and timing is everything.
You have to project who is going to be the next rising start and buy, buy, buy. But on the other side, you have to know when a player has reached his popularity and sell, sell, sell.
For some, card collecting is not just a hobby. It’s something they take a lot of pride in, with hopes of making a little money on the side. And if you play your cards right, every now and then a few big deals will come your way.
As for myself, I collect because I enjoy the fond memories of my childhood heroes. Yes, I’m going to sell several cards out of my collection. Some I will lose money on, while on some I might make a little profit. Hopefully I can get rid of half my collection — or at least my wife hopes I can, to make more room in our closet.
But the cards I cherish most will remain with me for ever. Who cares if they’re worth anything or not? They mean something to me, and that’s all that counts.
If I sell the cards that have a little value to them, my wife and the rest of my family will be happy.
After all, the money will go straight from my pocket to theirs.