The thin line between hoarding and collecting

[both-teams-played-hard]

Do you have an accumulation of '81 Donruss wax wrappers? Are you saving them because you think they will be valuable "one day"? How about newspapers from the day after the "big game"? A year's worth of Sports Illustrated from 1995?
Be honest...are you saving the sharpie Tony Gwynn used to sign his '83 Fleer rookie card? The delight of hoarders and silverfish everywhere: back issues of Sports Collectors Digest. Of course you're keeping them for nostalgia and prosperity's sake.
How about a season's collection of ticket stubs from the Peoria Jackballs minor league team?
We're all friends here...just admit your problem.


http://www.hoardersanonymous.org/
http://www.1800gotjunk.com/

[Fnazxc0114]

Nope no problem. Im actually pretty tired of collecting right now. My interest usually picks up around Jan, but i dont hoard anything.

[harpt]

Dude...I have a welcome Back Kotter doll I can't throw out. I may have a problem as well.

[frikativ54]

Great question! When I used to collect baseball cards, which are comparatively inexpensive, I got into hoarding a bit. If there was a prospect I was following, I would try to get duplicates of all his cards. I was kind of obsessed with Jeff Bagwell patch cards too, before I got into the whole game-used craze. But now with game-used items being so expensive, I don't have enough money to be a hoarder.

For me, I am satisfied with a few jerseys, a couple bats, and other odds and ends. Of course, there is the desire to add new and unique items, but I think that's there for all of us. What I've never understood are those people who need to have tens and tens of one game-used item, with different variations of use. In my mind, there is enough of the stuff to go around - what's the point of hoarding? So other people can't have it?

There's only so much display space...and then they go into the closet. And what's the point of having them, if they are not out to enjoy?

[Fnazxc0114]

Frik for those guys that have a bunch of multiples it their choice. I dont get it either, but thats not the focus of my collection, im happy with a few nice items. You know now that i think of it there might be a box of garbage pail kids in my closet.

[sox83cubs84]

My collection is just that...a collection of jerseys worn by guys I like/know in MLB, and caps and bats given to me by many of those guys.

That said, the one area where I DO hoard is when I see free or low-cost items of popular players that I can maybe make a few bucks on. Sometimes it works (late 1980's Midway Aiurlines magazine with a Cal Ripken Jr. focus), sometimes it doesn't (medical magazine with ex-Yankee and AL president Bobby Brown on the cover). Rither way, it's fun, and, if the items are dead weight, I'll end up giving them away.

Dave Miedema

[godwulf]

Great topic. One that hits rather close to home, for me, I'm afraid. I mean, I've watched those "Hoarders" shows, and no, I'm not like that by any means, but...I do have over a thousand bats, with only about fifty on actual display, and the rest "stored", in one way or another. I can't honestly say that I particularly enjoy them, at present. The same with the probably close to 200 jerseys, only about a dozen of which are not in a closet. Yet, I keep buying bats, and adding them to one of the big "lean-to"s in a corner of the master bedroom...or buying a jersey I just can't live without, and hanging it up, out of sight, in a closet.

As for non-GU stuff pertaining to my team, I do collect every program, magazine, yearbook, media guide, etc, that comes out, but rarely buy a duplicate, and then only if it costs next to nothing - then it's hard to resist, of course. Right now, most of them are pretty well organized, on shelves and a filing cabinet, so I don't feel bad about that stuff.

Baseball cards - um, well...there was a time when I would buy lots of 3- or 5,000-count boxes of unsorted cards, mostly commons, very cheaply, and spend days and weeks sorting them by player, then by card, then finding the best copy of each card, and putting those cards in binders. I haven't had time to work on it lately, so I still have probably six or seven 5,000-count boxes to go through...plus about twenty or so boxes of duplicate cards that I know I don't need, but they've been sitting in a corner of the family room for at least eight years, and I can't bring myself to do anything with them.

Okay, here's the one that will probably drop a few jaws. :rolleyes: I have saved every page of the sports section of the local newspaper containing an account of an Arizona Diamondbacks game - not the whole sports section, just the page or pages dealing with the game - since the inaugural season of 1998. They are stored neatly in large plastic storage boxes, three years to a box. It started out when we first got the franchise in '95, and I saved the paper with the headline and big story on the front page; then, it seemed only natural to save the account of the first game; then, it just became a habit to keep every account of every game.

Now you know. Am I supposed to feel better? :D

[Dewey2007]

godwulf, I hereby christen you the official "unofficial" historian of the AZ Diamondbacks! :) I wish I could find someone around where I live who has saved local sports pages for the last 15 years. There are a number of them I would love to have. Keep doing what you do unless what you're doing is doing you!!


Great topic. One that hits rather close to home, for me, I'm afraid. I mean, I've watched those "Hoarders" shows, and no, I'm not like that by any means, but...I do have over a thousand bats, with only about fifty on actual display, and the rest "stored", in one way or another. I can't honestly say that I particularly enjoy them, at present. The same with the probably close to 200 jerseys, only about a dozen of which are not in a closet. Yet, I keep buying bats, and adding them to one of the big "lean-to"s in a corner of the master bedroom...or buying a jersey I just can't live without, and hanging it up, out of sight, in a closet.

As for non-GU stuff pertaining to my team, I do collect every program, magazine, yearbook, media guide, etc, that comes out, but rarely buy a duplicate, and then only if it costs next to nothing - then it's hard to resist, of course. Right now, most of them are pretty well organized, on shelves and a filing cabinet, so I don't feel bad about that stuff.

Baseball cards - um, well...there was a time when I would buy lots of 3- or 5,000-count boxes of unsorted cards, mostly commons, very cheaply, and spend days and weeks sorting them by player, then by card, then finding the best copy of each card, and putting those cards in binders. I haven't had time to work on it lately, so I still have probably six or seven 5,000-count boxes to go through...plus about twenty or so boxes of duplicate cards that I know I don't need, but they've been sitting in a corner of the family room for at least eight years, and I can't bring myself to do anything with them.

Okay, here's the one that will probably drop a few jaws. :rolleyes: I have saved every page of the sports section of the local newspaper containing an account of an Arizona Diamondbacks game - not the whole sports section, just the page or pages dealing with the game - since the inaugural season of 1998. They are stored neatly in large plastic storage boxes, three years to a box. It started out when we first got the franchise in '95, and I saved the paper with the headline and big story on the front page; then, it seemed only natural to save the account of the first game; then, it just became a habit to keep every account of every game.

Now you know. Am I supposed to feel better? :D

[frikativ54]

Okay, here's the one that will probably drop a few jaws. :rolleyes: I have saved every page of the sports section of the local newspaper containing an account of an Arizona Diamondbacks game - not the whole sports section, just the page or pages dealing with the game - since the inaugural season of 1998. They are stored neatly in large plastic storage boxes, three years to a box. It started out when we first got the franchise in '95, and I saved the paper with the headline and big story on the front page; then, it seemed only natural to save the account of the first game; then, it just became a habit to keep every account of every game.

Do you ever look through your sports page collection? Or do you just keep them in a box as storage?

[camarokids]

Dude...I have a welcome Back Kotter doll I can't throw out. I may have a problem as well.

I loved that show. When I was kid I would name lizards that I caught in the yard Arnold, after Horshack! :o

[godwulf]

Do you ever look through your sports page collection? Or do you just keep them in a box as storage?

I sometimes think it would be nice to go back and read about a particularly memorable game, but - to be honest - I never have. Right now, half the boxes are in a closet, under other stuff, and the others are under a desk, hidden behind a couple of dozen bats and other stuff, so they're not what you'd call accessable.

[both-teams-played-hard]

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/6163/collyerbros.jpg

[godwulf]

Is it just me, or does that picture look photo-shopped?

[both-teams-played-hard]

Is it just me, or does that picture look photo-shopped?
Very photo-shopped. It's a Corbis photo of the Collyer Brother's apartment. Fascinating story. When you finish reading about these dudes, you'll be motivated to vacuum something.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collyer_brothers

[godwulf]

I've actually read quite a bit about the Collyer brothers. I also bought the recent E. L. Doctorow novel, 'Homer and Langley', based on their story, but haven't had time to read it, yet. I've heard that, to this day, some police departments use "Collyer house" as radio code for an extreme hoarding situation.

Fun to think of inheriting that kind of problem, if there really were a lot of valuable sports-related items tucked away amid the debris. Unfortunately, from watching shows like 'Hoarders' and 'Hoarding: Buried Alive', we learn that most real life hoarders are much more apt to have accumulated twenty or thirty years of empty soda cans, liquor bottles, styrofoam meat trays and newspapers.

[murfsteve25]

This is a great topic. I used to be a hoarder. I'd hold onto unopen packs of cards thinking one day they might be worth something. I've spent so much money on dozens of MLB balls to go get signed. A lot of these balls are signed by a bunch of nobody's, so there pretty much worthless. I've got a bunch of stupid crap like street signs that have the sports theme, McFarlanes, game programs, little replica stadiums, posters, and game used SOCKS.

I've been a lot more smart this year (which happened to be my new year's resolution) and I only bought stuff that I really wanted. Justice jersey's and Dragons items.

[both-teams-played-hard]

This is a great topic. I used to be a hoarder. I'd hold onto unopen packs of cards thinking one day they might be worth something. I've spent so much money on dozens of MLB balls to go get signed. A lot of these balls are signed by a bunch of nobody's, so there pretty much worthless. I've got a bunch of stupid crap like street signs that have the sports theme, McFarlanes, game programs, little replica stadiums, posters, and game used SOCKS.

I've been a lot more smart this year (which happened to be my new year's resolution) and I only bought stuff that I really wanted. Justice jersey's and Dragons items.

It's easy to have hoarding tendencies, when you are a collector. If there is no sentimental value or no monetary value; then you might be a hoarder. Newspapers and magazines are the worst. Just because I saved some worthless crap 25 years ago, doesn't equate to "sentimental value". I used to have a hoarding problem with Super 8 and 8mm film cameras. I have saved some of the top-of-the-line models, but many are basically worthless. You can't even buy Super 8 film in Hollywood.

[frikativ54]

This is a great topic. I used to be a hoarder. I'd hold onto unopen packs of cards thinking one day they might be worth something

I know the feeling. Sorting through the possessions in my room, I've come to realize that I saved so much just thinking that it would be valuable some day. In reality, some of those stadium giveaways aren't worth the space they take up. And just to think, I used to imagine how much dinero I would cash in on those items in the future. Boy, was I wrong!


I've been a lot more smart this year (which happened to be my new year's resolution) and I only bought stuff that I really wanted. Justice jersey's and Dragons items.

That's cool that you are able to limit yourself. For me, finances are what limit my spending the most. If I had tons of cash, I would probably collect more players. But I have to limit myself, because finances are always tight.

[Dewey2007]

Warren, I agree with you on how it's easy to have hoarding tendencies as a collector. I have lots of GS Warriors game programs, SI's, Sporting News magazines and sports books from when I was a kid. Held onto pretty much everything. Not sure if that makes me hoarder but for some reason I just can't throw the stuff out yet. Some of it has sentimental value in the sense that it represents a fun time in my childhood when I really began to love sports but other then that if I could sell it I would. Now one reason I justify holding onto it because it's good for future research and photomatch possibilites!!

The quick fix cure if you think you're becoming a hoarder is a storage unit!


It's easy to have hoarding tendencies, when you are a collector. If there is no sentimental value or no monetary value; then you might be a hoarder. Newspapers and magazines are the worst. Just because I saved some worthless crap 25 years ago, doesn't equate to "sentimental value". I used to have a hoarding problem with Super 8 and 8mm film cameras. I have saved some of the top-of-the-line models, but many are basically worthless. You can't even buy Super 8 film in Hollywood.

[jake33]

The easiest way to prevent against this is set parameters and stick to them. I only collect rays or buccaneers game used items. To me anything that is retail is junk with manufactured scarcity.

I would never get an autographed authentic jersey or a autogrpahed mini helmet. The only retail sports items I own are a high end sweatshirt, 59/50 on-field cap, and MAYBE a high end T-shirt ($40 range), and 10 2008 world series baseballs that I get signed in person myself by rays players.

I will not collect any other teams or a player I liked from my team. For example, I like Eric Hinske but items of his from the Yankees, red sox, jays, do not fit my collection etc.... something like that opens the can of worms and you will be filling the never ending hole of consumerism.

I always tell myself, what I really want is always around the corner, so it is better to hold off. Plus how would a collection of all rays game used items and a random yankees batting helmet fit in my collect?

I say always stick to a player or team for collecting. Stay narrowed and specific you will be happier in the long run. I budget every year for the rays throwback game used auction and figure out who will be on the roster that I would want, that keeps the waiting better too.

[godwulf]

As with most other addictive behaviors, I believe that one major criterion to consider, before labeling what you do "hoarding", is whether or not it creates problems for you or others. If your living space is severely limited by the presence of your stuff, or if you routinely can't find the things you need because they're buried under your stuff...if moving your stuff, worrying about your stuff, trying to keep track of your stuff, is detracting from your quality and enjoyment of life, then it's a problem. On the other hand, if it's all securely tucked away in a storage room or basement, and not in anyone's way, okay, technically it may be hoarding, but who is it hurting?

[yankees506]

I started to feel i was hoarding a while back, i mean i looked at some of the things i had purchased and just shook my head. I got that feeling so i thought the only way to make it right was to sell. I trimed down somewhat and now i focus on items that fit in the majority of my collection (yankee stars of the past 10 or so years). It is a very thin line, i think having multiples of one item is a serious sign of hoarding, but in this case its do as i say, not as i do ;)

[both-teams-played-hard]

Not sure if that makes me hoarder but for some reason I just can't throw the stuff out yet. Some of it has sentimental value in the sense that it represents a fun time in my childhood when I really began to love sports.

Childhood memories are a bitch.



The quick fix cure if you think you're becoming a hoarder is a storage unit!

That's another show.



As with most other addictive behaviors, I believe that one major criterion to consider, before labeling what you do "hoarding", is whether or not it creates problems for you or others. If your living space is severely limited by the presence of your stuff, or if you routinely can't find the things you need because they're buried under your stuff...if moving your stuff, worrying about your stuff, trying to keep track of your stuff, is detracting from your quality and enjoyment of life, then it's a problem. On the other hand, if it's all securely tucked away in a storage room or basement, and not in anyone's way, okay, technically it may be hoarding, but who is it hurting?
Totally agree. If you have the space and keep everything sealed in those rubbermaid containers, you're just a passionate collector. If you have roaches, rats or dead cats under those wax packs, then...

[murfsteve25]

...if moving your stuff, worrying about your stuff, trying to keep track of your stuff, is detracting from your quality and enjoyment of life, then it's a problem.

since i have been in japan for the past 3 years, both times i've visited home i've felt the need to inventory my stuff. i'd forget that i had certain items too. ive got a lot of boxes of stuff that i would never have bought if i could go back in time. lots of money would have been saved right there. i feel like i wont be able to re-sale those items because there is no demand for the stupid crap ive got. ive pretty much got to either store it away and forget about it or shamfully display it and make the most of a bad decision.

[godwulf]

since i have been in japan for the past 3 years, both times i've visited home i've felt the need to inventory my stuff. i'd forget that i had certain items too. ive got a lot of boxes of stuff that i would never have bought if i could go back in time. lots of money would have been saved right there. i feel like i wont be able to re-sale those items because there is no demand for the stupid crap ive got. ive pretty much got to either store it away and forget about it or shamfully display it and make the most of a bad decision.

I know exactly what you mean. I spent the first seven or eight years of the DBacks' history buying anything and everything with the name or logo on it, and now I've got these huge plastic storage bins taking up half a walk-in closet. I could probably lose those things today, and not be able to tell you a single thing that was in any of them tomorrow.

How is the Baseball collecting in Japan, by the way? I've read 'You Gotta Have Wa' and some other things on the sport as played there, and I know that the fans there are pretty devoted, to say the least - I'd imagine that game-used stuff is fabulously rare and expensive. It's probably just another aspect of the collecting/hoarding malady being discussed here, but I've often thought that it would be cool to travel around to the various stadiums and collect, maybe, a pennant and one of those stuffed mascots from each team, something like that, and make a display. (Yeah, or fill another box in the closet. :rolleyes: )

[kprst6]

I know some of you out there are hardcore and have 100's to 1000's of articles of memorabilia. At what point are you no longer considered a collector and become more of a hoarder?

Are you a hoarder when you pick up a piece of memorabilia just because you got a good deal and could care less about the item?

Does owning 10 bats/sticks for the same player, from the same season, for multiple seasons make you a hoarder if they are all lower level "common" players?

In my opinion, having too many items especially of the same player, detracts from your collection.

I'm just curious what everyone's opinion is on this subject.

[otismalibu]

In my opinion, having too many items especially of the same player, detracts from your collection.

Some people just collect certain players, some HOFers, some common players. I don't think it detracts from the collection.

I realize it's tough to display everything, but if you have boxes of stuff and you don't even remember what's inside, then you're flirting with hoarding, IMO.

[frikativ54]

Does owning 10 bats/sticks for the same player, from the same season, for multiple seasons make you a hoarder if they are all lower level "common" players?

I don't think it matters whether they are common players or not. Having over ten bats of the same player from the same season - superstar or not - means that you are a hoarder. Sometimes people on the forum post photographs of their lumber, and I have to wonder what drives that sort of obsession.

Why can't people share? Are they like adult kids who are insecure that somebody else may have access to their toys? Are they so possessive that they need every bat a player used in a given season? Is it an issue of needing absolute control of the market?

I definitely understand wanting a bat from a guy's every year in the big leagues. It's cool to collect different styles of game used stuff. But it just seems really selfish to accumulate over ten of the same bat of the same player from the same season.

[jake33]

To me, if I cannot display it and have to put it in storage or in a box, I don't want it. I hate clutter and have mountains of stuff makes it looks like a joke. All i get is game used. I don't buy retail memorabilia. To me game used is the only way to go, everything else is junk. But I know many sports fans & collectors view it the other way around.

The best thing to do i pre-set parameters and stick to those no matter what. Every month, I can say i find items that are out of my collection scope. All I have toa sk myself is , "Wow, this Bengals jersey would look awful next to the $6,000 in buccaneers game used items I have." It doesn't make sense to have items out of the main concept of your collection. Stick to what your scope is, make a "dream" want list, then a realistic want list and actually plan on where and how you would display it.

I always am amazed how people jsut want to collect "game used jerseys" from any team or league or year. Then you are filling the never ending bottomless pit of hoarding and you will never be satisfied.

[gingi79]

I don't think it matters whether they are common players or not. Having over ten bats of the same player from the same season - superstar or not - means that you are a hoarder. Sometimes people on the forum post photographs of their lumber, and I have to wonder what drives that sort of obsession.

Why can't people share? Are they like adult kids who are insecure that somebody else may have access to their toys? Are they so possessive that they need every bat a player used in a given season? Is it an issue of needing absolute control of the market?

I definitely understand wanting a bat from a guy's every year in the big leagues. It's cool to collect different styles of game used stuff. But it just seems really selfish to accumulate over ten of the same bat of the same player from the same season.


It always amazes me that collectors can feel this way. If someone collects a player and wants to add as many bats as possible than why is that bad? It doesn't have to be a devious undertaking or a desire to control the inventory and therefore pricing. The sheer number of bats used per player per season must be near 150 or more. Even a 4 season player would use over 600 bats. Superstar players like Derek Jeter over his 16 seasons using only 100 bats a season would have gone through 1600 bats. Puts a guy with say 100 of them or 1/16th of them in perspective, doesn't it?

I tried and continue to try to limit my collection to Sami Salo and Matt Diaz. I have picked up a few others for reasons as intelligent as "He was my dad's favorite player" to dumb and wasteful:"Hang it on the wall as a Super Bowl decoration" I hope to have every style jersey each wore. If I can do that (and odds are I can't as some are locked away in team set collections,) I'll switch to adding special patched shirts. The odds are, I may own every Devil Rays jersey Diaz ever wore and technically I could then say they are worth $2500 each. Since no others will ever be for sale, (including mine but I digress) does that constitute hoarding? Of course not, I am just a collector.

We all marvel at the collectors who have diverse collections of the same player and admire their length and breadth. Why is being so focused on one item from that player any different or less impressive?

[kprst6]

We all marvel at the collectors who have diverse collections of the same player and admire their length and breadth. Why is being so focused on one item from that player any different or less impressive?

If you had 10 Matt Diaz bats from the same season, none of which were anything special (milestone bat, home-run bat, playoff bat, all star bat etc), I would argue that they were all basically the same common bat and wouldn't want to look at all 10 of them because once you've seen 1 common 2010 Matt Diaz bat, you've seen them all.

If you had 1 bat from each season for 10 seasons, I would be much more interested in each bat individually than seeing 10 bats from the same season. At some point, the nostalgia is lost when you see how easy an item is to obtain and you see multiples of the same thing.

If you are literally able to obtain every single jersey worn by a player, I would argue the value would decrease simply because no one cared enough about that player to keep the item. There is a huge difference between an item being rare because they just don't exist in the market like a Troy Polamalu game used jersey, vs an artificial lack of availability because 1 person bought every single item. If you are the only person willing to hold on and collect a particular players items, then that means there is little to no market for that player and are probably worth more as kindling for a fire. To you, the collection might be worth $2,500 a jersey, but to everyone else, they probably wouldn't pay $100.00 per jersey.

[cliffjmp33]

This is a tough one as I think to each their own in a sense. And as I remember reading when I first joined, we should collect what we like. And if that is 10 Matt Diaz bats, so be it.

However, if you're living outside your means and put buying a Matt Diaz bat that has no real meaning to you other than "I want it", but can't pay your utilities or such, then it becomes a problem in my eyes.

Personally, I have about a dozen items in my collection and don't see it expanding a ton. If I am going to add, it's going to have some sentiment for me. I may have to part with certain items to obtain others, but I want to be able to have heat in the winter instead of freezing and staring at an NFL football.

And I hope our mentioning of Matt Diaz's bats only help increase their worth for collectors!

[frikativ54]

The sheer number of bats used per player per season must be near 150 or more. Even a 4 season player would use over 600 bats. Superstar players like Derek Jeter over his 16 seasons using only 100 bats a season would have gone through 1600 bats. Puts a guy with say 100 of them or 1/16th of them in perspective, doesn't it?

The problem with this reasoning is that it assumes that all of a player's bats are available for purchase. Truth is that no matter how many bats are used, only a fraction of those make it out to collectors. Some are discarded, some are cracked so badly that they aren't even offered, and many are kept by the players and their relatives. Assume that the teams keep several, which they most likely do, and you are left with not too many bats left for collectors.

If a player collector starts buying over ten bats per player per year, there simply aren't enough bats for everyone who wants one to enjoy having one. As a result, many of the people who would be thrilled with just one bat don't end up even being to obtain them. This is all as a result of hoarding, which in all honesty, does not impress me like honest collecting does. Just remember that every bat you hoard is a bat that someone else is missing out on.

[MarinersFan34]

The difference.. is how you want to judge and label that person.

Do we really need to start doing that? Honestly who cares what you collect and why would anyone here care what someone else thinks of what they collect?

I wouldn't label anyone here a hoarder because I have no need or desire to start judging collections and labeling them.

The only time would be perhaps if their house resembled that of those profiled on the show "Hoarders: Buried Alive" and replace the "stuff" with game used items. When you have so much you have to walk on top of it to get around, then yeah you're a hoarder.

Also, who cares about monetary value either, other than another way to judge someone and what their collect might be worth on the secondary market. One of the guys I collect is Sexson, his stuff has very little market value but because I'm a big fan, I should only buy 1 unique item and stick with that? So I can make someone else happy that they can't label me a hoarder? If I have the expendable cash to buy it or win it at auction, it's fair game and it's mine if I choose.

Is it the value of the player that is the problem? If I owned 10 Sexson bats (50 total) from his last 5 seasons, will anyone care or even notice? If I owned 10 Pujols bats (50 total) from his last 5 seasons, I'm a greedy hoarder?

Can it be frustrating that others have multiples of a bat or jersey I want while I haven't seen others for sale, I guess so. If I start to take the hobby so seriously that I get angry or have to label that person, I need to walk away cause it's not a fun hobby anymore.

Collect what you want and care less about what others might think of you, just enjoy the hobby!

[gingi79]

The problem with this reasoning is that it assumes that all of a player's bats are available for purchase. Truth is that no matter how many bats are used, only a fraction of those make it out to collectors. Some are discarded, some are cracked so badly that they aren't even offered, and many are kept by the players and their relatives. Assume that the teams keep several, which they most likely do, and you are left with not too many bats left for collectors.

If a player collector starts buying over ten bats per player per year, there simply aren't enough bats for everyone who wants one to enjoy having one. As a result, many of the people who would be thrilled with just one bat don't end up even being to obtain them. This is all as a result of hoarding, which in all honesty, does not impress me like honest collecting does. Just remember that every bat you hoard is a bat that someone else is missing out on.

Les I respect this opinion and understand what you are saying. I respectively disagree that if my focus is obtaining all the bats I can (and I am not even a bat collector, just using the analogy) of my favorite player than why should I care about what others are collecting? If we both want a Bagwell bat and I never owned one, what right do I have to say to you "Look Les, you already have Bagwell stuff, you should just let me buy this one." It's part of free market economics to say everyone has the same shot at something whether they own 1 or 1000 of them already.

I'm not looking to fight just wanted to continue what I see as a very healthy debate and discussion.

If you don't mind me asking, has this happened to you? Is there some collector hoarding Bagwell stuff? You just seem to have a very personal response and I am wondering of it is coming from personal experience and if so, I understand exactly why you feel this way. You don't have to answer, just wondering.


And I hope our mentioning of Matt Diaz's bats only help increase their worth for collectors!

I really hope to one day meet him and have him sign my bat. I am proud to own his pink Mothers Day bat as my own mother's ancestry has many women who suffered and died from Breast Cancer. It's already priceless to me. However, I agree his bats should be worth and selling for so much more than they are but I am a biased hoarder. :D

[dcgreg25]

Collect what you want and care less about what others might think of you, just enjoy the hobby!

Jeremy, well said. I could not have put it better myself. (says the guy with a few significant player collections).

[gingi79]

The only time would be perhaps if their house resembled that of those profiled on the show "Hoarders: Buried Alive" and replace the "stuff" with game used items. When you have so much you have to walk on top of it to get around, then yeah you're a hoarder.

I'd replace "hoarder" with "epic and awe inspiring" I am sorry if it makes me sound like less of the philosophical genius I normally am on this board but I would LOVE to see an episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive with thousands of untold and buried treasures of the game worn world. In fact, I'd rent a van gather up all of my friends from this board and go to their home with the intent of helping them unclutter their homes while increasing the clutter in about a hundred of ours. :)

[MarinersFan34]

Lol, I can imagine the Halper collection(no need to stray off on the authenticity here) but just the amount of items he had, and dump them on the floor all over the house. Oh man, having to walk on top of it, ruining stuff, breaking things I'm sure. It'd be a sad day to see that but I agree it'd be neat to see the treasures uncovered.


Over the years players use so many bats, jerseys, sticks, etc. that there should be plenty to go around for everyone, sometimes it just takes years of patience.

[solarlottry]

I think that if you collect what you like then go for it!

If I want 20 Steve Young shirts and I can afford it why cant I expand the collection? Am I a hoarder because I like to collect that many Steve Young shirts?

Now there are times when sharing is in order especially when friendships and relationships are taken into account. Also when a certain jersey greatly enhances another collectors collection but just adds another shirt to mine, then I will let it go. With that being said I would expect goodwill in return from the people involved.

I think this hobby can be fun if WE keep it that way and never get too greedy! Friendships and the ability to share what you have with other fans and collectors is what makes this hobby even more fun for me and by allowing some items to go to other collectors with similar interests only benefits us all.

Now if an item pops up that is special-a Steve Young playoff shirt or a jersey from a year I have been looking for then I will try and work something out with the other collectors I know before a bidding war ensues. Sometimes there is an item that just must be added though but thankfully those are few and far between!

Always buying 49ers gamers!
Paul
garciajones@yahoo.com

[Dach0sen0ne]

I don't think it matters whether they are common players or not. Having over ten bats of the same player from the same season - superstar or not - means that you are a hoarder. Sometimes people on the forum post photographs of their lumber, and I have to wonder what drives that sort of obsession.

I'm not sure why you need to label anyone because they have more than a certain number of bats that "you" think is acceptable. I guess I missed the 10 bat cutoff limit in the player collectors handbook. ;)


Why can't people share? Are they like adult kids who are insecure that somebody else may have access to their toys? Are they so possessive that they need every bat a player used in a given season? Is it an issue of needing absolute control of the market?
I'd be more than happy to help anyone acquire an Austin Jackson item, but I control the market and the prices are going to be very high. :D I've only had a few people ever ask about buying a Jackson bat and I was more than happy to help those people out. Sharing is caring.

[Texstros]

I think its a stretch to call someone who buys of 10 of any one thing a "hoarder". I was buying Chris Johnson Astros bats long before anyone else even noticed them sitting at the kiosk at minute maid park. Once he became "Hot" everyone started to get frisky & started buying them. By then I was getting phone calls from people to who wanted to sell me his bats & now that hes not so hot im still getting phone calls. I think of the bats like shoes, everyone of them is a little different & each has its own character.
Now my wife thinks of it as hoarding but she does not understand, LOL

[eGameUsed]

Not really sure what the point of this thread is or what relevance it has on game used memorabiliai. Sounds like it is intended to start an argument and cause problems.

People can and should do (collect) what they want, for any reason, without being questioned. Everyone has a special reason why they collect a certain team or player, and that is OK. Whether it be an experience, potential investment, or just something that peaks your interest.

Part of this forum is sharing those passions and showing off what we each collect and obtain. I have acquired countless items from other forum members that see that I collect a certain player or team and offer those items that might not fit in their collection. This is what collecting is all about.

This "equal distribution and everyone gets a fair share" mentality sounds very political. Not the point of this board.

My 2 Cents.

[frikativ54]

If you don't mind me asking, has this happened to you? Is there some collector hoarding Bagwell stuff? You just seem to have a very personal response and I am wondering of it is coming from personal experience and if so, I understand exactly why you feel this way. You don't have to answer, just wondering.

Yes - I have known of people who hoard stuff of players I collect. To give you an example, there was this guy on eBay several years back who would hoard Bagwell items, especially cards. Every time I got a high bid, he would summarily outbid me. He needed several duplicates of every card, even if they were rare inserts. The only hope of winning stuff was through BIN/BO auctions where I could make an outright higher offer. The interesting thing is that while he is still on eBay today, he doesn't bid nearly as much on Bagwell stuff. The hobby has probably gotten tiresome for him. Would it have hurt him to let those duplicate inserts go? Did he need to make it very difficult for me to collect what I love? At a certain point, I had to lose out just because of some psychological need within him that caused him to buy everything he saw.

[godwulf]

The only time would be perhaps if their house resembled that of those profiled on the show "Hoarders: Buried Alive" and replace the "stuff" with game used items. When you have so much you have to walk on top of it to get around, then yeah you're a hoarder.

When I hear the term "hoarder", this is what I think of, as well (maybe because I regularly watch that show). Also, what cliff mentioned - about spending so much on GU that you can't pay your utility bill. Some "quality of life" issue that has been created by the sheer mass of what you've accumulated, in other words.

I think it's plain that frik is using the term "hoarder" in an entirely different sense, however; it doesn't seem to matter to her (and, Les, please correct me if I'm wrong) whether the collector/hoarder in question is stumbling over piles of bats and eating dogfood, or living in a mansion with everything neatly displayed in a room the size of Vermont. She's using the word in a very negative, judgmental sense, to describe somebody whom she feels has more of something than he or she "needs".

[xpress34]

Yes - I have known of people who hoard stuff of players I collect. To give you an example, there was this guy on eBay several years back who would hoard Bagwell items, especially cards. Every time I got a high bid, he would summarily outbid me. He needed several duplicates of every card, even if they were rare inserts. The only hope of winning stuff was through BIN/BO auctions where I could make an outright higher offer. The interesting thing is that while he is still on eBay today, he doesn't bid nearly as much on Bagwell stuff. The hobby has probably gotten tiresome for him. Would it have hurt him to let those duplicate inserts go? Did he need to make it very difficult for me to collect what I love? At a certain point, I had to lose out just because of some psychological need within him that caused him to buy everything he saw.

Les -

Just curious. Did you ever have contact with this person? Do you know for a fact that they went out of their way just to keep YOU from getting an item? (When you say that 'he' would 'summarily outbid' you, it's sounds like you believe it was personal)

Maybe they were collecting for other people as well - their kids for example. I have a friend here who has three boys and when it comes to cards - even inserts and parallels - he buys 4. I for his collection and one for each of the boys.

Unless there was some type of contact (eMail, phone, etc) between you and this person, you don't know their story anymore than they know yours.

Just a different perspective on your example.

- Smitty

[Danny899]

Oh yeah, I'm a hoarder!! I always go after just about any Henderson jersey I can find!! But it is quite fun though!

Dan

[camarokids]

I think a hoarder would apply more to someone who collects (hoards) precious metals in bullion form. They don't really collect, but are saving them for their value and or investment. Even then if you have 10,000 ounces of gold or 10,000 silver dollars you may save them cause you enjoy collecting them.

I have ten bats of a players and like 5 or 6 pf many others. I think it is cool to have many bats of a player. It helps to show their use traits or like some players, their different use traits. Like Canseco, some bats have tape, some don't. Some have his written on the ends some don't.......

[bdeol4]

To me, if I cannot display it and have to put it in storage or in a box, I don't want it. I hate clutter and have mountains of stuff makes it looks like a joke. All i get is game used. I don't buy retail memorabilia. To me game used is the only way to go, everything else is junk. But I know many sports fans & collectors view it the other way around.

The best thing to do i pre-set parameters and stick to those no matter what. Every month, I can say i find items that are out of my collection scope. All I have toa sk myself is , "Wow, this Bengals jersey would look awful next to the $6,000 in buccaneers game used items I have." It doesn't make sense to have items out of the main concept of your collection. Stick to what your scope is, make a "dream" want list, then a realistic want list and actually plan on where and how you would display it.

I always am amazed how people jsut want to collect "game used jerseys" from any team or league or year. Then you are filling the never ending bottomless pit of hoarding and you will never be satisfied.

Agreed!

[mad87man]

I think the difference is people who collect, collect for fun and their love of something. I think Hoarding is people who collect stuff b/c of an obsession or memory of something. They will keep a tissue b/c it reminds them when they fell 5 years ago and cut their knee for example. That is the difference ot me anyway.

[yankees506]

The way i feel is simple: what's the point of collecting? to collect right? so what if i have 1 or 100, if the item is one that i think would be cool to own it really shouldnt matter how many i have? Its the same as telling someone they shouldnt buy any more bats period because they have "too many". I dont get the whole "leave some for me" this isnt the last slice of a pizza pie, its a hobby.

[bigtime59]

If you still have a functioning kitchen and bathroom and you don't have to navigate over and between piles of stuff to get from point a to point b in your residence, you're a collector.
If not...

[godwulf]

If you still have a functioning kitchen and bathroom...

Hey, I only used the bathroom for storage for a couple of days, during a reorganization I was doing awhile back.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a1dc07b3127ccefc204a76d37d00000030O02EbsmzVu0ZA9 vPhw/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

And, as you can see, I posted a guard to watch out for termites.

[jppopma]

The difference is all in the eye of the beholder. While I consider myself a collector, my wife would totally put me in the category of a hoarder.

[mook03005]

I was probably a level 2 hoarder at my worst, albeit all my appliances still worked, and I still could navigate around the house, but after getting married I had to put everything aside …as for the collecting/hoarding analogy there is no real difference. One has an organized mess, the other has a disorganized mess. And yes I still have alot of baseball cards wrappers from 1988 fleer

[frikativ54]

Hey, I only used the bathroom for storage for a couple of days, during a reorganization I was doing awhile back.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a1dc07b3127ccefc204a76d37d00000030O02EbsmzVu0ZA9 vPhw/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

And, as you can see, I posted a guard to watch out for termites.

LOL! I love it. We have two guards, who would chew on my memorabilia if they could. :eek: