Loving The Collection that you Have

[bravesfanjd]

I just wanted to make a post about my Collection. I know it isn't as big or as great as everybody's and I always wish I could add certain things but I love what I have. I am 27 years old and I live in California but I grew up watching the Braves on TBS every night with my mom. My sports hero is Chipper Jones and I love the Braves. My prized possesions are my Chipper items which include 2 bats one black and blonde (each side of the plate) A game used third base from Dodger stadium which he played in that game farewell season batting glove and a batting practice/ spring training jersey which I bought because I couldn't afford one form a regular season game but I love it all the same because he wore it. I also have 4 different lineup cards from 4 braves dodger games I attended including the last two games Chipper ever played at Dodger stadium.
I also have an Andruw Jones game used bat and because I wanted something from Glavine and Smoltz but am on a limited budget I got some Pitching charts they filled out that I won form Leo Mazzone collection through celebz direct. Also have some Frenchy items because he is my second favorite player off all time behind Chipper.

I wish I had more but the truth is I love everything I have and if I never got another thing it would be fine because trust me I never as a little kid ever thought I would have a bat in my possession that chipper swung in a baseball game. It blows my mind just looking at it in my room.

This is just an amazing hobby filled with awesome stories about why people collect what they do such as Toddhead and why he collects Garin Cecchini items. Those are the really cool stories. Also getting to go on the pickup of the month thread to see what other people got and hear why they chose to spend their hard earned money on that item is awesome.

To even have just one item I think is awesome and I don't worry about what I don't have or want and what I can afford or what other people can spend on certain items because at the end of the day you can either have a collection of items you love or you can have a collection that you always see missing pieces because someone else got it instead of you. I choose to gave a collection I love
(http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=55196)

[tory.mccallum1]

That's awesome! Im actually 24 and though Ive been "collecting" for about 10 years, i just recently started getting some better stuff since i have an "adult job" and can afford more stuff. I collect mainly basketball and football and though i have favorite players right now I'm just trying get jerseys i think are cool , or show lots of wear. I figure through time i will start collecting a certain player or team and become more of a speciality collector. One jersey i do want though is a Lebron James game jersey, i just know that will take time since those are priced between 5-10k on average with a legit COA. Hopefully i can work up to that because he's been my favorite player since i was 15. That's awesome you were able to get a bat from your favorite player though! If you have pics share them, i need to put some of my pics up some time.

[MercyMe78]

I sort of do wonder how many collectors here are 30 and younger and whats in their collections. I recently only started collecting game used but sort of have an addiction now (I'm 25).

I started collecting back in February of this year and do love my current collection which is mostly 2012 SF Giants bats. Currently have 13 bats, 2 Venezuela Jersey (Blanco), and one mitt (Sandoval). Trying to collect everyone who was ever on the roster in 2012, but it seems a bit difficult to get all of them so may be resorting back to 2013 bats as well. Still not 100% set on whether this is acceptable though... blah

[jwal23]

I just wanted to make a post about my Collection. I know it isn't as big or as great as everybody's and I always wish I could add certain things but I love what I have. I am 27 years old and I live in California but I grew up watching the Braves on TBS every night with my mom. My sports hero is Chipper Jones and I love the Braves. My prized possesions are my Chipper items which include 2 bats one black and blonde (each side of the plate) A game used third base from Dodger stadium which he played in that game farewell season batting glove and a batting practice/ spring training jersey which I bought because I couldn't afford one form a regular season game but I love it all the same because he wore it. I also have 4 different lineup cards from 4 braves dodger games I attended including the last two games Chipper ever played at Dodger stadium.
I also have an Andruw Jones game used bat and because I wanted something from Glavine and Smoltz but am on a limited budget I got some Pitching charts they filled out that I won form Leo Mazzone collection through celebz direct. Also have some Frenchy items because he is my second favorite player off all time behind Chipper.

I wish I had more but the truth is I love everything I have and if I never got another thing it would be fine because trust me I never as a little kid ever thought I would have a bat in my possession that chipper swung in a baseball game. It blows my mind just looking at it in my room.

This is just an amazing hobby filled with awesome stories about why people collect what they do such as Toddhead and why he collects Garin Cecchini items. Those are the really cool stories. Also getting to go on the pickup of the month thread to see what other people got and hear why they chose to spend their hard earned money on that item is awesome.

To even have just one item I think is awesome and I don't worry about what I don't have or want and what I can afford or what other people can spend on certain items because at the end of the day you can either have a collection of items you love or you can have a collection that you always see missing pieces because someone else got it instead of you. I choose to gave a collection I love
(http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=55196)

Couldn't agree with you more, I'm 27 and have been collecting for a few years (I have a thread on here about my Evan Longoria collection), I'm far from wealthy and have to work hard for every item I obtain but I love each piece of my collection. I also really enjoy signing into GUU everyday and hearing stories about people snagging items that they truly cherish

[ChiBosox05]

Be happy and appreciate what you have. I've been collecting for about 15 years now, but took a few years off from going to the ball parks. I currently go from time to time just to try and get some of the players I really need. The fun and unique thing about going to a game and getting signatures is being able to tell the story of how you got an item signed and meeting the player. I also got bats during my younger days....I have 2 given to my by David Ortiz from his twins days. Don't get me wrong, I do buy sigs but mainly from legends like Aaron and Mays, due to their outrageous prices at shows.

The neat thing about my collection is that I have a sheet where I track each sig I obtained in person...who, what, when, and where. I wouldn't trade anything in my collection.

[Nnunnari]

I just turned 31 in May. I still have the old SCD clippings saved from when I was 11 yrs old. I would save my allowance and have my mom phone into the auctions to place bids for me while she was at work. The Molitor and one of my Gwynns on my website are bats I won back then. For some reason, while all my friends were spending money on toys and video games, I was saving money for bats. Over the years I have sold and traded my way up to a collection I'm proud to display today. Strange to think that I have been actively collecting for 20 years now at my age.

[mbrieve]

Great post. There can be a lot of jealousy and hard feelings in this hobby. I think a lot of it stems from people not having the financial resources to purchase everything they want. I'm relatively young (31), but have been collecting for over 20 years. I would love to spend all my disposable income on memorabilia, but that is just not practical.

A few years back I determined I need to focus my collection and liquidate the excess. This was the best decision I could make. I would certainly like to play with the big boys and if I ever come into considerable wealth, I would love to build impressive Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander collections. Right now, I'm happy focusing on collecting game used bats from All Star Detroit Tigers from the 80s, 90s and present. I'm also very proud of my Carlos Guillen player collection.

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee92/mbriev16/Guillensig_zpsf9fb57a4.jpg

My want list includes a Carlos Guillen Tigers Road jersey, as well as, any of his specialty jerseys (Negro Leagues, TBTC, Jackie Robinson Day, etc.). I also realize that I am not the only Carlos Guillen or Tigers collector in the world and I may not be able to own all of those pieces...but the hunt is going to be fun!

[dre707]

I just turned 28 myself and own a few game used items 1 Gary sheffield bat 1 game used cleat 2 pairs of game used batting gloves but I just started the game used stuff like a year ago I always bought game used cards and sports autographs so I own a whole bunch of autos mostly Philadelphia eagles and Gary Sheffield I bought my first bat from a member here and not 1 day goes by where I don't stop and look at it. just to know my favorite player used it and swung it in a MLB game along with the gloves and cleat. I say I started collecting since I was 10 but due to my diabetes budgets been very low :( but i still love what I have :)

[CPuente57]

I'm 29 and I've only been collecting game used for around 4 years. I collected cards forever and just got bored with it. I had a pretty nice collection and I sold off the majority of it so I could buy game used. That's basically the main reason I've been able to acquire most of my collection. Well worth the tradeoff in my opinion!

[CPuente57]

I'm 29 and I've only been collecting game used for around 4 years. I collected cards forever and just got bored with it. I had a pretty nice collection and I sold off the majority of it so I could buy game used. That's basically the main reason I've been able to acquire most of my collection. Well worth the tradeoff in my opinion!

[The Big Red Machine]

Absolutely. We collect certain items because having them makes us happy. I'd like to think that the majority of collectors don't collect with the mindset that they need to have more than anyone else, although I'm sure these types of collectors exist. I have always collected for quality over quantity and in the case of game used memorabilia, sentimental value comes before anything else. I wouldn't trade my Kane ring mask for the world and if I had to settle for having only it and no other piece of memorabilia for the rest of my life, well, it wouldn't be "settling" because I'd still be the happiest collector on the planet. Collect what you love and love what you collect.

[MarlinsFan1993]

I am 25 and have been collecting for a little over 2 years. I know that since my collection is just about exclusively Marlins items it may not have the same "flare" as some of the other amazing collections on here but I am perfectly fine with that. For better or worst the Marlins have always been my one and only team. I feel very proud and fortunate to have the collection I have put together over the past couple years.

[MarlinsFan1993]

Btw, I have loved reading the responses on this thread. I feel like it is almost the absolute opposite to the "Greed" thread started last week.

[timb69]

I got into the hobby about 10 years ago. It all started with a couple of boxes of baseball cards that a guy gave me, that were all his doubles. Some neat cards, nothing fancy. Some from the late 60's, early 70's, up through the 90's. I had no clue about them, but checked them out. What I did "score" from what he gave me, were from the 1997 Fleer set. The cheap set, that had NO shine on the cards at all. His name then was David Arias, and I said to myself "This looks like David Ortiz". I checked on it, and sure enough, it was his RC. Booked at the time for $70 bucks. I found FOUR of them in the box. In researching it, I found Sports Card Forum, where I fell in love with. Ended up trading the cards for tons of other cards. There is where I found out about cards with autographs and GU pieces. The rest was history.

I can't begin to count how much money I spent on cards there, ebay, and hobby boxes. 20 GRAND at least over the years. About 4 years or so ago, someone on SCF messaged me about a ton of Buffalo Bills cards he had. I bought a ton of cards from him, then he asked me if I collected memorabilia. I didn't, but I told him to send me pictures. Long story short, I traded ALL my non-Bills cards, a laptop worth about $300 bucks, and another 200 or so to help with shipping. What I got was an AMAZING collection of Buffalo Bills memorabilia, which included

*Autographed footballs (Kelly, Reed, Lofton, Thomas, Moulds, Jackson, etc)
*Autographed and non autographed cleats
*Auto and non auto gloves
*Signed 8x10 and 16x20 photos
*2 Full sized replica autographed helmets (One signed by about 20 players, like Kelly, Reed, Thomas, OJ, Smith, etc)
*2 Full sized authentic helmets, one that is signed by players like Lee Evans, Trent Edwards, Fred Jackson, Jim Kelly)
*About 12 mini helmets, signed buy Schobel, Reed, Norwood, Moulds, TO, Fred Jackson, Fitz, etc.
An Eric Moulds autographed gamer, showing MUCH use
*Framed autographed jerseys of Kelly, Bennett, Lofton, Andre Reed, B. Smith, Thurman, Lee Evans, Schobel, Moulds, Josh Reed)


Pretty much from then on, I was hooked on memorabilia. Why spend the money on a card with a tiny piece of jersey, when I can get the whole jersey? From there, it was any NFL gamer, like:

Michael Bennett autographed Vikings gamer
Keith Brooking autographed Falcons gamer
Doug Flutie autographed Chargers Jersey
Vince Young autographed Titans Jersey
Tyrone Calico autographed Titans gamer
Josh Johnson Bengals gamer
Randy Kinder Eagles gamer
Sean Landetta Rams gamer
Nick Burley Rams Game Issue
Antoine Bagwell Rams Game Issue
Fred McNair Buffalo Destroyers gamer


Then I found MLB gamer/issued jerseys on ebay, and the prices of them, I started buying them. I have about 20 or so now. No really huge names, but still fun to collect. This sure is an ADDICTIVE hobby!!!

[bravesfanjd]

Hello

The posts on this thread are awesome. I wanted to post the very first piece of game used memorabilia I ever got. I paid $15 for it and he had a numbered version that was $20 I told him the regular was fine because all I wanted was one Chipper Jones Jersey card at the time I never thought it would get better then the card :) and I was so happy just to have such a small piece of jersey. I must of touched the Jersey swatch 100 times when I first got it. To this day I still display this card with my other items.

[soxbats]

Great, great post. I read the other post about collector jealousy and I was saddened by the frustration expressed by collectors about things they cannot acquire. Collecting is supposed to be fun and we are lucky enough to enjoy a hobby that has plenty of price points for entry. For all you "youngbloods" who are starting out, keep going and enjoy. When I started, my collection focused on common player bats from a ball park heroes ad in SCD called the "firewood sale". As I got a bit more income I was able to go after bigger players and spend some more money, but those ones I found early on are still many of my favorites.

It would be great to have a collection of hall of famers or every finals jersey, and I enjoy reading about collectors who have been able to amass those collections, they are lucky to have done so. And yes, I do in some ways covet those types of bats, but I have carved out a collection of my own, built in large part on common players, that I am equally proud of. No matter how much money you have, i think to really collect game used you have to make contacts, meet other collectors, research, dig around and work at it. Please don't blast me for this, but Simply buying a bunch of jerseys from an online auction might mean you have a collection, but from my point of view you might be missing the best parts of collecting.

Thanks for starting this point.

Soxbats

[ctguy212003]

That's awesome! Im actually 24 and though Ive been "collecting" for about 10 years, i just recently started getting some better stuff since i have an "adult job" and can afford more stuff. I collect mainly basketball and football and though i have favorite players right now I'm just trying get jerseys i think are cool , or show lots of wear. I figure through time i will start collecting a certain player or team and become more of a speciality collector. One jersey i do want though is a Lebron James game jersey, i just know that will take time since those are priced between 5-10k on average with a legit COA. Hopefully i can work up to that because he's been my favorite player since i was 15. That's awesome you were able to get a bat from your favorite player though! If you have pics share them, i need to put some of my pics up some time.

Any NFL jerseys for sale. Text me 860-794-1880

[beaglegypsy003]

I just purchased my 100th University of Hawaii alumni player jersey which includes gamers, practice and game-ready/team issued. I enjoy my collection because the jerseys are of players I've seen play in person when I started going to Hawaii games in 1971 to now. Until recently the vast majority of it was in storage. For the last 2 1/2 months I've been setting up one of the rooms in my house to showcase my collection. Right now I have nine jerseys in cases and five on mannequins. I also have helmets, framed photos and custom McFarlanes (for the most part, showing the players in the jerseys I have) on display. The room is only half done. I still have autograph footballs and cleats to put out. After the room is finished, it will be a place for me to sit and unwind.

[42itus]

I just purchased my 100th University of Hawaii alumni player jersey which includes gamers, practice and game-ready/team issued. I enjoy my collection because the jerseys are of players I've seen play in person when I started going to Hawaii games in 1971 to now. Until recently the vast majority of it was in storage. For the last 2 1/2 months I've been setting up one of the rooms in my house to showcase my collection. Right now I have nine jerseys in cases and five on mannequins. I also have helmets, framed photos and custom McFarlanes (for the most part, showing the players in the jerseys I have) on display. The room is only half done. I still have autograph footballs and cleats to put out. After the room is finished, it will be a place for me to sit and unwind.


Assuming you're in Honolulu, let me know if you need advice on correctly lighting up your room. That's what I do for a living. A collection like yours can be displayed nicely with minimal expense.

[beaglegypsy003]

Assuming you're in Honolulu, let me know if you need advice on correctly lighting up your room. That's what I do for a living. A collection like yours can be displayed nicely with minimal expense.

Thanks.

[42itus]

Thanks.

Forgot to mention, I'm not looking to make a buck. There is no cost for consultation. Just wanted to be clear in case my earlier post sounded like a sales pitch.