IS your collection a Top 10 within your niche?

[camarokids]

I may have one of the most complete collections of Devil Rays game used bats. Currently with 354 bats.

Needing only 24 players bats from 1998 to 2011 to have at least one bat of every position player to log in at least one official MLB at-bat.

Also a decent collection of their fielding gloves with 17.

There may be some others out there who have large collections?

[camarokids]

It would be interesting to know who has a major collection of Atlanta Braves bats!!!

[frikativ54]

Personally, it doesn't matter to me if I'm in the top ten or top hundred with any of my game used collections. Perhaps there are others who feel the same way and eschew the hypercompetitiveness that sometimes runs rampant in game used collecting.

One of the biggest mistakes I made in my early collecting was trying to be "the best" in my niche. Now, after having collected for a few years, I've realized that it's okay to branch out, that I don't need to own my favorite player's every item. I constantly aim to collect only for the love of baseball.

[gingi79]

No doubt top 10 Matt Diaz and unless there is a hoarder in Finland with all his Olympic jerseys and his minor league jerseys, who hasn't advertised the fact he has them, #1 Sami Salo collection in the world

[camarokids]

Personally, it doesn't matter to me if I'm in the top ten or top hundred with any of my game used collections. Perhaps there are others who feel the same way and eschew the hypercompetitiveness that sometimes runs rampant in game used collecting.

One of the biggest mistakes I made in my early collecting was trying to be "the best" in my niche. Now, after having collected for a few years, I've realized that it's okay to branch out, that I don't need to own my favorite player's every item. I constantly aim to collect only for the love of baseball.

I am into collecting what I do for me, not to compete with others. A lot of the players bats I need, most collectors would not want to own. I am just trying to complete a goal.

I also collect other teams based on players/teams I have met. Some items I buy just because they are neat to own based on their history.

[slab0meat]

I'm not even in the top 1,000,000

[godwulf]

Not to overly complicate the issue (moi?), but how does one factor in something like rarity, uniqueness and "importance" vs. just sheer number of objects?

Take my own niche - the Diamondbacks. I've got over a thousand bats, and something like 300 jerseys, and of course a lot of other gu stuff related in some way to the team...but I'd guesstimate that maybe 25% of the bats and a third of the jerseys are not MLB, but from the Minors. I know a lot of collectors (no doubt some of you) who turn up their noses at prospects' bats, etc - but it happens to be one of my favorite parts of collecting.

That said, even if you only consider the strictly MLB items, yeah, there may be some guys out there with more Diamondbacks jerseys, but when it comes to bats, I've never heard of anyone having a greater number, or as many from key players throughout the team's history.

[camarokids]

Hey Godwulf,

My son and I bought two game used bats from the Indianapolis Indians Team Store last week! One is Jake Fox and the other Chase D'Aunard.

[godwulf]

It's really an affordable alternative to always spending big bucks on bats from the big club, isn't it? When I was in Mobile last month, I bought a half dozen bats at the BayBears' team store for less than I'd have paid for a single bat at Chase Field. I also have a guy in California who gets minor league bats from all over the system, and a guy here in the Valley who has provided me with quite a few ST bats. Usuallly, when the Fall League comes around, I have at least a few bats to get signed. Last Fall, I surprised David Nick by asking him to sign bats that turned out to have been used by him on three different minor league teams.

Speaking of Indianapolis, that's where I grew up. I remember my Dad taking me to a couple of Indians games - this would have been in the '60s - but I didn't really become a Baseball fan till I was in my late twenties...and I didn't start collecting bats till I was over forty. Probably a good thing; if I'd started as a kid, God alone knows how many bats I'd have accumulated by now.

[Klattsy]

Mark, is there a big market down there for collecting GU cricket, AFL, NRL, and any other sports GU items? Just curious.

Hey Kudu, most Game Used items from the top sports go for big bucks down here because they are so rare. They are usually reserved for charity auctions and a pretty much always in 4 figures. A lot of corporate types pick them up. You cannot buy anything from the team and players do not throw things into the crowd (that I have ever seen). A lo of the players keep their items for friends and family. I actually found out that one of the Australian representative NRL players sends all his Aust training gear out to indigenous communities for the kids to wear!

The NRL has a "pink" round where the auction jerseys off for Breast Cancer and the cricketers to the same thing. Not sure about AFL too much.

I'm not sure how many of each item are issued to players in each sport, but it's no where near the number in MLB. In fact with Cricket, the hat they wear on the field ("The Baggy Green") each player is given 1 (ONE) only. Ever. Unless it falls apart beyond repair.

Hope that makes sense!
Mark.