How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

[kylehess10]

Title says it all....



I've been collecting since January, 2006. My collection originally consisted of just 3 items: A Chipper Jones game used bat, a Glenn Hubbard game used bat, and a Horacio Ramirez locker room nameplate. I still have those 3 pieces, but in the past 2 years I've gained my collection up to having about 50 pieces. I have everything from Ken Griffey Jr.'s All Star Game helmet to Carlos Guillen's shower sandle. I used to mainly collect game used cards, with those lone 3 pieces of game used memorabilia in my collection, but after my brother got me a pair of Chipper Jones game worn batting gloves for Christmas, 2005, I decided to quit with cards and start collecting full game used memorabilia. I sold every single game used card I had and got quite a pretty penny from it, which I turned around to get my new collection started. I love every bit of it!

[skyking26]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

Back in the late 70's my brother and I had a running rivalry. He was a huge Tigers fan, I followed the Cubs. No particular reason, they were on here in the Detroit area on cable when I got home fom high school. Dave Kingman became my player to watch, so I began collecting his cards along with assembling my usual yearly Topps sets.

As time went on, that manifested into oddball material, and 10 years later my first GU purchase in 89 was a '75 Mets home jersey and a 84/85 Louisville Kingman bat. While in college I started to put together bats and a jersey here and there, but the oddball collecting and autos were mostly the thing. Today, I have soon to be 10 of his jerseys, about 24 bats, and pursue bats of the Tiger championship teams along with auto'd baseballs of HOF's and local stars.

[3arod13]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

I starting collecting cards in 1968. I grew up in Syracuse, NY and went to all the Syracuse Chiefs baseball games. Back then, Syracuse Chiefs were the minor league farm team of the NY Yankees. I use to love when the Yankees would come to Syracuse and play in their exhibition games. When Syracuse lost their minds and then decised to become the farm team of the Toronto Blue Jays, I died! Started collecting game used stuff in 1993 when I purchased my first few pieces of Juan Gonzalez, but it ended their. Once I found this site, it got me really interested in game used stuff, based on what I have learned in this forum. I'm very selective in what I buy due to the fact that the more I learn and the more fakes I see, the more I hesitate. Overall, I just love to collect!

[geoff]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

I started collecting Game Used in Oct of 2005 and have a nice size collection since then spending all the extra money I have on items.My first Game Used item was a Signed Game Used Spring Training Twins Bat.The Bat is Signed By Johan Santana and got that off EBAY.I since sold that Bat to a Friend.My Second Game Used Bat was a Andruw Jones Signed Bat that I bought from a Forum Member and Signed Game Used Batting Gloves.I met other People on here and have got Stuff from them also.I collect all Game Used now and only that as I used to collect Cards also.Now that I bought a Condo a few months ago I have to slow down on what I buy and have had to sell a few items along the way and are selling items now.But I will never get out off collecting Game Used as I think the World off this Hobby.I am even trying to teach my new Girlfriend about the Hobby and she wants to learn about it and I am happy to teach her what I have learned from others on here.I love Game Used and will never stop collecting even if I have to sell to buy more Game Used.

[chicagoglen]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

I started in 2006 like Kyle. Being a life long White Sox fan and they just having won the 2005 World Series I decided to collect a bat from every position player on that team. My first bat was a signed Jermaine Dye gamer and the rest is history. I have since completed the Team Bat set (Minus Raul Casanova since the White Sox state he never ordered a bat and only had 5 at bats that year) and have yet decided what will be next on the list. I have had game used batting helmets of Uribe, konerko, and Pierzynski but sold them off. (Regret it) and I think I might start collecting some of these again. I am upset because I am missing Soxfest this weekend because of some business out of town. So I will have to wait for the Garage sale later in the year.

If anyone ever see's a Raul Casanova non-team descipt bat I would appreciate if you let me know.

Thanks,

Glen

[bigklu18]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

I started seriously collecting in 1988. My grandfather worked for General Electric here in Cincinnati and in April of 76 the Reds came there for a tour and he was able to get a ball signed by the entire team. The ball is also dated 04/76. I took the ball to a local shop to get a value and was very pleased. Afterwards I went home and found some cards I was given back in the 70's and bought a Beckett and was hooked. I got a pretty good job and began to visit a baseball card shop at least once a week for awhile and began to stockpile cards. I went from just buying cards, to buying packs of certain years hoping to find the big names to just collecying certain players and then to autographs and game used bats and now more higher priced game used things and only certain cards if they appeal to me. WHAT A GREAT HOBBY !!!!

[eGameUsed]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

Great topic! I started collecting in 1987 at the age of 8. Jim Pankovitz gave me a cracked bat at the end of the game when I was trying to get some autographs. Since, I have been hooked and have focused on Astros items ever since. I now collect Astros bats, jerseys, and other equipment starting with the 1962 Colt .45s to the current players. And yes . . . I still have the 1987 Jim Pankovitz bat and one of the few items I didn't pay for . I remember the first "insider" I had. He set-up every Saturday and Sunday at a Flea Market on the south side of Houston near the Astrodome. He had trash cans full of bats and cleats and gloves. I recall all the Biggio and Bagwell bats I passed on at $50, when I only "needed" one. I also remember not having the $100 for the Biggio catcher's glove, mask, and shingaurds. What was I thinking?

Thanks,

[bigtruck260]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

Been collecting Cardinals items for 25 years - mostly autographs - though I have sold off most of that collection

Game used stuff began in 2002 - and has blossomed into a hobby rather than an obesession like some folks here. I don't collect the high dollar guys, just players I enjoyed watching or had experiences with over the years. My first game used item was a Jason Kendall (Pirates) bat that he handed me after a game in the late 1990's. I sold it in 2002 to acquire my first Cardinals item - a Lance Johnson fielder's glove that has long been sold.

Dave

[Birdbats]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

Bought my first pack of cards in 1969 and collected every card produced until I went to college in '80. Laid off for a while, then when I got a real job (making real money) I started collecting vintage cards -- tried to get high-grade rookie cards of each Cardinals HOFer. I have a good friend who had a few autographed bats and I liked the way they looked. So, in 1994, I bid on and won a 1974 Lou Brock GU bat. I was hooked on bats from then on. In 2002, I won Edgar Renteria's post-9/11 2001 jersey at a charity auction -- that started the jersey collection.

[jonincleve]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

true story, i was 6 years old 1975, it was the first time i was allowed to go to a friends house by myself 3 streets over. my friends mom was throwing out a bunch of baseball/football cards and i asked if i could have them. i brought home about 300-400 cards and started sorting them by teams etc... i was hooked. our parents would joke years later that those 300 cards became over a million plus cards at one point and it all started with them.

i never stopped even through the high school/college years. being diabetic i never really drank or smoked and all of my friends used to joke/tease me about my collection. now we are all near 40 and i bring up the fact that all their beer/cigarette money is gone and my money is hanging on my walls or displayed. plus they all got home safe from the bars and partying due to a great designated driver

through baseball cards and memorabilia i have been able to supplement paying for college, get married,own a house and adopt our little girl. now we are going for child number 2 within the next year hence the adoption sale in the for sale forum hint,hint. amazing how one small act one day back in the 70's can change the course of one's life.

take care
john
jonincleve@sbcglobal.net

[karamaxjoe]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

It's funny how time have changed. Today if you let your 6 year old wonder three blocks away, you'd probably end up in jail. Good luck with baby number two.

Mike

[Nnunnari]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

Back in '96 I was collecting autographs in spring training like I had every year, except this time Matt Stairs gave me a broken bat, I was hooked on bats ever since. I started collecting all different kinds of bats of my favorite players, since then I have focused on Hall of Famers and sold just about all of the commons.


Nick
nunnari19@yahoo.com

always looking for Gwynn bats

[plt4008usmc]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

I started collecting cards in the early 90's with my younger cousin. During the 2006 season I won 2 jerseys of the players that were living with me at the time and that really started my game used collection. Since then I have not really collected cards unless they are of certain players.

[AWA85]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

I have been a long time autograph collector and card collector when I was younger. I picked up a few bats from some minor league players and a foul ball from Adam Dunn in STL during their first season at the new park but never thought anything of it at the time. I found this website and thought it would be pretty cool to get into and something different from all the autographs. Thanks to this site I have added a couple of Reds bats, a hat and one amazing Jason LaRue batting helmet all within the past month or two. A hobby that is hard to get away from!

[yanks12025]

Re: How long have you been collecting for and how did you start out??

I started collecting around 3 three's ago. Started off with a bang, collecting game used bats. The first one that i got, was a 1950-53 Larry Berra game used bat. Man i would do anything in the world to have that bat back.