Starting A New, Old Hobby: Card Collecting As An Adult

“Hey hun, I was thinking, I am 35 years old now, I think its time I stopped playing video games in my free time.”

“Are you serious?” 

“Yeah you know, being married, paying a mortgage and having a child really puts things into perspective, and as much as I love playing video games…it’s time to grow up.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Absolutely not.”

“So what are you going to do instead?”

“I am going to start collecting baseball cards again.”

“Oh, god…”

Now this was a abridged version of the conversation, but full disclosure, my wife has been amazing when it comes to this new hobby I decided to take up in my mid thirties. Plus, collecting cards does not come with the same amount of time and yelling that video games often require. 

But why get back into a hobby that I did when I was a kid? 

It all started back in January, before our quarantine, and before I understood how big and how in-depth card collecting was. 

Back in January I attended my first card show in decades because there was also a great deal of memorabilia being sold, and I thought I could add some nice heirlooms to my autographed baseball collection. I was able to, but seeing hundreds of people, mostly adults, older than myself, hovering around thousands of cards, I couldn’t help but take notice as to why so many, were so interested? 

Well in case you have not heard, the card market has exploded in recent months, and more and more collectors, including myself have been swept up in the excitement. Cards have been selling at a record pace for hundreds, thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

But why start collecting? 

Reasons To Collect

Nostalgia

If you are really skeptical on getting back into the hobby try this. Go to your local Target or Walmart (be sure to have a mask on at the very least) and wonder over to the card section of the store. Feast your eyes on the large selection of names you grew up. Names like Topps (mainly baseball cards now) and Upper Deck (Hockey) and grab yourself a couple of packs. 

Now one thing you will notice is that more than likely the card selection is an absolute mess. Packs are everywhere, boxes as well. And the reason for that is not because your local Target or Walmart workers are neglecting the sections but it’s because some collectors are trying to out think the system. They will “feel up” the packs or even weigh them (yes they bring in their own scales) to see if there is something ‘special in the pack’. For example, if a pack is heavier, their could be a relic card in that pack. Some relic cards are very valuable. So these collectors will go and make real mess of things in the hopes of trying to find some treasure. 

Its a scumbag thing to do. 

Have I tried it? Yes. 

Have I made a mess to do so? No

Has it worked? Not a single time. 

So don’t even bother. 

But buy a couple of things. Buy a couple of packs, or Hanger Packers (which are bigger packs on the hangers (hence the name) or treat yourself to a couple of Blaster Boxes (About 20 dollars in value) You get a few packs in the box and better chance at getting a hit (a valuable card). 

After you buy and you start breaking open the packs and the boxes, you will be instantly sent back to your childhood. The tearing of the plastic, the feel of the cards, and in the time where everything is digital (don’t bother with digital cards either) it provides that nostalgia and break from the norm. 

Doing this to build your collection is a very satisfying way to get a nice foundation and what it is you truly want to collect. 

Investing

If you’re like me, you probably don’t have much of an investment portfolio or have the slightest clue how to build one. 

But I know sports, or at least I like to think that I do. And collecting is an excellent way to try and invest with your own budget. You can start small, very small, and slowly collect valuable cards that in time could be work 2-3 times their value in a matter of weeks, months or years.

The card market has absolutely taken off in recent months, and despite the economic hardships now facing our country, it is showing no signs of slowing down. More and more people are starting up their collections once again and every sports collectors are benefitting from the newcomers. But what could or should you invest in?

1) Rookie Cards: This is by far the most popular way to invest. Collecting valuable rookie cards is a very easy way to try and make a profit. If you are on the ground floor of investing in guys like Pete Alonso, Zion Williamson, or Kyler Murray last year, then you saw a significant return on your investment. Trying to buy those rookie cards now are a bit more expensive (but not unattainable) you might be paying more than you would when those cards first came out. So what you want to try and do is figure out “Who is the next guy?” You can buy Minor League cards for up and coming prospects in baseball and be on the look out for Draft Cards, like just recently released Panini Prizm Draft Football for the new college additions to the NFL. You will have to pay top dollar for guys like Luis Robert or Joe Burrow, but if you have a diamond in the rough that some may not have realized yet, you might be able to buy them up for cheap.

2) Future Hall of Famers: There is a direct correlation to a player making the Hall of Fame in their sport and the value of their card going up. But who can you definitely say is on the path towards the Hall. Players like Mike Trout, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Tom Brady already have the resumes to get them in, but who else does? How about the likes of Fransisco Lindor, Bryce Harper, Julio Jones, or Klay Thompson. All of whom are great players but surefire Hall of Famers? If you think so and you’re right then start buying up their cards and setting them aside, because if the market is still strong by the time their careers are over, then you are sitting on a possible goldmine. 

3) Vintage: Have a whole bunch of cards you left at your parents house, tucked away somewhere? Go get them! Start figuring out what you have and if you come across say Ken Griffey Jr.’s Upper Deck rookie card, and it’s still in great shape, you might be holding $1,000 right there. And Griffey Jr. isn’t the only one, vintage cards from the 1980s and 1990s are hot commodities right now because collectors are going after them to try and rebuild their childhood collections. But if you want to try and buy them now, be ready to pay top dollar for them. If you are in fact sitting on a pile of Michael Jordan cards, be sure to find their value and see if you really have something special. If you do, try and get the card graded through either PSA, Beckett, or SGC (don’t bother with anything else) which will really get you top dollar (as long as your card is in good shape) 

Gambling  

When it comes to investing, just like in the actual stock market, it comes down to you making a prediction with your money as to what you think is going to happen. 

It’s gambling. And if you like to gamble on sports, card collecting is right up your alley, and with higher stakes. You bet on one game or even the weekend’s games, yeah you may be smart for the moment, but demonstrating true sports knowledge in a few or several players you think will make some serious cash for you…that’s the true gamble. 

Take for example, investing in future hall of famers. Besides the obvious names of Trout, Brady and LeBron, who do you truly know is going to be a Hall of Famer. You might be able to rattle off a couple of names, but so can every other sports conscience person you know. What about the unknowns, the players who are on the border of having a Hall of Fame career?

Let’s try this. Say you had $500 dollars to invest in one of the following players. Which one of these present/borderline Hall of Fame players would you invest in:

1. Christian Yelich
2. Nolan Arenado
3. Aaron Judge
4. Francisco Lindor
5. Freddie Freeman 

All five players have played for at least four years, have made All-Star teams, been the MVP or finalist in MVP voting, Gold Glovers, Silver Sluggers and countless other accolades. You can only pick one who are you taking? 

Think that’s hard, try this:

1. Pete Alonso
2. Cody Bellinger
3. Gleyber Torres
4. Juan Soto
5. Ronald Acuna

Same game here, except these guys are far more expensive to start collecting than the names above, because they came out of the gates as hot rookies and the sky seems to be the limit. But say you have $1,000 dollars to work with, which wouldn’t get too far when trying to invest in these players, but hey, $1,000 dollars is a lot of money and if you’re wrong, so good bye to your investment. So who are you taking, if you can only take one? 

This is gambling a very high level. Now you don’t need to start off spending $1,500 dollars on cards (but you’ll be surprised how it can add up) but if you want to look at your collecting as an investment, then you need to make choices. You need decide what your collection is. 

Your Collection

This is my favorite part, the collection. Because the reality is you can’t buy everything. Unless you have hundreds or thousands to spend, and even if you do, you can’t buy every card or collect every player. Sure you will have some base (low end) Mike Trout and LeBron James cards, but when it comes to investing and trying to sell stuff (like on eBay) it will come down to you making some savvy choices. But part of the fun is deciding what your collection is, and how it represents you. 

Maybe your plan is to invest in 4-5 players in each sport. Maybe just exclusively football cards, or rookie cards, or team sets, or cards from one particular year or set. You can be as creative as you want and each collector is different. 

If you are like myself, I, with my brother and a couple of my co-workers all work together and trying to help find the best deals and finds for each one of our collections. Some focus on rookie cards primarily, some focus on a few players from each sport, a position (I have a pretty nice centerfield collection) or just one or two players period. 

There is no wrong way of doing it, that’s the beauty. 

Why I Collect 

I have now been doing this for a few months, still learning, still making mistakes while learning, but enjoying every bit of it. It’s nice to take a stroll down memory lane, and while I’m investing in the hopes of maybe making a few extra bucks one day, investing my time in an activity that doesn’t take hours of your time, but still gives you the same if not greater challenge that gambling or investing provides, while providing satisfying and nostalgic feelings from your childhood. Then card collecting is for you. Collect with friends, your kids, or do it for your own satisfaction. 

In a time where we are unable, or very limited in our ability to go out and interact with others socially, this has been a great distraction, at a time where it is needed the most.