Question about abscure pc collectors

[arisdaman529]

Hi Collectors

I always see strange B level and C level PC collectors looking for cards.

How and more intestingly, WHY?

Please share

Thanks

[smalltown]

Is your question why do we not all collect superstars?

[arisdaman529]

I guess, as a kid i always threw away those levels of players, looking back, i threw away some crazy inserts of those players :(

[Doublexthebeast]

I think most people collect those types of players due to some type of connection to them. It could be they are from the same area, from the collectors favorite college, they were a favorite of the collector, or the price point pulled them towards collecting that player.

[hofcollector2]

I'm not saying that collectors who collect superstars are not true collectors but the guy with an abscure collection is the epitome of a true collector IMO. I can't do it, I have to collect stars and superstars of value. Im actually in awe of people whole can collect like that. I suppose if a close relative of mine was a professional player that was not very good (but obviously good enough to make the pros) I would collect a few of his cards.

[SHowley2003]

I think this example will answer your question. I PC Jae Crowder. I do so because Marquette use to play Saturday morning Big East games and I always had them on while I was working on stuff around the house. I followed Jae for two years and then was very happy to see him get drafted into the league. 2012-13 was the first year I got back into the hobby after almost 20 years away so I have a soft spot for 2012-13 releases. That happens to be Crowder’s rookie year. Then a few years into the league he gets traded to the Boston Celtics which is my hometown team. It was at that point that I decided to PC him. I have been going hard at his rookie cards since then and have almost all of them. I also chase oncard autos, as well as Prizm, Select, Immaculate and Flawless of him in Celtics unis. I have a handful of 1/1s and a couple rainbows from different releases. I also have a certified game used jersey and a team issued autographed jersey.

[tjforce]

I think this example will answer your question. I PC Jae Crowder. I do so because Marquette use to play Saturday morning Big East games and I always had them on while I was working on stuff around the house. I followed Jae for two years and then was very happy to see him get drafted into the league. 2012-13 was the first year I got back into the hobby after almost 20 years away so I have a soft spot for 2012-13 releases. That happens to be Crowder’s rookie year. Then a few years into the league he gets traded to the Boston Celtics which is my hometown team. It was at that point that I decided to PC him. I have been going hard at his rookie cards since then and have almost all of them. I also chase oncard autos, as well as Prizm, Select, Immaculate and Flawless of him in Celtics unis. I have a handful of 1/1s and a couple rainbows from different releases. I also have a certified game used jersey and a team issued autographed jersey.

Good story.


So moving forward to this season, what's it going to be like for you seeing your PC guy go head to head with your hometown team?

I know I have a few PC guys who I root for in every game other than when they play my team, but it seems like you're in pretty deep into collecting Crowder.

[Deadshot]

I think for a lot of people it also allows them to accumulate more high profile cards at a fraction of what a major card of a superstar would cost.

[TRoss]

I pc Terrence Ross because he is from Portland, and went to a high school pretty close to mine. I never got to see him play while he was here, but I knew about him. I then somewhat followed him when he went to the Washington Huskies, and then I followed him really well when he went to the Raptors. He turned me into a basketball fan, a raptor fan, and honestly, he's made me a better person. So, in turn, I collect cardboard with his picture on it.

[SHowley2003]

Good story.


So moving forward to this season, what's it going to be like for you seeing your PC guy go head to head with your hometown team?

I know I have a few PC guys who I root for in every game other than when they play my team, but it seems like you're in pretty deep into collecting Crowder.

This year I'll still be rooting for Crowder. I have been since he was in college and I'll continue until he retires. I'll slow down my focus on collecting. My collection right now is pretty much anything rookie year and anything Celtics. I have only a couple of Prizm cards from 2013-14 when he was with Dallas. I'll continue that trend now that he is with Cleveland. Grab some stuff from my favorite releases such as Prizm and Optic. Not get any patches, and maybe just one or two cool looking autos. He had a down year last year with Boston needing him to do more than he can. I hope being on a more star-studded team helps him out. I'll also use this year to move some duplicates that I have from his rookie year.

I don't think Boston has all the pieces together to legitimately fight for a title so I'll be following Cleveland closely and hoping Crowder and IT4 can get a ring.

I also agree with others that collecting "obscure" players allows collectors to get highly desired cards for a fraction of the price. I have a handful of Ron Mercer cards from the late 90's because A) he is often the only Celtic represented in a particular set or insert set and B) they are a fraction of the price of a Kobe, Duncan, Garnett etc. from the same set.

I'll end with a little show off!

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4410/36946307835_d76543201d.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/YhPu8v)Crowder (https://flic.kr/p/YhPu8v) by showley2003 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/138094604@N07/), on Flickr

[Digerati]

I PC Mario Hezonja because he is just so damn fine looking.

[Harper]

A lot of it is prospecting. That’s why I chose my PC, I think my guy is gonna explode for 35ppg next year and I’ll be able to make a nice profit on his key cards.

[SHowley2003]

I PC Mario Hezonja because he is just so damn fine looking.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4510/23841045708_49a5f7b214.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/CjKAhd)download (https://flic.kr/p/CjKAhd) by showley2003 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/138094604@N07/), on Flickr

[Andy5]

I PC Andrew Nicholson. Similar to Showley above, I got back into the hobby around 2012 after a few years off. Around that time I was looking to collect a new player from my favourite team the Magic and they had a few options. I narrowed it down to Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless and Andrew Nicholson. Nicholson was the cheaper option of the three although his cards were still selling at a decent price and there weren't many others collecting him compared to Hark and Vuc. He also reminds me of myself as a basketball player and he's hella smart with at Physics degree.

After his rookie year, Nich never got a real opportunity to play. He signed with the Wizards at the start of last season but it was the same story there, eventually being traded to Brooklyn at the deadline. After being traded again to Portland who waived him, he has found his way out of the league, currently playing in China.

I purchased a big collection at the start of this year which helped my PC tremendously. I felt like I payed overs for it and I admit it did sting after I payed but looking back now, I'm glad I did. Money comes and goes. My goal is to get one copy of every card of his, not cash out. Just hope he finds his way back into the league. If so, It might uncover some of the cards that have alluded me and he may even have some cards in new releases.

Tldr, I PC Andrew Nicholson, his card values have dropped tremendously since his rookie year, I don't care, pm me if you have any I want.:D

[TBarn291]

As a Cav fan, there wasn't much to be excited about after Lebron left. I didn't really follow basketball for awhile, but then the 2011-12 draft Cavs got two lottery picks and were able to draft Kyrie and Tristan. I absolutely loved Kyrie and would have chosen to PC him but the hype was unreal and trying to go for everything Kyrie would have cost a fortune. His low-end RC autos were selling around $200. I'm the type of collector that wants to go for everything of whomever I'm collecting so Kyrie was off the table. That left Tristan and I really didn't know much about him. After watching the first half of the season I became a huge fan of Tristan and knew he would be a great choice to collect. Cards were reasonably priced and because he was such a high draft pick he was included in most sets. Collecting him has been quite rewarding. Aside from Lebron and Kyrie, Tristan was instrumental in bringing my favorite team its first championship and I 100% believe they could not have won without him. I don't collect for financial value, but the value of what he did for the Cavs makes his cards priceless to me.

[Harper]

I feel like the more obscure players really illustrates the “collecting” aspect of the hobby in a unique way. There is no obstacle to collecting Jordan cards other than money. If you have the most money to bid on a card, his cards are listed all the time. For a c level player, you have the hunt, dig, rummage, pester etc to find new adds to your PC. The rate limiting step is not money but availability. When money is not the limiting factor anymore, you find new ways to collect your player like jersey numbered cards, going for whole print runs, graded registry, making a website, making a photo album, talking in forums... none of that is necessary if you collect Jordan.

With my modest budget, I could buy 1 Jordan card a month, but I can enjoy 10 Ron harper mail days in the same time frame with my PC.

Also I think some people are completionists. They want to finish a collection or have a hope of being able to. That’s not happening with a superstar

[oshmeehan]

Lived my whole life in the Milwaukee area, so of course a Bucks fan. Had collected basketball cards since the early 90's but never focused on a team or a player. In 2005 during my senior year in college the Bucks got the #1 pick in the draft. With a renewed sence of excitement I thought I would sell off every basketball card I had and focus on a player PC. But not of #1 pick Andrew Bogut as I would not be able to afford him, but of 2nd round pick Ersan Ilyasova. Have been collecting him ever since despite him moving on from the Bucks a few years ago. He's actually one of the few players from that 2005 draft that still is a decent NBA player.

[smalltown]

For a c level player, you have the hunt, dig, rummage, pester etc to find new adds to your PC. The rate limiting step is not money but availability.

100% a lot of times stuff just doesn't get posted to Ebay or COMC or even shown off when hit. Takes patience to find specific cards. Makes the "chase" an even bigger part of the hobby.

[Deadshot]

100% a lot of times stuff just doesn't get posted to Ebay or COMC or even shown off when hit. Takes patience to find specific cards. Makes the "chase" an even bigger part of the hobby.

Sounds like it might be time to bump the low-numbered/worthless awareness thread!

[JustMoe]

I used to PC Theoren Fluery cards, because he was one of the more fun and exciting players to watch. I still have my collection here, somewhere, among my pile of binders. Also, he was the only player in the NHL who was shorter than me, when I started collecting again. :D

And yes, I know this is a basketball forum, but I thought the topic was really cool.

[chris_ac]

I used to PC Theoren Fluery cards, because he was one of the more fun and exciting players to watch. I still have my collection here, somewhere, among my pile of binders. Also, he was the only player in the NHL who was shorter than me, when I started collecting again. :D

And yes, I know this is a basketball forum, but I thought the topic was really cool.

You bring up an interesting point. My hockey player PC is not obscure, but he is a star player with very little hobby love. I chose him out a slightly unconscious PC I was amassing of him. Once I realized I had several cards of him, I made the switch to a player collector. Watching him be a key cog in 2 championship runs only solidified my confidence in collecting him. I’ve been allowed to be more of a completionist with him just because he’s the only real NHLer from his country. Hard to find a NBA star with the lowly level of hobby attention that my man Kopitar receives in hockey.

[JustMoe]

You bring up an interesting point. My hockey player PC is not obscure, but he is a star player with very little hobby love. I chose him out a slightly unconscious PC I was amassing of him. Once I realized I had several cards of him, I made the switch to a player collector. Watching him be a key cog in 2 championship runs only solidified my confidence in collecting him. I’ve been allowed to be more of a completionist with him just because he’s the only real NHLer from his country. Hard to find a NBA star with the lowly level of hobby attention that my man Kopitar receives in hockey.

I find that the players who just ride that edge between superstar and "set filler" are the most interesting and challenging to collect. Because you know that there'll be their base card, but there's usually the off chance that they'll get included in subsets, as well. So, you're not chasing tons of random cards,but enough to keep it engaging.

I wish I knew basketball well enough to make a comparison, but I'm sure there are some journeymen/6th man players out there who were good enough to make an impression but not so good they were starters their entire careers...

[AbraCalabro]

Hi Collectors

I always see strange B level and C level PC collectors looking for cards.

How and more intestingly, WHY?

Please share

Thanks

How? By buying or trading.

Why? I think the question is, WHY NOT? Besides, it feels great knowing that one of my obscure player PCs enjoys a 100% completion rate...I don't think there are any other Player PCs with that completion rate out there. It's as pure a collecting experience as there is in my opinion, for me it's all about the challenge of achieving 100% completion, it's fun and it being cheap has a lot to do with that too.

[theworm]

I PC Thaddeus Young because I have always been a fan of his game. I like those type of players that "quietly" stuff the stat sheet. You will be watching the game and not really notice him, but at the end you look at the box score and he has 11 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast, 2 stls, and 2 blks. Once he was traded to Minnesota which is my favorite team, my collection exploded. I also like collecting him because he is a somewhat recognizable name in the league, but usually doesn't break the bank to obtain a high profile card of his.

[derder]

I PC Ronnie Brewer because i've been watching him play since High School. Im an Arkansas Razorbacks fan and i think its cool he's the son of former Razorback/NBA Ron Brewer. I collected PHX suns for a while before diving into the player PC and havent really looked back.

he was very exciting to watch in college but in the NBA he was better, for a while he was one of the better dunkers in the league (IMO) and as a fourth option for a really good Utah team, he peaked at like 14/4/2 with close to 2 steals per game... thats a pretty solid 4th option. even though he wasnt a 3pt threat he hit his FG's at a higher than 50% clip and was a solid defender. Utah decided they didnt want that and shipped him off.

i dont know if it was his choice or a teams but he bulked up to play more of a SF role and it just killed him. he wasnt a pogo stick anymore that played passing lanes and disrupted with his defense... he was slow and heavy and he just stopped shooting the ball... his last few seasons were pretty painful honestly...

his public life failures the last few years have discouraged me but im still glad i picked him and still keep my eye out for anything thats not in my PC>

[myusasets]

most of those old george muresan collectors left the hobby.

[Giggs11]

As one of the strange collectors you possibly speak of, I have a link to James Ennis from the season he played here in Perth, Western Australia for the Perth Wildcats.
The guy was amazing. Won a chip and MVP so when he got into the NBA I started collecting his cards and some memorabilia
I collect him as madly as any other player collector does and I enjoy it for myself. If someone has to sell them one day they will recover not even close to what I have spent on them but I don't collect to make money.
So that's the why, how - by any means possible.
It's difficult too, people usually cannot be bothered searching through the "junk" to offer something up which makes things pretty difficult, but that challenge to find something I don't have or some low numbered stuff and particular designs I hoard even more entertaining.
Mine is not the greatest PC in the world but to me, it's the one I have chosen to build as whole heartedly as possible and am pretty proud of it.

[myusasets]

abra is not abscure. he is special.