What cards do you collect? The ones that would take a fortune to get from you...

[possom813]

Granted, almost everything is for sale in this hobby...at least for the right price.

But what cards do you have that you believe will never leave your collection and why?


I've only a few that I can't foresee ever getting rid of.

1989 Upper Deck Griffey that is horribly off center. I received it as a Christmas gift in the early 90's. It was in the display case in the LCS for quite some time in blue screw down with "Ken Griffey Jr." in gold lettering and priced at $55. I knew it was a long shot that I'd ever get it, but lo and behold, my parents gave it to me that year. I've acquired a much better copy of #1, but that one was the first and of my favorite player.

1965 and 66 Topps Ray Jacobs cards. Ray is my dad's cousin and is now the adult probation officer in my hometown. I've literally got more of these than I know what to do with. I still need to go have him sign a couple, just because.

The 1993 Score Select Triple Crown set, Mantle, Robinson, and Yastrzemski. I pulled the Yaz myself in 93 or 94 and just recently added the Mantle and Robinson. I believe 1993 Select was just about the last set the old man and I completed together.


Those cards won't leave my possession without a heckuva an offer. The Griffey means a lot to me because I remember how broke we were growing up. I wouldn't call us poor, we never went hungry, but we worked for every nickel.

I remember getting up home of Friday after school from when I was around 6 or 7 and helping dad load the truck to go to the flea market for the weekend. At one point we had an old camper that we'd fill up and stay at the flea market to save money on gas. It was only $2 a day for electricity and water there.

There was one day that still sticks out in my mind. The snack bar at the flea market had one of the big jars of water and you had to drop a dime in it and land inside a shot glass and you'd win a burger. Around lunch time I was hungry, my cousin was there with us that day, he was hungry as well. We scrounged around the truck and found 3 or 4 dimes. It was a bad selling day and we didn't have the extra $2 each for burgers.

We took the dimes and got lucky. I won on the first dime, limit 1 per customer per day. My cousin used the other dimes and hit on the last one. We split a burger and my gave my dad the other one.

It wasn't too long after this that my mom got offered a new job with a significant raise. I seem to recall that she was making around 20k per year in the early 90's and her reputation grew. The new company started her at close to 50k and she was into the low 6 figures when she passed. That was the year I got the Griffey.

[Darth Bryzzo]

I don’t have too many cards left from my childhood collection that have unbreakable sentimental value. But one is a 1968 Hank Aaron that my mom bought me on my 11th birthday. We didn’t have much money back then, either, and I know that was a stretch for her for a Baseball Card. It obviously isn’t in minty condition (and wasn't when we bought it), and thus probably isn’t even worth much today, but I plan to keep it forever.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4731/39213675892_8cec39c496_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/22KbkEd)IMG_8793 (https://flic.kr/p/22KbkEd) by Darth Bryzzo (https://www.flickr.com/photos/155743196@N06/), on Flickr

In terms of the collection I’ve built as an adult, the two parts of my collection that I’d be loathe to ever sell are probably the two parts that would have the least appeal to most other collectors:

1. Complete (I think) minor league card runs for all 25 guys on the Cubs’ 2016 WS roster. https://www.flickr.com/photos/155743196@N06/albums/72157689171081692

Minor league cards got me back into collecting, and minor league baseball means a lot to me bc that’s what I have where I live. This collection was really challenging to piece together, as some of the cards are pretty obscure. Met some very nice people along the way who are part of this unusual hobby subculture that focuses on minor league cards, largely a labor of love. Whether anyone else ever places much value on this collection, it’s near priceless to me. If I ever did sell, I would have to be convinced the buyer appreciated it in some semblance of the way I do, and it would have to be sold as a whole.

2. 2016 Topps Now Cubs collection. https://www.flickr.com/photos/155743196@N06/albums/72157690411153305

I know a lot of collectors don’t like Topps Now. I get that and accept that. It clicked for me, probably largely bc the first year of the program coincided with the most glorious year of Cubs baseball in living memory. That season meant so much to me and my family, and those cards—which very literally tell the story of that season—mean a whole lot more to me than their monetary value. I do believe the Cubs cards from that first year will continue to escalate in value over time, esp as we approach milestone anniversaries of 2016, and also bc there weren’t nearly as many of those cards printed as has been the case since. But regardless of monetary value, I’d like to pass this collection down to my daughter. I am hoping that I can eventually leave her one of the 10 or 20 best 2016 Cubs collections in the world. I need to add a few WS autos and continue building out my graded set of playoff cards, but I’m well on the way to my collecting goals.

In the non-card space, I have several things that I'd never sell, including our tickets from Game 3 of the 2016 World Series, and a game-flown W flag from a game vs. the Brewers that I personally attended in 2015.

I look forward to hearing others’ thoughts on this most interesting topic. These types of discussions are great for reminding about the power of the collector impulse and spirit, which often takes a backseat these days to a pseudo-investment day trading mentality.

[Dalberov]

I am currently selling off most of my collection. Almost all complete sets of Topps so it's not much but I did complete 1959 Topps baseball and football. My father gave me a good start on those two sets. He collected and did not put them in his bike spokes. He had almost all of the stars. All I had to do was fill in the commons. Those two sets are definitely staying with me.

[Big35Hurt]

Really only one - the first George Brett RC I picked up as a kid. My parents were the type the raised me to earn what I wanted versus buying me things because it was easier. I had to save up for weeks, and do some oddball extra chores. It was well worth it, and no matter what someone offered me for it, it's not for sale.

[gtpcamaroz]

Two cards, 1989 UD Ken Griffey Jr. and a Donruss Mark Grace RC. Both were given to me by my grandmother who collected cards herself and was the one who got me in the hobby in my youth.

[Big35Hurt]

I remember there being a discussion about this in another thread where someone argued that every card, regardless of the story behind it, had a price tag. Many, including myself, argued that you can't always put a pricetag on something as the sentimental value far outweighed any dollar amount that could pry the cards from one's collection. He became a little torqued in the discussion, to the point where he was suspended for a week. It was pretty funny to see someone so focused on the price of a card with no regard to what true collectors value.

[kyleuk21]

The Votto A&G rc wood mini in my avatar. No chance it’s sold or traded again.

[possom813]

I think all cardboard has a price. Granted, to get that particular Griffey away from me, it would have to be a life changing amount of cash for me to consider it.

The Triple Crown set, I'm not really sentimental to those particular cards. They could be easily replaced. But I don't intend to get rid of them.

Ray's cards, again, not sentimental towards the cards I have and they could be easily replaced.

But the Griffey, I honestly can't say the number that would buy it.

[glassnickels]

1989 Score Fernando Valenzuela TTM auto

I had a brief foray into sending TTM requests when I was 9-10 years old. I sent a hand written note and one card to the stadium addresses that were listed in Beckett. Fernando was the first one to reply. I remember my mom was so excited for me she brought it to school and pulled me out of class to show it to me. He sent it back in his own personal stationary envelope instead of the SASE I had enclosed. I thought that was awesome!

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180318/40908428c87758d5bb1b45c614cae28e.jpg

[glassnickels]

Also 1986 Topps Traded Bo Jackson - first card I saved up for and bought myself. I've upgraded it but will always keep the original.

2013 Chrome Draft Auto Kris Bryant BGS 10. Pulled it myself from a single box of Platinum from my LCS and is the only card I've ever had graded, mainly for protection. Came back 0.5 from a black label but I will never ever sell it.

[tkraft24]

I don’t collect 1/1’s so everything’s replaceable over time in my world. So yes, enough money could pry any card out of my collection. That said, I have thousands of cards that’ll never leave me collection simply because I value them more than anyone else. There’s nothing really unique about the answer, just Indians cards that I like.

With memorabilia, I have a Joey Belle autograph on a ball that I acquired as a kid. That one has immense sentimental value and I wouldn’t sell it.

[jpcz]

I got this card with a USPS money order in 2007 for 200 bucks. Rolled the dice and it paid off. It was a card I had always wanted since beginning to collect, it was such a great feeling to land it.

A couple months later, my dad made up some small wedding gifts for my wife and I to give to people at the rehearsal dinner. He went on eBay to find a picture of a Griffey card because he knew I collected (the gift included our picture but also small pictures of things we liked). Of the 100s he could have picked, he picked THIS one.

He had no idea that it was mine that I just got, we lived hundreds of miles away and he's not into cards so I never shared the info with him. It went from a card that would be hard to pry from me to a card that won't leave me. I've since sold over 100 Griffey autos to pay off my student loans but never this one.

It reaides in a BGS 9.5/10 holder now.

https://sportscardalbum.com/c/0660hb92x450.jpg?0 (https://sportscardalbum.com/card/0660hb92/2000-upper-deck-ovation-ken-griffey-jr)

[unclemonkey]

A few...

My Chris Sale PC that has been cobbled together. Mostly non auto/non RC's that are rich in color and each cost maybe as much as a happy meal or two.

2017 Gypsy Queen Box Topper 1/1's of Harper and Kershaw.

A couple more GQ's Topper's of Lindor, Correa, Bryant, and Harper on card autos.

The GQ's are all graded, hard to resell, and long term HOF speculation. Gorgeous in hand and fun to display while I wait 20 years before I am ready to contemplate a sell.

[lauer324]

When my husband got me to start collecting cards with him a few years ago, he thought it would be a nice thing for us to do together, not become my new obsession. Having said that, we collect a lot of cards, but the ones I would never get rid of would be my David Wright PC. I have put a lot of blood, sweat, and frustrated tears into those cards, and still do every day. It's hard to pick just one to be proudest of, but I do get excited when I finish the complete Stadium Club rainbow, including 1/1's or snag that A&G wood mini.
And he would probably not be happy if I sold off his Trout cards to fund my habit. Lol

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[ThoseBackPages]

this one. best card in my collection

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8119/29351161210_f7f2527eba_c.jpg

[Doctor Claw]

Eric,

My version of that card is a 1986 Strawberry he signed the exact same way. Obtained at 10 at a Brooklyn show. I use a bank box for my cards, except the Darryl resides atop my desk at work, always.

These are my untouchables; never selling these. My future grandkids, I can't vouch for them!

As to why, the Judges will always remind me of the 2017 season, which really brought me back to current baseball and reignited passion for the sport.

Mantle has always captured my imagination, and finding his toughest cards dead centered is my #1 enjoyable hobby pursuit. Plus the images themselves are just perfect to me. Growing up in the BBC Monthly Era, they were chimeras, and that nostalgia component is huge as well.

The PreWar cards take me back into the game's history; these specific examples also represent a collecting quest to locate those unicorn-like cards which please my eye and yet are the lowest grade possible. When I know I could never find a better card for less, I feel the card is permanently in the collection.

The 76 Brett, well, when will I ever find a centered 76 Brett again, if I let that one go?

[Uwfootball1]

Most of the cards in my B.J. Ryan supercollection would be hard to pry away, I have a few doubles but that's about it, everything else is never leaving.

[ThoseBackPages]

My version of that card is a 1986 Strawberry he signed the exact same way. Obtained at 10 at a Brooklyn show. I use a bank box for my cards, except the Darryl resides atop my desk at work, always.

i remember that Straw story! Great times indeed

[Ray27Ray52]

There is only one card in my entire collection that I will not sell. It's a $25 Joe Flacco auto from 2008 Stadium Club. Not because I am (was) a Ravens fan but because it was pulled from a box that my wife and daughter bought for me for my birthday.

A product like Stadium club, at the time, had a hit in every pack. The hit was easily identifiable in the middle of the pack so I would turn it facing away from me to see my wife and daughters reaction to tell if it was a good card or not. Their reaction at seeing a Flacco was priceless. It's a memory that I will always cherish and remember forever.

[mntwinsfan]

This is tough. I think deep down if I had to sell my collection I might be able to with little regret. I say that only because in my opinion we are all very fortunate to be able to have the means to have such a collection. Sometimes I wonder if by selling all of it and starting over would be similar to those who have filed bankruptcy. That’s not meant to be a dig at those who have had to, however I personally know of some who have done so to start over.

If someone came to my house with cash and wanted to buy my collection, I think the one thing I would hesitate to sell would be my 54 Topps Jackie Robinson. Outside of Mantle, he is in my opinion the 2nd most iconic baseball player on cardboard.

[speedyjg13]

I'll get rid of all my Trout cards but never this one.

I'm not a Cubs fan or KB fan.

I took my kid (2 years old at the time) to the 2016 All Star Game in San Diego and KB hit a homerun in the 1st inning off of Chris Sale to the left field seats.

The reaction of my son was priceless and he enjoyed every moment, he even cheered KB as he rounded the bases. This card gives me flashbacks of my kid during the 2016 All Star Game

https://sportscardalbum.com/c/e39q42asx450.jpg?0 (https://sportscardalbum.com/card/e39q42as/2013-bowman-draft-kris-bryant)

[Darth Bryzzo]

Your son has unbelievably good taste. :)!;)

[REGGIE206]

If I had to pick one card, I’d probably take my 2001 Ichiro SPx Auto. It was my first big card purchase. I bought it when it first came out back in 2001. I was 22 at the time, just got out of the military and now in college, so I didn’t have much money then. I took a huge gamble buying it for the price it was selling back then. It’s probably the only time I will ever invest big on a player without a full year in the MLB.

https://sportscardalbum.com/c/vx7l54i2.jpeg?0

[SirTommyWinAlot]

My Holy Grail.

https://i.imgur.com/xQ9ZpSX.jpg

Wish I bought another one. If I did I would have sold it and bought a Trout Orange refractor bowman chrome auto or a 1952 Mickey Mantle PSA 6.

[mfw13]

For me, it would be my hand-painted cards by John Hatton and Juan Rosales, since each is a unique piece of art that is theoretically irreplaceable.

Second would be my collection of "Multiple Star on-Top" racks & cellos, since most of those are also one-of-a-kind items.

Other than that, pretty much everything else in my collection is replaceable, although there are many items that I would hate to have to get rid of.

[moosetequila]

this one. best card in my collection

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8119/29351161210_f7f2527eba_c.jpg

:)!:)!:)!:)! Awesome Eric!

[jstephens24]

My brother has an auto card in 2016 bowman chrome so I have been picking those up. All the ones I have picked up wont be leaving my collection

[mouschi]

There are TONS of them. For now, I'll just post this one :)

http://tanmanbaseballfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/baseball-card.jpg

[TheFreeShipper]

For me, I often think I would never sell any of my Nats collection, but I find myself pondering listings to fund my hobby almost everyday.
These are a few of the ones I think I’ll never let go. All of which were not graded at the time of purchase.
My first autograph card
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180319/f81a7520cd7db0db946ed7b543624bce.jpg
Another that took me 3yrs to find in good condition and not overpriced.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180319/047ad367b7f7d3bf1602f3b0f1186bf4.jpg
Lastly my first BGS 10
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180319/0a43bfe27fda896b6e8d38d5970cbe06.jpg

[Wade Mulroy]

Being an 8-year old growing up in the St. Louis area during the 1998 home run chase, Mark McGwire was simply larger than life. My brother, myself, and our friends would ride our bikes to our local card shop those days and I remember the owner getting in boxes of 1987 Donruss to chase the McGwire rated rookie (1985 Topps was way too expensive for us).

I remember mowing the lawn and finding any random chores I could do around the house so I could buy a few packs at the LCS in hopes of hitting the McGwire. I vividly remember the day when I finally pulled the legendary McGwire and I have never been more excited to pull a card in my life. I always kept the card in a toploader and penny sleeve, but couldn't help myself from taking out the raw card and just holding it in my hands to admire it, haha. Over time, the card endured much wear and tear from me admiring it so much, but I will never ever get rid of it.

Later the same summer, my family went to a Cardinals game and during batting practice my brother and I each brought a baseball to try and get signed. After McGwire finished fielding practice, he came over to the stands and started signing. I remember getting absolutely mobbed by people trying to get his autograph as McGwire got closer to where I was standing. He noticed I was getting trampled and specifically grabbed my baseball amongst the sea of hands, signed it, and made sure I was able to safely get it back into my possession. Back in those days when McGwire would sign, he would take a black sharpie and just sign everything with the same pen. I've been fortunate to meet McGwire on many different occasions since then, but I will never ever get rid of my black sharpie signed Mark McGwire National League baseball :)!

[rats60]

My t206 set
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4217/35766612276_a0ec0ae9a7.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/WuzeJU)

My Roberto Clemente collection
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4548/38075973144_29bf4127fe.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/211DjgA)
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/800/39030929970_58de97d776.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/22t2HEs)

[whyconform]

I know this is primarily for the "card" people, but being an autograph collector, I would say I could never part with my Tris auto

Speaker was one of the best all time, and his auto morphed from his older style to 50's style. Although I have FAR rarer and valuable items, there's something about this item to me that makes me so happy to own it....

Perhaps it's the vintage ink? how it is dated? quality? how it's used on PSA/DNA's site?

Either way.....it's not going anywhere, anytime soon :)

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/32725935633_7d9f725cbd.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/RRSYvx)Speaker, Tris Album Page 1923 (https://flic.kr/p/RRSYvx) by BaseballHOFAutographs (https://www.flickr.com/photos/77116617@N06/), on Flickr