What's your collecting strategy?

[jayjones82]

I can break my collection into 3 sub-categories:

1. PC - Cards and autos of guys it'd take a lot for me to sell. I fund this through my normal income and profits from the next 2 categories

2. Short-term holds - Guys I think will have ups and downs, but maybe not be a long-term superstars. I'll try to buy in the dips and sell at the highs.

3. Long-term holds - For me, this is mostly higher end vintage, but I'd throw some guys like Trout and Yelich into the mix...the guys that I think will have sustaining power and marketability.

What's your strategy? Are you purely a PC collector or do you forgo the PC part completely to focus on the business/investment aspect of it?

[EldoEsq]

I collect stuff I like...if it happens to appreciate in value, so be it!

I have always made money that way. If I TRIED to make money, I would never make a cent.

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[Rjcollings1973]

I collect mostly rookie cards in psa 10.

I do a little bit of rip and flip but mostly I buy lots of players. I send bulk psa for grading sell half keep the other half.

[REGGIE206]

I collect just for fun. I rarely buy packs. I buy singles on eBay, card shows, and local card shops. I buy cards that make me happy, especially my favorite players. I have a thing for rookie cards. I’ll probably never sell my collection and just pass it all to my son.

[123precision]

Originally Posted by REGGIE206

I collect just for fun. I rarely buy packs. I buy singles on eBay, card shows, and local card shops. I buy cards that make me happy, especially my favorite players. I have a thing for rookie cards. I’ll probably never sell my collection and just pass it all to my son.

^ditto^

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[OneBuck]

I've tried buying singles and collecting individual players, but for the most part it just isn't for me. I have a couple of my favorite players whose cards I'll always pick up if I come across, but I prefer set building. There's just something satisfying about completing an entire set by hand. It can get pricey though since I try ripping them myself if possible & resell very little. So I have a bunch of duplicates and partial sets that one day I'll get around to completing.

[Raleigh504]

For me, it really is multiple categories, although I will sell a card that I don't have any attachment to if I can get more for it. But my main focus/PC are:

1) Collecting HOF PSA rookie cards (my newest focus and will take a long time)
2) Prospecting a bit, but this is new to me so we will see how long I do this for
3) Opening packs/boxes of cards I enjoy collecting (I like Panini USA, Tier One, Update, and looking into Topps Chrome now)
4) Selling off some of my non-PC cards now which takes a while. Mainly do bulk sales to move out some items vs. doing individual cards
5) Will build a set for next year and the year after's heritage and will eventually look to build some sets of older cards that I like. (I am thinking of building/buying a complete set of the year I was born. Thought it would be cool)

[morningrushnc]

"Bond. James Bond."

[AnthonyCorona]

Collect prospects I’ve met and liked, unless they hit it big then I sell. I don’t have any long term holds


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[asujbl]

I only PC - I haven't opened a box or pack of cards in at least 20 years. I used to buy all types of random singles, autographs, etc... but I gave that up from 4-5 years ago. I'm trying to unload all the stuff I still have left

At this point in my life I only PC. I just buy what I want when I see it.

My collection is worth some substantial cash but if you asked me the value of any particular card? I'd have absolutely no idea. None.

Out of say 500 PC items I can probably tell you the current value of 15-20 of them and that's only if they are popular right now so people post them all the time (Trout Update for example)

Everything else? No clue

But I don't actively try and move any of it

[Remmons22]

I pc Yankees players and prospects, and my priorities are Bowman and Topps chrome cards. If a player or prospect gets traded that doesn't have a cemented history that brings some nostalgia for my club (for example if Didi were to leave I'd hold that stuff but if Clint Frazier were to be traded I don't think I'd be inclined to hold his stuff). Anything I sell, I generally use to buy more of stuff. I pick a lot of stuff up in the off-season and my collection is fairly self sustaining in season, due to trades and other factors.

[mainerunr]

Originally Posted by OneBuck

I've tried buying singles and collecting individual players, but for the most part it just isn't for me. I have a couple of my favorite players whose cards I'll always pick up if I come across, but I prefer set building. There's just something satisfying about completing an entire set by hand. It can get pricey though since I try ripping them myself if possible & resell very little. So I have a bunch of duplicates and partial sets that one day I'll get around to completing.

This sounds a lot like me. I have thought about trying to sell leftovers after I build a set and/or the 'hits' but ultimately, I sell very little (and sometimes it comes back to bite me, I don't really have a need for a 2011 Bowman Brandon Belt Auto /25 and I should have sold it the day I pulled it...then there's the Chrome Jose Ramirez Auto /25 that I should have sold last year).

I was active in the set builders thread for a little while but my kids sports schedules make it hard to keep up. (my son has 32 baseball games in the next 5 weeks, daughter has softball tournaments the next 4 weekends...and that is typical, even in the winter they have things 3-4 days a week)

[Cubsfanp]

Strategy? Do I look like the type of a guy with a strategy? I just DO things.

[djolley86]

Buy all. Rip all.

[OneBuck]

Originally Posted by mainerunr

This sounds a lot like me. I have thought about trying to sell leftovers after I build a set and/or the 'hits' but ultimately, I sell very little (and sometimes it comes back to bite me, I don't really have a need for a 2011 Bowman Brandon Belt Auto /25 and I should have sold it the day I pulled it...then there's the Chrome Jose Ramirez Auto /25 that I should have sold last year).

I was active in the set builders thread for a little while but my kids sports schedules make it hard to keep up. (my son has 32 baseball games in the next 5 weeks, daughter has softball tournaments the next 4 weekends...and that is typical, even in the winter they have things 3-4 days a week)

I just got back into collecting last fall for the first time since I was a kid. Luckily my kids haven't really been in any kind of extracurricular activities in that time, so I've actually had some downtime to consider a hobby for the first time in years. Still not enough to make it completely through my old collection and get organized, though. Yeah, I'm not sure why I don't sell my duplicates or hits as soon as I get them either. I'm really only interested in completing the base sets and insert sets if feasible, so I should just be unloading the duplicates & hits immediately. But I don't. and they just continue piling up.

[chris_ac]

Originally Posted by asujbl

At this point in my life I only PC. I just buy what I want when I see it.

This. Word for word so I quoted it. Kudos to asujbl for being precise.

[13goyankees13]

I collect former Gophers and PSA junk wax rookies or other notable cards. The Gophers I would likely never sell with the exception of selling duplicates, particularly of bowman chrome stuff. The PSA I might sell if the prices go up but I'm happy to keep.

Then most of my collection is TTM/IP autographs. I have about 10 sets I'm casually working on but I collect a bit of everything because the cost is so low.

Then I have a bunch of stuff I'm trying to sell. Most of it is cheap though and I don't want to go to COMC so I'll probably sit on it for a while.

[dodgerfanjohn]

Collect what I like.

Each year I collect:

Flagship factory set
Master sets of Heritage, Heritage High, Archives, Allen and Ginter, Allen and Ginter X

Longer term projects are HOF autographs and filling the rest of the 1950’s and 60’s cards in my Dodgers binder.

I also have a huge collection of star binders.

Basically I collect what I like.

[hairysasquatch]

Avoid unlicensed products.

[Chrisyork33]

Have fun
Stay within budget
Rip what I like
Sell what I can and use funds for PC

[SGC300ier]

I love opening boxes. I realize if I just let others open, then buy some singles I want, I could save a ton of money, but it's not as fun for me.

I also enjoy putting sets together.

I love 1990's inserts and will collect those forever even if they are pretty much worthless.

[base set]

Drive past store holding Topps baseball cards.
Open wallet.
Repeat.

[IronMan2632]

Originally Posted by hairysasquatch

Avoid unlicensed products.

Amen

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I like to rip soooo I rip, sell what I can and buy raw singles for PC

[KurtisCards]

i open packs of new sets till i get all the rookies i'm after, unless i bust so many times i give up and buy them on sportlots.

for older stuff, just collect notable rookies.

also collecting buster posey cards, and always looking for parallels to complete non 1/1 having rainbows haha

[LC2nine10]

I usually buy players i like, then watch them wash out of MiLB.
Or, like giolito, i give up too early when it lools like they are going nowhere.


I should just send random people on ebay money, it would be about as good a strategy as i have atm.