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Thursday, November 20, 2008

Blog Bat Around Post

I'm going to admit right off the bat, this post is going to suck. When I agreed to to do the Bat Around I thought I'd be able to rip out a post no problem, but once I saw the question my mind locked up. I'm just not up for writing a heartfelt well written origin story, ok? It doesn't help that there are a bunch of excellent posts out there already. So ya know what? I'm gonna mail it in. I've got card show purchases to post, High Numbers to rip, packages to address, trades to scan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder and Guilder to frame for it. I'm swamped. I gotta post something though, so let's just do it Q&A style, shall we?

Most of us classify ourselves as some type of collector in this industry.

I AM THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE SMAUG.

HOARDER OF CARDS.

EATER OF SNEAKSY LITTLE HOBBITS WHO MESS WITH MY BRAVES CARDS.

MORTAL MEN VIEW MY TOPPS COLLECTION AND TREMBLE.

NOW IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME, I NEED TO SO SACK GONDOR. THE MINAS TIRITH TARGET HAS BLASTERS OF STADIUM CLUB.

Player collector,

Yes.

team collector,

Yep.

set collector,

Absolutely.

auto collector,

Mmm-hmm.

first world,

Of course.

second world,

Sure, why not.

among thousands of other labels.

Yep, them too.

As you have navigated the hobby, what are the biggest challenges you face as that type of collector or label of hobby enthusiast?

Too many cards, not enough money, really not enough time, stacks of cards toppling and crushing me underneath, losing consciousness from lack of oxygen as the weight of the 1990 Donruss cards flatten my lungs. Typical stuff.

What have been your biggest successes

Buying oddball stuff cheap before they really took off value wise.

failures?

Buying everything else and watching as their value went straight into the toilet.

What would you like to see the manufacturers focus on to make your type of collector flourish in the hobby?

Just make quality cards for every price range in the spectrum. Don't mail in the inexpensive sets. Don't ignore the low end collector. Don't base your success or failure on a gimmick wholly unrelated to the cards themselves. Don't pull a GM and put all your eggs in the basket labeled "Let's Catch Some Whales" and fold when the market dries up for $300 packs. Actually the collector will flourish regardless. These suggestions will help the manufacturers flourish.

Feel free to provide blog examples, scans, poems, haikus, bar napkin messages, medical prescriptions, etc as complements to your posts.

The industry sucks
But I still love to collect
Bring back Topps Total.

If you feel your type has been covered on another blog, tell us how you do things the same or differently.

I think I'm the only bloodthirsty evil dragon card hoarder blog out there, actually. Well, there's Stale Gum, but Chris is more the Great Old One type.

If you don't identify yourself as a type, explain why, or explain how you think of yourself.

I AM LEGION. Of types. I'm complex. A complex card hoarding evil dragon collector thingy. Metaphorically, of course.

You do not have to answer any or all of the questions asked here.

NOW YOU TELL ME

7 comments:

darkship said...

love the post! Had to laugh at the Smaug reference

Joe Martelli Jr. said...

I wish I could "mail in" a post that good. It's nice to see I'm not alone in my hoarding. I would move outside in the cold so my collection of 1986 Topps Rudy Law cards could have a roof over there head.

AdamE said...

I read your blog every day and it is because of original posts just like this one. Loved It!! Also from what I can tell from your writing you nailed your type just perfect.

Goose Joak said...

Mail it in? I thought that was a great post. Totally in agreement on Topps Total. I'm seeing other bloggers echo the same sentiment.

Topps, if you're reading, it's not that we want EVERY set to be that large; just give us 1 or 2. Make the cards nice looking but cheap with few/no gimmicks. If you must do a parallel or something, do something different like a shortprinted action shot for each player (to compliment the base set with poses). Something like that.

That would make me very excited!

Fleerfan said...

You need to make a correction to the first sentence in your post as it is completely incorrect.

I liked the way you linked to all of your different "types" so show the many different ways you collect.

Thanks for the link to my entry. I really enjoyed reading yours as well.

dayf said...

The name of the game is lowering expectations.

Also, I really did have a brain freeze when I read the question, and a mild panic attack when I saw everyone's great posts. The Q&A format got my mind jumpstarted though and I was able to get back to my old silly self.

ernest of canada said...

the genius of the hargrave card only continues to accrue over time. if i am able to produce a work that even begins to approach the sheer audacity of this masterpiece, i could die happy.