The Art of Collecting Sports Ephemera. What kind of collector are you?

Collecting Sports Memorabilia is something that most of us love to do.  Whether it is that impulse buy at the local card shop or winning an ebay item at the last second, we all love to show off our collection. 

One must realize that there is not a bottomless pit of money, especially in this economy.  The world of sports collecting includes many different categories.  Sports cards, autographs, bats, (game used and non game used) autographed baseballs, pins, rings/trophies, and the list goes on and on. 

I have seen collections that include all of the above.  I have also viewed collections that focus on one particular area of interest.  Zeroing in on what excites you, makes the art of collecting more enjoyable not just for the viewing public, but for yourself.

The collectors who focus on one area, such as baseball cards, are more passionate and usually have the scarcest or rarest item for that category.  For example, a baseball card collector might have all the error cards from the 1909-1911 tobacco set.  The Plank, Ty cobb with a Cobb reverse, Sherry Magee (Magie),etc.  If I asked this collector to name his favorite card in the collection, he would rattle it off at the top of his tongue without blinking an eye.  The collectors’ who focus on just one area of collecting become ”experts” and will go the extra mile to find the true rarity.  The “one trick” pony also tends to take a bigger pride in his collection.  These people tend to set goals and attain them.  They know what they want, and how to get it. 

Somebody who collects cards, bats, baseballs, and pins, would be unsure how to answer that question.  Everything is his favorite.  This person usually has a big ego and usually just buys for the quantity and not the quality.  The big collections are great to view, but the owners’ are generally less interesting. 

It doesn’t matter what type of collector you are, sports memorabilia collections are fun to view and be around. 

For more information on this topic and pictures, please visit www.baseballintheattic.com