General Forum

Hi,

Something similar came up in another thread that I thought perhaps deserves its own thread, what I call a collector's dilemma:

Suppose you collect favorite Sets, favorite Team, and favorite Player, having dedicated binders for each of those collecting methods.  You come across a card that fits in all three methods.  You have only one copy of that card at this time, and you need to make a decision in which binder to put it.

Where do you put it?  Set, Team, or Player binder?

I'm a set collector first and PC second, but not tea. So that's my order, first one goes to my set and if I'm also getting one for a PC then that goes second.

I collect all three and definitely the set takes priority. It’s easy to always know where the card is that way as well IMO. A set is the only collection that can be complete in a sense as well. 

set first but I then get copies for my team and player sets

I have had that problem with my Archie Manning's.  If possible, I get another copy.  Saints first, Archie second.

Create a prioritization list. Go with it.

How long have you been collecting cards?

Hall of fame binders come first, sets 2nd, and team 3rd.  I've had to evacuate the home quickly before and was to be able to grab my vintage hall of fame binders quickly and put them in one large Sterilite tote.  When possible, I'll pick up cards for all 3 options if I can grab them cheaply or better, trade for them.  

If it's a set I'm building, then it's the set first. Then I make sure I have that player represented at least once in my team binder before I'll put it in my PC. If he's already in my team binder, then it will go into the PC. That's the hierarchy for deciding where an individual card will go. I don't collect more than one copy of a card, so if it brings to a set build, it won't go into a PC 

Team first. Set second. I only collect OPC baseball sets so I need two copies of every OPC Expo card. 

I do have separate collections for Gary Carter, Tim Raines and Vlad Guerrero because I collect them in any uniform. However, if I have one in their binders, I don't get another for the Expo binders unless I have a double.

I would go set first since that has been the thing most important to me and how cards are typically released. Then team set because most sports are team sports and one person cannot make the team win but can make them lose. Then player because they are the thing that is left on the list.