General Forum

Tough one! After all these years, and all my cards, I would have to say, ANY CARD THAT IS Originally mine from childhood. I built both a Baseball Game and Football Game back then and used my cards as players. Obviously they got "banged up" a bit. I also kept our game records on the backs, or different positions on the front. I know, a big NO NO to write on cards, but now as I resort and see these cards with my childhood records scribbled on them ....just many memories. My KC A's cards were also used to record my stickball stats, daily erasures did a number on these cards. Wow, those were the days. Thanx for the memories! .....and omg, that Mantle RC! 

I always debate this with people and have blogged about it...

Value is individualistic.

Worth is the monetary "value" assigned to something

There is stark difference. For me, the 1986 Topps Eric Davis is valuable. It was the first card I pulled that was worth something (at age 7). That card has little, to no, worth.

Your mother's favorite vase is invaluable to the family, but most likley worthless to the world.

Value v worth. Fun topic to debate. Often confused for one another.

When I was a kid I had a small collection of cards but my family moved a lot and in one of those moves my cards were gone. I gave up collecting altogether at that point. (Late 1980’s)

Then in 2004 I went to a party and we had a gift exchange. I ended up with an unopened pack of 2004 topps. I think there were 10 cards in there I don’t know for sure. What I did was send each of the cards off with a sase to each of the players. I didn’t expect any to come back but one did. Matt Clement from the Cubs sent his card with his signature on it. I became a big fan of his after that. This one act of Matt’s rekindle my love for baseball and baseball cards. Had he not done this I wouldn’t be a collector today and probably wouldn’t even watch baseball. 

Is that him in your new profile pic now?  Too small on my phone to tell, other than he's a Cub.

Yes, that’s him when he was a cubs player. He did play for a lot of other teams too.

Mine is the first year I started collecting, 1980 Fred Lynn.  He was the player I wanted to be growing up.  It didn't matter what position I was playing, everytime I ran out onto the field I would yell "I'm Fred Lynn" .  Then the other kids would start rattling off other names.  Brings back great memories.

A close second is a card that happened by chance.  In high school I was working at Colby College and I was taking out trash to a dumpster and saw a cigar box on the ground.  I kicked it across the parking lot and coins, concert ticket stubs and a 1964 Willie Mays came flying out of the box.  I was pretty psyched to discover that.

Mine would be any of my Jim Hughes cards from the 50's. He was a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers but to me he was Uncle Jim. He was my Grandmother's brother. To have an uncle who played in the Major Leagues was uber-cool growing up.  A close second is my Doug Wilson collection. 

I collect baseball cards because I am a huge baseball fan and I find it a beautiful way to document the seasons.

This Hideki Matsui card is an example of a card valuable to me.  He played a full season for the A's in 2011 yet this is the only card made of him as an A, and I have been hunting this card for a while. 

https://www.tradingcarddb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/56630/cid/602191/2011-Topps-Attax-94-Hideki-Matsui

The main thing I miss about collecting in the late 80's/early 90's is FULL roster checklists.  Each year you'd get multiple cards/brands of players all the way up and down the roster.  You'd get multiple cards of all the bullpen guys, not just the closer.  You'd get cards of the utility players.  For modern cards this leads me to really value cards of relief pitchers & utility players when they're issued.

I find a lot of the modern day stars/prospects only checklists very tiring. 

I have 3. Earliest card I remember was back in 1982 and had a nice looking blue back. It was Fleer. I remember getting a Beckett years later and freaking out because a card showed $5. We a kid that was a lot lol. It was the Ripken rc. Still have it. The others have grown more sentimental to me very recently. Years ago I got $20 for my birthday. Dad took me to a magazine shop and for some weird reason they had cards. I had only just watched a few of the vintage home run derby. The guy worked with me and cut me a deal. I got a 1959 Topps Cubs Clubbers which has Ernie Banks and a 1959 Topps Duke Snider World Series Play. I'm keeping those 2 because Dad passed away just at the end of this past November. May not book high but I don't care. Passing those to my daughter so I can tell her a story about  her Paw Paw.

Bringing up the Ernie Banks, got me thinking about the 1965 Topps Banks card that is well worn and rough, it was my older brother's card and he would hide it in books so I wouldn't grab it. I remember times I would find it and he would hide it again. It the about only thing I have of his still after his passing. It not worth nothing in it condition, but its something I could never replace.