General Forum

I'm curious...for those of you that collect both sets and individual players...do you consider a player card 'in your player collection' if you have it in the set or do you collect another of the same card for your player collection?

In the case of high end cards, one is enough. If it's an inexpensive one and I own it I'll keep one in the team set and one in the player collection, but it's been an extremely rare case when I've pursued a duplicate of any player to fill both needs. 

I go both ways. I'm a set collector first and foremost so for the sets I chase the PC card always goes to the set first. If I get a second copy, great, and it goes into my PC. There are cards where it's unfeasible to get a second copy (think vintage rookies), so as long as I have the one I'm good. For sets I don't chase then the PC card goes straight to my PC collection. The same concept goes for any insert cards. The only difference is that I'm not stressing chasing down insert cards for a PC. If I have them, great, but outside of AUs, nit running them down. Too many inserts I need toi chase for sets I'm collecting as ie.

Now, I used to be solidly in the camp that once I had a copy for a set I was okay with it being my "PC" also. Now, though, when I go to a player's binder I want to see the progression through the years.

That is exactly my problem right now. I am a set collector first - always will be. And up to this point I have always considered a card to be in my plaer collection if it existed in my set. I have never chased a second copy for my player set. However, now as I look at my player collections its started to bother me that I have 'gaps' in years etc.

I look at it this way, I'm not running out and actively trying to get that second copy, but if I get it great! Like Joshua pointed out, if it's a high-end card or a RC or the like if I have it for a set then I'm good. An example for me would be 75T Jim Rice, 73T Dewey Evans, 80/81 OPC Bourque, etc. I have them for my sets so I'm not going to chase another copy.

First card goes to my player PC, second is for the set.

I am very much like jimetal7212 though if I get an opportunity at a second vintage card such as a 1953 Jackie Robinson card for a good price, I would pick it up for my PC.  It also makes it difficult (and expensive) when there are multi-player cards where there are more than one player I collect.  This can be up to 3 players + the one for my set.  Needing 4 cards of the same, this one for example https://www.tradingcarddb.com/ViewCard.cfm/sid/68/cid/30049/1968-Topps-490-Harmon-Killebrew-/-Willie-Mays-/-Mickey-Mantle is difficult.  Good thing is I am not obsessed with "must have it!".  Right now, I have one of them.

Multiplayer cards adds a wholew new angle or complexity to this discussion for sure.

At the end of the day, with the amount of cards being issued for each and every well known player, the dream of owning one of every card for any one player is exactly that, a dream.  What we have seen in the discussions is that members are finding they have to refine how they collect in order to make it manageable and affordable.  I know some only collect the main base set card of any player and restrict it to cards issued during his playing days.  Others have limited their set collection to one brand only (usually Topps). And I think we see more team collectors than I had ever seen in the hobby back in the 70s and 80s.

I have my priorities - O Pee Chee, then vintage (the older the better) and for players, Nolan Ryan.  I still do pick up anything that comes available for the right price (part of that is due to limited availability of baseball in Canada - I won't pay the high prices for packs that I have no idea what I am going to get). But for me it remains a hobby where I only spend what I can afford.  I have always done it this way; now that I am retired and the kids are on their own, there is more disposable cash available for the hobby.

I only need one copy of the card. I use the scans to view them by person, team, set or season. It's the basic principal of the Cardboard History Gallery, which is linked in my signature.