Napkin Doon stops by for an update

When I first started blogging in 2011, Napkin Doon was one of my first blogging friends. We swapped cards a few times, all while enjoying very friendly banter.

Napkin Doon's blog was fun to follow, between the in-person auctions held at his local card shop, his running of the BIG FUN GAME, and his trials and tribulations to find the best hot dog in his area...something I think his insides are still dealing with.

On this date in 2014, Napkin Doon made his final goodbye post, written here.

Since then, we remain friends and often trade card-related stories. On the anniversary of his last blog post, I decided to do a quick catch up with the legend himself. Enjoy!

The Lost Collector: It's been 7 years since you hung up your blogging keyboard. Ever thought of a comeback?  

 

Napkin Doon: 7 years!  Wow, I didn’t realize it had been that long.   Nah, I just honestly don’t have anything in the well.   I am working on a writing project on my own relating to cards, and I’ve thought about using that as blog material, but that’s all I would have so my content would be limited.  

 

TLC: I know you are still collecting these days. What are you focused on?

 

ND: I’ve been pretty good about sticking to my Topps base run project (complete base cards of HOF players and favorites), and my 1952 Bowman album.   I’m about ½ done with Bowman and have made a goal to finish it by end of 2023.   The Mantle and Mays cards are going to be rough though.   The Topps base run has been my favorite project by far, because I can knock off some great players without spending too much money, but it’s also fun to chip away at the big names.  I had made Hank Aaron a priority this year, but his death and the overall card craziness has made that a tougher go.  Some recent completions: Ozzie Smith, Fred Lynn, Toby Harrah, Dave Parker:  

 

TLC: Show us a recent pickup!

 

ND: I don’t spend what I consider big money on cards.   However, I had a 2011 Trout Rookie I was ok parting with, and basically traded it for a 1955 Roberto Clemente Rookie.    It’s graded by a Canadian company that I’ve never heard of, but that’s fine with me.  It kept the cost lower than a PSA version I’m sure.   I’m so happy to own this card!    I still have a ways to go to finish the Topps Clemente base run, but this was a big step for me.

I also just bought a T206 Kid Elberfeld but it hadn’t arrived in time to send a picture.

 

TLC: What big card pickup is next on your radar?

ND: I really want a T206 Hughie Jennings with his hands in the air (look it up, it’s cool).   I want to get all 4 of the “Big 4” Baltimore Orioles from the late 1800s eventually and he’s next.

 

Or I’d like to get a Sandy Koufax rookie.   I debated between getting a Clemente Rookie, or getting both a Bob Gibson & Koufax rookie with my Trout money but went for the Clemente.  Unfortunately Gibson passed away after that and his cards got more expensive, and Koufax cards got way more expensive along with all the other cards that have shot up in value over the past year.   As I said, I don’t spend big money on cards, so I’ll have to find some stuff to sell to pay these higher priced goals.

 

In a little more manageable price range, my next goals are a Bob Uecker rookie and/or a Mike Schmidt rookie.  VGEX condition is all I need.

 

TLC: What product are you most excited about in 2021?

ND: Not to sound negative or aloof, but nothing really.    With my focus on the past instead of the present or future, I don’t find myself looking to see what releases are on the horizon like I used to.   Plus, the Rangers stink and there is no one I’m all that psyched about collecting.  There are a couple of former Razorbacks that have started getting Bowman cards that I’ll probably try to pick up, but other than that, meh.   Truly, I had started getting away from wax purchases (not completely but mostly) before the card craze hit again, so not being able to readily buy cards in stores these days hasn’t bothered me as much as it would have a few years ago.  

 

TLC: Thoughts on Project 70?

ND: I like it! I liked Project 2020 too.  Mostly I just enjoy seeing what gets released each day, knowing I won’t buy many at all (unlike Project 2020).  I enjoy checking in with you, Lost Collector, each day to see what you think of the releases even though you don’t buy many either.   Our tastes are different, so I like hearing what you find appealing even when you are wrong.  
 
I will buy the Ermsy cards as they come out because they are awesome.  With 70 artists, Ermsy’s cards will release about 1 per month, so I can handle that.   I also look forward to seeing what an artist named Ron English puts out.  His work looks pretty wild so I hope he makes some cool cards.  If his are weird enough, I’ll probably get his set too.   
 

TLC: What color crocs do you wear when waiting in line at a retail store for cards? 

 

ND: I go to my local Walmart barefoot, thank you very much.  Crocs are for rich pretty boys.

 

TLC: Give us some parting words of wisdom:

ND: Chocolate chip cookies and beer go surprisingly well together, and if you can find it, try Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey.  It’s unbelievably good.   Also, be nice to each other and don’t make fun of how or what other people collect.     Everyone laughed at me back in 2011 when I bought a lot of 200 Mike Trout updates off eBay for $2 each, but who’s laughing now?   That didn’t really happen but close your eyes and imagine if it did.   Now open your eyes.  Were you laughing at me when your eyes were closed?  Think about it.  

There you have it. Good stuff, Nap. Thanks for stopping by, and maybe we'll do this over a peanut butter whiskey next time!

What has Napkin Doon been up to? A Q&A with a blogging legend

A few days ago, Bob Walk The Plank came out of semi-retirement to make a blog post. I half-jokingly asked two legends, Napkin Doon and Jaybarkerfan, to do so as well. But since Wes' retirement is a lot more recent, I decided to check in on Napkin Doon, who has not blogged since March of 2014.

Napster was kind enough to answer a few questions and share what he's been up to.

The Lost Collector: "Napkin Doon is a Jerk" is still one of my most popular blog posts. How does that make you feel? 

Napkin Doon: About the same as when you asked me that in our last Q&A. (my note: burnnnn. Still got it, Nap.)

TLC: Are you still a jerk? 

ND: No. I’m a good person now. A very, very, very good person now.

TLC: Are you ever coming out of blogging retirement? 

ND: Despite relentless peer pressure from you and Wes, I don’t see it happening. There are times when I come up with something that I think would be a good blog bit, but I then realize I couldn’t sustain a blog again for longer than a month or two. I just don’t have enough to say to start up

again.

TLC: Are you currently collecting, and if so, what's your focus as of late? 

ND: Yes, I still collect. My focus has been on Topps Runs of HOF’s and my favorite players. I just finished my Frank Robinson run recently, and it’s awesome! And I have a few other main focuses:

• Still chipping away at 52 Bowman.
• Trying to add more T206s when I can (I recently picked up a card of a guy named Boss Schmidt that apparently beat up Ty Cobb and wrestled bears. I had to have that card. I mean, look at the flipped-up collar, and his name was “Boss.” (This should be a must own for every card collector)
• I’ve basically completed my Topps sampler album (1 page for every year of Topps from 1951 to now, with no player in the album more than once)
• I’m about 3/4 done with a junk wax sampler album (1 page per year of base of Donruss, Fleer, UD, Score, Bowman and Sportflics from 1981 to 1999). This project has been really fun (and mostly inexpensive) and the album is awesome to flip through. I’m trying to add any of the notable cards (Bill Ripken FF card, 89 UD Griffey, 84 Donruss Mattingly etc.) of the era are in it when possible.

I’m trying to cut down my bulk collection. I was inspired by the book “The Joy of Tidying Up” (even years ago before it was cool) and I’ve been limiting wax buys as much as I can because the bulk boxes of cards I’ve accumulated don’t bring me as much satisfaction as they used to. My kids have no interest in this stuff, so I’m imagining long term that when I hand over my collection, I’d rather it be manageable and interesting to whomever inherits it, rather than bulky and a big nuisance.

TLC: You recently sold a Vlad Jr card you've been hanging on to, and used it to buy a few

awesome cards. Care to share? 

ND: Sure! I bought a gorgeous T206 Wee Willie Keeler that I’ve wanted forever, a Johnny Bench Rookie, a 1959 Clemente and a 1972 Traded Frank Robinson. All paid for by a non-autographed card from 2016.

TLC: 2019 Bowman - yay or nay? 

ND: I won’t be buying it if I can help myself, but yay on the design. It’s pretty sharp looking IMO. Buying Bowman is one of the topics I was referring to when I mentioned I sometimes think of bits to do if I still had the blog. The bit was to have an ongoing series called “The Collector.” I was going to pretend like I was “The Bachelor” on TV, and all of these card collecting options were going to be like the hot babe contestants trying to get me to marry them at the end of the season. Early on, I would kick Finest, Triple Threads and other expensive sets to the curb because despite how hot they looked, all they wanted me for was my money. Modern Bowman was going to be one of the early favorites since I’ve bought so much of it in the past, but after Bowman and I would go on our “ one-on-one date” I would decide there was no future with “her” long term, and it ultimately wasn’t going to work out between us. Interestingly, before our one-on-one date, there would be a scene where 52 Bowman would pull me aside and go through this act where she tells me how much she cares about Modern Bowman because they are related, BUT, as much as it hurt her to say, Modern Bowman was nothing but a short term fling and not in my best interests. It would all lead to an emotional rose ceremony, with me sending Modern Bowman home, while all the remaining contestants looked on in shock and catty satisfaction. Plot Twist: later in the season, the cameras were going to catch me and Bowman making out away from the mansion and all sorts of drama would unfold with the contestants that were still around. Spoiler Alert: Topps HOF Runs and 1952 Bowman were going to finish in an unprecedented tie for the final rose. (my note: Folks, this is the kind of stuff we're missing around here.)

TLC: Which product are you looking forward to most this year? 

ND: Topps flagship. That’s it for the new stuff.

TLC: Any final thoughts? 

ND: Yes, but they are too disturbing to admit.

And there it is folks. As legendary as ever.

Thanks, Napkin Doon!

An amazing collecting feat (+ a contest!)

A few nights ago on Twitter, Joshua Kusnick showed off an incredible collecting feat - he completed the 1988 Pacific Legends set with an autographed card from everyone who was alive at the time of the set's release - 171 signed cards! And it only took him 29 years to do it. I had a hard enough time with my Topps Yankees Project, but this is other-worldly!

I first met Josh on Twitter a little over year ago (follow him HERE), when I was attempting to do a blog Q&A with Yankees prospect and autograph hound Tim Lynch. You see, Josh is an MLBPA agent and reps several different guys. However, he is a collector too, and a damn dedicated one at that. An agent and a collector? Sign me up. Sounds like a dream career!

Josh was kind enough to answer a few questions about his collecting quest. Please enjoy his responses, check out a few of the photos he provided, and look out for a contest below as well.

Lost Collector (LC): Give me a brief description of you for those who don't know you?
Joshua Kusnick (JK): I’m a 35-year-old MLBPA agent. I rep Carlos Asuaje, Seth Lugo, Jeremy Jeffress, and Steve Selsky amongst the list and have done work for Mike Brantley since ‘05. And Tim Lynch!!

LC: Tell me about the project. How did it start? Why this particular set?
JK: I have had 43 surgeries for bladder exstrophy and my dad would always write letters to players with his childhood cards to get signed while I was sick. The 1988 Pacific Legends set was one of the first we got - series 1 then obviously series 2. The first card show we went to was in St. Pete, FL in ‘89 – DiMaggio, Williams, Killebrew, Mantle, Bob Allison, and a super ticket on flats was like 75.00 for all in attendance. I still remember every bit of that day.

Note: Josh's story of overcoming bladder exstrophy is truly remarkable. Read this SI piece about him HERE. 

LC: What was the toughest card to track down?
JK: Vic Raschi, Charlie Keller, Doc Cramer, Rip Sewell, Zoilo Versailles and Sal Maglie and any version of Roy Campanella - either machine or wife-assisted. Roy could not sign post-accident and looking back it’s kind of macabre but the machine his wife would sign and he’d essentially hold the pen. Yeesh.

LC: Any good stories during the in-person (IP) signings?
JK: Buddy Lewis! He owned a car dealership in NC post-career for years and was super gracious to me when it came to signing. That first show meeting Williams and DiMaggio changed my life.

LC: Who helped the most along the way? 
JK: My dad....and really my autograph friends over the years especially Jeff Sachs. Really though the players via TTM, the non-stars like Jim Perry, helped the most.

LC: 29 years on a project is a long time. Did you ever want to give up or think that it just wasn’t going to happen?
JK: I just assumed it was finished. My dad started this with me and he happened to be at my house 2 days ago. I had insomnia and every 6 months I’d check for any version of Campy and low and behold I found one for the first time ever. I’d still buy the machine version should someone have one but now it’s done 171-171 maybe only one ever and I’m still shocked.

Also there was a 1-month window for Harvey Kuenn and Ted Kluszewski to sign the cards before they passed. I’d pay anything for either should they exist. I’d literally trade my signed Koufax ‘55 Topps RC PSA for both of them lol.

LC: What’s your favorite card in the set?
JK: Buck Walters. Ironically the hardest pain in the ass card to find for years. Campy you expect given his health but Walters? It took YEARS.

LC: Do you have any projects on the horizon?
JK: Well there is 29 unsigned cards. I need 29 cuts up next. Ruth, Gehrig, Clemente, Munson, Cobb, Hornsby....I’m sure that’ll be cheap lol! I obviously can’t afford all that but maybe one day!
Lastly, what advice do you have to collectors with lofty project goals?
Pick a new set and start the day you get it. The faster you act the better the odds. Me finishing the set is the dumbest luck of all time.

Also I’m working on the 99/00 Topps Stadium Club hockey set and have 196/200 done I need Martin Straka (who doesn’t seemingly sign that card), Scott Stevens, Tony Amonte (whom I’ll eventually get), and Harry York the white whale since he’s essentially vanished off the face of the earth.

Contest time!

Josh has graciously offered up a duplicate signed card from this 1988 Pacific Legends set to one random winner. To enter, please do one or both of these things:

1. Any comment below - one entry
2. Suggest how Josh should display this set - additional entry 

Contest will close November 14 at 11:59pm ET. 

Q&A with Tim Lynch, Yankees 9th Round Draft Pick & Autograph Collector

Source: Southern Mississippi Athletics

Last week, I read a great piece by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports about Tim Lynch, the Yankees 9^th round pick out of Southern Mississippi in the 2016 MLB Draft. To be fair, I first came across this in the NY Post, and eventually was led to Rosenthal’s larger piece. In short, Tim is a huge autograph collector, spending a lot of time growing up chasing down pro players for their signatures.  Now, a few years later, Tim, a first baseman, is part of the select few who get to play pro baseball for a living. Read the Fox Sports piece HERE after you finish reading this blog entry, of course.

In a cool twist of fate, Tim actually met his eventual agent, Joshua Kusnick, by collecting autographs years ago. Josh is a big collector in his own right. You can follow them both on Twitter here: @TimLynch26 and @JoshuaKusnick.

After reading the story and seeing Tim and Josh interact with fans and collectors on Twitter, I thought it would be cool to do a Q&A on here. It’s not frequent that one of our own makes it to pro ball, so I wanted to get Tim’s story in front of a core group of collectors in our little blogging community, as I know we'll all appreciate it more than most.

Tim and Josh were great to work with, and they’ve both certainly made a fan in me. Keep in mind I’m not a professional journalist and won’t pretend to be, but hopefully you enjoy Tim’s answers to my JV questions. I realized after the fact that a lot of these questions would be better served for after the season, once Tim has a few months of Minor League ball under his belt. So, Tim and Josh, perhaps we can do a follow-up after the season. Regardless, enjoy!

The Lost Collector: Tim, first off, congrats on being drafted by the Yankees! How are you feeling right now?

Tim Lynch: It feels great! It’s everyone’s dream to play professional baseball, growing up around the game made me want to play that much more, so this is the first step. Also, pretty cool being a part of one of the best franchises in sports.

TLC: Now that you're a pro, do you expect your autograph collecting to increase due to access and exposure to players? Is there an etiquette for asking a fellow player for his signature?

Tim: I don’t really know yet, not sure about guys my own age, but as far as guys I really look up to,  I might not be able to hold back. I’m sure I’d casually bring up a story about how I saw someone at a game signing, at a hotel, or something like that. But I guess I’ll have a better answer for you once I start coming into contact with more and more guys.

TLC: You've got a lot in-person autograph experience from your time growing up. Do you have any tips for those who graph in-person to increase their chances?

Tim: Always have the sharpie uncapped and ready to go and try to be respectful to the players, have seen fans get into arguments with players, and to be honest, a player is going to sign or not sign, I think all you can do is be as polite as possible and make them want to sign for you. Or you can always bribe the player with “hey do you want one of these cards?” usually will do the trick for a tough player.

TLC Note: Great advice. Seems like a page from Zippy Zappy's playbook.

TLC: One area I need improvement on is storing and organizing my collection. With such a huge collection of your own, how do you store them?

Tim: HA, I don’t think there has been a revolutionary invention to this problem. Just like all collectors, most of my items are stored in binders and boxes in my closet, aside from my favorite ones that are around my bedroom.

TLC: Through the mail (TTM) autograph collecting is my main focus for obtaining autographs. Did you dabble in that at all, or were most of your signatures obtained in-person at the ballpark?

Tim: My mom used to get mad at me for stealing all of the stamps around the house and she had trouble finding them when she had to pay bills or use them herself. I loved sending in the mail, especially when I knew a player would send back. Added autographs to my collection that I never could have obtained without the mail.

TLC note: That used to happen to me too! Once my mom caught me going through her purse, but was relieved to find I was actually just looking for stamps and not trying to steal cash.

TLC: This might be a better question for the end of the season, but how does a pro mail room work? How is your mail delivered to you? How do you send it back to fans? Give us all a look behind the curtain if you can.

Tim: To be honest, I have just been here in Pulaski for a day and I don’t even think rosters have been released, so not much fan mail has been here, but I can get back to you on that. If it is the same as equipment that comes in the mail, then it will just be put in front of your locker, but I am not too sure about that just yet. 

TLC: What is one autograph you wish you had but currently don't own?

Tim: A-ROD, he signs a lot of autographs, but the crowds are just tough to battle, sometimes 2-300 people all trying to get 1 of 30 autographs. Would love to get an A-ROD, maybe I’ll get one in Spring Training if it doesn’t interfere with work.

TLC note: I'm an idiot and this was basically in the Rosenthal article. #Fail.

 

TLC: Lastly, any cool items you'd like to show off? Anything you've gotten since you got to Pulaski? 

Tim: Haven’t gotten anything yet, but I’m sure by the time Spring Training rolls around I’ll have a lot more stories. I wish I could send in some pictures but my collection is at home. I’ll have to ask my mom to take a few pictures and get back to you.

Tim will be starting his career with the Pulaski Yankees in the Appalachian League. If you’d like to send him fan mail, please use the address below:

Tim Lynch

c/o Pulaski Yankees

700 South Washington Ave.
Pulaski VA, 24301

Thanks for stopping by, and thanks to Tim and Josh for their willingness to give a few minutes of their time to a fellow collector!

Q & A with @YanksandBeans

A few of my best-read blog posts over the past year were Q&A's. One was with a former blogger, Napkin Doon. One was with the king of vintage, and honorary blogger Mark Hoyle. The third was with Marci Hensley, the mother of my favorite Yankees prospect, Ty Hensley.

Inspired by Better Know a Blogger Week over at Nachos Grande, I wanted to post one last Q&A this year. I reached out to Nick of The Cardboard Dugout - a blog that used to have some of the greatest box break videos known to man. Nick still collects, just doesn't blog as much, but I wanted a whole new generation of bloggers to see what an awesome dude Nick is.

For those that don't, give him a follow on Twitter @YanksandBeans. You won't regret it. On to the Q&A!

The Lost Collector (TLC): You have the best alias ever. When did you first start using “Yanks and Beans”?
 

YanksandBeans (YB): Why thank you sir. It’s strictly a Twitter thing. When I first signed up I went by my real name, but I didn’t truly understand Twitter or what purpose I would use it for. When I realized how conducive Twitter is to collecting cards, I refocused my subject matter towards collecting. This epiphany warranted a new name change. So, I put two of my favorite things together: The Yankees and farting and voila: YanksandBeans. 

TLC: How’s Regis? (for those who don't know, Regis the dog used to make many appearances in Nick's video box breaks)

YB: Regis Philbone is great! He’s taken a bit of a back seat to my Daughter these days, but I always make him rub his dirty little paws on my boxes before I break. Little furball doesn’t have much Mojo, but I can’t break tradition right?

TLC: Your box breaks were must see TV (errr, videos). Any planned for the future?

YB: The truth is, my collecting habits have drastically changed over the last few years. When I started collecting again in 08’ I bought at least one box of EVERY baseball product that came out and I’d break the majority of them on video. This went on for about 3 years.  Prior to vid breaking I watched a ton online and they were all missing the same thing…..Personality. So I did my best to make all the breaks fun no matter what the box produced. My goal was to have my viewers remember the break itself as opposed to the “Hits” I pulled.  Long story short, I had a kid, and time and money ran out quick. I am much more selective about what I buy now, I mostly spend my box break money on Singles so I’m guaranteed to get something I’m interested in. This has significantly helped my collection, but it’s the video breaks that have suffered. However this interview has me feeling nostalgic. Maybe I’ll bust and tape for old times’ sake! 

TLC note: Here is a box break from 2014 Topps GQ so you can see what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSUhlVI_wvY

TLC: Tell us a little more about your collection as it stands today. What are you focusing on?

YB: When I first started collecting again I was a hoarder, My collection went from 1 single 500ct box with all of my cards from when I was a kid in the 80’s, to over 40 500ct boxes just from breaking anything/everything I could get my hands on. It was a great way to get my collection to a respectable place but it was just too much. I was set building, player collecting like 5 guys, team sets, insert sets…It was crazy. Then one night I had a good twitter conversation with my friend Eric (@ThoseBackPages). We talked about how he collects for him an him alone. He is so focused on his collection that it inspired me to tighten up. So at this point my main focuses are anything and everything Thurman Munson, Mariano Rivera, Rickey Henderson (PSA 9’s) as well as just singles I like, mostly Game used and Autos of Yanks and Hall Of Famers. And of course there are my TTM successes which are easily the most gratifying aspect of collecting for me. Over the past year my collection has really stepped up in quality over quantity.

TLC: What is your most prized card or collectible?

YB: This is an easy one. I mess around with Group breaks once in a while and I had a Thurman Munson cut auto from 2013 Triple Threads pulled for me. His autos are rarer than Ruth’s, it’s a dream card. I’ve had many offers on it, but it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. However, there’s a small disconnect there because it didn’t pull it myself.  That honor would go to a vertical mini booklet card with game used pieces from Mantle and Ruth pulled from a box of 2010 T-206. I got my box a few days early and didn’t even know these mini books existed. The card literally fell out of the pack into my lap. You can see both of these and some of my other faves currently on display in my Fortress of Collectitude in the attached scan.

TLC: What was your favorite card release of 2014? How about all-time?

YB: 2014 will be known as the year my box breaking came to a screeching halt. I don’t even think I broke a box of Topps Flagship this year. I think Tier One had some really impressive things going on this year, more so than in the past.  I always love Tribute and Archives. But my pick of the year goes to Topps High Tek. I missed out on the Tek craze of the late 90’s and I find its resurgence refreshing. I love the Acetate, plus it fills almost every type of collectors need, great for player collectors, great for set builders, ON-card auto’s and most importantly…Serial #’s ON THE BACK of cards. I could do a whole entire tirade on this subject alone. As for all time, that’s tough. I love all the 1986 cards from the big 3, just holding that old cardboard brings me back to the purest time in my life. I also have a sweet spot for Tribute simply because I’ve always had luck with it. But gun to my head, have to choose one……It’s got to be Topps Allen and Ginter. The Cardstock is perfect, the subject matter is even better. I love the inserts, minis, rip cards, framed autos, On-card autos, The Ginter code... I mean this set doesn’t stop producing. Opening a box is like going to the circus, you don’t know what’s going to come next.

TLC: You love to do A&G TTMs of the non-baseball players. Give me 5 people you’d love to see on a future A&G set?

YB: I do love my A&G TTM’s, they’re probably one of the proudest pieces of my overall collection. I’ve even started showing them off recently. I’ve devoted an Instagram account entirely to TTM successes (Account name: SignMyCard).  This is a great question. I have reached out personally to Topps on Twitter regarding items that should be in A&G, I feel that myself and Chris Olds are personally responsible for the Wrigley Field relics in last year’s Ginter release (I probably had nothing to do with it, but it helps me sleep at night). So as for my top 5, I’d like to see Lorne Michaels, The Mythbuster guys, Howard Stern, Billy Beane, and Keanu Reeves and Alex winter Dual auto from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I also love what Topps did this past year with the inclusion of “Major League” guys peppered throughout their products. I think we need the same thing with “A League of their own”. It kills me that you can’t get a Jimmy Dugan card anywhere! But I’ll get over it, there’s no crying in Baseball Cards.

TLC: Any message for the “blogosphere”?

YB: I’ve collected every way possible. I’ve bought products with the intent to flip. I’ve built sets in hopes they’d be worth something in the future. I’ve blogged about cards, made videos about cards, traded cards, sold cards, I’ve even dreamed of opening my own shop. It was only when I narrowed down my focus to cards that would mean something personal to me that collecting took on a whole new life. I realized I don’t NEED to complete every Topps insert set, I don’t NEED to own every Mariano Rivera color variation from Topps Chrome. Once I became comfortable with this thought it was so freeing. This is what works for me; it may not work for everyone. The bottom line is, collect in a way that makes you feel excited and fulfilled, if you feel anything else, it’s no longer a hobby. If you’ve never felt that feeling I’m talking about, the solution is simple. Save up about $70 and buy a box of 1989 Upper Deck. If you’re lucky enough to see Ken Griffey Jr looking back at you then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Oh and when are we getting cards made up of Bloggers?….I’d be first in line for that set.

Nick, thanks so much for answering these questions. The hobby needs more dudes like you. Guys - go follow Nick and prepare to be entertained!

Until the next Q&A, take care!