Seasons of Love

It's unofficially the season of love, so I figured I'd share some items I love to collect that aren't your everyday, pack pulled Rickey Henderson base card, Frank Thomas insert card, Greg Maddux memorabilia card, Kurt Suzuki parallel, or Tony Gwynn autographed card.

Heck some of the items I'll be sharing with you aren't even cards.  But since that's what 98% of my posts focus on, let's start with them.

I have a huge collection of promo cards from the 90's and 2000's that covers everything from baseball to hockey to non-sports.  My fascination originated when I worked at a card shop to help supplement my income during my early teaching years.  These days, I'll pick up as many as I can find while digging through dime boxes.

The shop I worked at had a huge selection of non-sports packs and one day my boss let me pick out ten to fifteen 25¢ packs and a collection was born.  These days I have over 100 different unopened non-sports packs.

And speaking of packs, I also have a nice variety of unopened Japanese baseball card packs.  This is a fairly new collection that I started about four years ago.  I think I presently have 52 different packs, but I have a few people who are actively helping me find new packs.

Wrapping up the unopened pack collections is my latest endeavor... 80's cello and rack packs with key rookie cards showing.  There are only a handful right now, but I try to pick them up whenever they're affordable.

Let's switch gears and take a break from cards.  Don't worry... there are several more card related items I love to collect, but I'm a big fan of adding variety to my collection.

One of my favorite pastimes is collecting bobbleheads, McFarlanes, and of course Kenner Starting Lineups.  I've had to cut back on my purchases, because I don't have the space to store them.  However... sports figurines and bobbles will always have a special place in my collection.

I also have a small collection of Star Wars action figures.  This passion stems from my childhood.  Back then there wasn't anything I'd rather receive for Christmas or a birthday than a new Star Wars action figure or vehicle.

If toys were at the top of my list as a child... it's a safe bet that books were towards the bottom.  In fact, I've never been a huge fan of reading books (hopefully you're not reading this Jen).  I read a lot of books as a kid, but that's because my parents and teachers made me.  However a few years ago, I started reading and buying books involving trading cards:

There are currently seven different sports card books on my bookshelf... and my personal favorite is Josh Wilker's Cardboard Gods.

Over the years, I've also collected my share of comic books.  But recently, I've started to target trade paperbacks.  I like the idea of having a series of comics held together by one spine.  Plus it's easier to store and takes up less space.

The next three collections I'm about to share often leave me scratching my head, because I can't figure out why they receive so little hobby love.

First up are the Donruss/Leaf puzzles from the 80's and early 90's.  They're unique and the artwork is stunning.  However I can't remember the last time I met someone who shares this interest.

It also baffles me that there aren't more Kenner Starting Lineup card collectors...

I know a lot of their 90's designs are boring, but their late 80's stuff is awesome!  I guess I won't complain too much.  Less demand often equates to lower prices.

And finally there are the Sports Illustrated for Kids cards:

They've been around for over twenty-five years and I have yet to meet another collector who's building this "living" set.  Maybe it's because the checklist contains much more than baseball players.    SI includes every sport imaginable... including ice skating, swimming, snowboarding, and of course surfing.

And that's perfectly fine with me, because I collect autographs of surfers too:

As you can see, I collect a variety of things.  Actually... I left out several key items due to time constraints.  Maybe one of these days I'll show off my video game or vinyl collection.

Until then, I wrap up this post with a collection of misfits:

(It's hard to see, but there's a huge crease on the back and a small crease on the front.)

Each year I add anywhere from five to twenty new cards to my Damaged Card PC.  Every now and then I'll receive cards from an eBay vendor that aren't quite up to my regular collection standards.  Plus I have a few friends who end up donating their damaged cards to my collection instead of tossing them into the trash.  As crazy as it sounds... it's actually fun to flip through this binder.  It's a shame that cards don't talk, because I'd love to hear their war stories.

What are some things you love collecting outside of your average pack pulled piece of cardboard?

I hope all of you enjoyed Valentine's Day weekend with your significant others.  If you didn't see my Friday post, I'm currently holding my first contest of 2015.  You can check it out... here.  I'm giving away some packs of Denny's cards.

Happy Monday and sayonara!