30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Thursday, May 17, 2018

The More The Merrier

Only a handful of my non-collecting friends know about this blog.  One of them happens to be my best friend and she always gives me crap about being a blogger.  She thinks it's a joke and has no idea the amount of hours and effort I've put into this blog.  In her eyes... it's just about this middle aged man who likes to write and talk about his baseball cards.

Well... she's not completely wrong, but the fact is... every post I write (even the short ones) takes at least thirty to ninety minutes for me to write, edit, revise, and publish.  Some of the longer posts have hours invested into them.  What's sad is those are the things that come fairly easy to me.  By far... the most challenging part of blogging (for me) is coming up with blog post ideas.

That's why... when it comes to Blog Bat Arounds... my philosophy is the more... the merrier.  It's one less idea for me to come up with.

1993 Skybox Marvel #156

The latest Blog Bat Around I stumbled upon was created by Matt over at Diamond Jesters.  His idea was based on the latest Marvel blockbuster... Avengers: Infinity War.  Unfortunately, I haven't seen the movie yet.  I'm sure I'll eventually watch it.  Probably when it lands on Netflix or HBO.

The good news is you don't need to watch the movie to be able to participate.

Here are the two questions/challenges he has presented:


Okay.  #1 was a no brainer for me, while #2 required a little more thought.  I'll go ahead and get the easy one out of the way.

#1:  1909-11 T206

1909-11 T206 #399 Mike Powers

This question would have been much more challenging if my collection contained a high percentage of super sentimental cards.  For example, I know a guy who inherited his father's collection.  There's no way I'd risk that disappearing.  You can't replace the memories of meeting your favorite athletes and having them sign your cards.  Especially since some of those guys have passed away.

The vast majority of my collection (99.999%) are cards that I love, but could easily be replaced if I had a bunch of money.  And that's exactly what I would have if I owned a mint condition 1909-11 T206 tobacco set.  Without a doubt, I'd turn around get the cards graded by PSA, pull out the Chief Bender and Mike Powers, and flip the rest at one of the bigger auction houses.

Honestly this would actually be killing two birds with one stone.  I'd have more than enough money to replace the missing cards.  However the bigger bonus is that half of my collection would be gone... getting rid of a bunch of clutter and freeing up tons of space.

I'm sure you're asking yourself... what about all of those gifts from friends and bloggers that you can't put a price tag on?  Y'know... like the T206 Doc Powers that was generously donated to your collection by Corky over at Pack War a few years ago.


Or that sweet custom Grace Park card that Gavin designed for you?


What about that amazing sketch card that AJ (aka The Lost Collector) drew for you?

Seriously... all of these items are super special and priceless... but you need to remember... only 1/2 of my collection is going to disappear.  If the Cardboard Gods offered me a mint T206 set, I'm going to think positively, cross my fingers, hope they are looking down on me kindly, and spare my sentimental binder.


#2:  De Nada

1956 Topps #30

After about a minute of deliberation... I just wouldn't have the guts to make every collectible of one athlete disappear.  I thought about choosing a guy like OJ Simpson, but honestly there are guys out there who try to remember the positive aspects of his life.  Plus... I don't need every single copy of the 1956 Topps Jackie Robinson.  Sure it's beautiful and my favorite card of all-time, but seriously... it's too beautiful to be held captive in one collection.  So I'm gonna turn down this opportunity and enjoy the shopping spree I'll be taking with the money from my mint T206 set.

Thanks Matt for kicking off this Blog Bat Around!  Here's a haiku dedicated to you and your blog:

Thank you Matt for the...
Creative blog post idea.
It saved me some time.

Happy Thursday and sayonara!

9 comments:

Chris said...

First of all, you might be "this middle aged man who likes to write and talk about his baseball cards." but you're one of the best there is. I know your friend is only messing with you-but a lot of work goes into blog posts. Some of mine take up to 6 hours when you include scanning time, adding links/videos/pics, and fixing Blogger's html coding mess.

Matt's BBA is a very cool idea (and that haiku at the end was a nice touch) I chose O.J. Simpson to disappear-but I didnt make my own post because I've got Sports Card Tour going on..which sure solves the problem of not having any topic ideas.

Also..Corky gave you a T206?!?! That's quite a generous gesture indeed.

sg488 said...

I'm a middle aged man and I always enjoy reading you writing about your baseball cards.Keep up the good blogging.

Johnnys Trading Spot said...

Heck yeah! Middle aged, writing about baseball cards, damn straight. The only thing better would be the dog actually bringing you a beer (while blogging) .....and popping the top off for you when he got there. LOL.

Matt said...

I know all about the time it takes to blog. I have done it daily for over 6 years. It's not easy to do. Some of my reviews, which are my longest, take a couple hours. I find it fun and hopefully enjoyable for others the effort I put in.

It makes me appreciate others posts big or small as well

Nick said...

I'd be okay with all the Roger Clemens cards dropping off the face of the earth if it meant I'd be able to own a T206 Wagner.

The Lost Collector said...

Very nice to know you value the sketch card! Appreciate that!

Matt said...

Middle aged card bloggers of the world unite! That was a great post, and I'm glad you participated!

Your thank you haiku
Truly an awesome gesture
Thank you friend Fuji!

Steve at 1975BaseballCards.com said...

I wish I had more time to comment more (I'm only half joking)... Writing is a creative outlet that takes time to discover ideas and craft words. I find it helps me think and learn. Glad you don't think it's a joke - I'd miss reading your blog.

Fuji said...

chris - i've always wanted to learn how to mess with html codes... but i feel like that's a slippery slope. thanks for the kind words

sg488 - us middle age men who collect cards gotta stick together :)

john miller - i don't drink beer... but i could use a dog that delivers a water bottle.

sport card collectors - blogging definitely gives me an appreciation for other bloggers (especially the ones with tons of scans).

nick - but what about all of those red sox and yankees fans you'd be disappointing? lol ;)

the lost collector - of course. one of my favorite items in the collection.

matt - hell yeah! we gotta stick together. thanks for the idea for a post.


steve at 1975baseballcards.com - thanks for the kind words. i definitely take it seriously. sometimes... it feels like it's a second job.