I've been wanting to create this thread for some time, but I wasn't sure if many of you are collectors. I know after winning the 2022 championship, Astros memorabilia prices have gone up. I've been collecting for some time mainly to pass along to my kids. Where do you land on collecting?
I have been collecting cards since I was 8. Julio Gonzalez (remember him?) Gave me my first box of baseball cards spring training 1979 at the team hotel. I am basically poor and have been my whole life, always paying bills as I get paid instead of from savings, so I don't have much expensive or valuable, but I have hundreds of thousands of basic cards. I have 2 big binders that I am building with every basic Astros/Colt 45s Topps card from 1962 - current. I have about 60% of the cards from 62-76 and all but a handful from 77 - 23. I am currently organizing to start a second project (also 2 binders) with card for each and every Astro/Colt that appeared in a game in order of appearance. Bobby Shantz was 1st ( starting pitcher of 1st game because it was at home) and Bennet Souza was 975th ( per baseball reference). I have no idea how many I already have and how manyvI will need to jump hoops to find some (any kind of) card for. I hope to have binders put together by the summer. I also have every card I own of HOF players and managers in 3 binders in order of induction. That one kerps growing as I get them in lots and packs that I buy. I also collect Astros caps and have 17.
Like. I land. Collecting Cards is a passion and Nolan Ryan has made it very viable for older Astros Fans to enjoy the experience. The younger fans found glory in 17 and 22 so it's been fun collecting our stars for the last decade. And we have them. A lot of them. As far as investing, it's a little more dubious for Astro Fans. Card prices have in general skyrocketed to near absurd prices. And although they took a slide the past two years, think they will skyrocket again once you can buy cards while watching the game. Or at the time when you can invest or gamble while watching a game. Should happen. And I believe that technology will cause people to trade digital assets, instead of carboard, and that will only make the cardboard collection more valuable. Outside of Nolan Ryan and Justin Verlander, it's a dog fight to find value. Verlander will pop one more time when it's all over. Ryan has been on a steady and somewhat meteoric rise since the early 80's. Our current card challenges are that Alvarez is an all-time great player, but he isn't a star, so not a investor's paradise. The injuries hurt his momentum. Still, he is the man. Altuve is, well, we all know. Bregman, Framber, and Tucker are collectable/investible but have never really hit a pocket. Still, good times. Love it.
That is awesome man. I lost everything I had Rockets and Astros from the Memorial Day flood in Meyerland. I had stopped collecting after this because I was so upset. I had thousands of cards that had to be thrown away. I can recall getting into an argument with our insurance company about it. I started collecting after the Astros won in 2017. I swore I wasn't going to start collecting again. I take my oldest to these card shows that are in town so that he can experience it. We had the opportunity to go to GTMs shows so that he could meet some of his favorite players.
You said a mouth full about Verlander... I was able to meet a guy through Big Time Bats, and he has been able to get his hands on very rare items. The owner is very close with several of the agents. He calls me when they have new stuff to sell. I was able to get a custom baseball that was signed by Verlander, but that was very expensive. Verlander doesn't sign anymore... I will say the Yordan prices have gone up a lot with respect to baseball cards.
I'm sorry to hear about your unfortunate collection loss. Getting back into it and sharing with your son is amazing. Please cherish that. I have 2 biological sons that are great but could care less about baseball. Broke my heart. I remarried 8 years ago and my step son is a big baseball, but a Dodgers fan. We get along well. To try and connect I built him a binder with every player who played for both the Astros and Dodgers. I think there was about 170 of them? I put a Dodgers card of them in left pocket, Astros card in right and short bio in middle (9 card page) It got tough and I had to get creative and just print photos from internet for some that never had cards made. Last year I gave him an Astros J.D. Martinez and bio cards to add. Waiting for a Dodgers card of him.
Tons of baseball cards. An autographed Bagwell baseball. My pride and joy isn’t really memorabilia, but it feels close….a 1986 white Bill Doran jersey with an 86 All Star Game patch on the sleeve.
Jerseys: Orange Long sleeve Nolan Ryan practice jersey White/ rainbow shoulder Nolan Ryan jersey White w/ Navy/Gold Jeff Bagwell jersey Brick red jersey unnumbered Current white home Alex Bregman jersey Current orange Kyle Tucker jersey w/ 21 W.S. patch I want a shooting star Jimmy Wynn jersey.
I've been a collector since I was younger and have accumulated a lot of stuff over the years. Especially when I had the sports bar and we were sponsors of the Astros so i had access to get a lot of stuff for myself autographed. As of the past 5-6 years I have started to pick up things here and there of past Astros and new ones as well. Cards have eb's and flows and you can catch good times and be patient to find stuff at cheap prices. Especially with a lot of people not liking the Astros. My list is a bit long but i'll have to get some of my good stuff in a picture and share them for sure. My biggest collection is Hakeem of course in terms of cards.
I did collect the bobbleheads. Have most Rockets and Astros SGAs. Slowly selling them off as my interest wanes.
Big time. Like, I should probably enter rehab. I'm currently hunting all Altuve & Bregman SPs and SSPs. I'm trying to complete my Aaron, Clemente and Mays cards, while trying to get in on Mantle (he's expensive). I've also jumped into the Stroud frenzy before his prices hit Mahomes/Allen levels. I recently bought several mega boxes of '23 Donruss football, and pulled five Strouds: paper, green paper; two pink optics and a blue scope optic. Pretty bananas. So I have those, his Mosasics and I just bought his Prizm. If I can sell my Penix auto /50, I'll buy his image variation Prizm. That's been my big swerve of late - numbered, parallels and/or autographs. I landed a /5 Will Anderson autograph a few weeks ago. And I have a 1/1 Altuve. Back in my youth, I would send cards to players - I have Bo Jackson and Barry Bonds from 1987, both of which look legit (I need to get them authenticated). Yeah, like I said: I'm into it big time.
I've participated in some - and I'm on the lookout for any Texans' ones since the '23 sets will be flush with excellent product. But I generally try to avoid because I like being married, lol....
This is a funny thread, I pc money. I've been collecting cards for years, my advice is don't buy for investment. Always sell at peak like Jeremy Pena last year after winning MVP World Series. And I used to have 2013 Bowman Chrome Carlos Correa Refractor Rookie Auto and 2016 Bowman Chrome Alex Bregman Rookie Auto. A refractor of Correa sold for $1K when he was called up and Bregman was around $500 because I sold those at those times. I join eBay breaks especially the player breaks (big reward if it hits), but you have to know the breakers and their history of breaking. Some of these eBay break sellers rigged theirs auctions like Hakeem player spot sold for $10, next auction sold for $30. The $10 didn't hit and the $30 hit Hakeem cards so I know the eBay seller is fishy. So my Astros collection is mostly free jerseys from games and Oakleys. To make money, you need to join random breaks. Just a month ago, a guy paid $15 to get into a random teams for Panini One and One, he hit a Kevin Garnett 1/1 Timeless Treasures Auto (at least a $5K card). That is the fun of it, low risk and high reward. Getting into CJ Stroud rookie card is too much money, but if you hit a Prizm #/d rookie cards that is at least more than a few Benjamins. I tried a few times with Prizm color breaks of 3 boxers for $35 a spot which I think is cheap, didn't succeed and ended my hunt- too much money to get into Texans 3 boxers ($450), or a 12 box case ($1200). I know a guy paid $299 to hit a Prizm Red Shimmer #/35 Stroud Rookie, but that is 1 out of 30 that succeeded. Just have fun, don't gamble.
It's all a gamble Unless you buy specific cards of the players you want. Any break, even buying at retail is a gamble. It will likely turn $30 into $5 within ten minutes. But that's the fun. The rare time that it turns $30 into $500. You can get better odds on the gamble by doing research and buying single cards of the players that you think are undervalued and will. Real out. Just remember that very few players ever will be worth more ten years after their rookie season than they are as a rookie. Likely only 5 or 6 per sport per decade. Strouds prices have 2 mvps and 2 super bowls cooked in right now. If he does that, the prices might stay where they are. He would need 3 and 3 of each for prices to continue escalating.
