How Sports Card Collecting Can Be Informed By Running

Today’s post is guest-written by Marc from the Drawn to Cards newsletter and the Vintage Card Voyage YouTube channel.

When I was in high school, I once ran a 6:20 mile in PE. No, no, please, hold your applause. That was pretty much my “Al Bundy scoring four touchdowns for Polk High” moment, a laurel I had rested on for more than 30 years until I started running regularly about a year ago. My progress has been a pleasant surprise so far, something I didn’t expect in my early 50s, and the process has made me realize it could translate to sports card collecting, especially if, like me, you’ve had times of uncertainty with your collecting. So let’s, uh, run through the process.

Have a goal. For decades, in the back of my mind, I’ve wanted to run a marathon but never put any time toward it. When I finally started running, I could’ve easily tried to convince myself I was just doing it for my health, but that wouldn’t have helped get me out of bed most mornings to run. What motivated me was knowing a marathon was the end goal and the only way to get there was to build toward it - and the longer I delayed, the longer it would be until I knew I was ready to run a marathon.

It’s the same with collecting. As an adult, we likely have more disposable income than we did when we first started collecting, so while we know we can buy more, we have to figure out what we want to buy. Is it a player run or a particular set? Graded or raw cards? Vintage or modern? The options can be endless, so if you don’t figure out what you really want, you’ll likely have a scattershot approach that could leave you feeling like your collection lacks purpose. Therefore, take the time to figure out what you actually want.

Put together a plan. As much as I would’ve loved to just start training for a marathon, I knew that wouldn’t work at my age and with my lack of running experience, so I started small, planning to build toward longer distances. First, I signed up for a 5K, but didn’t have a specific training plan, and while I finished the race, I was spent afterwards. Lesson learned. A friend told me about a running app that lets you put together an individualized training plan, which I used for a 10K, one I also finished, but ran at a better pace and didn’t feel wrecked at the end - and now I’m using the same app for a half marathon in June.

While it’s great to have a collecting goal, how will you accomplish it? Not only should you have a plan, but it helps to be realistic about it so you don’t set yourself up for failure. For instance, I’m aiming to get collector grade baseball HOF rookie cards, so I started by targeting 1970s rookies instead of, say, tobacco cards, because as I pick a few of the more reasonably priced ones up, it’s helped motivate me to keep going.

Get disciplined. My training plan has me running four days a week, every week, along with a day of cross training each week. As much as I’d love to say I wake up every running day inspired to do so, that would be a lie. And while there have been days I skipped a run because I didn’t sleep well or just felt off, I’ve always managed to make those missed days up, because it’s important to me that I stick to the plan in order to reach the goal I want.

Collecting-wise, there are so many opportunities to buy cards, at any hour of the day, that it’s easy to lose focus and just buy something you hadn’t even considered before and soon enough you’ve blown through any budget you may have set for yourself and you’re no closer to your goal. So stay focused on what you want, giving yourself weekly or monthly targets that you know are within your budget. And if you do ever get something outside your goal, don’t beat yourself up about it, but don’t let it distract you from the card(s) you really have in mind.

Be patient. Over the last year, I’ve sporadically found myself just wanting to run the race I’m training for, getting tired of all the practice and assuming I’m ready to run a distance I’ve never covered before. But then I have a training day where my heart rate spikes way too early in a run or I’m just dragging, and I remember there’s a reason I’m putting in all the reps, to build up a proper baseline for my heart and lower the chance I’ll be dragging on race day. And I also remind myself I’ve only been running for a year, not a decade, and acquiring skills takes time.

In the hobby, since we know we can shop for cards at any time of the day, that means we should just buy what we want when we see it, right? Not necessarily. Since keeping to your budget is important, you want to be able to spend your money wisely, and that means taking things like price and condition into consideration. Unless you’re on the lookout for a card or set that never comes up for sale, if you see something listed above comps that doesn’t meet your expectations, be willing to wait in order to get what you really want instead of settling for something that’s just meh.

Most importantly, have fun. My kids seem to constantly be running in PE and do not look forward to it, especially my daughter, who downright dreads it. It’s probably why neither of them understand why I think running is fun. Yeah, I actually do. Sure, running first thing in the morning isn’t ideal, sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate, or I’m not feeling my best, but there’s just something about going out and taking time to be by myself, clear my head, listen to what I want, and work toward something that I’ve wanted to do since I was young.

I assume most people collect because it is fun, but I also think some look at collecting purely from a financial perspective, whether it’s flipping or investing, and if that’s the case, sure, it’s bound to have its ups and downs. Or you can’t seem to find that one card/set you want, no matter where you look. Or maybe it’s that you haven’t come up with a goal yet. Honestly, I think that’s where a lot of the frustration can arise. A goal with a plan provides motivation and, dare I say, purpose, and working toward and reaching a goal is incredibly satisfying, i.e., fun. I think it’s also important to just step back and realize that most of us are probably collecting because it’s something we loved as kids and it brings us back to that time in our lives when anything seemed possible and we were just having fun ripping packs with our friends and seeing who we got. And, need I remind you, these are just pieces of cardboard that we’ve assigned value to, which is maybe a bit silly, and doing something that’s a bit silly is, well, fun.

So while I train for my eventual marathon, I hope you see collecting as a marathon as well, one that’s both about the journey and the destination.

Make sure you check Marc out at Drawn to Cards newsletter and the Vintage Card Voyage YouTube channel.

These Were Funny

Thanks to Steve for sending me this:

I feel like I could be friends with that guy.

And I’m a huge Tim Robinson fan and a collector of autographs, so I enjoyed this:

🎬 Channel Highlights From the Past Week

Another case of a video that was popular with those who viewed it, but not many actually did:

Amazing mail day:

And a little trial with PSA Vault selling on eBay:

🎁 My Pickup Of The Week

It’s a big one! No spoilers this time.

👻 Brief Horror Movie Review of the Week

With the 5th one coming out in a month, I watched the original Final Destination over the weekend. My 15-year-old and wife actually joined me! It’s such a classic, and I remember watching it for the first time when it first came out. It kind of is a precursor to the Terrifier movies, where each death is unique and escalated.

3.5 out of 5 stars

I also went to the theater to see Drop with a friend. While not a horror movie, it certainly has a horror feel to it at times. It was really well done, and only flawed by an ending that was a little unbelievable.

3.5 out of 5 stars

🔗 Links:

Topps to Launch Auto 1/1 WWE Patch Cards for WrestleMania and More

Middle-Aged Man Trading Cards Go Viral in Rural Japan Town

Cards, Ice, Autographs Commemorate Alex Ovechkin’s 895th Goal

Notes: Flagg SuperFractor Pulled; ARod’s Marathon Autograph Session; Ovie Jersey Planning; Long Running IL Shop

Check out this amazing video by Alex of Bowman53:

And here’s the Honeyhole break video I mentioned on Sunday:

Bonus: