How'd you start collecting?

[Allstar cards inc]

I started basketball cards in 1993....there was a little card shop around the corner from my first place of employment.
My first ever pack was a 1990 Fleer (because they were cheap!!) and I pulled the Jordan Allstar that BENNYBOI has in his avatar.

But (and I'm sure there are many others like this) I really started collecting cards back in 1981/82 with the Scanlens VFL, Cricket and Empire Strikes Back type cards. (And now I have none of them! ) Then we had Return of the Jedi cards and stickers a few years after that...so the bug had bitten around 25 years ago!!!

 

[ace e]

My cards story started i primary school with Rugby league cards and cricket cards. We used to play flicks as well but it was up against a wall (very bad for the cards but it was whoever got closest to the wall. I still have the 1988 set of stimorol and its in pretty good condition. I also had Neihbours , garbage pail card/stickers and Michael Jackson cards (i only have the Garbage pail - dont know where the rest went. Then i hit high school and stopped collecting until yr 11 when a teacher found a 92-93 Dale davis (i think) Upperdeck card and once i saw it i was like wow. The fire had re-ignited. I got a job at Timezone (still have free game passes if anyone wants to trade) and i remember spending hours going to card shops busting packs and sorting cards. I only started back up last yr and have to thank gemini for introducing me to this forum, this is the first time i can actually share my hobby with others who enjoy the hobby.

 

[IfIcouldbelikeChauncey]

Can't remember what year it was I started but my girlfriend (now wife) bought me a 92/93 UD Isiah Thomas Rapid Penetration card. Kept going when most card shops in Brisbane closed down through Ebay and Sold.com. Might have had a lay off for about a year somewhere along the way

 

[Rogerbid23]

My very 1st pack was 93-94 hoops, it start by infulence neibough. He start and show me the cool basketball card. After that i just dig into and addicit, at the 94 I start to collect MJ (1st retirement) coz his move amazed me that the reason I collected him. But my other gola was a crack a case of any basketball card.

 

[buyingstuffformikelee]

Man, it would have been during the era when Shaq hit the blocks. BIg dude, that just shatters back boards
Saw some kids having basketball cards, and one day, at cabramatta, say they had cards for sale. They had singles, in 9 page ultra pro sleeves sticky taped up on the glass. I remember, look at all these cool cards (most of MJ) and seeing Shaq and the super shiny Upperdeck Hologram cards.
Anyway, so I put my hard earned $$$ towards a pack of 93-94 Upperdeck. Neat stuff indeed. So, kept buying a pack every 2 weeks and stuck them in my first ever collectors folder and started to chase a 500 something plus set!!! Ouch. Anyway, after many months of frustration, probably a year to be honest, I kept getting doubles and never got my darn Penny card in the set, amongst others.
So, I went for single Shaq cards they had for display. Then, ooohhhhh, came the premium stuff!!! Upperdeck Special edition. Oh yes!!!! Limited stuff indeed. So, I forked out I $5.00 a pack for one of these, man, so neat. Those electric court cards were awesome, and then one day, wow!! I pulled a die cut all star, 1 per box!!! Oh yes!!! Cheney I think I got, the washington rookie. Anyway, one day, I was opening 2 packs in the car (yes, worked really hard that week) and saw this red card slide out of the pack. I was like, red, oohhhh, please, please, please be MJ. And it was!! Man, I was so excited!!! I pulled a MJ behind the glass insert. Man, that thing was so shiny and I aske d mum if I could run back and get a holder for it. So, I slabbed that thing up and kept it. Anywa, the very next week, I pull the MJ Triple Double card from Upperdeck, I was on fire!! So, instead of buying new NES games, I was pooling my $$$$ into packs, or the latest Shaq cards on display.

Anyway, a year later, things changed at home. I had no money and things were pretty messed up. And it all stopped for.

Then somewhere in between that, Shaq cleaning house with Kobe and the Lakers, I joined e-bay. Surfing for chinese flicks and stuff.
I search basketball cards of Shaq. Wow, they still made them!
So, started picking them up here and there.
Next thing you know, I hear about this crazy stuff called exquisite. Packs are made from wood? How much a pack. Yeah right!!!

Anyway, as time wore on, in teh 04-05 season, I just had to get an Exquisite to see what teh fuss was all about. The idea of an auto and game used in a card, was so exciting. Anyway, I won my first ever 04-05 Exquisite Auto patch card. Ooohhhhhh, I'm part of the club!!!
Anyway, next thing you know, the seller gets chatting with me, tells me he has more and would I like to see and buy them? Anyway, I was in a low paying job and money was an issue for me, and said I couldn't. Anway, when we got talking, I said no one collects cards down here in OZ. Anyway, he then introduced me to the world of forums, joined my first in Beckett. Next thing you know, I was part of a revolution, when the "big boys" got canned in beckett and they started their own board!! Next thing you know, I got encouraged to chase the 04-05 Exquisite Auto Patch set. See what peer pressure does. Anyway, I didn't go for it and just picked p what I could. Anyway, being the broke person I was, i started to invest in the NBA. Got really scary at some stages, as I was just gunning for cards on the punt. Oohhh, I need this card, o.k, Lakers to Beat the Mavs. Next thing I know, I was gunning for an Exquisite Auto Patch set, that was so outta my league and only 50 possible sets. Anyway, people soon knew me as the crazy punter that was collecting the 04-05 Exquisite Auto Patch set. And when I got to the final card, with was the Doctor J one, I was on the receiving end of my first ever shill! Anway, people were really upset that I had been hard done by, and the "big boys" explained to me, why they don't do maildays. As idiots in this world, don't want you to succeed and jealously was rife in the hobby. Next thing you know, I got to know these guys much more and it was just amazing and privileged to see what these guys hold. I thought spending what I did to get the set was crazy, but the cards these guys had, was just incredible. They taught me a lot about the hobby, and they way they go about their work and collecting. A really great insight and wealth of knowledge.
Anyway, then I saw people doing "sites". Wow!! How cool is that. Dang, what the heck are these annoying pop up things. Gggrrrrrrr.
Next thing you know, I realised i had web space Tried a thing things, man, I got no idea what I am doing. But I taught myself and now love chasing sets and doing sites that I have planned out for then. It's so cool.

Anyway, fast forward to today. Still a Shaq collector, no doubt. The guy is a legend and after 14 years, will never stop collecting him.
Nowadays, money is again starting to become and issue. Postage is crazy now from international, so I have slowly but surely canned any "hard" set chases, and will not be chasing any set in exquisite this year. I completed the goal I set out in them (well, some are still in progress) but I just can't stay in this league, as i don't belong there.
Anyway, I developed a thing, where I went through a phase where I was addicted to auto game used cards. Man, even today, nothing beats this cards in my opinion. Yeah, an auto is an auto, but to have material from them as well, auto'ed, that's sweet!.So, for the player I liked, that weren't Shaq, I went only after auto'ed game used cards. Nothing else would do.

Then came Sene!!!!

Yeah, being a collector of Shaq, and he doesn't break the wallet, and I love a great shot blocker, so i went with him.

So yeah, now I chase sets/themes that I like the look of and will continue so.

 

[Funkadelic]

I can't remember how or why but I have my Mum to thank, one day after school I came home and she had bought a couple of packs of 93-94 Fleer for me and my brother. We opened them up and in one of my packs I got one of the Drexler inserts and my brother pulled a Luc Longley Internationls insert. That was the day my life changed.. Thanks Mum!

 

[JZA]

I busted a pack of 92/93 hoops and was giggling like a schoolgirl when i pulled not only a shaq rookie but Zo rookie in the same pack! hooked for the duration of the early 90s craze then drifted away, came back to them a few years ago and am hooked, lined and sinkered now!

 

[adhunt99]

Thanks for sharing I'm loving reading this thread!!

 

[JeWeLLsTaH]

I started collecting in 93 when basketball was the thing at my Primary school.
A local shop sold packs of 92-93 Upperdeck HI series for 4.95.
I remember in my first pack i pulled a MJ game faces base card. It was HOT!
I love those days.

PS Great story buyingstuffformikelee!

 

[Chiller]

Great stories guys!
I started collecting basketball cards when i was in grade 1 i would have been 6 or 7 i remember buying alot of Hoops 92-93 packs from the newsagent collected up until about grade 5 or 6 when i started to play magic the gathering instead what a bad idea that was those cards arent worth the paper they are printed on these days lol. Got back in to collecting when i found some packs of 04-05 UD Allstar Collection at a game shop in the city after a few weeks i pulled a bron/amre GU and was hooked, started buying boxes from the bay & coming here alot. Recently i havnt realy been collecting much hopefully i will start that again soon im being drawn to these boards alot recently so hopefully thats a good sign

 

[Billyhoyle]

thought it would be good to hear some of the stories from members who have not posted here

 

[GarnettFan4Life]

Great reads here!

 

[taffster74]

For me, it started way back if we're talking collecting in general. And I mean way back with the old SCanlen Football and Cricket cards in about 1980/81. Unfortunately don't have any of them now as - and be prepared to be shocked - if we didn't complete the set by the end of the season, all cards got thrown away. I know, i cringe when i think about it now. I moved from football and cricket to Transformers Cards and Comics in 1985 then onto basketball in 1994/95. I STill collect my comics (have expanded to include G.I joe, Alice Cooper and the Dark Tower stuff), still collect basketball and have also started seriously collecting transformers Generations toys.

 

[OutlawNinja]

Always been a collector, stamps and matchboxes as a kid.
Got into basketball at a stall at my local market here, packet of 93-94 Skybox and never looked back.
From there my collection split in two ways, Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins.
They were the two guys I emulated on court, so was logical for me to collect their cards.

 

[vansan]

That's some cool story's guys its interesting reading that the smallest of things in the beginning that get you started in comparison to now is mind blowing.
Just pulling 1 card that you thought at the time was awesome even if it was worth $3 now translates into $300
For me it is the cards I think are special and not really its value but with the costs these days everybody's wants that next big Jordan Rookie or Montana $$$ which is understandable
it's what you want out of collecting is what matters to you thanks for sharing your story's and keep chasing

 

[Tanana]

This topic is a little depressing.. Seems many members in this thread have gone again..

On the topic, I started in year 7. Shaq was the main reason, guy was a monster! Him and Penny were amazing to watch.. And some guy named Jordan.. I could never afford much as a kid, mostly base cards were all I had and man they were amazing! I wish I knew what happened to them though.. Collecting didn't last long, many shops closed down around that time and the hobby just died in general. I did find a shop in Pitt Street Mall in 1999 that had heaps of cards, but that was it, I just had a look and never saw anything again after that.

Then I heard about this guy named Lebron James (around the time I joint ozcard). His amazing to watch, but at times frustrating, but over all a freak as a player. Thanks to eBay,overclockers au (whom referred ozcard), and here, I started collecting again.

I must say though, I am losing interest again, and it's a little bit of everything.. Panini with their wording on authentication for patches.. Fake patches.. Shilling.. To name a few. I have since sold most of my cards. Keeping what I enjoyed as a kid collecting and what I wished I could get back then. Only a few more cards to go which is great

Sometimes I wonder what I did with all my cards from my childhood.. I only found a couple when I joint here

 

[SharpysSports]

My story sounds very similar to a lot of the earlier stories. I started collecting NBA in the early 90's which was primary school to me. Then when collecting became 'uncool' I stopped. I picked things up again in my mid 20's after stumbling across the old cards. Since then I have been through quite a few PC players all for different reasons. I have finally settled on Paul George thanks to his performance in the Finals a couple of years ago against Lebron.

I just wish I could have the patience to pick up cards at a slower pace. I rushed through the lower end PG stuff earlier this year. I'm now at the point where I am picking up the rarer stuff and purchasing a maximum of 5 or so cards a month as opposed to the 20-30 per month.

The 90's cards are still the best in my opinion. I still look to pick up the odd MJ, Penny Hardaway and Horace Grant card from COMC to fill up an order. Now I need to find the space to display them all...