A great joy that comes with the SABR Baseball Cards Committee is sharing what we have, what we want or what we discover. I genuinely enjoy that and, in many ways, it’s a key part of why we like collecting. Telling people what we own is an important piece of the equation, whether it comes from pride or bragging. There’s an old Cindy Crawford joke about that. (See bottom of post; I won’t interrupt my flow here.)
I wonder, though, what becomes too much information. If I had a case of unopened 1952 Topps high number packs (I don’t), would I share that? Should I share that? It strikes me as dangerously provocative and, though I like you all, I don’t know you.
“Hey, did I ever tell you guys about that unopened case of 1952’s I have? I keep them next to my desk in my office.” That seems like an excessive share and a tad dangerous.
I wonder too if there’s etiquette on asking what a fellow collector has. “Hey dude, I see you collect pre-war cards. Do you have the T206 Sherry Magee error card? That’s really valuable.” Maybe I’m overly suspicious, but that kind of approach makes me paranoid.
I’ve been thinking about this as I see various collectors’ posts, whether here our on our Facebook page (or on the Baseball Card Freaks Facebook page, which, I believe, is a closed group). I don’t want to be a downer and start promoting my concerns, but I often wonder why people post about excessive pricey items they own.
Anyway, it’s been on my mind, so I’ve got nothing more to add as per usual, about cards I’m looking for, sets I’m collecting, or general hobby stuff. I am very curious if others have these same thoughts, or at least similar ones. Let me know.
Now here’s the Cindy Crawford joke, though I used to hear it about Claudia Schiffer too:
A young single guy finds himself stranded on a deserted island. As he washes ashore, he sees a woman passed out in the sand. Able to perform CPR on her, he saves her life. Suddenly, he realizes that the woman is Cindy Crawford. Immediately, Cindy falls in love with the man. Days and weeks go by, and they’re making passionate love morning, noon and night.
One day she notices he’s looking kind of glum.
“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” she asks. “We have a wonderful life together and I’m in love with you. Is there something wrong? Is there anything I can do?”
He says, “Actually, Cindy, there is. Would you mind, putting on my shirt and pants?”
“Sure,” she says, “If it’ll help.”
He takes off his shirt and pants and she puts it on.
“Okay, would you put on my hat now, and draw a little mustache on your face?” he asks.
“Whatever you want, sweetie,” she says, and does so.
Then he says, “Now, would you start walking around the edge of the island?”
She starts walking around the perimeter of the island. He sets off in the other direction. They meet up half way around the island a few minutes later. He rushes up to her, grabs her by the shoulders, and says, “Dude! You’ll never believe who I’m sleeping with!”
SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee 
No, I get that . . .I don’t imagine that your average collector, even ones with large collections, take security particularly seriously, so it’s probably natural to have those moments of “Wow, am I dealing out TMI?” Obviously, that conflicts with the natural pride one has in assembling a really cool collection of just about anything.
But we live in an age in which everyone seems determined to share everything about their lives. I’m sure we all know people who can’t seem to control themselves on Facebook or Twitter. Which leads me to my version of your question: Why bother posting all those pictures of your vacation online? Why not just save time and post a single message that says “I’m currently out of town, so if you want to ransack my house, now’s the time!”
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All true!
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I probably mentioned but didn’t emphasize this in my post a while back about what’s good about card grading. It’s sort of a “duh.” A graded card has the grader’s assigned serial number on it so if your card turns up missing (and you’re not some crook claiming a card you sold was stolen), you have a form of proof that it was yours, if, as most graded card collectors do, you add it your online inventory, ala PSA’s set registry. PSA and others try to sell insurance beyond that, but it seems to me that your home owner’s or renter’s insurance should cover your card collection, assuming it’s not worth millions, with the registration numbers you can provide.
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That’s a very good point.
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I try to never ask someone “what is your best card” I always phrase it as “what is your favorite card in your collection.” In most cases the answers are different but you still learn something about the person and what they like about their collection. I was the same way in school I never asked someone “what grade did you get” instead I asked “did you do as well as you hoped,” which left it up to them if they wanted to share their grade or not. I can see the Cindy Crawford joke working with Brooke Shields better considering the whole Blue Lagoon thing.
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Good approach.
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I’ve toyed with the idea of creating a website of various collections I have, but I have the same concerns about promoting it to “the world.” I often wonder how the Canseco collector (Tanner) dealt with that aspect of his collection.
I have shown and talked about key pieces to friends and family, but a few of them I keep in a safe deposit box. Actually, when I leave town I put the most expensive single pieces in that safe deposit box, and sometimes they sit there for a while until I have time to get them out, particularly around peak vacation times like major holidays. While a 1969 Topps set might be more costly to replace in total than some single cards, I can find the 1969 Topps set. There are other cards that I just can’t find. It’s also why I put a lock on the door that has the cards. Even though the TV and computer may cost more than most cards I own, if something happens while friends are over I can just go to the store and pick up a new one. It’s not like I’d have to wait 17 years to find a new TV, but I have been waiting that long to find a 2001 Topps Golden Anniversary Autograph of Eddy Furniss (which I still don’t have).
Oh, and I have heard the same joke, only with Heather Locklear. I think it just depends on the joke teller’s preferences.
By the way, if you had a case of 1952 Topps (even if it isn’t the high number series), you could just share a pack with each of us!
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Solid point on replacement issues.
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Finally found another Eddy Furniss Auto this year to finish my 2001 Topps set (basically anyway…Koufax and Ryan can wait). Also pulled the redemption card a few years back which in itself is kinda cool if you collect 01 Topps.
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Great! Congrats.
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Btw, for anyone here who has the 2001 Topps Chrome Originals or refractors #/10, I’m open to paying real money…(not too much of it, but I’ll listen to offers).
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