The hobby can be a great place to find your PC players for that personal collection and the hottest players and cards that you plan to hold on to or “flip” if that is your plan. However, there is a certain group of players that often get forgotten about and set to the side of the hypothetical table. I’m talking about the Hall of Famers and the great players from decades past.
In this great space we call the hobby, the main stars such as Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Haper and many others are often the more sought after by most collectors alike due to their personal success or potential on the field. Yet many others that are doing well are left alone. Even an injury can hurt a card’s value and appeal, but those are even more important or acquired than the players that have proved themselves worthy to be enshrined into immortality in the Hall of Fame.
Many collectors focus on these attributes currently due to the buzz on social media, ESPN and other outlets. This is a good thing because players like Gunnar Henderson can and have drawn in the next generation of collectors and fans of America's pastime. Yet, for many collectors such as those going to the National this year the Hall of Famers, with exception to vintage collectors, are going to purchase big current star names not players such as Bob Feller, Tim Raines, Al Kaline or Rickey Henderson. While collectors such as “Battingledoff” or his tag @qpeep77 on X focus on his PC of Rickey, which he shows a great variety of cards of the base stealing phenomenon quite often and is focused on this. Many stars and greats are left in boxes at discounted prices collecting dust and often thrown into mass lots due to people thinking they are just “junk wax era” stars.
As a community we need to remember the past and its stars, regardless of the era. Also, we must show the next generation the talent that was present during those decades that came before. I grew up watching and collecting Cal Ripken Jr, Frank Thomas, Cecil Fielder, Wade Boggs, Derek Jeter, etc. Many of the stars of this era are often disregarded due to the “alleged” rampant steroid use. However, what they did for the game of baseball after the strike of 1994 shouldn’t be forgotten. Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and many others saved baseball and the hobby in general.
Many of their cards from current sets are more sought after than rare and scarce cards from the late 90s and early 2000s, otherwise known as the junk wax era. Even autos from that era can be cheaper than autos from today’s market sets. Even though they may never make the Hall their contributions should make them collectible with the hobby patrons today, but it does not.
Even with military service in combat and being a Hall of Famer Bob Feller is not a desirable collect for many. Many of the youth and even collectors that might have caught the tail end of his career in 1956 don’t pursue Feller unless they collect vintage. Is it the age of the average collector, is it the fact they didn’t get to stream his pitching highlights like Clayton Kershaw? What can we do to bring more light to the players that paved the way for many players such as Yordan Alvarez, Gunnar Henderson, or Paul Skenes. Personally, I would collect one HOFer to go with your other PC items. This way the legends continue to strive, and more and more people learn of all the accolades these players have done.
In summation, the players out there today are killing it on the field and in the hobby. They are bringing new skills to the game and new fans to the seats this cannot be overlooked. Yet, we must remember the ones that came before and paved the way for these highly talented athletes. I know I grew to admire Cal Ripken’s dedication, and this helped my personal life. Undoubtedly, the new generation in the hobby will find their own personal attributes to emulate in today’s players but as a hobby we mut keep the greats and even just good players from those other generations alive. They gave their time and blood, sweat, and tears for the game, they desire the hobby love also.
Unrelated, don’t forget to look for the Ken Griffey autos in the new chrome, those are “en fuego” in my hobby opinion. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed The National if you were there.
X- ( Ransom Cards ) @MDRANSOM1
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