A collector’s note
There is a collector in all of us. Aside from humanitarian and first aid lessons, here’s what I learned and did at the Red Cross camp I attended last spring. To my surprise, people actually keep a collection of one or two things throughout their lives.
Some like toys, comics (mainly Marvel comics), DVDs, greeting cards, pens, hats, mugs, jackets, and even more mundane things like stamps, postcards, or letters. Those who can save more money collect cars, mobile phones, jewelry stores and even villas. And who is not aware of Imelda Marcos’ very extensive and expensive shoe collection which is reported to number in the thousands, still counting. Some I know started collecting at the age of 9 or 10. Others start late but are just as anxious as early starters.
You can imagine how I got started when a friend’s cousin showed me his collection of Beatles memorabilia that spanned 30 years and took up the entire second floor of his house. From posters to concert tickets, records, music videos, autographed notebooks and papers, mugs, plates, papers printed by the Beatles, life-size replicas, biographies and documentaries with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and George Harrison.
Obsession, as others may call it, the habit of collecting is not essentially a bad thing unless it leads someone to harm others and more especially himself. It is actually an indication of a person’s determination and focus on whatever interests him. I am a self-confessed collector and it has done me more good than harm (the truth is that I can’t think of any).
My fascination with sporting goods began at the age of 7. Having been raised by sports-minded people, my appreciation for almost all types of sports comes effortlessly. My collection started with tennis balls. Until I was about 9 or 10 years old, my father always took me to his Saturday tennis matches with his friends. Every Saturday, he would ask my dad for a tennis ball and he would give it to me with the promise to behave while he played. His friends also gave me one from time to time. Before I knew it, I already had around a hundred of them displayed or stored in my room.
In the mid to late 90’s my collecting habit shifted to NBA trading cards. Widely popular with my classmates, friends and neighbors, our generation proudly called itself the MJ generation (in reverence for our basketball icon Michael Jordan). My love for the sport made me not only watch every game, but also collect NBA trading cards. I remember even skipping meals and snacks just to save enough money to buy Jordan, Shaq and Rodman cards. When the online trading and sale of NBA cards began, I did most of my shopping online.
Most of my purchases were through eBay. He has an extensive collection of hard to find NBA trading cards and other sports items for collectors like me. I bought about 30-50 cards through eBay and was the envy of all my friends seeing how extensive my collection has become. My top favorites are sky view hoops, dunks, layups, and *Michael Jordan* shots. My Chicago Bulls NBA cards hit about 20 and I’m still planning on buying the ones I don’t have yet.
I recently discovered more websites that sell NBA cards, and many even offer discounts and promotions. NBA cards sold on MSN’s shopping site are priced at much higher discounts than, say, eBay. Last week, I bought a 1997 Dennis Rodman rimshot for just $40.
Right now, I already have about 500 NBA cards in my collection. I intend to keep them in very good condition as long as I can. Unbeknownst to many, collectibles are actually good investments. The rare find cards I bought a couple of years ago are currently more than double the price when I bought them. And the rarer they are over time, the more value they get. Who knows, maybe I can raise a million if I decide to auction my letters in a few years.