Do Player Collectors of Modern Players Exist?

[gregpaa]

I don’t bust hardly any new Ultra Modern Product. I PC David Robinson (pre-2004). I am curious if there are collectors that PC current NBA players?

Seems like it would be difficult (but a good challenge) to try to obtain every card of a player due to the amount of products and variations.

If people do it, it’s crazy to me how inexpensive some of the new low print run cards sell for. I’ve seen some /10 sold on eBay for under $5. Late 90’s/early 00’s cards with print runs under /100 seem to sell for more than ultra modern with a print run of /10. Seems like the ‘hobby’ has become a boom or bust game. If it’s not a $1000 card it goes in a $1 box.

If there are people who PC current players, what’s the goal or the focus of your collection?


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[CurryOverLeBron]

Dude I collect just Curry because it's obvious that any cardboard he is on will simply keep increasing in value. It's just about being smart in buying the best deals. Giannis, LeBron and Ja are pretty decent buys across the board but Curry is absolutely the safest and surest of all these present guys from a future profit perspective.

[gregpaa]

I think that’s it, people are only looking at it as an investment.

I collect because I like a certain player or team or card no matter if it retains or gains value or not. The main focus of my collection is not tied to the value. I am probably in the minority as someone who collects vs invests.


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[Lone Wulf]

KG is my biggest PC, but Anthony Edwards is my current favorite player and helped me get back into the NBA and the card hobby again. So I essentially PC him (within reason, since he is obviously expensive AF for decent cards). It is just strange these days compared to when I collected as a kid because at a certain point even if I am PCing a player like Edwards, if a certain card I own gets expensive enough I kind of feel like I have to sell or trade it because it allows me to get multiple other cool cards. Like I picked up his Kaboom last year at the Dallas Card Show because it was my most wanted card of my favorite player, I found a raw one for $1500. Fast forward to now, I have it graded, its a PSA 10, and I am like well jeez I see recent sales around $8k on ebay so now mine is up for auction and I will be able to use that to get multiple other cards of Edwards (or KG maybe).

I am looking forward to the coming years so I can get cheaper Ant cards though, I probably will limit what I go after, but getting a prizm silver from every year would be cool as a baseline, going after cool inserts, getting more autos, maybe going after a gold or two, that sounds like fun to me.

[oshmeehan]

I started collecting Ersan Ilyasova in August 2005 when the first products was released for the 2005/06 NBA season, Upper Deck ESPN. My goal from Day #1 nearly 17 years ago was to collect every single card of his. Going in I didn't know if that would be only a couple seasons worth or if he would stick and have a long NBA career. Things were certainly up in the air in the late 2000's as he left the NBA for Spain for a couple years. He came back and played up until the 2020/21 season. I think this is the end of the line for his NBA career and will probably have to wait until he officially retires before he may have any more cards produced.

I never looked at it as an investment, and it certainly is not one. It was something I enjoy doing as he was on my hometown team for most of his career and he was someone I could thus follow closely while he played as well.

[gregpaa]

Originally Posted by Lone Wulf

KG is my biggest PC, but Anthony Edwards is my current favorite player and helped me get back into the NBA and the card hobby again. So I essentially PC him (within reason, since he is obviously expensive AF for decent cards). It is just strange these days compared to when I collected as a kid because at a certain point even if I am PCing a player like Edwards, if a certain card I own gets expensive enough I kind of feel like I have to sell or trade it because it allows me to get multiple other cool cards. Like I picked up his Kaboom last year at the Dallas Card Show because it was my most wanted card of my favorite player, I found a raw one for $1500. Fast forward to now, I have it graded, its a PSA 10, and I am like well jeez I see recent sales around $8k on ebay so now mine is up for auction and I will be able to use that to get multiple other cards of Edwards (or KG maybe).

I am looking forward to the coming years so I can get cheaper Ant cards though, I probably will limit what I go after, but getting a prizm silver from every year would be cool as a baseline, going after cool inserts, getting more autos, maybe going after a gold or two, that sounds like fun to me.

That I understand. You have to weigh the cash out vs the whole collection at times.


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[mfw13]

I'm a lifelong Warriors fan (born in 1969) so I collect SOME modern Warriors cards.

By that I mean I collect base cards and inserts where I like the design, specifically of Curry, Klay, Dray, and Iggy.

That's probably about 2-3% of all the cards that are produced of each player each season.

[gregpaa]

Originally Posted by oshmeehan

I started collecting Ersan Ilyasova in August 2005 when the first products was released for the 2005/06 NBA season, Upper Deck ESPN. My goal from Day #1 nearly 17 years ago was to collect every single card of his. Going in I didn't know if that would be only a couple seasons worth or if he would stick and have a long NBA career. Things were certainly up in the air in the late 2000's as he left the NBA for Spain for a couple years. He came back and played up until the 2020/21 season. I think this is the end of the line for his NBA career and will probably have to wait until he officially retires before he may have any more cards produced.

I never looked at it as an investment, and it certainly is not one. It was something I enjoy doing as he was on my hometown team for most of his career and he was someone I could thus follow closely while he played as well.

That’s my point. I feel like collectors like you don’t exist anymore. It’s all about the next flip. If you saw an Ersan #’d to 10 there’s no way you would pass that up because you may never see it again. But I feel like those cards are just being tossed aside because it’s not a Gem Mint 10 or it’s not Steph, Lebron or Zion.

Ersan is a great example because he’s not a big name. There’s probably nobody who PCs a comparable modern player.


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[oshmeehan]

Originally Posted by gregpaa

That’s my point. I feel like collectors like you don’t exist anymore. It’s all about the next flip. If you saw an Ersan #’d to 10 there’s no way you would pass that up because you may never see it again. But I feel like those cards are just being tossed aside because it’s not a Gem Mint 10 or it’s not Steph, Lebron or Zion.

Ersan is a great example because he’s not a big name. There’s probably nobody who PCs a comparable modern player.


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I have been in the Ersan game so long, that it is a bad thing and a good thing when it comes to acquiring cards. A lot of people know there is a buyer out there for him and he isn't completely relegated to the commons boxes to never be seen again. The bad side obviously of that is people wanting more for their Ersan's than they are worth.

[gregpaa]

Originally Posted by oshmeehan

I have been in the Ersan game so long, that it is a bad thing and a good thing when it comes to acquiring cards. A lot of people know there is a buyer out there for him and he isn't completely relegated to the commons boxes to never be seen again. The bad side obviously of that is people wanting more for their Ersan's than they are worth.

Yeah. I hear ya. At least there’s not 2 of you so you don’t have to get in a bidding war.


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[gregpaa]

Originally Posted by Lone Wulf

KG is my biggest PC, but Anthony Edwards is my current favorite player and helped me get back into the NBA and the card hobby again. So I essentially PC him (within reason, since he is obviously expensive AF for decent cards). It is just strange these days compared to when I collected as a kid because at a certain point even if I am PCing a player like Edwards, if a certain card I own gets expensive enough I kind of feel like I have to sell or trade it because it allows me to get multiple other cool cards. Like I picked up his Kaboom last year at the Dallas Card Show because it was my most wanted card of my favorite player, I found a raw one for $1500. Fast forward to now, I have it graded, its a PSA 10, and I am like well jeez I see recent sales around $8k on ebay so now mine is up for auction and I will be able to use that to get multiple other cards of Edwards (or KG maybe).

I am looking forward to the coming years so I can get cheaper Ant cards though, I probably will limit what I go after, but getting a prizm silver from every year would be cool as a baseline, going after cool inserts, getting more autos, maybe going after a gold or two, that sounds like fun to me.

Like a KG, and any popular player from that era a short print card under /100 would be a hot commodity. Multiple people trying to get it to hold onto.

I just don’t see that today. There’s multiple Anthony Davis cards with print runs under /10 that you can get for under $50.


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[TSonn]

Originally Posted by CurryOverLeBron

Dude I collect just Curry because it's obvious that any cardboard he is on will simply keep increasing in value. It's just about being smart in buying the best deals. Giannis, LeBron and Ja are pretty decent buys across the board but Curry is absolutely the safest and surest of all these present guys from a future profit perspective.

One of these doesn't belong.

[montej1695]

Originally Posted by oshmeehan

I started collecting Ersan Ilyasova in August 2005 when the first products was released for the 2005/06 NBA season, Upper Deck ESPN. My goal from Day #1 nearly 17 years ago was to collect every single card of his. Going in I didn't know if that would be only a couple seasons worth or if he would stick and have a long NBA career. Things were certainly up in the air in the late 2000's as he left the NBA for Spain for a couple years. He came back and played up until the 2020/21 season. I think this is the end of the line for his NBA career and will probably have to wait until he officially retires before he may have any more cards produced.

I never looked at it as an investment, and it certainly is not one. It was something I enjoy doing as he was on my hometown team for most of his career and he was someone I could thus follow closely while he played as well.

True example of a PC collector.

"Collector's" rarely exist anymore.

It's so much less of a hobby today than it was 10 years ago. Nothing wrong with that either...

The "PC" guys are on the endangered species list.

[Chris P]

I collect Russell Westbrook and I don't really have a specific goal..I just buy cards of his that I really like.

[Spacemanspif]

Most people strictly collecting tend to not show off as much as the people hyping stuff on IG that they want to eventually sell. I was actually just organizing my “PC box” this morning and realized I have close to 2 shoeboxes of just inserts and parallels of unslabbed Klay / Draymond / Curry

[whatsupmario]

I collect Bruce Brown!

I always envied people who rooted for a single player and followed them around cheering for the different teams they joined. I irrationally decided Bruce's rookie year that I would pick him. It's been a roller-coaster of emotions seeing him slowly improve and become a rotation player. I'm excited to see where he signs this summer! I would love for him to become a Blazer some day (I'm a Portland kid).

It's hard being a fringe player collector. I always look forward to Prizm because normally that's the only set he makes it into as a non-auto. I would love for him to be in a higher end set someday as an on card auto but for now I chase 1/1s, golds and a few random older ssp rookies. Being a second-round draft pick he didn't get into every set as a rookie which is a bummer and limits my options.

[Oldschool42]

See my John Wall PC on IG: john_wall_pc

Why focus on John Wall? Son’s favorite player and I just went down a rabbit hole in winter 2016 and haven’t surfaced since! Rainbow chaser.

Why? Busting wax is stupid expensive so after 16/17 I stopped set chasing (I miss wasting 1k to complete a $100 set!) and just buy singles. Let some sucker waste their money.

Have I overpaid for my PC? Hell yes, and it’s still cheaper than ever buying a box HOPING to pull a PC Card!

What do I chase? Low-mid end (Donruss, Optic, Prizm, Revolution) with a few mid/high end cards. Love Logoman cards, but they are too much money.

Goal: to finish unfinished rainbows.

Pet Peeve: 1/1 cards in low-mid priced product. Reserve 1/1’s for high dollar sets only. No way should a 1/1 sit in a box on a Wally World shelf! If they insist on 1/1’s they should be hobby only!

Originally Posted by gregpaa

I don’t bust hardly any new Ultra Modern Product. I PC David Robinson (pre-2004). I am curious if there are collectors that PC current NBA players?

Seems like it would be difficult (but a good challenge) to try to obtain every card of a player due to the amount of products and variations.

If people do it, it’s crazy to me how inexpensive some of the new low print run cards sell for. I’ve seen some /10 sold on eBay for under $5. Late 90’s/early 00’s cards with print runs under /100 seem to sell for more than ultra modern with a print run of /10. Seems like the ‘hobby’ has become a boom or bust game. If it’s not a $1000 card it goes in a $1 box.

If there are people who PC current players, what’s the goal or the focus of your collection?


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[Lone Wulf]

Originally Posted by gregpaa

Like a KG, and any popular player from that era a short print card under /100 would be a hot commodity. Multiple people trying to get it to hold onto.

I just don’t see that today. There’s multiple Anthony Davis cards with print runs under /10 that you can get for under $50.


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Yeah very true, it is part of the "evolution" that Panini and Topps have gone with in their products, too many parallels ruined things a bit, they are not "special" any more like they were back in the day. I think finding a good parallel or insert set and getting it every year is a decent plan though (depending on the player and prices), like getting a Kaboom of your favorite player every year, or even a silver prizm for something cheaper. Eventually it will be really cool to have the whole set of them across all years.

[gregpaa]

Originally Posted by whatsupmario

I collect Bruce Brown!

I always envied people who rooted for a single player and followed them around cheering for the different teams they joined. I irrationally decided Bruce's rookie year that I would pick him. It's been a roller-coaster of emotions seeing him slowly improve and become a rotation player. I'm excited to see where he signs this summer! I would love for him to become a Blazer some day (I'm a Portland kid).

It's hard being a fringe player collector. I always look forward to Prizm because normally that's the only set he makes it into as a non-auto. I would love for him to be in a higher end set someday as an on card auto but for now I chase 1/1s, golds and a few random older ssp rookies. Being a second-round draft pick he didn't get into every set as a rookie which is a bummer and limits my options.

That’s cool. I like him as a player. He’s a probably a good guy to collect nowadays. He’s not in every set and probably not too many inserts to chase.


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[Oldschool42]

I’m still here! john_wall_pc on IG. I stopped set chasing after 16/17 because wax went stupid, price wise.

Originally Posted by montej1695

True example of a PC collector.

"Collector's" rarely exist anymore.

It's so much less of a hobby today than it was 10 years ago. Nothing wrong with that either...

The "PC" guys are on the endangered species list.

[gregpaa]

Originally Posted by Oldschool42

See my John Wall PC on IG: john_wall_pc

Why focus on John Wall? Son’s favorite player and I just went down a rabbit hole in winter 2016 and haven’t surfaced since! Rainbow chaser.

Why? Busting wax is stupid expensive so after 16/17 I stopped set chasing (I miss wasting 1k to complete a $100 set!) and just buy singles. Let some sucker waste their money.

Have I overpaid for my PC? Hell yes, and it’s still cheaper than ever buying a box HOPING to pull a PC Card!

What do I chase? Low-mid end (Donruss, Optic, Prizm, Revolution) with a few mid/high end cards. Love Logoman cards, but they are too much money.

Goal: to finish unfinished rainbows.

Pet Peeve: 1/1 cards in low-mid priced product. Reserve 1/1’s for high dollar sets only. No way should a 1/1 sit in a box on a Wally World shelf! If they insist on 1/1’s they should be hobby only!

I have overpaid for so many cards just because if I don’t I may never see them again. Especially the early 2000’s inserts that are probably sitting in someone’s junk box.

Couldn’t agree more. I’ll never buy a box just to pull an auto of a player I don’t like or a RC that will never pan out. Or as is the case now a /10 that you’ll be lucky to get $5 for. I’ll always just buy singles of what I like.


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[whatsupmario]

Originally Posted by gregpaa

That’s cool. I like him as a player. He’s a probably a good guy to collect nowadays. He’s not in every set and probably not too many inserts to chase.


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He has very few cards a year which makes it manageable to splurge on a big card or two.

Watching the first prizm breaks of the year are always exciting. I just hope for a dynamic action shot as breakers flip through the cards. I was so stoked with his 2021 Prizm picture. I just hope he can have a long career so I can keep cheering and collecting.

[TBarn291]

I have always been a player collector. Started with Shaq his RC season, then Stackhouse, Olowokandi, Bill Walton, Tristan Thompson and lastly CP3. I ended up giving up the CP3 and Walton collections. I do still go after any and every Tristan card I don't have. Sadly he only gets included in the mass produced products now with 100 parallels so it has become a nightmare trying to keep up. I still stick with it though.

This is my Tristan collection, but my other player PCs are on my Flickr as well.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/992237...57663741711925

[sportzking]

I collect Steven Adams as well as some other players. You'd think he wouldn't cost that much and with the recent benching and all, but his stuff is still not that cheap. Guess there is competition for certain players? But I get what I can and try not stress about owning every card made.

[luke1014]

I collect Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. I don't have a goal of collecting every card. (There are plenty of Curry's out there worth more than my house.) So I've made a goal of trying to reach 1000 cards between both players. Then I'll move on to 1000 for each player.

I previously collected Penny Hardaway cards from his Magic years. I pretty much got to the point where I ran out of cards to collect (besides some of his high end cards and Panini cards) Moved to the Splash Brothers mostly because I can collect more than 6 years worth of cards.