When do you throw away it all away?

[banosd]

Throwing away overprinted base non-rookie and star sports cards is no different than getting rid of anything else you do not need anymore. Some people tear down perfectly good homes to build the one they want.

It's no different. I think sports card collectors put too much value on stuff our kids may have to deal with someday. It's OK to lighten our footprints.

[ctau00]

Originally Posted by UCCF

And that's exactly where I landed. I don't particularly enjoy throwing out cards, but I tried getting rid of them other ways. No one wants to pay you to ship heavy boxes of base cards. Hospitals around here, they don't want all of this. Card shops didn't want it. Goodwill didn't want it. I don't have ready access to hundreds of children to give them away to. I've been giving away Pokemon base cards to kids, and that's easy. But no kid is dying for a big bag of my old 2018 Heritage base cards (now with more Justin Bour!).

And frankly with the level of crime in the city here, I don't want to advertise that I have a large collection of baseball cards and people should just drop by the house if they want some (but on the same level, I don't want to spend my nights and weekends as a base card delivery person). I joined a Facebook group for local collectors, and there are plenty of people on there who are also trying to get rid of their base cards. I'm not alone in this. Theoretically someone should be willing to give me $30 for a big box of cards. In practice, it's not always so easy.

If I wasn't moving, then I'd live with the cards and slowly sort them down in my golden years. But we're talking hundreds of pounds of cards here that I would need to pay to move, then unpack and reorganize in a new house, and then still be stuck with the question of what to do with them. And that's not how I want to spend my hobby time.

This is where I'm at, minus the Pokemon. I'm a set builder and have several hundred thousand extra base cards collecting dust with no viable means of donating them. All of the charitable organizations quit taking it. When my daughter worked for the Boys & Girls Club I would fill empty blasters with cards for her to give away by the thousands, same with a grand juror I knew who worked with at risk kids but he passed away a few years ago. Even Toys for Tots turned them down, wanting only 'new'... so much for the USMCR turning away one of their own.

I wallk my dogs daily. There's an elementary school & four little league fields on my block; the school doesn't want them and put fencing around the entire perimeter so I can't leave them in the playground for kids. I would bag up a dozen or so blasters and leave it on the scorer's table at the ball fields, enough so that each kid on the team would have a box but that would leave the other dugout empty handed. Plus it's heavy and when spring turns to summer I'm not hauling the added weight in triple digit temps.

[whitmm]

Originally Posted by WillBaseball

I hope I’m not confusing. Some people seem to be getting it. I just want to talk about it on this forum. @UCCF (and others) is exactly who I suspected was also out there somewhere and I want to and look forward to hearing his, and other’s takes on this; including yours! I want to hear your opinion. And offering mine up, take it or leave it or change my mind or explain your superiority or don’t. Not wanting anything else, and not trying to rile anyone up. Just going where the conversation takes us.

The replier who suggested the woman’s shelter?- that’s brilliant! The replier who is offering cash for cards?- awesome but unfortunately many states away from me.

Sorry, I guess when someone makes a comment about how it's not worth their time and then types a paragraph going on about how people should go get another job instead of sorting cards and grinding for a few bucks, I get to the point where I struggle to believe they are interested in just having a conversation.

You say to don't do that much selling, but then you refer to ripping wax as a lotto ticket. It sounds like you are ripping to hit a big money card.

Sure, time is money, in a sense that it's valuable. You know what else is money? Money. You know that ripping wax is most likely going to be a money loser and you have decided that it's not worth your time to sort cards. So, I guess that's why I'm confused that you just don't buy singles?

I'm a set builder. Sets go into boxes. Insert sets go into another box. Extra cards get sorted into RCs, inserts, and star vets (Only like 2-3 copies of each). Middle of the road vets and relief pitchers go into the trash. Garrett Stubbs cards get torn up, because F that guy. And this is where your "throw them in the trash and get back to work" comment bugs me. Because you want to look at sorting cards as a job. Absolutely I could go pick up a part-time job and make more money than I do sorting cards. But I don't, because I don't want to get locked into having to work. See, I can sort cards in my free time, while I'm relaxing for the night, watching some TV or catching up on podcasts. And if I don't feel like sorting cards, I don't. I can't just decide I don't feel like going in to work and everything be fine.

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

Originally Posted by ctau00

This is where I'm at, minus the Pokemon. I'm a set builder and have several hundred thousand extra base cards collecting dust with no viable means of donating them. All of the charitable organizations quit taking it. When my daughter worked for the Boys & Girls Club I would fill empty blasters with cards for her to give away by the thousands, same with a grand juror I knew who worked with at risk kids but he passed away a few years ago. Even Toys for Tots turned them down, wanting only 'new'... so much for the USMCR turning away one of their own.

I wallk my dogs daily. There's an elementary school & four little league fields on my block; the school doesn't want them and put fencing around the entire perimeter so I can't leave them in the playground for kids. I would bag up a dozen or so blasters and leave it on the scorer's table at the ball fields, enough so that each kid on the team would have a box but that would leave the other dugout empty handed. Plus it's heavy and when spring turns to summer I'm not hauling the added weight in triple digit temps.

This is going to make me come off like a jerk, and I don’t mean to, but…

You can’t go around dropping off boxes of cards that not even you want at public places making your problem their problem. What happens to the boxes the kids don’t want? I assume it’s on the adults there to toss them or figure out to do? Also, what if it just gets left there and rain and just becomes a mess? What if other people start leaving used toys and other items there? I really don’t mean to sound like a Negative Nancy, but you can’t force donations on people who may not want them.

Hopefully you find a good use for your unwanted cards though!

[OhioLawyerF5]

Originally Posted by WillBaseball

I do truly completely get all of that, and have tried to highlight that these are just my opinions as much as possible. I also get that my opinions are not a one size fits all that will work for everyone. I get a lot of those same enjoyments, I just throw it away when done.

Yeah, like I said, each person is free to view it how they please. I only responded once you went down the path of comparing time spent in the hobby with wages for a job. That's an improper analysis for a hobby. Hobby's shouldn't be measured in money, but enjoyment. For some, monetary value contributes to enjoyment, but the analysis isn't based on the time=money equation in a hobby.

[WillBaseball]

Originally Posted by whitmm

Sorry, I guess when someone makes a comment about how it's not worth their time and then types a paragraph going on about how people should go get another job instead of sorting cards and grinding for a few bucks, I get to the point where I struggle to believe they are interested in just having a conversation.

You say to don't do that much selling, but then you refer to ripping wax as a lotto ticket. It sounds like you are ripping to hit a big money card.

Sure, time is money, in a sense that it's valuable. You know what else is money? Money. You know that ripping wax is most likely going to be a money loser and you have decided that it's not worth your time to sort cards. So, I guess that's why I'm confused that you just don't buy singles?

I'm a set builder. Sets go into boxes. Insert sets go into another box. Extra cards set sorted into RCs, inserts, and star vets (Only like 2-3 copies of each). Middle of the road vets and relief pitchers go into the trash. Garrett Stubbs cards get torn up, because F that guy. And this is where your "throw them in the trash and get back to work" comment bugs me. Because you want to look at sorting cards as a job. Absolutely I could go pick up a part-time job and make more money than I do sorting cards. But I don't, because I don't want to get locked into having to work. See, I can sort cards in my free time, while I'm relaxing for the night, watching some TV or catching up on podcasts. And if I don't feel like sorting cards, I don't. I can't just decide I don't feel like going in to work and everything be fine.

The get-back-to-work comments were not intended to upset or confuse you nor anyone else —- it was in reaction to some people’s takes of: throwing away is crazy, that’s $10 wasted, everyone should be selling this stuff.

It’s not worth my time and I don’t believe it’s worth yours’, UNLESS that’s your enjoyment or way of collecting or whatever, I hear that and get that.

Not sure why you don’t believe that the thread I intentionally named “When do you throw away your commons and why and where do you draw the line of what constitutes a common or an eventual common or what creative uses have you found instead or …” is genuine, but it is. And I started it off with my own practices, as shocking as they may be or not, and maybe that was the confusing part?

Those takes of mine that you re-listed are real!

Yeah, I want to open my own packs and not buy singles.
-I would also want to hunt my own deer even with the high possibility of shooting nothing instead of buying the hind leg of a deer, cheaper and already shot by a better shooter.

The experience is my enjoyment. I read the backs, check hometowns and birthdays and stats and whatever, (I’ve made art with cards in the past, don’t have time these days) then like the newspaper or a completed crossword puzzle, I throw (most of) it away.

And as an added bonus, there’s a chance I can pull a… black card for example of my favorite new rookie. I would rather have that ripping experience plus the chance, although it’s disappointing that the chance has diminished in recent years. If I would have pulled Ohtani’s $100,000 bounty auto from 2018 bowman baseball, I’m making the choice to sell it, but that generally hasn’t/doesn’t happen, so I don’t sell often. I rip and have a PC and I collect and I’ve sold some things and I’ve bought plenty of singles. My PC is too many cards in my opinion and space allowances and I’m always working on lessoning it.

You were previously making fun of me or whatever for having the trash (the blue recycling bin) near me while I rip and discarding lesser rc’s and relief pitchers and things and—- I actually do that, and others do too as witnessed here!

I generally just read BO whenever there’s something that interests me and I have a chance and I don’t comment much here. I went years before even making an account. This interests me and I see it inferred but not much talked about, and it interests me a lot more than -LOL - bashing or coming to the aid of Mike Trout’s future worth and degenerative back and his playing prospects again and again.

[WillBaseball]

Originally Posted by OhioLawyerF5

Yeah, like I said, each person is free to view it how they please. I only responded once you went down the path of comparing time spent in the hobby with wages for a job. That's an improper analysis for a hobby. Hobby's shouldn't be measured in money, but enjoyment. For some, monetary value contributes to enjoyment, but the analysis isn't based on the time=money equation in a hobby.

Yeah fair enough for sure. As I said in the too-long-reply that I just made; I meant that wage/job/worth talk as a reaction to “don’t throw it away, sell it”. My perspective is the opposite.

[whitmm]

Originally Posted by WillBaseball

The get-back-to-work comments were not intended to upset or confuse you nor anyone else —- it was in reaction to some people’s takes of: throwing away is crazy, that’s $10 wasted, everyone should be selling this stuff.

It’s not worth my time and I don’t believe it’s worth yours’, UNLESS that’s your enjoyment or way of collecting or whatever, I hear that and get that.

Not sure why you don’t believe that the thread I intentionally named “When do you throw away your commons and why and where do you draw the line of what constitutes a common or an eventual common or what creative uses have you found instead or …” is genuine, but it is. And I started it off with my own practices, as shocking as they may be or not, and maybe that was the confusing part?

Those takes of mine that you re-listed are real!

Yeah, I want to open my own packs and not buy singles.
-I would also want to hunt my own deer even with the high possibility of shooting nothing instead of buying the hind leg of a deer, cheaper and already shot by a better shooter.

The experience is my enjoyment. I read the backs, check hometowns and birthdays and stats and whatever, (I’ve made art with cards in the past, don’t have time these days) then like the newspaper or a completed crossword puzzle, I throw (most of) it away.

And as an added bonus, there’s a chance I can pull a… black card for example of my favorite new rookie. I would rather have that ripping experience plus the chance, although it’s disappointing that the chance has diminished in recent years. If I would have pulled Ohtani’s $100,000 bounty auto from 2018 bowman baseball, I’m making the choice to sell it, but that generally hasn’t/doesn’t happen, so I don’t sell often. I rip and have a PC and I collect and I’ve sold some things and I’ve bought plenty of singles. My PC is too many cards in my opinion and space allowances and I’m always working on lessoning it.

You were previously making fun of me or whatever for having the trash (the blue recycling bin) near me while I rip and discarding lesser rc’s and relief pitchers and things and—- I actually do that, and others do too as witnessed here!

To the bolded lines, I could not disagree with you anymore. That, coupled with your previous line about if you aren't making more than minimum wage you shouldn't be doing it, means that all you better be doing is working and sleeping. You hunting isn't making you more than minimum wage, you better stop doing that. You opening packs and throwing the cards away isn't either, guess you should stop that as well.

I wasn't making fun of you. Based on what you've said here, the thing that makes the most sense realistically is to literally open the packs and the cards go from your hands into the trash.

What I'm saying is there are better products tailored specifically to people like you than Flagship or Bowman.

I get that you enjoy opening packs. What I don't understand is when you open packs and then get upset/disappointed/whatever negative term you want to use when you don't hit the specific parallel of the top rookie in the product. I'm pretty sure you are in the minority of people that open cases of product, but only sell when they hit a monster card and have zero intentions of building sets or grinding out sales to recoup some money. Again, I know I'm not going to change your mind, but based on everything you've said, there are so many better options for you in the hobby than the way you do it.

[whitmm]

Originally Posted by WillBaseball

Yeah fair enough for sure. As I said in the too-long-reply that I just made; I meant that wage/job/worth talk as a reaction to “don’t throw it away, sell it”. My perspective is the opposite.

Even as a response to the "don't toss them, sell them" line, it's still a terrible take.

Your perspective of you could make more money by getting a minimum wage job instead of sorting and selling cards only works in theory. Because in reality, I'd bet you didn't go out and get that job. I'd bet that the time you could have spent sorting cards was spent doing something that wasn't income generating.

It's fine if you don't enjoy sorting cards or trying to grind to move lesser valued cards, but just say that.

[WillBaseball]

Originally Posted by whitmm

Even as a response to the "don't toss them, sell them" line, it's still a terrible take.

Your perspective of you could make more money by getting a minimum wage job instead of sorting and selling cards only works in theory. Because in reality, I'd bet you didn't go out and get that job. I'd bet that the time you could have spent sorting cards was spent doing something that wasn't income generating.

It's fine if you don't enjoy sorting cards or trying to grind to move lesser valued cards, but just say that.

Simpler: Someone literally wrote something like if you throw away or don’t sell you’re a moron. There were similar opinions. Hell, you just said my take is terrible.

To them I say, I do not enjoy holding on to debatably worthless baseball cards, that does not bring ME enjoyment. Rather than doing something unenjoyable for money as was suggested, I would rather just do my at-times-unenjoyable regular job. It pays a lot more money per hour for me. And quite possibly for you, unless that process is your enjoyment.

I want flagship and bowman. And despite the analogy, I’ve never actually hunted, but I would.

[whitmm]

Originally Posted by WillBaseball

Simpler: Someone literally wrote something like if you throw away or don’t sell you’re a moron. There were similar opinions. Hell, you just said my take is terrible.

To them I say, I do not enjoy holding on to debatably worthless baseball cards, that does not bring ME enjoyment. Rather than doing something unenjoyable for money as was suggested, I would rather just do my at-times-unenjoyable regular job. It pays a lot more money per hour for me. And quite possibly for you, unless that process is your enjoyment.

I want flagship and bowman. And despite the analogy, I’ve never actually hunted, but I would.

That's fine. The reality isn't sort cards or do your regular job, though. That's where I think your take is terrible. Because the cards sorting/selling is happening during your non-work hours and, therefore, should be compared to getting a second part-time job. And your first comment on this specifically said part-time job or side hustle. You now talking about your regular job is moving goal posts.

For the record, yes, I absolutely love sorting cards and building sets. That's why I'm in the hobby. I would love to be able to open cases of Flagship and Bowman, like yourself, maybe someday I'll have that type of disposable income to do so. And I love going to card shows and digging through boxes of commons looking for missing set cards.

[ctau00]

Originally Posted by MiamiMarlinsFan

This is going to make me come off like a jerk, and I don’t mean to, but…

You can’t go around dropping off boxes of cards that not even you want at public places making your problem their problem. What happens to the boxes the kids don’t want? I assume it’s on the adults there to toss them or figure out to do? Also, what if it just gets left there and rain and just becomes a mess? What if other people start leaving used toys and other items there? I really don’t mean to sound like a Negative Nancy, but you can’t force donations on people who may not want them.

Hopefully you find a good use for your unwanted cards though!

The cards are not 'junk', just excess and the kids love them, as well as some of the parents. I don't rip any Panini baseball, Opening Day or Big League, very little flagship, flagship, A&G, or GQ and the little league here consists of tee ball, minors, majors, intermediate 50/70, junior & senior so the kids range in age from 4 through 16.

On Halloween I used to pass out hand(s)ful randomly packaged team set bags & loose packs of excess junk wax in addition to candy. The kids would be so excited they'd sit and open it on the spot and ask if they could have more. But I live in a private community that's over 25 years old and less than 100 homes. The kids have grown up and moved out. I still turn the porch light on but have had less than a hundred trick-or-treaters in the last decade plus.

As much as I don't want to simply throw them out, the current generation just hasn't embraced the hobby the same way.

Professional sports are well represented here and among the franchises we have the Giants & A's and their affiliates in Sacramento, Stockton & Modesto which are all considered local. The 49er & Raider faithful who still consider them local and the Kings & Warriors in basketball. And we have the San Jose Sharks and quite a few homegrown PGA tour professionals and the largest allied association in the nation so all the major sports are encompassed even - soccer too though I don't know anything about the sport or delve into it or hockey or golf much any longer. I try to fill the boxes with a majority of current & former players from all sports depending the targeted audience.

[KSIGN]

Originally Posted by DioBrando

Bonfire. That's what I did years ago with all the 88-93 junk cards I had sitting in my parents basement. Haven't bought wax in years, so now the only random cards I get are when people use them as protection for another card and they get out through the shredder

I did the exact same thing about 20 years ago with about 25,000 common hockey and baseball cards that I accumulated from 1988 thru 2000.

[FatButcher]

I think there is some overestimating of how much kids care about base cards these days. I coach youth baseball and my boys are 18 and 14 and never had much interest in anything other than the best players coolest looking cards (even if the cool looking card is a cheap insert).

To think a mountain of base will find a happy taker amongst kids is not something I can see happening.

I do open cases of flagship and Heritage and Pro Debut and make sets/lots. But even then I have thousands of combined leftovers that I do toss out. I've not found the money I can make for grinding that last bit worth the effort.

Opening/sorting cards is my therapy (all of the base cards that were tossed were in numerical order when they went) and I want to make a reasonable return, but there is a limit to how far I will grind for every dollar.

[DioBrando]

Originally Posted by KSIGN

I did the exact same thing about 20 years ago with about 25,000 common hockey and baseball cards that I accumulated from 1988 thru 2000.

I found it strangely therapeutic. The people who are against throwing away cards are weird. Everyone on this board could trash all of their junk wax era commons and it wouldn't make a dent in the existing supply

[Dalston]

Originally Posted by MiamiMarlinsFan

This is going to make me come off like a jerk, and I don’t mean to, but…

You can’t go around dropping off boxes of cards that not even you want at public places making your problem their problem. What happens to the boxes the kids don’t want? I assume it’s on the adults there to toss them or figure out to do? Also, what if it just gets left there and rain and just becomes a mess? What if other people start leaving used toys and other items there? I really don’t mean to sound like a Negative Nancy, but you can’t force donations on people who may not want them.

Hopefully you find a good use for your unwanted cards though!

I've been spending a little time this week putting together packs of cards for coaches to give out to their 3rd and 4th grade little league teams. I try to create team matches as much as possible with the teams and offer the cards to coaches if they want one at the end of the opening day parade. Never had a coach who hasn't been glad to get them and its a good way to get rid of 2000 or so cards a year I have no use for.

Last year on opening day my son was umpiring a Triple A game (third grade) between the "Royals" and the "Orioles" and I was there at the end to pick him up. The Royals coach had just given out the cards and one of the Royals team was running round showing everyone excitedly that his pack had the 2017 Flagship Royals team card. It was very cute and shows that there is someone that will value almost any card.

[Dalston]

Originally Posted by FatButcher

I think there is some overestimating of how much kids care about base cards these days. I coach youth baseball and my boys are 18 and 14 and never had much interest in anything other than the best players coolest looking cards (even if the cool looking card is a cheap insert).

To think a mountain of base will find a happy taker amongst kids is not something I can see happening.

Building on my last post, I've found the sweet spot for giving away where I am is 3rd and 4th grade. My son got into baseball cards (and got me into them, for that matter) when his 3rd grade coach started giving out junk commons to the team after practice. He got really into cards for about 3 years before gradually aging out (still has a collection of about 500 Matt Chapmans!)

[MiamiMarlinsFan]

Originally Posted by Dalston

I've been spending a little time this week putting together packs of cards for coaches to give out to their 3rd and 4th grade little league teams. I try to create team matches as much as possible with the teams and offer the cards to coaches if they want one at the end of the opening day parade. Never had a coach who hasn't been glad to get them and its a good way to get rid of 2000 or so cards a year I have no use for.

Last year on opening day my son was umpiring a Triple A game (third grade) between the "Royals" and the "Orioles" and I was there at the end to pick him up. The Royals coach had just given out the cards and one of the Royals team was running round showing everyone excitedly that his pack had the 2017 Flagship Royals team card. It was very cute and shows that there is someone that will value almost any card.

That’s awesome! It’s also different than just leaving them on a table. In your situation you’re making sure they want them and that someone is choosing to take responsibility for distribution and possible cleanup.

[OhioLawyerF5]

Originally Posted by MiamiMarlinsFan

That’s awesome! It’s also different than just leaving them on a table. In your situation you’re making sure they want them and that someone is choosing to take responsibility for distribution and possible cleanup.

Not to mention that it wasn't just putting them on a table, it was putting them on a table at the park because the school put up a fence to prevent you from just leaving them on the playground.

[ctau00]

Originally Posted by OhioLawyerF5

Not to mention that it wasn't just putting them on a table, it was putting them on a table at the park because the school put up a fence to prevent you from just leaving them on the playground.

The park is a well maintained 4 field complex run by the city and not a part of the school's grounds, they are just on adjacent properties. I used to put the cards on the dugout benches, all outfitted with trash cans which are emptied after each game.

The school district maintains their own property and decided to erect a 'temporary' fence between their play area and Field 4 to restrict community access during COVID. Once the school's playground was inaccessible the kids migrated to the ballfields unsupervised and damage the fields on game day so the Parks Department began locking dugout access which is why I leave them on the scorer's table where team mom's can distribute after the game.

I have lived on this block nearly 25 years and walk this route daily, rain or shine and have been handing out cards the entire time. I know the maintenance crews and see them throughout the day, they know I leave the cards and have never said anything about it or asked me to stop doing it.

[KSIGN]

Originally Posted by DioBrando

I found it strangely therapeutic. The people who are against throwing away cards are weird. Everyone on this board could trash all of their junk wax era commons and it wouldn't make a dent in the existing supply

Agreed. If you didn’t live in the era of junk wax and over production, you have ZERO idea how many cards were out there. EVERY STORE SOLD SPORTS CARDS by the truckload. I remember seeing a guy with 30 cases of stadium club football at a flea market in Lafayette, IN and he couldn’t give them away at $150 a CASE!!!

Myself and 2 friends bought about 70+ boxes of ProSet hockey from 91 to 95 at no more than $10 a box looking for the elusive Stanley Cup Hologram. Found 1, rock, paper, scissors 3 outta 5 and I lost first round. Oh welll. I still have a few sets and about 500 cards.

We also did this with about 20-25 other releases over that time - including 7th inning sketch, collectors choice, fleer, pro set, and even upper deck, we’d just kept the stuff we wanted and years later we burned the rest one weekend after we all realized we’d been lugging this crap from our parents to our apartments and homes for far too long.

BTW, whomever said those who throw away cards are morons; that’s hardly the case. At some point, you have to realize, it’s time to move on.

[GaryPayton]

So in summary we should always have our unwanted base on us ready to place at, on or near playgrounds until they build a fence to stop you?

[gresh87]

Originally Posted by OhioLawyerF5

Not to mention that it wasn't just putting them on a table, it was putting them on a table at the park because the school put up a fence to prevent you from just leaving them on the playground.

I think we’re going about it wrong. I think the key is to be waiting at the bottom of a long, curvy slide with a shoebox in hand. Quickly plop the box into the lap before darting toward your car. Any self-respecting kid will understand that the cards are now his/her responsibility, abiding by touched-it-last rules.

[pharmd19]

So what general consensus did everyone agree on?

I am at the point where I am spring cleaning and going through a lot of cards. I don't think there is anywhere in NE Ohio that buys bulk base and like some others have said I don't think anywhere wants base card donations. I feel weird just throwing them away but would also love to clear up some space.

I broke a lot during 2017-2022 and don't break as much product anymore.

[hermanotarjeta]

Originally Posted by pharmd19

So what general consensus did everyone agree on?

I am at the point where I am spring cleaning and going through a lot of cards. I don't think there is anywhere in NE Ohio that buys bulk base and like some others have said I don't think anywhere wants base card donations. I feel weird just throwing them away but would also love to clear up some space.

I broke a lot during 2017-2022 and don't break as much product anymore.

Throw them in the recycling bin.