Introverted Vintage - The Gameplan
Let’s start at the beginning…..the VERY beginning! Born in the NY tri-state area, I grew up a Yankees fan. Playing childhood sports and being lucky enough to attend some games at the historic Yankee Stadium, I had no shot, I was going to be a collector. There is so much history growing up a Yankees fan. The old Yankee Stadium emanated it and you couldn’t escape it if you enjoyed baseball (or sports in general).
Like many collectors my age, we were birthed into an age of worthlessness, the 1980s. At least at the time I was completely unaware of the degree to which my coveted wax would never compare to the vintage cards of years past and the parallel, chase card era to come. I was too young and not of collecting age when the Don Mattingly RC released and the 1989 UD Ken Griffey Jr seemed unattainable at the time. But an autographed Nolan Ryan baseball got me through.
Life moves on and by the early to mid-1990s I was no longer collecting. The passion resurfaced briefly in the late 2000s in the form of hockey cards, but the hobby was confined to boxes in my parent’s basement for the better part of 30 years. They were desperate to get rid of those boxes, clearing the space for who knows what. I opened the boxes and was immediately transported to a parallel universe called Nostalgia. It took the briefest of moments before the smell and texture of the familiar cardboard made me feel like I was back in my childhood bedroom, sorting, resorting, and resorting again. Here I was now 30 years later sleeving and top loading cards as if they might be worth something.
Nope, still worthless.
But the dormant collector gene was triggered. My story is far from unique. I am a middle-aged husband and father with a full-time job and responsibilities. I don’t have time or unlimited resources to pursue what seems like a selfish hobby…..yet here we are. And the hobby is SO very different from what I remember.
Let’s explore that a bit deeper and analyze myself and the hobby I love. I am an introvert. I will never be comfortable as a streamer, influencer, or “card bro” which seems to be what it takes these days. So, how do we maneuver back into this hobby and create a comfortable space for ourselves? A few things are very clear to me. I enjoy ripping packs for fun but given my poor track record for being lucky, my goals are not to spend a fortune trying to get the 1/1 pull of my lifetime. I certainly would not be lucky enough to stream the pull live, send it to Goldin to sell for my retirement fund (let’s be honest, I would just buy more cards), and die in peace. So, I will rip occasionally to feed the urge, but the breaker who streams pack after pack, box after box, case after case is a losing game for me. Especially now that boxes with any significant hits are hundreds to thousands of dollars apiece.
I am drawn to the vintage era and love the idea of slowly building an “iconic” vintage (and some modern depending on your definition) collection. So, my vision is this….
Quality over quantity.
Icons over the anybody’s.
Slow and steady.
This content is not new. I can, and have, watched hours of content that elicits jealousy and I can do research on the topic literally all day long. If you’re reading this, I can only imagine you are similar, if not the same. The idea of amassing a collection filled with cards from players like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Ken Griffey Jr., Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, Wayne Gretzky, and Bobby Orr feels like a dream still.
Did I mention, I am an introvert?! I don’t know anyone personally who is interested in the hobby. I feel like a loner in this idea with pangs of guilt on whether I should even be spending money on such a selfish passion. Where we live currently, there is no local card shop to frequent. I am not sure I am the type of person that can go to a card show and somehow leave with 5 new friends with whom to share the hobby. I watched some videos of the recent Fanatics Fest and it looked like a circus. There were huge crowds, people spending enough money on a single card that could be a down payment for a luxurious home, and I started to question my existence in this space.
My wife showed me a video of my younger son the other day. In it, he says “I don’t understand how people get energy from talking. Some people seem to get energy the more they talk”. My wife asks, “How about you? What does talking do to you?”. Without hesitation my son responded, “Talking makes me tired!” My literal mini-me!!
So, where do I start? I am not sure where this path will take me, but I think I just start (hoping you may join me) and see where we end up.
So, here is the gameplan.
-Quality over quantity – This means I may only buy 2-3 major cards a year
-Collector over investor – I am going to have to remind myself of this over and over again, but I am in this for eye appeal and my perfect card, not the number grade on the slab. I will be focusing on the lower-grade cards that look exactly like the higher-grade cards to save money in this journey (which will allow me to add more cards per year). Midlife Sports Cards (YouTube) has done some great videos discussing this idea and I continue to watch them over and over again to beat it into my head. As much as I want a full collection of PSA 10s, I am not independently wealthy and it’s a losing battle.
-Patience, patience, patience – I struggle with this one too. It is hard to sit back and wait for the perfect card. Especially when you are so excited to start the build.
Let’s dive into the top 10 iconic cards we will be targeting in 2025-26:
10 – Joe Montana 1981 Topps #216
Montana’s only RC and one of the most recognizable cards in the football industry.
9 – Nolan Ryan 1968 Topps #177
The strikeout king ranks 1st all time in strikeouts with 5,714. No Ryan card is more iconic than his 1968 RC.
8 – Larry Bird/Julius Erving/Magic Johnson 1980 Topps Scoring Leaders
This card contains the RCs of Larry Bird AND Magic Johnson with an impressive Julius Erving in the middle. Corrugated to be ripped into 3 small cards, the intact copies make for quite the rookie card. While I don’t love having multiple player RCs, I can overlook that this one time.
7 – Roberto Clemente 1955 Topps #164
The Roberto Clemente RC. Need we say more.
6 – Wayne Gretzky 1979 OPC/Topps #18
Wayne Gretzky remains the GOAT of hockey and hockey cards alike. His 1979-80 RC came in both OPC and Topps sets and are near identical. OPC is the Canadian version with French language on the back, while Topps has English on the back. The OPC card quality is lower than that of the Topps so you would think that Topps prices would be higher. However, because of the poorer quality OPC cardboard, it is harder to find the OPC version in higher grades making the populations smaller in OPC, driving those prices higher than the Topps cards. I would be happy with either!
#5 – Jackie Robinson 1948 Leaf #79 or 1952 Topps #312
These are 2 iconic cards from Jackie Robinson. The 1948 Leaf is considered his true rookie card by most.
The 1952 Topps card is his first appearance in a Topps set. It is also a high-numbered short print.
#4 – Hank Aaron 1954 Topps #128
The Hank Aaron RC is a truly recognizable and iconic card in the industry. The orange background jumps out at you and I would love to find a well-centered copy to cherish.
3 – Willie Mays 1952 Topps #261
The 1951 Bowman set features Willie’s RC, but this is his first Topps card in 1952. This iconic 1952 Topps set is instantly recognizable and contains some of the most expensive vintage baseball cards.
2 – Michael Jordan 1986 Fleer #57
The most recognizable card in the basketball industry, the Michael Jordan RC is a must own for me. We just need to find a well-centered version at a less than astronomical price!
#1 – Mickey Mantle 1951 Bowman #253 or 1953 Topps #82 (The 1952 Topps is out of my price range for now)
Similar to our discussion about Willie Mays, the 1951 Bowman and 1952 Topps cards are the first in each set for The Mick.
1952 Topps is out of my price range even at grade 1 levels. So, the recognizable 1953 Topps (not cheap either) will likely be on the radar first as a staple to build this collection around.
I am open to any of the top 10 if the right card at the right price presents itself. I am also open to expanding my collection outside of the top 10 depending on the deal. For example, I just picked up a beautiful 1964 Topps Giants Hank Aaron #49 SGC 7.5:
There are also MANY other players (not on the list above) who will hopefully be added to this collection over time as well. Players like Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Nolan Ryan, Rickey Henderson, Mario Lemieux, Jerry Rice, Bobby Orr, Wilt Chamberlain to name a few.
Final thoughts….
I do have a 1989 UD Ken Griffey Jr (PSA 6) that I pulled from a pack. The card has some centering issues so I will be looking for a more pristine card over time, hopefully without paying the PSA 10 card price.
For the record, I am not against modern cards. I recently picked up a 2017 Topps Archives Aaron Judge RC that I love. While I wouldn’t turn down an Aaron Judge Topps Chrome Refractor, I am drawn to the modern sets that provide a vintage feel and focus on some of the great players of the past. Topps Archives and Topps Heritage are 2 sets I have enjoyed opening despite their relative lack of expensive pulls.
If anyone else is on a similar journey, in the Philadelphia region or not, I would love to hear about it. If you’re willing to share your successes, failures, strengths, weaknesses, and anything else that may help myself or others we would appreciate it!
Plenty more to come….
Our current “vintage” collection (as it stands today):
Most Recent Addition:
Visit us at www.introvertedvintage.com