I am officially done cracking wax!

[brian045]

What do you like to collect? ITG is deff geared towards HOF and the history of hockey. If you want a lot of packs and rookies, ITG is not the way to go.

[chakhae1]

I used to be a big time breaker of wax from all the major sports and I stopped doing that b/c I simply couldn't afford it. I however have not quit completely and purchase packs every week and spend a fraction of what I used to spend but remain as content about the hobby as I did back then if not more b/c I am not spending 1000s of dollars on product lol.

I think they key to spending money on anything is to simply feed your need to buy the product and for me smaller is just as good as bigger.

[Zuback]

I guess I will add my 2 cents to the post also.

I have been collecting for the past 36 years. When I was younger I would enjoy buying the 10 and 15 cents packs, as I was interested in hockey. We had 4 channels and 2 of them were the exact same. For any of you who live in Southern Alberta at that time, the same 2 channels were 2 & 7. They had the exclusive hockey coverage of the Calgary Flames. Watching Ed Whalen, was a staple for me back then and of course he also did the coverage on Stampede Wrestling every Saturday.

From watching hockey and using my milk money to buy 1 or 2 packs - Monday to Friday - before I went to school, was what got me into collecting. As time went on the cost of packs became more and more, but I still enjoyed collecting them. At that time set collecting was big thing, the checklists were like gold....They let you know who you needed. There was no Beckett at the time or even card shops. When Red Rooster or Mac's were sold out of cards, there was no more to get, so sets would remain unfinished. However, the passion continued.

Then as I became an adult, Upper Deck, this then fueled a passion that continued, as these were the newest and latest. Boxes at that time $50 to $80 were a lot, but the cards were good to look at. As I was in college at the time, I was buying Upper Deck Hockey, Basketball and Football. In the end - after many years - it was soon realized that these boxes from the early 90's were not worth their weight in gold... The money I spent on them and the money the card shops made not only on me, but others.

Now as I move into the years after, I decided that Hockey would be the one I would go with and Upper Deck - regular issue would be it. Then Upper Deck bought the rights for OPC and that turned me back to the days of when I was young. So as a result, and still being a set collector, I to this day complete the Upper Deck and OPC and OPC Retro's sets each year. I buy 1 box of each series and a few blasters of each also. As for OPC, I buy 2 to 3 boxes. Being a set collector and the size of the sets, it is cheaper for me to buy this many of each, the retro's to put together alone are 600 cards and per card book at $2 to 3 for the base alone. I am lucky enough to have a net work of people who help me out each year. Fleurynut gives me all of his Retro's and I give him my Black's /100 and other inserts he needs. Yes, I still trade for the rest.

When I buy boxes, I look at what I pay. So, if I pay $80 for a box of Upper Deck Series 1, I look at the book value on the Young Guns, Inserts, Hockey Heroes and Game Used to see what I get. Normally, 9 out of 10 times, I get the book value back vs. what I paid for the box - no including the base.

However, even at this, I look at the cost of the boxes. Over the past year, I have started to focus more on my vintage side. Vintage that I look for has to have sharp corners. I can live with the off center cuts and bad cuts, but the corners are what I look for. I have been fortunate over this last year to link up with a guy on Ebay that has provide me with opportunity to buy cards from him and they are what I want. In the past, I had tried this and more then 1/2 of the time, I don't get what they say they are selling.

As I move forward, I will continue to do what I do, but also am looking at increasing my vintage side.

I guess I am not looking at profiting from what I am doing and am doing this as it has provided me with something special that I do as a collector and hobbyist. I hope one day to have my son who is 7 view this the same as I do. He takes interest once in a while, but for now, I will continue on.

Tony

[Gibby]

Tony

Well said a true collector at heart if you are looking to make money this hobby will eventually wear you out.

I like to open packs and I like to build sets so I do both. I spend what I can on boxes and trade or buy the rest.

[56Parkies]

Great story, Tony; thanks for sharing with the group... The first bit mirrors a lot of my own time as a kid in the 70s

[MW Connection]

i still need to try an ITG box

[brian045]

If you want to try one, try ITG used. There are only 4 cards in a pack( all game used or auto), but all cards have pictures of the players. They have a good mix of newer players and retired. As the title states, its ITG Used, as in game used. Not a lot of autos, but ALOT of game used. Pretty good chance to hit a 1/1 or /10. I think its about 125.-- right now.

[MW Connection]

If you want to try one, try ITG used. There are only 4 cards in a pack( all game used or auto), but all cards have pictures of the players. They have a good mix of newer players and retired. As the title states, its ITG Used, as in game used. Not a lot of autos, but ALOT of game used. Pretty good chance to hit a 1/1 or /10. I think its about 125.-- right now.

ok and what does the pool of players look like. Is it all older players or is it a nice mix?

[Gallinator]

http://www.itgtradingcards.com/products-lineup/itg-used

Checklists are always on the ITG web site

[centrehice]

How did this get so sidetracked?

The question a member posted 4 pages ago was; Is the OP still busting wax?

Of course he is. Why do people insist about talking about themselves?