New to the Scene and Wildly Impressed with the Card Trading Community

**randojrode** · 12-10-2018, 03:16 AM

Hi All!

Over the last four years I've been collecting baseball cards at a very casual pace. That is, the only packs I ever really tore open were packs of 100 cards sold by the Fairfield Company at Walgreens. Though I've seen guaranteed hit packs at Target made by this same company, the packs at Walgreens contained 100 loose cards from multiple decades and obtained from just about every baseball card manufacturer I've heard of, as well as from a few I'd never heard of. From these packs (I've probably bought over 150 of them since 2015), I've got quite a large collection of relics, autos, and great-conditioned cards from the 60s, 70s, and early 80s, but mainly I was looking for SF Giants players.

What's funny is that growing up I loved and played just about every sport EXCEPT for baseball. To be honest, I didn't have a good reason other than the fact that the baseball games on Fox would sometimes cut into the Simpsons - my favorite show at the time - though I also grew up in Portland, Oregon... I'm sure not having a pro MLB team nearby didn't help, but the point is that I wasn't a fan until I was around 19 or 20. You see, it didn't matter that I didn't like baseball because my girlfriend, whom I had just moved in with at the time, was (and still) is a baseball nut. Eventually she forced me to watch a few games, and after a while I did end up appreciating having a baseball game on while doing homework.

Then the fateful day occurred: June 13th, 2012.

On this beautiful day in San Francisco, with 41,915 people at AT&T Park, all on their feet watching as Matt Cain blew through 18 batters straight to start off the game. And then 21 batters. And then 24...

After left fielder Gregor Blanco made an unbelievable diving catch in what was essentially center field, a shiver crept up my spine. Something very special was happening; something that was bigger than any one person in the stadium, but also something that would have never been without these people, these fans who, whether religious or not, felt something miraculous, something spiritual.

There was something about this beautiful game that, after 27 consecutive outs, felt truly divine, truly perfect.

Matt Cain's perfect game changed everything for me: it opened my eyes to the unique relationship between the pitcher and his catcher, and that day I became obsessed with this epic showdown between a major league pitcher and the batters he faces - and not just the athleticism of it, but the psychological dimensions as well. Since last May, I've been teaching myself how to pitch, so even the physics and biomechanics of the game have become an obsession!

So I'm a born again baseball lover. Games aren't on at every moment of every day so I have to find other ways to engage my true love (I'm still with that same girlfriend, but we've both agreed that baseball is our true love; one another is just a distant second). Teaching myself how to pitch is one way, and of course, collecting baseball cards is another. Et voila - Here I am!

I've since moved on from just the Walgreens packs (though I still buy every single one on the rack when stocked, which is sadly becoming less frequent), and since August have spent many, many hours on eBay, Target, and my local hobby shop expanding my collection. Though I've obtained close to a thousand cards that are either autos, relics, or numbered, I've now started to focus specifically on my team: the SF Giants. The other cards were acquired with the intent to trade, which is why I've started to put myself into the world of forums.

My favorite Giant to collect is Reyes Moronta, though Ty Blach has also been a favorite because it's a lot cheaper to acquire the nice cards of his - the 1/1 cards, for example. I also love legos, and on the mound at least, Ty Blach kind of looks like a lego figure.

Though I'm eager to start trading and selling (I'm currently making my own website to sell cards; likewise, I'm looking for ways to show prospective buyers/traders I'm honest, which I'd imagine will take some time), I joined this forum not for anything particular. Rather, I have been incredibly impressed with the trading card community and how active it is online, as well as locally, not to mention how friendly everyone I've encountered has been! Since I see myself collecting for the rest of my life (in some ways, it's almost like playing a miniature stock market), I figure it's about time I begin establishing myself as a friend within the community.

I don't really know what to expect during my time on this forum, but I'm definitely excited and looking forward to engaging such a great community!

Best,

Rando

**scottkoz20** · 12-10-2018, 04:19 AM

Welcome to SCF, @randojrode! If you have questions, please feel free to ask them in the Feedback and Suggestions forum as we are always looking to improve SCF. Also, I invite you to review our free tools to enhance your collections such as our Inventory Manager and Through the Mail Manager! -Scott

**mrrosado** · 12-10-2018, 08:52 AM

[QUOTE=randojrode;14716207]Hi All!

Over the last four years I've been collecting baseball cards at a very casual pace. That is, the only packs I ever really tore open were packs of 100 cards sold by the Fairfield Company at Walgreens. Though I've seen guaranteed hit packs at Target made by this same company, the packs at Walgreens contained 100 loose cards from multiple decades and obtained from just about every baseball card manufacturer I've heard of, as well as from a few I'd never heard of. From these packs (I've probably bought over 150 of them since 2015), I've got quite a large collection of relics, autos, and great-conditioned cards from the 60s, 70s, and early 80s, but mainly I was looking for SF Giants players.

What's funny is that growing up I loved and played just about every sport EXCEPT for baseball. To be honest, I didn't have a good reason other than the fact that the baseball games on Fox would sometimes cut into the Simpsons - my favorite show at the time - though I also grew up in Portland, Oregon... I'm sure not having a pro MLB team nearby didn't help, but the point is that I wasn't a fan until I was around 19 or 20. You see, it didn't matter that I didn't like baseball because my girlfriend, whom I had just moved in with at the time, was (and still) is a baseball nut. Eventually she forced me to watch a few games, and after a while I did end up appreciating having a baseball game on while doing homework.

Then the fateful day occurred: June 13th, 2012.

On this beautiful day in San Francisco, with 41,915 people at AT&T Park, all on their feet watching as Matt Cain blew through 18 batters straight to start off the game. And then 21 batters. And then 24...

After left fielder Gregor Blanco made an unbelievable diving catch in what was essentially center field, a shiver crept up my spine. Something very special was happening; something that was bigger than any one person in the stadium, but also something that would have never been without these people, these fans who, whether religious or not, felt something miraculous, something spiritual.

There was something about this beautiful game that, after 27 consecutive outs, felt truly divine, truly perfect.

Matt Cain's perfect game changed everything for me: it opened my eyes to the unique relationship between the pitcher and his catcher, and that day I became obsessed with this epic showdown between a major league pitcher and the batters he faces - and not just the athleticism of it, but the psychological dimensions as well. Since last May, I've been teaching myself how to pitch, so even the physics and biomechanics of the game have become an obsession!

So I'm a born again baseball lover. Games aren't on at every moment of every day so I have to find other ways to engage my true love (I'm still with that same girlfriend, but we've both agreed that baseball is our true love; one another is just a distant second). Teaching myself how to pitch is one way, and of course, collecting baseball cards is another. Et voila - Here I am!

I've since moved on from just the Walgreens packs (though I still buy every single one on the rack when stocked, which is sadly becoming less frequent), and since August have spent many, many hours on eBay, Target, and my local hobby shop expanding my collection. Though I've obtained close to a thousand cards that are either autos, relics, or numbered, I've now started to focus specifically on my team: the SF Giants. The other cards were acquired with the intent to trade, which is why I've started to put myself into the world of forums.

My favorite Giant to collect is Reyes Moronta, though Ty Blach has also been a favorite because it's a lot cheaper to acquire the nice cards of his - the 1/1 cards, for example. I also love legos, and on the mound at least, Ty Blach kind of looks like a lego figure.

Though I'm eager to start trading and selling (I'm currently making my own website to sell cards; likewise, I'm looking for ways to show prospective buyers/traders I'm honest, which I'd imagine will take some time), I joined this forum not for anything particular. Rather, I have been incredibly impressed with the trading card community and how active it is online, as well as locally, not to mention how friendly everyone I've encountered has been! Since I see myself collecting for the rest of my life (in some ways, it's almost like playing a miniature stock market), I figure it's about time I begin establishing myself as a friend within the community.

I don't really know what to expect during my time on this forum, but I'm definitely excited and looking forward to engaging such a great community!

Best,

Rando[/QUOTE @randojrode welcome to SCF. Head over to the baseball card trading forum and let people know you want SF Giants!

**jwlawrence06** · 12-10-2018, 02:44 PM

Welcome! I recently jumped ship from Beckett over here to SCF and must say that the community here is more active and engaged.

**creasecollector** · 12-10-2018, 06:20 PM

Welcome to the site!

**bcool022** · 12-12-2018, 08:46 PM

Hey Rando welcome to SCF!

**bakemeister52** · 12-13-2018, 02:24 AM

Welcome to SCF and make sure to check out our site!

**Vault Card Club** · 12-13-2018, 02:30 PM

Great story of how you came to be a BB card collector as I bet most are like me and can't even really say since we've been doing it since we were kids (with the usual break while we discover girls in high school/college. Welcome to the forum and good luck building your Giants collection!