Published February 05, 2026 | By Martina F, Collectors MD Community Member

There comes a time in one’s life when we must admit the truth that our moms did not want to admit: We all have our favorites. In the context of card collecting, we all have our favorite players.

I remember my first favorite player: Wayne Gretzky. It was kind of hard for Wayne Gretzky to NOT be your favorite player if you were a Canadian kid watching hockey in the early 1980’s. The Stanley Cups he won with the Edmonton Oilers were a fixture of my childhood. Then there was Jose Canseco. I wrote an entire ode to the junk wax era and mentioned how one player in particular has always remained in my heart: Jose Canseco. 

Naturally, if you have a favorite player, you have a “target” for your collection. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, that meant opening wax packs and hoping you’d see the name of your guy on one of those cards. The original chase card, in my view.

Today, collecting your favorite player may seem like a daunting task. Gone are the days of collecting 4 or 5 base cards and a couple of inserts. Now there are seemingly ~800+ parallels of each card for each year, and with serial numbered cards numbered as low as one of one, it’s possible that if you are a completist, you will never, ever have a full collection of every card printed for your favorite player. So how do you collect and not take out a loan? Here are some tips.

Decide On An Era

Maybe Taylor Swift was onto something with her Eras Tour. Maybe if you select an era for your favorite player and only collect cards from that era, you too can reap the financial rewards. Example: Collecting only Oakland A’s cards of Jose Canseco, and from the years he actually played for them. If you refine it even more (only base cards, only cards numbered out of 25, 50, 200, or whatever number you choose), you can really focus your budget on very specific cards. For me, I find it difficult to continue collecting cards of a favorite player if they play for my home team and then leave. They’ve got to be really, really special for me to keep collecting their cards – like Jose Canseco was to my collection.

Collect Only Base Cards And/Or Affordable Parallels

Forget the logoman, rookie patch auto, and the first-born blood sample card. Focus on the cards everyone casts aside and create a true compendium of the player. You may even want to purchase only graded copies of the base cards at a specific grade – 9 for modern players, but maybe even a 1 or 2 for truly vintage cards of old heroes like Gherig, Ruth, or Mantle. There are some great cards available in those lower grades, and even if you are only able to purchase one or two cards a year for that player collection, in just 5 years time you may have a beautiful collection that didn’t force you to sell your home. This is a great thing!

Collect Only The Rookie Cards Of Your Favorite Players

Forget the rest, just focus on the various rookie cards available for your favorites. This is especially helpful if you have a handful of favorite players, and it’s a current one because many will have multiple parallels. My Addison Barger collection is in fact only rookie cards because they have yet to make a non-rookie card of him. I’m hoping 2026 is the year!

Stick To One Brand

Depending on who your favorite player is, perhaps collecting only one brand is the most affordable/desirable or only option. I have seen several Topps-only collections of some older players, and they’re a beautiful timeline to look back on. I saw one Nolan Ryan collection that was this exact kind of beautiful. All graded, but just one card from each year from Topps. This is a great way to spend your hobby dollars while also having a nice collection to display.

Collect Non-Major Releases

Toys’R’Us, Mother’s Cookies, McDonald’s, Dempster’s Bread, you name it. Some players will have a lot of non-mainstream cards that can make for a really cool collection at a reasonable price.

Collect Minor League Cards

Getting modern players’ “pre-rookie” cards from minor league team sets is another affordable way to collect your favorites, just be mindful of some of the hype that will follow some of the players when these issues are first released.

Get Yourself A “Side Favorite” From A Small Market Team

One way to save huge money while collecting a favorite player is to have a favorite from a small market team, or someone who is not a huge star. I have done this for years with players like Shawn Green, Joe Carter, and now Addison Barger. Those are all very solid players, one a potential new superstar, but I am able to capitalize on the fact that they played for Toronto, and there are a lot fewer Blue Jays collectors than Yankees collectors. Don’t believe me? Check out the photo below. On the left are all of the cards in my Shawn Green collection from the years he played with the Blue Jays (1993-1999) and on the right are the ones after just one and a half years of playing with the Dodgers! A small market often means fewer cards because the players don’t appear in as many subsets/insert series. The Shawn Green example below is just one of many I could list, so be sure to factor it in when collecting a player on a budget.

Can you imagine the mythology around Joe Carter’s World Series–winning home run if it had happened in a Yankees uniform?! I have no doubt that there would be a statue in front of Yankee stadium. But as a Toronto player, I always felt like he didn’t get the recognition he deserved. Just like Dave Stieb. That simple economics lesson in supply and demand means that we are able to capitalize on collecting some favorites for a discount! There will always be a few cards that are way out of reach for the average collector, but small market teams give you the advantage of being able to get some beautiful cards at a great price. Think of players like Junior Caminero or Jackson Chourio for example. Way undervalued simply because of where they play right now. Use this to your advantage!

All in all the most important thing to keep in mind when collecting your favorite player with a smaller budget is that it’s not about quantity as much as it is about joy. Sticking to base cards will help you keep your budget low while amassing quite a few cards, while focusing only on graded rookies or specific types of serial numbered/autographed cards will keep your budget focused on one or two key pieces if you favorite player is a huge star. The best part is looking at your collection and seeing a pattern, a mission of sorts, that you created just by having a favorite. Enjoy it!

#CollectorsMD
Collect the player you love, not the price tag attached to them, intention turns limits into clarity, and clarity turns collecting back into joy.

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