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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Published January 19, 2026 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

There is something incredibly pure about watching sports simply as a fan again. Not as an investor. Not as a speculator. Not as someone with money on the line. Just as someone who loves the game for what it gives us.

Over the last few days, I had the opportunity to enjoy the NFL Divisional Round playoff games and the College Football National Championship with my dad. No phones. No distractions. No bets. Just the two of us (and four dogs) on the couch, taking in the game. And what stood out most was how free it felt.

For so long, the consumption of sports stopped being about passion and started being about risk. Every game became a ledger. Every big moment came with tension. Instead of celebrating an impressive touchdown, we would calculate the live odds. Instead of enjoying a gritty comeback, we braced for what a loss would mean financially. That’s not fandom. That’s fixation. When you have skin in the game, It strips the purity from the experience.
But the past few days reminded me what the experience should be. It’s supposed to be meaningful. It’s supposed to bring us together. It’s supposed to make you feel present.

It’s amazing how enjoying a big moment without worrying about money can bring you back to your roots as a fan. To a time when the only thing that mattered was the game. And there’s no reason that can’t still exist today.

Watching those games with my dad brought back that feeling I had as a kid – the same one I had sitting on the living room floor, the game on in the background, ripping packs and chasing the players I loved, the idea of “profit” not even a thought. I don’t think I even knew what the word “profit” meant at that point in my life. It reminded me what it’s supposed to be about. The strategy. The heart. The drama. The beauty of competition at the highest level.

And that’s exactly what collecting is meant to be, too. The purity of collecting isn’t found in what something is worth – it’s found in what it means to you. The player you believe in. The team you ride with. The memory the card holds. That’s the real value.

When we remove the pressure, the gambling mechanics, the social buzz, the unrelenting need to win – fandom returns to what it was always meant to be: something that brings us joy, connection, and meaning.

That’s the version of the hobby we’re fighting for. That’s the version of fandom we deserve. And that’s the version of ourselves we get back when we slow down the pace, choose intention, and remember why we fell in love with sports in the first place.

#CollectorsMD
When we take the pressure off the outcome, we get to enjoy the magic of the game – and the hobby.

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We’re re-uploading every episode of our podcasts—one per day—to make sure our new members and followers can catch up from the beginning.

If you’re new to Collectors MD, these conversations are where it all started—honest, unfiltered discussions about the realities of collecting, recovery, and rebuilding a healthier hobby.

We’ll be sharing episodes from The Collector’s Compass & Behind The Breaks covering everything from gambling parallels in collecting, to mental health, to how we find purpose beyond the chase.

Whether you’ve been here since day one or just joined the movement, this is your chance to revisit the stories that shaped our mission.

Subscribe on YouTube, follow along daily, like, comment, and help us spread the message: the hobby gets healthier when we do.

Collect With Intention. Not Compulsion.

The Collector’s Compass #8: Collecting For Passion Over Profit, Finding Meaning Beyond The Market

#CollectorsMD | #RipResponsibly | #CollectResponsibly

Published October 17, 2025 | By Ambre L, Collectors MD Community Member

As the initial excitement of collecting began to wane, I learned that not everything that sparkles is truly valuable. Many times, the cards and collectibles that seemed destined to change my life turned out to be far less extraordinary than they appeared. Through this realization, it became apparent that collecting—while rewarding and fulfilling—also carries the risk of financial pitfalls if not approached with care.

Witnessing loved ones experience disappointment, chasing promises of treasures only to discover they were worth much less than expected, deeply influenced my mindset. This eye-opening experience led to a transformation in both my collecting habits and my outlook. I made a conscious decision to step back from constantly searching for and desiring the next rare find.

Moments like these remind me that collecting doesn’t have to revolve around what’s mine—it can also be about what we share.

My collection has undergone a significant transformation over time. Initially, I was drawn to expensive comic busts, investing heavily in these prized pieces. That interest eventually shifted toward risqué anime figures, further fueling my enthusiasm for collecting. However, after losing thousands of dollars on various collectibles and comics, I realized the need to change direction.

As a result, I began focusing on sports “bad guys”—athletes with controversial reputations who fascinated me since childhood. What began as a simple passion soon turned into an obsession. Over time, though, that fixation mellowed into a curiosity I now enjoy sharing with others. Rather than collecting for personal gain, I take pleasure in searching for intriguing additions and sharing the stories behind these unique figures with fellow enthusiasts.

In embracing the so-called “bad boys” of sports, I began to see how even the most flawed figures can tell powerful stories about consequence, redemption, and human complexity.

The way my collection is perceived—the glances and the whispers—gives me a sense of pride, as it is truly my own creation. While some people collect things that might seem unusual to others, my interests have led me down a unique path. I’ve amassed memorabilia centered around forgotten crimes and athletes unlikely to ever be honored in the Hall of Fame. Despite their obscurity, these figures have earned a permanent place on what I call my Murder Shelf.

Alongside these, I also treasure one-of-a-kind cards personally crafted for me or autographed with my name. These occupy a place of distinction on my Personal Shelf, sitting right next to the Murder Shelf. Each shelf represents a different facet of my collecting journey—and together, they form a display that is both deeply personal and completely unique.

#CollectorsMD
True value isn’t always in what we own—it’s in what we understand.

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Published September 30, 2025 | By Alyx E, Founder of Collectors MD

The hobby has always been about joy, nostalgia, and personal meaning—not treating every card like a stock to be speculated on. Yet time and time again, mainstream platforms and companies frame stories only through the narrow lens of profit and loss. What was once about childhood wonder is now repackaged as a cautionary tale of dollars “lost”.

Yesterday, Fanatics published a post across social media from their @fanaticscollect channel describing a childhood decision as a “$3,000 mistake”. The card in question—a 1st Edition “Blaine’s Arcanine” from one of the original Pokémon sets—had been pressed into the grip tape of a skateboard when its owner was a teenager. Years later, it resurfaced, labeled in hindsight as a financial blunder. The headline focused not on creativity or nostalgia, but on what could have been if the card wasn’t all but destroyed—a valuation number on a grading scale, forever tied to money left on the table.

Calling this story a “$3,000 mistake” is pure rage bait—chasing engagement instead of honoring the real spirit of a childhood story. The hobby should be about joy and nostalgia, not reducing every card to a profit calculation.

Calling this story a “$3,000 mistake” misses the point entirely. It wasn’t a mistake—it was a memory. It was passion. It was creativity. That card didn’t just sit in a shoebox or a slabbed case gathering dust; it lived. It went out into the world, joined a kid on adventures, and became part of his identity. It represented freedom, imagination, and the magic of Pokémon—exactly what made this hobby special in the first place.

By reducing it to a lost profit calculation, we don’t just insult that story—we reinforce the toxic message that collecting is only valid if it pays. This is the same mindset that has turned the hobby into a speculative marketplace, where cards are constantly flipped, hyped, and exploited. It’s the mindset that fuels gambling-style breaks and addictive spending habits. And it’s the mindset we’re working to challenge every single day at Collectors MD.

What many people in the comments got right is that this is what collecting should be: freedom, expression, joy. One collector said, “The card went with him on adventures. True to the Pokémon story.” Another wrote, “Bro thought it’d be dope to put a card on his board. That’s priceless.” These aren’t financial takes—they’re reminders that the value of collecting is found in the stories, not the spreadsheets.

At Collectors MD, we believe moments like these are guideposts. The value of collecting isn’t measured in resale prices or market charts—it’s measured in the memories we make and the meaning we attach. Cards are supposed to remind us of who we are, where we’ve been, and what we love. And when we lose sight of that—when every card becomes an “asset” or a “missed opportunity”—we lose the very soul of the hobby.

Profit Fades. Passion Remains.

#CollectorsMD
A card skated into childhood isn’t a $3,000 mistake—it’s a $3,000 memory.

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